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First real test of the SkyGuider Pro with a Nikon D5600 and 70-300mm zoom lens. A rocket club member printed a 3D device to get an initial polar alignment using PS Align Pro app for iOS. Then used a right angle finder to set Polaris at the right position. This is the initial setup with that attachment and an iPhone 12.
This image is taken about 8PM at 260mm zoom, f6.3, ISO 100, and 73 seconds. Camera mounted via ball head direct to front of SGP.
I did a few exposures out to 5 minutes and different f stops and ISO with only slight star trails.
Doing a second alignment, using the SGP bracket and counter weight might have been better. That would figure the camera and all weight into the mix. That’s a test for another night.
It’s a rotator mount I got mostly for Milky Way and meteor shower images. Wanted to see what it could do with longer exposures and higher magnification gear. It’s payload capacity is about 11 lb, so mostly for very light scopes or camera setups.
Because of a family member injury, I’m at home at night now for a few months. With a street light 75 feet to the left, a porch light 20 feet straight ahead and building lights 75 feet to the right, it’s pretty well light polluted. I looked for any object I could see in the sky and tried to point to that. Was pretty much total guesswork. It wasn't until afterwards, and I compared the images with Stellarium, that I figured out what I had an image of...