Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Photo Package

What the Star Adventurer 2i Is

The 2i is an ultra compact, high precision, portable and stable celestial tracking platform for sidereal, solar and lunar tracking. The 1 kg (2.2 lb) mount head carries up to 5 kg (11 lb).

This is a celestial tracking platform, not a GoTo mount. You manually point your camera at the desired target, and the Star Adventurer 2i takes over, tracking at sidereal, solar, lunar, or custom rates to keep your subject locked in the frame.

86mm, 144-Tooth Wheel Gear for Sidereal Tracking

An 86 mm diameter, 144-tooth aluminum alloy wheel gear is paired with a 13 mm diameter high-tension brass worm gear, driven by a DC servo motor.

There is no published tracking accuracy figure. An autoguider can be connected to the ST-4 port.

Balancing a Telescope or Long Lens

The payload limit is 5 kg (11 lb). For a telescope or long lens, balance it with the optional 1 kg counterweight.

The manual's optional accessories for this are the fine-tuning mounting assembly, which mounts a telescope with a 1/4" thread screw and fine-tunes the pointing in two directions, and the 1 kg counterweight. To balance, loosen the clutch knob, move the counterweight until the load balances, then fasten the clutch knob.

Built-in Polar Scope With About a 7° Field

Tracking needs the rotation axis aligned with Earth's axis. The built-in polar scope has about a 7° field of view.

The app's Polar Clock utility shows where to place Polaris (in the Northern Hemisphere) or Sigma Octantis (in the Southern Hemisphere) within the polar scope's reticle. Note that the polar scope illuminator, which makes the reticle easier to see in the dark, is an optional accessory and is sold separately.

Safety Warning: Do not look at the Sun through the polar scope. Viewing the Sun or other strong light sources through it could cause permanent visual impairment.

Wi-Fi Control and the Mode Dial

The built-in Wi-Fi connects the mount to a smartphone or tablet running the free Star Adventurer mini Console app for Android and iOS. The 2i has a fully app-controlled mode (APP) and six preprogrammed function modes on the Mode Dial:

• APP mode: sets exposure time, frame period, number of pictures, tracking speed, dithering range and swing range.
• Mode Dial: selects a preprogrammed function without starting the Wi-Fi. Settings that run successfully in APP mode are stored in the matching preprogrammed mode.

DSLR Shutter Control for Exposures Over 30s

The DSLR shutter control port, a 2.5 mm 3-segment stereo jack, supports multiple camera brands with a shutter release cable (sold separately for your model) and lets you take exposures over 30 s each. Set the camera to BULB mode, or its own shutter setting takes over.

The exposures are run from the app or from a Mode Dial setting.

The Single-Axis ST-4 Autoguiding Port

The single-axis autoguiding port uses an RJ-12 6-pin ST-4 interface.

The mount also supports an unguided dithering function through the app. Set a dithering range in arcminutes in the app's Astrophotography settings. It shifts the pointing between exposures, which helps remove hot and cold pixels and satellite or airplane trails during stacking.

What the Star Adventurer 2i Photo Package Includes

The package contains the Star Adventurer 2i mount head and a 3/8" ball head adapter, for mounting your own camera ball head on the Star Adventurer 2i.

For a telescope or a long lens, the manual's optional accessories are sold separately: the equatorial wedge to adjust latitude, the Fine-Tuning Mounting Assembly (dovetail L-bracket), and the 1 kg Counterweight Kit for balancing the load.

4xAA Battery and 5V USB Power

The mount runs on four AA batteries (DC 3.6V to 6.5V) or external DC 5V through its mini-B USB port. The mode dial LED blinks slowly at low battery level.

The mount is designed for an operating temperature range of 0° to 40°C (32° to 104°F).

A Step-by-Step Guide to Your First Session

A first session goes like this:

1. Tripod setup: set up your tripod and make sure it is stable. The Star Adventurer 2i goes on a tilt head or ball mount, or on the optional equatorial wedge, which gives higher accuracy and stability than a standard photo tripod head.
2. Mount the Tracker: Attach the Star Adventurer 2i to your tripod head or wedge. The base has a 3/8" threaded socket, and a 1/4" adapter is included. Remove the polar scope cap.
3. Polar Align: Following the procedure in the manual and using the app's Polar Clock Utility, adjust your tripod head or wedge to place Polaris in the correct position within the polar scope's reticle.
4. Attach Camera: Mount your ball head to the Star Adventurer 2i using the included adapter, then attach your camera.
5. Power On and Connect: Insert 4 AA batteries or connect external DC 5V to the mini-B USB port. Turn the Mode Dial to your desired setting (e.g., APP mode to connect via Wi-Fi).
6. Frame Your Target: Loosen the ball head and point your camera at your subject, then lock it down.
7. Begin Imaging: Use the app or the Mode Dial's preprogrammed functions to start your sequence of exposures.

Photography Modes

The 2i keeps the Mode Dial of the earlier Star Adventurer and adds Wi-Fi, long-exposure time-lapse and Sky-Watcher's patented Astro Time-lapse.

• Astrophotography and star-scape: the camera follows the sky so each frame of a sequence is framed identically.
• Astro Time-lapse: the mount tracks during each exposure, then returns the camera to the starting point, so the sky moves over a fixed foreground.
• Short- and long-exposure time-lapse, with horizontal or vertical rotation and an optional swing range for a pendulum effect.