Bob Colvert
Bob does Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA). EAA sits between visual astronomy and astrophotography. A camera replaces the eye piece and gives live viewing on a screen. For faint objects software stacks up photons in real time, results show on the screen in seconds and improve with exposure time. None of these EAA photos have had post processing accept perhaps croping.
Bob uses a Celestron 8″ NexStar Evolution Computerized Telescope with StarSense autoalign. The image train is a Optilong L-pro filter, a Starizona Night Owl .4x SCT Reducer and Corrector with a ZWO asi290 color camera. Camera control and image stacking and capture is done using SharpCap software and a laptop PC.
Dave Elder
Dave is in his 70’s, started his astronomy hobby more seriously in 2000 when he retired in Arizona. He has a Celestron Evolution 8 with 5 Explore Scientific eyepieces which he haven’t used since he started using a camera. He says “I really can see more detail from my back yard with a camera than I could ever see with an eyepiece”.
He uses ASI294MC Pro Color camera which has a wide FOV making it easier to find objects in the sky. He can use his set up at f 10 or f6,3 with a reducer or f1.9 with the HyperStar 8. He also uses the ASIAIR Pro as the brains of the system – to find objects, plate solve the objects, & live stack the photos.
His main object starting out was to photograph all the Messier objects. Online he sees photos taken by others to decide what he would like to do next.