Last night I did a first imaging run using my 10" Dob on the tracking platform. I chose a section of the moon with three craters that I like: Arzachel, Alphonsus and Ptolemaeus. At first I used my ZWO ASI290MC camera with a 2x Barlow. If it had been a still night I could have gotten good videos, but the wind was gusting strongly. Also, the heat was bad all day and into the night and the image danced like a blob of Jello. Not a good night at all. I pulled the Barlow out and just used the camera. Much, much better. With the big Dob I really didn't need the Barlow. Shimmering was now tolerable and the wind didn't blow the image around that badly. I also liked the way the three subject craters were framed by the lunar landscape. Adjusting the motor speed was challenging in the wind, and I finally found the 'sweet spot' in the platform travel for solar system imaging. Everything came together and I shot the video that produced this image.


Lunar craters Arzachel, Alphonsus and Ptolemaeus (image center)

One upgrade I want to do to the platform are adjustable front feet. The platform is spot on for my latitude when set on a level floor. However, my patio slab is slanted away from the house for rain to run off.

I want to try imaging the moon with my DSLR. The Dob is big and has a long focal length. Two advantages are the large aperture for increased detail, and a big image size without using Barlows.

Ed D