The Blue Horsehead Nebula (Alex Roberts)

Celestial hemisphere: Southern · Constellation: Scorpius (Sco) · Contains: 14 Sco) · IC 4592 · IC 4601 · The star Jabbah (ν Sco

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The Blue Horsehead Nebula

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The Blue Horsehead Nebula

This is the first outing with my new lightweight travel rig. I recently acquired a ZWO AM5 mount to carry my RedCat 71. Not only is the setup process much faster, my back is happier that I'm not hefting a large EQ mount and OTA in the field! The AM5 is surprisingly light, yet it can carry payloads up to 44 lbs. with a counterweight. I opted to place the AM5 on my Orion Atlas Pro tripod and pier extension rather than the ZWO tripod, because their AM5 tripod seemed less stable to me. I think this was the right choice, especially for windy conditions. My guiding RMS total is consistently around .5 arc seconds, even when guiding on a target far from the NCP like this one. I also learned that lowering the guide exposure times from 2" to 1.5" helped counteract the high periodic error typical of this harmonic drive mount. This small adjustment made a big improvement in the guiding numbers with the AM5. Although a counterweight was not required with the 16 lb. payload the AM5 was carrying, I chose to use one anyway in the event of a strong wind gust while the scope was pointed near zenith. I also think it helped to improve guiding.

I welcome comments. Especially suggestions and tips from fellow AM5 users out there.

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Title: My travel rig set up in the desert near 29 Palms California

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ZWO AM5
WO Redcat 71 Group

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