James Webb Space Telescope at the second Lagrange point (L2) from Brisbane

[theskyhound]

Phil,

That just turns on the tracking. It doesn't make it track the target object. But I think the real problem is that I assumed that you were using SkyTools Imaging to plan for iTelescope. My advice here will always be in regard to SkyTools.

[Dennis]

Hi Phil,

SkyTools tells you the maximum exposure time that will avoid trailing (its called the Trail Time). Most mounts can also track at the rate of the minor planet, and if you use SkyTools to generate the ACP plan, and also set the tracking on your project to "Track Target" then it will do the math needed to do that.

In most cases you can't avoid stacking the result in some way. Most stacking software can do that. What most people do is to make a movie showing the motion of the object in the field. Here's a tip for the most interesting movie: let the object trail a bit, to make a short streak. Maybe 2 or 3 times the trail time. When you make a movie, the short streak accentuates the movement in the viewers mind. For best results, track the object and let the stars trail just a little instead. I did this for 2014 JO25 some time ago.

Its refusing to post the animated gif, so here is a link to my web page about the close pass in 2017:

https://www.skyhound.com/2014%20JO25.html

Hi Greg

Well, it looks like you've got that technique nailed down and I agree, the slightly trailed stars not only make the Asteroid stand out more, but also the technique helps convey its motion via the star trailing.  

Cheers

Dennis

[bigmasterdrago]

Thanks for sharing the web page. Great image and work!