Enhancing the Celestron 11" EdgeHD with the Starsense Autoguider
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ค. 2024
- The Celestron 11" EdgeHD telescope is great for capturing the planets but becomes a bit difficult for tracking deep space objects at a focal ratio of f/10. However, I was able to improve the tracking with the new Starsense Autoguider. Let me show you the unboxing and the follow-up tests to see how well it works.
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Great video as always Pat! The Starsense auto guider looks to be a nice bit of kit! garden still looking good mate😀 Great news flash btw! I hope you don’t get affected by the hurricane! Batton down the hatches Pat! Stay safe and I wish you clear skies!
PS: The music you asked about on my last video is as follows:
1st track: Sunny Fruit - Latte
2nd track: Afternoon - Liquify
3rd track: Soul Changing - Maya Isacowitz
4th track Over The Mountains - Peter Marti
Cheers Pat
Hi Simon.
So far, I am loving this new SSAG. Once I put the scope back on the mount, I plan to test the "dithering" aspect of the autoguider.
We did have some high winds and power outages here, but no damage.
Could you e-mail me the URL of your music vendor?
patofsavannah@gmail.com
I really like your music choices. I've been using TH-cam's music library.
Thanks.
Hi Pat. Thanks. Hope all is well. Be safe.
Thanks, Perry.
All is well here with no damage. Now we have the aftermath of the storm ... CLEAR Skies.
Thanks!
Thank you for your support
Thanks for sharing. Stay safe.
Glad to see the new addition has improved guiding for you. I hope you escape the worst of the weather (and the Heavenly Garden also). Stay safe Pat and clear skies.
Thank you, Logan.
We did have some high winds and a couple of hours of no power, but no damage here. And, after the storm, dry clear air has moved in ... with CLEAR skies ... Yea!
Ive had insanely great guiding with the ssag, Ill never deal with all the BS of phd2 again, like the auto align was years ago this is probably my favorite purchase for my astroimaging. I just use my nexstar hand control and it does everything I need in an seriously uncomplicated way.
Hi Art,
I am super glad the SSAG is working well for you. I love it too.
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy I just ordered another one for my good ole C8 along with another AVX, cheers!!
That dew shield is leaning and driving me nuts! 🤣🤣
Me too ... but I found the fix for it. I had misplaced a small clamp for the data cables coming off the dew ring. Now that I have it attached, the dew shield is tight, snug and straight.
Great video Pat. I hope you survived the storm without damage. How do you do three star polar alignment? Does the new autoguider do that for you?
Hi Craig.
You can do a polar alignment with the SSAG via CPWI. (I think you can use the hand controller, but I never use that). It will ask if you do want to do a polar alignment. Of course, you would need to be at the rig to do that as you would need to be able to adjust the alignment knobs on the mount.
Once I put the scope back on the mount, I want to test the "dithering" aspect of the autoguider.
So far, I am loving thhis SSAG.
All is well in the Heavenly Backyard Garden after the storm. No damage here.
I saw this at NEAF earlier this year, but I was unsure of this technology. I have the same rig and scope as you and I was impressed with your results. They only thing that is holding me back is how NINA is so complicated to use or the learning curve is steep. I have been truly spoiled by the ZWO ASIAIR Pro computer and it's accessories which I use for my refractors. The learning curve with that is super easy. So they question to you is it worth it to go with NINA and what is the best way to learning it without having my head exploding.
Hi Paul,
If you are using all ZWO products, it's hard to beat ASIair. However, with NINA, you can use different brands of products if they are ASCOM compliant.
Learning NINA is not so difficult. There is the simple technique, which I use and is strait forward. Then there is the advanced mode in which you can do a ton of more things, such as wait until the target is above your visible horizon, stop recording when the moon rises, wait for a particular time to start recording, and more. The way I learned it is via watching other TH-cam videos about it. Patriot Astro (PatriotAstro) has some good tutorials about it.
Hi Pat. As a gardener and backyard observer, I really appreciate your videos. This one was really helpful. I am thinking of upgrading my Starsense align tool (SSA) to add this auto-guide function, especially now that my SSA won't communicate with CPWI after downloading the latest CPWI software update. Still trying to fix that but think this new SSAG will make my autoguiding easier. (I have a similar rig (C11Edge and CGXL, and am delighted to hear your report of good guiding at the native C11 2800mm efl). A few Qs: Did you need to do firmware updates when installing your SSAG? I had a bad experience with firmware update for my SSA, and Highpoint needed to replace the unit after the update hung up, fatally). And do you need to do periodic calibrations to keep the SSAG aligned with your scope? Thanks.
