Last week my tracking mount failed during a 3-hour Orion nebula capture

I was set up at Cherry Springs State Park, the sky was perfect, no moon. Got about 45 minutes into my exposure sequence when my Star Adventurer just stopped tracking. Dead battery, I think. I didn't bring a spare (rookie mistake). I ended up just taking single shots on a fixed tripod for the rest of the night. The widefield shots of the Milky Way turned out okay, but I'm kicking myself over the lost nebula data. Anyone else have a mount die on them mid-session and find a quick fix?

3 comments

3 Comments

carter.laura1mo ago

Think a jump pack's overkill for a Star Adventurer, @the_stella just use fresh lithium AAs.

jake_torres682mo agoTop Commenter

Have you tried using a small 12v battery with a USB adapter? I keep a little jump pack in my case now for exactly this reason. Saved me twice last winter when my SkyWatcher mount just quit.

the_stella2mo ago

Wait, you had your mount just quit on you in the freezing cold twice? That's wild, man. I would have packed up and gone home after the first time. A little jump pack actually kept it running? That's honestly kind of genius though. I always figured those little 12v packs were just for phones and tablets, not for running a whole mount. You're telling me that little thing can push enough amps to keep a SkyWatcher tracking all night? No way, I gotta look into that.