Jun 6, 2013

Back in the Saddle! NEW MOUNT!

NGC 7000 - The North American Nebula
Above: NGC 7000: Imaged Monday, June 3, 2013. 
32 subs 5 Minutes Each totoaling 2 Hours 40 Minutes
Note: The above image was taken using my old mount last Monday.  After fighting with it for over an hour (mount shutting off, restarting, re-aligning 3 times!) I finally got it to work for one more night!

I am officially back in the saddle again! My Celestron CG-5 issues had me a tad depressed about missing imagaing time through the absolute best time of year. After the CG-5 was fixed in April, it quickly began acting up again, and shutting off in the middle of in the middle of my imaging sessions. I realized that I had to replace my aging "starter mount" fast!

After doing hours of research online (forums, vendor sites, blogs) I decided I was going to spring for an Orion Sirus EQ-G. It is a modest mount, but still quite expensive for my limited astro-budget. But before I put the order in, I checked Astrobuysell.ca. Wouldn't you know it, there was a Skywatcher HEQ-5 Pro Synscan GPS for sale in my area!

Skywatcher HEQ-5 Pro Synscan
The HEQ-5 has a stellar reputation in the astrophotography community. Everything I have read about this mount has been positive.  The mount is rated to carry a 40lb payload!  It is so much heavier and solid than my Celestron.  I can't wait to bring it to my dark sky site and spend a night imaging with it!   

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