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Posted: 4/11/2019 8:04:35 AM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Well, since galaxy season is here, I ordered a new scope. At first I ordered an Explore Scientific 152mm Maksutov Newtonian, a 730mm F4.3 scope, but when it arrived the secondary was tilted and when I went to collimate it, I found that the corrector lens was very loose and easy to turn by hand. I sent the scope back and was going to just get a replacement. BUT, a little more pocket money arrived and I ordered a Skywatcher MN190 Maksutov Newtonian instead, it is a 1000mm F5.2 scope. This will work a lot better for smaller objects and is further away from my 560mm scope in focal length. From the photos I've seen on Astrobin, the optics look to be extremely good. I won't be able to use it for a while though since storm systems and clouds seem to be parked right over my back yard for the foreseeable future  Thats a really cool scope, look forward to seeing what you come up with. |
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Posted: 4/11/2019 8:08:53 AM EDT
[#2]
Well my ES80 is getting recollimated right now and cleaned so I'm out of commission for the next week or so. I also got on a waiting list for the new William Optics Redcat, I'll wanted a very wide field scope that I can use for travel, I'll probably get a skywatcher tracker too, whatever the little tripod mounted thing is called.
I been thinking long term what I want to do as well and first up is new mount, has to have a belt drive or I'm not even going to consider it, I've also been thinking about getting a Rasa 8 because they look amazing. At first I wasn't really interested in them but as I've researched them I'm not on the bandwagon |
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Posted: 4/11/2019 10:39:01 AM EDT
[#3]
Yeah, those RASAs look very interesting!
My only problem with them is you can't use a filter wheel. You will have to install each filter by hand in a filter holder. I also think the filter holder only accepts 2" filters, but there might be an adapter for that. F2 also needs specialized short focal length filters from what I've read. 30 second unguided subs and being able to image multiple targets per night might make it all worth it though! |
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Posted: 4/11/2019 11:14:40 AM EDT
[#4]
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Yeah, those RASAs look very interesting! My only problem with them is you can't use a filter wheel. You will have to install each filter by hand in a filter holder. I also think the filter holder only accepts 2" filters, but there might be an adapter for that. F2 also needs specialized short focal length filters from what I've read. 30 second unguided subs and being able to image multiple targets per night might make it all worth it though! |
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Posted: 4/13/2019 1:59:43 PM EDT
[#5]
With the ASI1600MM PRO, how many image pixels are you guys dithering and how often are you applying the dither?
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Posted: 4/13/2019 2:33:13 PM EDT
[#6]
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With the ASI1600MM PRO, how many image pixels are you guys dithering and how often are you applying the dither? I have an example somewhere of my own shots that show the difference in one hour of ha data dithered and undithered. I'll post it if I can find it. |
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Posted: 4/13/2019 2:51:27 PM EDT
[#7]
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With your scope you can do a small dither, with a wild scope like the 80mm I do a large to extreme dither. I dither every two frames. If you are doing hours and hours on one target it is ok to dither every 2-3 frames. I have an example somewhere of my own shots that show the difference in one hour of ha data dithered and undithered. I'll post it if I can find it. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
With the ASI1600MM PRO, how many image pixels are you guys dithering and how often are you applying the dither? I have an example somewhere of my own shots that show the difference in one hour of ha data dithered and undithered. I'll post it if I can find it. Thanks for the info. When I imaged M101 the other night I hadn't really calculated my guide/image scale. My guide/image scope ratio with the SCT is 1 to 5.69 and I was dithering an APT value of 4 with a PHD2 scale of 3 for an image dither of 68.28 pixels and I was dithering every frame!!!! The dithering and settle time was taking way more time than the 120 second exposure! 
I have now set my dithering down to 12 image pixels and applied every other frame. It looks like the weather may cooperate enough for me to set up again tonight and give that a try. |
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Posted: 4/13/2019 9:42:26 PM EDT
[#8]
I have been having some problems with my neighbors occasionally turning on their back yard lights, which of course is causing more light pollution problems.
