Capturing the Jewel of the Night Sky: My Pleiades (M45) Adventure

Hello fellow stargazers!

As a newcomer to the incredible world of astrophotography, I recently set out to capture one of the most iconic celestial sights: the Pleiades, also known as M45. While the results aren't perfect (and I'm definitely open to all the tips and suggestions you have!), I wanted to share my experience, the gear I used, and the valuable lessons I've learned, especially from the generous advice I received.

Pleiades M45

My Setup:

Telescope: TS Optics 60/360mm f/6
Camera: Canon 1200D
Tracker: Star Adventurer 2i
Filters: None
Exposure: 63 x 60s (Totaling 3780s)
Bortle Scale: 5-6 (indicating a moderately light-polluted sky)

The Challenges:

Being new to this hobby, I encountered a few hurdles. Editing is still a learning curve, which is why the image appears a bit grainy and overstretched. Furthermore, persistent clouds limited my shooting window, and as many of you know, a less-than-perfect polar alignment can lead to star trails, especially with longer exposures. My 60-second subs were a tad too long given the alignment wasn't as precise as it could be.

Valuable Community Advice:

The feedback I received was incredibly helpful. Here are some key takeaways:

Star Adventurer (SA) Tracker Limitations: The SA 2i is primarily designed for cameras and smaller lenses. When using it with a telescope, even a small one, balance is paramount. Ensuring everything is perfectly balanced, especially after framing your target, is crucial. A recommended practice is to perform polar alignment, then frame your target, and then re-check your polar alignment. Apps can assist with this recalibration.
Exposure Time: For unguided shots on the SA, it's generally advised to keep exposures around 40-45 seconds. Going beyond this significantly increases the risk of star trails due to periodic errors in the mount's tracking. With guiding, much longer exposures (like 2 minutes or more) become achievable.
Pre-Stacking Checks: It's vital to check each individual sub-exposure before stacking. The SA can have periodic errors that can ruin a significant portion of your data if not caught early.
Upgrading Your Gear: The question of whether to invest in autoguiding for the SA or a better mount first is a common one. Many experienced astrophotographers recommend prioritizing a sturdy and capable mount as the foundation. This allows for future upgrades without immediate limitations. Autoguiding equipment (guide scope and camera) is also important, but a solid mount will make a bigger difference initially. Some users found success with autoguiding on the SA, achieving longer unguided exposures, but eventually upgraded to mounts like the HEQ5 Pro for significantly better performance and manual framing ease.
Polar Alignment Apps: For those struggling with polar alignment after moving the mount, a helpful paid app called Polaraligner Pro is available on the Google Play Store (around 5 EUR). It requires you to input your SA's current rotation and guides you on where to position Polaris in your finder scope.

Moving Forward:

I'm excited to apply these tips for my next imaging session. Reducing exposure times and refining my polar alignment are definitely top priorities. The discussion about mounts and guiding has also given me a clearer picture of potential future investments.

Astrophotography is certainly a journey of continuous learning, and I'm grateful for this supportive community. Clear skies to you all!