My Equipment
Hardware & Software
Hardware
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Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
I am using the Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount, which can carry a OTA with a maximum 40LB capacity.
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ZWO ASI 533MM-Pro
I am using the ZWO ASI 533MM-Pro monochrome astronomy camera. This camera has a ton of benefits with new sensor technology, including zero amp glow.
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Sky-Watcher Esprit 100 ED
I am using the Sky-Watcher Esprit 100 ED Triplet APO Telescope. This one in particular has an excellent aperture of 100mm at f/5.5. The focal length is 550mm.
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ZWO and Chroma Filters
I am using 1.25” ZWO broadband (RGB) filters and Chroma 3nm Narrowband filters (Hydrogen Alpha, Oxygen III, and Sulphur II).
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Pegasus Astro FocusCube 2
Having autofocus is a must have, as it takes a lot of time to do it manually. I am using the FocusCube 2 as it has proven to be extremely accuratue.
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ZWO ASI 290 Mini
I am using the ASI 290 Mini as a guidecam to help with better star tracking.
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ZWO 60mm Guidescope
With the 290 Mini guidecam, I am using the ZWO 60mm guidescope. Unfortunately, this product is discontinued by ZWO, there are other great options available too.
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ZWO 8 Position Filterwheel
I use the ZWO EFW for my filters, this one in particular fits 1.25” filters.
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Intel NUC 7
As a computer I am using the Intel NUC 7th Generation with an intel i7 processor. This is suitable to fit on my telescope for remote desktop and easy imaging sessions.
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Pegasus Astro PowerBox
I am using a Pegasus Astro PowerBox Advanced to distribute power to all components on my imaging system. This is an excellent product for easy power distribution.
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QHY PoleMaster
In order to polar align my telescope, I use the QHY PoleMaster. This provides an easy solution for super accurate polar alignment.
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Jackery Explorer 500
When I go remote, I use this portable battery to power my telescope all night. On average it lasts about 8-9 hours, good for one night of imaging before needing to be recharged.
Software
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ASCOM Driver
The ASCOM driver is the core to astrophotography on computers. Nothing will work without it!
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Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy
Also known as NINA, I use this for sequencing for imaging sessions. This allows to create custom sequences for imaging long exposures with different filters. It’s open source, and free.
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PHD2 Guiding
As guiding software, I use PHD2. This is an excellent software for simple guiding and provides lots of statistics.
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Pegasus Astro Unity
I use this software to monitor external temperature, power consumption, and more from the Pegasus PowerBox.
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Green Swamp Server for EQ6
I use the GSS software to help my SkyWatcher EQ6 interface with ASCOM drivers.
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PixInsight
I use PixInsight, which is really popular and is the core to astrophotography editing and processing.
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Adobe Lightroom
I use Lightroom to preform final touch ups after I am done with PixInsight.
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Windows
I use Windows 10 to run all of the software.