What is a telescope autoguider?
An autoguider is an automatic electronic guidance tool used in astronomy to keep a telescope pointed precisely at an object being observed. This prevents the object from drifting across the field of view during long-exposures which would create a blurred or elongated image.
Do you need an autoguider?
Autoguiding is only necessary when taking exposures of at least 30-60 seconds. If you’retaking short images or video clips of bright objects like the Moon or planets, or you’re taking sub-frames (‘subs’) of deep-sky objects of less than 30 seconds, you may not need to guide during your images.
What is a Celestron autoguider?
The NexGuide Autoguider from Celestron is a stand-alone system that eliminates the necessity of tethering it to a laptop computer for finding or tracking your celestial targets with a motorized alt-az or equatorial mount. A Aptina MT9V034C12STM CMOS sensor allows the tracking of even faint stars, and the larger 5.6×4.
Do I need an autoguider for astrophotography?
Even with your polar alignment spot-on, and your payload perfectly balanced, autoguiding is often necessary to track your object smoothly enough for astrophotography. This is especially true on beginner-level GoTo mounts such as the Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro pictured below.
How does autoguider camera work?
The autoguider captures regular snapshots of the sky and a computer compares them to detect star drift caused by the apparent movement of stars across the night sky, issuing corrections to the mount via a cable attached to the autoguide port to keep the mount on track.
How long can you go without guiding?
Tracking and Guiding are not the Same Thing It is possible to be tracking the sky without guiding. When it comes to astrophotography, it’s the tracking that is most important because, without it, stars will begin to trail after a 30-second exposure or sooner.
What is a CCD autoguider?
An autoguider is a digital camera with a CCD or CMOS detector at the focus of the guidescope or, in the case of an off-axis guider, at the focus of the imaging instrument after some of its light has been diverted by a small prism.
What is an autoguider for astrophotography?
Do I need an Autoguider for astrophotography?
Do I need a guide camera astrophotography?
Autoguiding is an essential part of any serious deep sky astrophotography rig. Whether you’re guiding with a guide scope or off-axis guider, you’ll need a guide camera to go with it.
How do I learn astrophotography?
Beginners often start with a small star tracker for wide-angle astrophotography images. Entry-level camera mounts such as the iOptron SkyTracker Pro, or Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer are a great place to start. This opens the doors to long exposure photos that include deep-sky objects such as galaxies and nebulae.