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C11 on a Skywatcher EQ6 R Pro for PEP

Calculad
Affiliation
British Astronomical Association, Variable Star Section (BAA-VSS)
Wed, 09/06/2023 - 19:07

I finally have my Skywatcher EQ6-R PRO mount.

Talking to some imaging contacts, they seem to think this mount is not up to a Celestron C11 for astrophotography.

However PEP with Optec SSP3 (with its 30s integrations) is of course more forgiving than AP.

Is there anyone out there who is doing PEP on this or similar Skywatcher mounts with a C11.

The spec does claim up to 20kg load for AP. C11 OTA is 12.5kg and SSP3 adds another 1.5kg from memory so it seems well within limits to me.

Any real hands on experience would help me decide. Anyone got this set-up or similar please?

Kevin

Peter Bealo
Affiliation
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
Thu, 09/14/2023 - 13:25
A C-11 is only 27 pounds…

A C-11 is only 27 pounds. Mount should be capable of 35 pounds + payload. And OTA is short, much easier on mount than long refractor of the same weight.

I'd say go for it. That said, I prefer Astro-Physics mounts for long term reliability...

 

Peter

BPEC

Darren
Affiliation
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
Sat, 09/16/2023 - 21:07
Native Focal length?

I did long exposure guided astrophotography with 2-5 minute exposures with a Skywatcher MN190, and with all the gear was close to 26lbs. That was a focal length of 1000mm, and a F-ratio of 5.3. So, I guess it’s not really the weight that would cause me concern, but with a reduced focal length, 30 seconds sounds a reasonable expectation.