Tonight I'm going to try out a scope shade that I built out of black construction paper just to see if it works (I don't want to spend the bucks on an Astrozap if it doesn't work). My main concerns will be image vignette and interference with my rear mounted guide scope. The length of the shade is 1.5 times the aperture.  Attached File |
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Posted: 4/14/2019 9:35:12 AM EDT
[#9]
@AZ_sky
How did it go last night? |
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Posted: 4/14/2019 2:29:51 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
@AZ_sky How did it go last night? Changing the dither settings definitely helped with the problem I was having with the dithering time so that problem is fixed. The scope shade that I built helped block out the neighbors back yard light without causing any vignette or interference with my guide scope. Even though the skies were pretty clear last night I guess there was some upper atmosphere disturbances that was causing some seeing problems that screwed with my guiding, especially dec tracking. And the Moon was washing out my exposures so my images weren't as nice as I liked. I tried getting some Ha images but apparently I have to spend some time figuring out camera gain and offset because using the same setting for Ha as I did for LRGB resulted in nothing but total black useless images - so that was a wasted hour of imaging. Overall, I managed to get about another half hour of LRGB to add to my previous night out but that's about all I accomplished. The next time out I'll tinker with the exposure to figure out how to get some Ha narrowband data. |
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Posted: 4/14/2019 5:33:54 PM EDT
[#11]
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Well, I guess it was a mixed bag... Changing the dither settings definitely helped with the problem I was having with the dithering time so that problem is fixed. The scope shade that I built helped block out the neighbors back yard light without causing any vignette or interference with my guide scope. Even though the skies were pretty clear last night I guess there was some upper atmosphere disturbances that was causing some seeing problems that screwed with my guiding, especially dec tracking. And the Moon was washing out my exposures so my images weren't as nice as I liked. I tried getting some Ha images but apparently I have to spend some time figuring out camera gain and offset because using the same setting for Ha as I did for LRGB resulted in nothing but total black useless images - so that was a wasted hour of imaging. Overall, I managed to get about another half hour of LRGB to add to my previous night out but that's about all I accomplished. The next time out I'll tinker with the exposure to figure out how to get some Ha narrowband data. What offset and gain were you using? Sometimes I use 200 and 50 although i think I'm going to start using unity gain. If you were shooting HA of M101 you probably wouldn't see anything in the image until after stacking and processing. This is what the butterfly nebula looked like after an hour of imaging, no nebulosity to be seen until you push it a bit. 
You should post up a raw file, I can see if PI will bring anything out. |
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Posted: 4/14/2019 7:06:10 PM EDT
[#12]
@Ciraxis
Here is a Dropbox link to the Ha fit files I took last night. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pzpjhc5orlf80io/AACUbzHYZolALUUhfxYoJqDwa?dl=0 After looking at my setup I am not totally sure what the gain was but the offset was 50. I was just connecting the camera and assumed it went to unity gain, but when I pulled up the ASCOM settings it looks like the gain may have been set to zero - but I'm not sure. I was getting good data on the LRGB channels, just not on the Ha channel - my stacking program couldn't even stack the Ha subs. I may just need some more hands on time with the camera and program in order to figure everything out. |
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Posted: 4/14/2019 7:28:03 PM EDT
[#13]
@AZ_Sky
You definitely picked up some ha data. This was those 16 shots stacked and just the basic push in PixIsight to see what is there, no really processing other than that. Those knots would really make the color pop in an LRGB image if you combine it with the red channel. 
The bad news is that you still have "walking" noise or correlation noise in the shot, so you should try increasing the dither amount. Its the streaks you see at a roughly 45 degree angle, I encountered the same thing when I first got my asi1600, but dithering took care of it, you just need to find the sweet spot, you may have to dither larger than I thought. 
The amp glow and hot pixels should all be taken care of with calibration frames though, darks, flats etc. Here is the link to the stacked file since you said your software wouldn't stack it. https://www.dropbox.com/s/zuqxkeqgw2ia0ts/M101HA.fit?dl=0 Your shot is going to look awesome! |
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Posted: 4/14/2019 8:31:09 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
@AZ_Sky You definitely picked up some ha data. This was those 16 shots stacked and just the basic push in PixIsight to see what is there, no really processing other than that. Those knots would really make the color pop in an LRGB image if you combine it with the red channel. https://i.imgur.com/iakKnbG.png The bad news is that you still have "walking" noise or correlation noise in the shot, so you should try increasing the dither amount. Its the streaks you see at a roughly 45 degree angle, I encountered the same thing when I first got my asi1600, but dithering took care of it, you just need to find the sweet spot, you may have to dither larger than I thought. https://i.imgur.com/dn1xuMJ.png The amp glow and hot pixels should all be taken care of with calibration frames though, darks, flats etc. Here is the link to the stacked file since you said your software wouldn't stack it. https://www.dropbox.com/s/zuqxkeqgw2ia0ts/M101HA.fit?dl=0 Your shot is going to look awesome! Thanks for that. Looks like I may need to look into PI - I checked out some PI tutorials on Youtube and it looked a little inundating to me, but if that's what it takes I can learn to do it! I'll calibrate that file and see if I can integrate it with my red channel. Thanks again! 
