Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro Pack – Motorized Dslr Night Sky Tracker Equatorial Mount for Portable Nightscapes, Time-Lapse and Panoramas – Wi-Fi App Camera Control – Long Exposure Imaging

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Tip: A way round this is to polar align at twilight so that you don’t need the polar scope illuminator. See my polar alignment tutorial for more info. Finding Objects in the Sky As an added benefit to amateur astrophotographers, this tripod includes a spreader for added stability and a handy eyepiece tray. Features include an integral illuminated polar scope for precise alignment, interfaces for USB, autoguider, optional SynScan hand controller and SNAP shutter control for your DSLR (programmable via Sky-Watcher’s free SynScan Pro app for iOS and Android). It also features a dual-position counterweight bar for use at low latitudes and full smartphone control via Wi-Fi. Other measurements such as the PV and RMS are important too. With these measurements, the lower the number the better as it shows less curvature on the lens. The flatter an optical lens, the better it will perform. The PV rating (Peak To Valley) is a measurement from the highest point (Peak) to the lowest point (Valley). From this we get the RMS (Root, Mean, Square). This is a similar figure to the PV and measured exactly the same way. The RMS is basically an average height difference from the PV so again, the lower the better. As you can see form the example below, we measured an RMS of just 0.027 wave which is a very good value. I've got WIFI working very easily with my old laptop and my smart phone, using the dedicated Synscan Pro App, but you can use any Syscan handset, using the hand controller port as well.

At Rother Valley Optics, one thing we pride ourselves on is customer service and quality of our equipment. When we test your telescope, we will ensure that it is of the highest quality otherwise, we will reject the scope under our strict quality control and test another model for your peace of mind. One of the main values to look at when testing a refractor is the Strehl ratio. The higher this number, the higher quality lens you have. At Rother Valley Optics, we will guarantee the highest possible Strehl ratio for your telescope. We will aim to provide 0.95 Strehl or higher on Takahashi, RVO Horizon, William Optics and many more! Generally, the higher the Strehl ratio, the lower the Astigmatism and Coma meaning a better image quality from your instrument. Here is a look at the body of the mount. This helpful diagram can be found in the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Pro manual (PDF). I have listed all of the numbered areas of the mount below. It comes in two pieces: the illuminator itself and an adaptor base. While the illuminator fits in the Star Adventurer body, you need the adaptor to mount it on the declination plate.Here is how you should work. Unassisted Polar Alignment: Using the Star Adventurer’s Graduated Scales For Deep Sky Astrophotography Now that you know how to frame any point in the sky, you need to know how to find your target. The easiest way to do so is when your target is visible, or it sits “next” to a visible star. I love that I can slide the dovetail bar up or down on the mounting platform on the Star Adventurer. This ensures that I achieve the perfect balance when mounting a small refractor and DSLR camera on top. The exciting new Star Adventurer GTi features a built-in illuminated polar scope for precision alignment, interfaces for USB, autoguider, optional SynScan hand controller, and SNAP shutter control for your DSLR (programmable via Sky-Watcher’s free SynScan Pro app for iOS and Android). The Star Adventurer GTi also includes a dual-position counterweight for use at low latitudes as well as full smartphone control via Wi-Fi. Mount the Star Adventurer on the wedge and the payload on the Star Adventurer. Prefer using the Fine-Tuning Mounting Assembly with the counterweight to balance your gear.

Find out the longitude of your location: this is referred to GM, but you have to set the scale to compensate for the longitude difference between your location and the LSTM you calculated before. Just use a planetarium app on your phone, or desktop computer to get an idea of where the object you wish to photograph lies. That means finding the location of the object and the constellation that it is in, so you have a point of reference when your outside. Unlike the original Star Adventurer, the GTi model also has the ability to find deep-sky objects in the night sky using the SynScan GoTo system. It includes a dedicated WiFi-connected smartphone app, and can be used with autoguiding.

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There are different ways to set up your gear and to polar align your mount, depending on the kind of gear you use and the kind of astrophotography you intend to do. The Star Adventurer GTi with an astrophotography telescope mounted (Radian 61). Astrophotography Tests and Results Finally, on the night before Jupiter and Saturn’s Great Conjunction we tested the mount and our Equinox 80ED refractor, using both a DSLR and ASI 224 colour camera, to capture the close encounter. Now that the Star Adventurer is set to midnight October 31st for time zone 0, level the mount and aim at a distant object that is vertical, such as the edge of a tall building. Earth revolves once every 24hrs (give or take), thus every 15° of longitude from the Standard Meridian of Greenwich (London) there is a LSTM for a time zone: this defines the Universal Time (UT) or Standard Time. This world map shows the different LSTM each 15° of longitude from the meridian of Greenwich and how this is correlated to the Universal Time. (Image credit: Journeynorth)

Here is a single 1.5-minute exposure @ ISO 3200 using my Canon DSLR and RedCat 51 refractor on the Orion Nebula. I’d say those stars look pretty round, wouldn’t you? For example, you can take 50x 120 second exposures, with a 60 gap between each exposure. The camera itself will not give you these settings. Using a shutter release cable also avoids adding vibration on to your mount by pressing the shutter button on the camera. Just make sure the one you buy works for your camera. The Good It’s a very rewarding process if a little frustrating at first, and you’ll thank yourself for it long term.

The battery system is an aspect that SkyWatcher needs to improve in future versions of the Star Adventurer 2i. There’s been plenty of reports of battery leakage after having the device sitting for a few weeks; I’ve experienced it myself, unfortunately. You will struggle to find a better way to get into the world of astrophotography than the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer. It’s portability, price and ease of use make it the perfect choice for those who are either beginners wanting to get into the hobby, or more experienced hands who don’t want or are unable to take their full imaging rig to remote locations.