RichardGoldenberg My scope is a Celestron C6 optical tube (1500 mm focal length) and I’m using an ASI462 camera. Astronomy tools calculates that setup as providing a field of view of 0.21 x 0.12 degrees.
Some solutions to your predicament are
a) use a camera with a larger sensor. However, if you have chosen the ASI462 for some particular reason, you may not be able to find a larger sensor with the characteristics that you need.
b) use a reducer - the usual 0.63x may not be sufficient, you might need a larger reducer from places like Starizona. But if you chose the long 1500mm focal length for some reason, this solution won't work.
c) use a flip mirror, where the primary camera has the (better) direct path and a larger sensor is on the diagonal path, and used for plate solving. The flip mirror from Baader has fine adjustments to align the optical axes of the two cameras so that you can get close enough.
d) you can use your guide scope to plate solve, as long as its camera have a FOV of creater than 0.2" x 0.2", and you have aligned the two scopes so their optical axes are parallel.
e) use astrometry.net web app to plate solve for you. While it is slow (you stand in line behind others who are asking for their uploaded plates to be solved), it will solve practically anything. MIght take more than a minute, though.
e) use something other than ASIAIR where the integrated plate solving process is not as limited as ASIAIR. Mind you, ASIAIR itself uses the database (and the plate solving code) from astrometry.net. ZWO just did not include a larger database.
Chen