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Posted: 4/14/2019 8:39:10 PM EDT
[#15]
I finally had a clear night last night, so I decided to add the RGB data to my luminance data of the Leo Triplet I took last month.
I think the seeing was pretty bad last night though as my FWHM was much higher than normal. So, the final image isn't as sharp as it could have been. I am happy with this image though. It is only my second LRGB image I've made with a mono camera. Lum: 96 Minutes Red: 75 Minutes Green: 75 Minutes Blue: 90 Minutes Stellarvue SV80 Access F7 ZWO ASI183MM Pro EQ6-R Pro ZWO ASI 120MC-S Guide Camera 60mm Guide Scope It looks better than this on my calibrated monitor, but as always the web really messes with colors. And here is a link the a larger res image, as well as all the data (click the photo) 
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Posted: 4/15/2019 11:51:07 AM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I finally had a clear night last night, so I decided to add the RGB data to my luminance data of the Leo Triplet I took last month. I think the seeing was pretty bad last night though as my FWHM was much higher than normal. So, the final image isn't as sharp as it could have been. I am happy with this image though. It is only my second LRGB image I've made with a mono camera. Lum: 96 Minutes Red: 75 Minutes Green: 75 Minutes Blue: 90 Minutes Stellarvue SV80 Access F7 ZWO ASI183MM Pro EQ6-R Pro ZWO ASI 120MC-S Guide Camera 60mm Guide Scope It looks better than this on my calibrated monitor, but as always the web really messes with colors. https://www.focalworld.com/index.php?media/leo-triplet-lrgb-5-6-hours.2972/full And here is a link the a larger res image, as well as all the data (click the photo) https://astrob.in/401128/0/rawthumb/gallery/get.jpg?insecure |
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Posted: 4/17/2019 5:21:27 PM EDT
[#17]
Well crap!
I just got a chance to research the gain and offset settings on the images I took of M101 by reading the header information on the fits files. It looks like the camera (or the driver) defaults to highest dynamic range on power-up (gain=0, offset=50) and I didn't set the gain from there. So all of my images LRGB+Ha were taken at gain=0 and offset=50, no wonder my Ha filter (with its 7nm bandwidth) wasn't returning much data! If these dang clouds will move out by tonight I'm going to set up again just to try some sample captures at unity gain (G=139, O=50) to see what the data looks like. |
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Posted: 4/17/2019 5:41:58 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Well crap! I just got a chance to research the gain and offset settings on the images I took of M101 by reading the header information on the fits files. It looks like the camera (or the driver) defaults to highest dynamic range on power-up (gain=0, offset=50) and I didn't set the gain from there. So all of my images LRGB+Ha were taken at gain=0 and offset=50, no wonder my Ha filter (with its 7nm bandwidth) wasn't returning much data! If these dang clouds will move out by tonight I'm going to set up again just to try some sample captures at unity gain (G=139, O=50) to see what the data looks like. |
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Posted: 4/17/2019 5:44:57 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm gonna take a stab at a translation: You loaded ISO 25 film in the camera and thought it was 1600? Quote HistoryQuoted:
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Well crap! I just got a chance to research the gain and offset settings on the images I took of M101 by reading the header information on the fits files. It looks like the camera (or the driver) defaults to highest dynamic range on power-up (gain=0, offset=50) and I didn't set the gain from there. So all of my images LRGB+Ha were taken at gain=0 and offset=50, no wonder my Ha filter (with its 7nm bandwidth) wasn't returning much data! If these dang clouds will move out by tonight I'm going to set up again just to try some sample captures at unity gain (G=139, O=50) to see what the data looks like.
