Firstly I should state for the record that: (a) I am a beginner and (b) I did not start out this night owning or using any ZWO equipment. I was using my usual set up which includes a DSLR camera and a small refractor (details below). For control and image acquisition I was going old school with a laptop computer, third party software and the familiar plastic storage bin as a light shield over the computer.
I use a MAC desktop at home and only purchased a Windows laptop for astrophotography control. I must admit that it was a fairly basic machine but it should have easily done the job. For whatever reason, it didn’t. It had been a lemon right from the start. Anyway, on this night after it repeatedly crashed and froze up, I was finally ready to admit that it was a lost cause.
Despite being all set up (about 40 minutes from home) and ready to image under clear Bortle 3 skies, the night looked like it was gong to be a bust. Fortunately it was only through the kind assistance and generosity of a fellow amateur astronomer that I was able to borrow and complete my imaging session using his ZWO ASIair controller and tablet. Wow! After a quick walk through I was ready to go and before I knew it I was imaging M45. Everything about the experience was outstanding. From the set up and ease of camera/telescope control, to the quality of the display (which I am sure was also in part the quality of his tablet) I was definitely impressed with the ASIair.
Needless to say, I have since replaced my laptop (and storage bin) with a brand new ASIair Plus. Now I only need some clear nights so that I can get out and use it!
A big thanks to my new astronomy friends. What a terrific sense of support and community. 🙂
Equipment & Details
• Camera: Nikon D750
• Telescope: William Optics Zenithstar 61 APO Refractor (360mm)
• Filter: Optolong L-Pro Filter
• Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5
• Controller: ASIair
• Exposure: 1 hour, 20 min
• Date: 2023-01-14