Hi "ebc",
Thank you for watching my video. The SSAG works like a champ with the latest version of CPWI. I assume you are connecting the mount via its USB port and not through the hand controller (but that should work too). You are right, Celestron's firmware upgrades are hard for me as they pack their file in a JAR format, which is not native to windows. I am suspecting that I will need to do a firmware upgrade as there is no "Dither" choice in the Auto guider selection menu ... which there should be. This (I would think) would make it a bit more compatible with PHD2.
As long as I don't bump the SSAG on the scope, I shouldn't have to realign it, but the alignment is quite simple and fast.
Hi Pat! Love your videos! Are you still happy with your StarSense AutoGuider? I’m considering purchasing one for my 8SE but have seen great and terrible reviews. Wondering if you’ve had any issues with it? Thanks!!!
It's doing what it says. I've been guiding 5 minutes with the C-11 EdgeHD with round stars. I am waiting for Celestron to upgrade the firmware. When they do, it appears that it will integrate the guider into NINA. Right now, I am able to use NINA while guiding with the SSAG, but I can't control if from NINA.
Great video, Pat. I have a similar scope. A celestron 9.25 edge on a cgx mount and a hyperstar. I choose the 9,25 because of the weight of an 11”. I. Have access to a 14” and find it to heavy for portability at my age. Have you tried the celestron off axis guider? I chose this because of flexture tissues. But it sounds like that is not a problem for use. I observe from the foothills of the blue ridge mountains in Virginia.
Hi Rickey,
Well, that 11" scope is no picnic to hoist on my mount either. I can't imagine trying to hoist that 14" monster ... but it would be nice. I purchased a OAG for the Celestron, but I can't get it to track properly. I am beginning to think my diagnal is causing the issue. Mountain area of Virginia ... I bet your skies are super dark!
I'm in Milwaukee, we just had a very atypical 102 degree, 80 degree Dew point! I hate humidity. Would rather be in dry 110 Arizona. Hope all is well after Idalia.
Hii Mike ...
Wow ... Now that's hot!!
👍🏼
Hi Pat. Great video! You seem to be the only review of the autoguider! I'm considering purchasing these accessories. Do you think they are worth the steep price?
Hi Mike,
Thank you. If you want good guiding for great astrophotography images, then yes, I think it is worth it. However, that $800 price tag on the SSAG is a bit steep. I just published another video highlighting the auto alignment and polar alignment function of the SSAG via CPWI telescope control software ... th-cam.com/video/LfP0_gGnQnM/w-d-xo.html
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Awesome! I'll be watching that for sure.
So I ended up buying one! Can't wait to try it on my C8.
Nice video! Can I please ask which computer you used to connect these two under the mount. I’m also interested in the ability to remote control a similar setup. Thank you
Thank you.
The outside computer is just a mini windows computer ... usually about $200-ish. I set it up to connect via windows remote desktop. You can also connect via Chrome. I have a strong WiFi signal have the remote computer connected to my WiFi network. Makes life a bit more simple
Nice garden! What is the focal length of the guide scope? And why do you think it works so well when other guiders using small scopes are notorious for their poor guiding for large SCTs? Do you think it would work with Sky-Watcher mounts, which I believe are part of Celestron? Thanks in advance.
Hi George,
It will not work with SkyWatcher mounts ... only Celestron main mounts; AVX, CGEM II, CGEM, CGEM DX, CGX, CGX-L, CDC, CDC-DX, NexStar, NexStar SE, CGX-L, and CGE Pro.
According to Celestron:
The StarSense Autoguider features a high-quality 4-element optical design devised by the famed optical designer Mark Ackermann. Its unique design delivers sharper images than other mini-guidescopes. The optical tube is threaded to accept 2” astronomical filters. Add an IR-pass filter to align your mount in twilight or a neutral density filter for daytime focusing.
The device also includes an onboard computer and a highly sensitive Sony IMX290-DLL monochrome CMOS image sensor, all working together to provide exceptional guiding accuracy. You can view a live image from the camera via your PC if desired.
I've been experimenting with it more since I posted the video, and I am quite amazed as to how well it tracks. I am using the CGX mount.
Thanks Pat. Do you have to do an alignment with the SSAG first before using the guiding part of SSAG? I mean, if I do a regular 2 star alignment with my hand controller, can I just switch on guiding from the SSAG after that? Thanks, hope you're doing OK after Idalia.
You could do it that way, but it would be easier to just start with the SSAG to do a 4 star autoalignment then go to your target and start the guiding. As per Idalia, we did have some power outages and high winds but no damage here at the heavely backyard garden. And for some reason, the weeds just loved it ... ha.
