12/2/2023 0 Comments Stellarium portable![]() I don’t get many clear nights a year, and this was the most reliable way to produce an image on a consistent basis. ![]() I chose not to spend precious clear-sky time sorting this out and have always opted to star align the mount myself with the hand controller. It takes time to get the software, drivers, and catalogs installed properly each time. Me? I am constantly swapping telescopes, cameras, mounts, and even imaging laptops throughout the year. Especially if you have selected and finalized all of your hardware and software. If your deep-sky astrophotography kit is stationary, in a semi-permanent location, I understand why it makes sense to plate-solve. The ASIAIR now includes the SkyAtlas planetarium with plate-solving. ![]() Tethering yourself to a laptop computer adds complexity and the need for a sufficient power source. To me, a star tracker is all about mobility and freedom. ![]() I personally don’t use plate solving to align my telescope very often, especially on mobile-friendly setups and star trackers. This particular technique uses images and patterns to determine where your telescope is pointed in the night sky by comparing your field of view with a star catalog. Plate solving is used to properly align your telescope without doing it all manually (i.e. But in this imaging session, I take advantage of the full capabilities of the ASIAIR Plus and plate solving. You could say I have been doing things the ‘old school’ way up until now. That’s right, I usually stick to the hand controller for the star alignment and GoTo process for my deep-sky astrophotography sessions in the backyard. It is unlike any other kit I’ve shared on this website before, mainly because I don’t usually use plate solving or mobile apps (in this case, the ASIAIR) to control my telescope during an astrophotography session. It’s light, it’s battery-powered, and it can (almost) do it all. In this post, I will share with you an ultra-portable, travel-friendly, easy-to-use deep-sky astrophotography setup that I have recently put together. The Ultimate Portable Astrophotography Rig in 2022 The new SkyAtlas feature (included in the latest update to the ASIAIR), allows you to tap your way from target to target, using a real-time star map of your sky. The main idea of this system is that it mirrors a much larger configuration using a robust equatorial telescope mount like the Sky-Watcher EQ6-R. Want to use a different telescope or camera? No problem. A travel-friendly setup has its limits in terms of payload capacity, which means a wide-field imaging system. Again, consider this less of a shopping list to follow piece by piece, and more of a roadmap to an enjoyable setup.Ī setup like this excels in wide-field nebulae (like the North America Nebula), and large galaxies (like Andromeda), not planets or small galaxies. It’s a lightweight, wide-field refractor telescope configuration that revolves around the Star Adventurer GTi, that doesn’t skimp on any of the modern features astrophotographers have come to expect these days (except an autofocuser). The entire system can be powered using a portable power station, for complete mobility. The major difference between this setup and the portable rigs I’ve shared on this site before is that this one features complete mount control via the ASIAIR Plus wifi controller. ![]() Are you looking to build a full-featured (GoTo, autoguiding, etc.) portable astrophotography rig for this summer? If so, I think I have found the perfect “template” to follow (with plenty of room for substitutions, of course). ![]()
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