VW Campervan in search of darker skies, Orion Nebula. Canon EOS R, AZ Gti, Z61 and a flask of coffee
Channel: Astrobloke
Date: 10/12/2021

VW Campervan T28 in search of darker skies for Astronomy, also first test of ASI2600MM Pro

#ASTROBLOKE #Astrophotography #Astronomy
https://www.youtube.com/c/Astrobloke?...

Adventures about to start with a recently purchased VW Campervan T5 which will now be known as the Astrobus.
I have a great set up at home but the light pollution from my Bortle 6 skies can limit my abilities when capturing really faint targets. I often venture out to dark sites in the car but this has limitations in gear I can take so a campervan is ideal. Plenty of room, comfort and other facilities making it the perfect tool for this kind of outing.
For my first trip I drive about 45minutes from home to a Bortle 4 sky in Dengie Essex. I took my Zenithstar61 scope with my Canon EOS-R camera and mounted it all on the skywatcher AZ-GTI which was just tracking the nightsky and not guiding this time.
I was able to capture a couple of hours of the Great Orion Nebula Messier 42. I was very pleased with the results but will next time bring a dedicated Astronomy camera.
I also share other sites I have visited and played with picturing the stars and taking timelapses, also using my iphone 12 camera (app called nightcap) and go pro 10.
At the end is a first light test of the 2600MM on Orion. I do not yet have the correct filters but this has been a good test and shown me the very capabilities of this camera. I am excited.

Clear skies all

www.Astrobloke.co.uk Where you can view all my images and order prints.

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Mounts
Sky Watcher EQ8R PRO     https://bit.ly/39HVTpR
Sky Watcher EQ6R Pro       https://bit.ly/3i1afU0
Sky Watcher HEQ5              https://bit.ly/2Ty7BeZ
Sky Watcher AZ GTI            https://bit.ly/3iGmIvC

Cameras
ZWO ASI 294MM Pro https://bit.ly/2VbxNN6
ZWO ASI 183MM Pro https://bit.ly/3kSLPOs
ZWO ASI 290mm mini https://bit.ly/2UO71u6
ZWO ASI 120mm mini https://bit.ly/2Twjceu

Filters
Antlia 3nm https://bit.ly/3GhuaZl
Antlia LRGB        https://bit.ly/3MDdca8
Chroma Oiii 3nm 1.25"    https://bit.ly/3rviomS
Chroma Ha 3nm 1.25"    https://bit.ly/2Wcsnlj
Optolong LRGB 1.25"       set https://bit.ly/36ZtXJq
ZWO EFW Electronic filter wheel     https://bit.ly/3fbmKe3

Telescopes
RC8 https://bit.ly/3x5AexT
Sky Watcher 130PDS
Zenithstar 61 https://bit.ly/2UEgFjc
William Optics 50mm guidescope https://bit.ly/36ZLYHK

Correctors
Sky Watcher 0.9Coma Corrector
Baader MPCC https://bit.ly/2V76LpZ
Astro Essential 0.75Reducer
William Optics Flat61A https://bit.ly/3zw9sAf
William Optics Flat 61R https://bit.ly/3BEvaEj

Accessories 
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ZWO OAG Off Axis Guider https://bit.ly/3i1RIqD

ProLogik balance meter and tuning tool
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The meter is of a high quality and works really well. Not only is it great for helping to find perfect balance in stiff mounts but it is a fantastic aid to fine tuning your mount for the best guiding. It will assist you in adjusting your worm drive/gear mesh to the optimum setting and giving you great smooth tracking and excellent guiding numbers.