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Thanks, Pat & glad to hear you missed the worst of it.
Did u see so far in any way that this guider can be controlled more. Meaning is there a adjustment to finer tune the guiding ?
Yes, there is a way to fine tune the guide camera. The method opens a browser using the URL of 169.254.54.1
Pat: Did you have to update the SSAG's firmware or your hand controller's? Thanks
Hi Craig,
I didn't have to upgrade the firmware as it worked with no issues. However, just to be safe, I did upgrade the firmware on the entire rig but didn't see any added benefits.
Pat im very interested in this. Do you think that it will center say saturn with a small sensor like asi 585mc? Let me know if you try it. Thanks
Hi Richard,
The 585 is an EXCELLENT camera for planetary viewing and imaging. The StarSense Autoguider WILL center the scope on the planet, assuming you are properly polar align and have aligned the starsensor. I was using it the other night and it zeroed in on Saturn almost perfectly!
Thanks pat. Thats what i want to hear.
i have a asi 585 and the other night on saturn with fire capture i thought i was back in the old days when i had my first neximage camera. Boy oh boy i had a really hard time locating saturn. One of those nights. Thanks again.
Rick Almost Heaven West Virginia@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy
How long does it take to auto align? Does it make a difference if I have a hyperstar?
Hi Ned,
It doesn't matter if you have the standard configuration (f/10). a Barlow (f/20), the 0.7x reducer (f/7), or the Hyperstar (f/2), the auto align doesn't use the scope but instead, it uses the SSAG guide scope to align and plate solve. The total time is less than 3 minutes.
One more question Pay: Do you leave your 11" outside all the time or do you set up just on nights you plan to image? Thanks
Hi Craig,
Once I go through all the hassel of setting it up, I just leave it alone. I do remove the camera and computer when finished and then place a large beach towel over it, then cover it will a heavy duty telescope cover.
Wish I could leave my rig out as you do, Pat. Have you considered a dome? Looks like it would fit nicely in your wonderful garden. (Appreciate your videos!)@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy
I have this Auto guider.
I have a question
Can I use this to guide only ?
So I'll just do the 2 star alignment and from there I'll slew to the targets and activate the auto guiding ? I'm just wondering if this makes sense
Yep, that will work
I'll need u to do a more detailed on how your working this new --- Auto Guiding toy.
How your setting up and doing the auto star alignment and then finally Guiding. I know it's more Involved
Took me a few days to figure out what u meant lol.
So ok is the guiding settings can be changed via my hand control or only with a laptop hookup ?
How are you connecting remotely to your setup from your PC?
Hi Wolfang,
I have a remote mini full Windows computer attached to the rig which has WiFi capabilities. Once everything is powered up outside, I simply connect to the mini-computer from my main desktop in the comfort of inside out of the elements and more importantly around here, the bugs!
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Thank you, sir. I have a C8 that I am trying to get started with AP. I realize the stock mount is woefully inadequate. What mini PC did you decide upon? Many thanks for the response!
Celestron OAG & PhD2 vs. Celestron Guider? Who wins in guiding ability? Also, does Celestron gives the user the ability to avoid obstructions during alignment to avoid a fail?
This SSAG works remarkly well. It's beating PHD2. Don't know about it versus OAG. Yes, you have the abilitly to let it know where there are obstructions to the sky. Also, if it doesn't know, it will move around that quadrant and seek a clear spot. It will eventually give up and use the alignment points it has found.
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Thanks!
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy I'm assuming the Celestron doesn't use PHD2 in anyway? Is there a guiding graph or any error stats?
@@Ronbo765 There is a guiding graph, but it is contained within CPWI. I don't see a way of exporting stats from it. I am making a follow-up video concerning this. This video will be posted within the next couple of days ... Monday, (Sep 11) I hope
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Cool. Hope to see your guiding error!
Hope you and the Heavenly Backyard are doing OK from this storm.
Thanks, Bill.
All is well here in the Heavenly Backyard Garden. I now need to clean up and cut the grass before I set the scopes back up.
Hope the wind doesn't do you, family and gear any harm. 🙏
Thank, Leon.
All is well here ... no damage.
Looks like Magnum pistol.
By the way, you need to collimate your scope. Stars are not round, and it is not guiding problem; it is collimation.
Thanks, Ana.
I checked last night and the collimation looked dead on. I did tweeked the collimation after posting this video.
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy I suspected it, since some stars had square-like shape. I thought it is collimation. It is great that you can quickly and accurately collimate SCT. It took me a while, until I learned it.
@@anata5127 Puttin on those "Bob's Knobs" really makes it so much easier