Newbie Question - again

[Jaime]

As I continue my exhaustive research for my first mount (I'm currently leaning towards the Sky-Watcher Adventure GTI Go To EQ), I have another question regarding stacking photo's. I've searched the forum and found some threads on this, but none that address my question. First, I understand the concept of photo stacking. But what if I'm working with just a tripod with ball head setup? I've captured a few decent shots this way with my Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 at ISO 100 and 10 seconds shutter speed. Should I leave my settings this way and keep capturing a bunch of images?

 

I'm confused because if I capture like 40 images of a single object (like a star for example) at 10 seconds each, that's 400 seconds. Won't the star's position change over the 400 seconds, thus not allowing Photoshop or DeepSkyStacker to successfully align all of the images? The second part of this question is a no-brainer I think, but I have to ask. An EQ mount will resolve all of the above, correct?       

 

  

 

 

[paul]

Hi Jaime,

 

When the images are stacked what you end up with is the part of the image that is common to all your shots will look the best and every where else will be fainter and noisier. You then just crop out the bits you don't like. I think typically the software will choose one shot as the reference and all the other shots are aligned on top of it.

 

An EQ mount on its own helps a lot because as you know it will track the movement allowing longer individual shots. But even EQ mounts are not perfect and wobble and drift off the target. That is why for long exposures we have a second telescope, camera  and computer to work out what the tracking error is. That is used to nudge the EQ mount back on target. The trick is for the guiding camera to notice the drift and make small nudges before the drift affects the imaging camera.

 

[TerryMcK]

On 8/27/2022 at 6:50 PM, Jaime said:

An EQ mount will resolve all of the above, correct?     

Yes that's correct but as Paul says you end up with computers/second camera and guide scope. Before you know it you have spent much $$$$ and want even more.

Astrophotography like many hobbies is not cheap but very worthwhile and fulfilling.