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Posted: 4/17/2019 7:22:35 PM EDT
[#20]
You know how they say getting a new scope brings clouds? Well the opposite holds true when you send one in for repairs
6 clear nights since that scope has been mailed off, more tgan I've had in the last three months |
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Posted: 4/17/2019 7:34:31 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
You know how they say getting a new scope brings clouds? Well the opposite holds true when you send one in for repairs
6 clear nights since that scope has been mailed off, more tgan I've had in the last three months When I bought the ASI1600 the clouds immediately moved in and in the last month I have only gotten in three usable imaging sessions. |
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Posted: 4/17/2019 8:08:57 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
LOL - you ain't far off.... Quote HistoryQuoted:
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Well crap! I just got a chance to research the gain and offset settings on the images I took of M101 by reading the header information on the fits files. It looks like the camera (or the driver) defaults to highest dynamic range on power-up (gain=0, offset=50) and I didn't set the gain from there. So all of my images LRGB+Ha were taken at gain=0 and offset=50, no wonder my Ha filter (with its 7nm bandwidth) wasn't returning much data! If these dang clouds will move out by tonight I'm going to set up again just to try some sample captures at unity gain (G=139, O=50) to see what the data looks like. Semi related topic, looking at the "Artificial star" concept, I found how star magnitudes were originally designated. The "Reference Magnitude" was the intensity of a single candle, 1 mile distant. It then goes exponential to math equivalent appearance, magnitude of an unknown was the magnification change needed to make it appear as bright as a candle flame one mile distant, and that change was then converted into the numerical scale we have today. Heard that as side trivia on a history program about the equator, so if it's wrong, let me know, but as described, it makes perfect sense to me. No doubt it's been re-defined to SI units for intensity, but that's the origin from an original astronomer dude (Herschel?) who went south of Equator for better sky watching prospects to quantify star intensities. |
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Posted: 4/17/2019 10:59:18 PM EDT
[#23]
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Posted: 4/17/2019 11:06:02 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Well this is sure gonna suck tonight... https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/20962/ScopeMoon_jpg-916123.JPG 
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Posted: 4/18/2019 2:26:58 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I don't see a cloud, and you could get a really good picture of the moon if all else fails. The ISO 25 setting may be useful for that. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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Well this is sure gonna suck tonight... https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/20962/ScopeMoon_jpg-916123.JPG
But I actually got some good results tonight. At unity gain (G=139,O=50) I got Ha images that my software could recognize and stack. And thanks to @Ciraxis input, I upped the dither from 15 pixels to 25 pixels (which didn't increase the settling time all that much) and almost all of the discernible walking noise is gone. I'm quite satisfied with what I learned tonight. Here is a stack of 7 two minute bin1x1 Ha images that I captured tonight:  Attached File |
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Posted: 4/18/2019 2:38:18 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Ha! You funny man...
But I actually got some good results tonight. At unity gain (G=139,O=50) I got Ha images that my software could recognize and stack. And thanks to @Ciraxis input, I upped the dither from 15 pixels to 25 pixels (which didn't increase the settling time all that much) and almost all of the discernible walking noise is gone. I'm quite satisfied with what I learned tonight. Here is a stack of 7 two minute bin1x1 Ha images that I captured tonight: https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/20962/Ha2r_jpg-916254.JPG Quote HistoryQuoted:
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Well this is sure gonna suck tonight... https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/20962/ScopeMoon_jpg-916123.JPG
But I actually got some good results tonight. At unity gain (G=139,O=50) I got Ha images that my software could recognize and stack. And thanks to @Ciraxis input, I upped the dither from 15 pixels to 25 pixels (which didn't increase the settling time all that much) and almost all of the discernible walking noise is gone. I'm quite satisfied with what I learned tonight. Here is a stack of 7 two minute bin1x1 Ha images that I captured tonight: https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/20962/Ha2r_jpg-916254.JPG What color do you map Ha to when mixing LRGB w/o S II and O III? |
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Posted: 4/18/2019 2:44:18 AM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Looks much brighter this time! What color do you map H to when mixing LRGB w/o S II and O III? Some people simply replace the LUM channel with the Ha, but I haven't tried that - I'm still trying to come up to speed on this whole new way of making astro photos... |
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Posted: 4/18/2019 2:52:36 AM EDT
[#28]
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I modify the RED channel from the pure RED filter to a combination mix of RED and Ha for a RED/Ha and then replace the RED channel in the LRGB with the RED/Ha mix. Some people simply replace the LUM channel with the Ha, but I haven't tried that - I'm still trying to come up to speed on this whole new way of making astro photos... Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: Looks much brighter this time! What color do you map H to when mixing LRGB w/o S II and O III? Some people simply replace the LUM channel with the Ha, but I haven't tried that - I'm still trying to come up to speed on this whole new way of making astro photos... I honestly have no clue what it "should" be to show the extra detail while not making it look fake, and all the tutorials I've seen only cover mixing the HST together in varying ratios and not what's suggested when one or more of those are missing. I don't understand the Ha to green channel, but it makes pretty pictures, so I'm ok with it. 
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Posted: 4/18/2019 7:59:45 AM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Ha! You funny man...
But I actually got some good results tonight. At unity gain (G=139,O=50) I got Ha images that my software could recognize and stack. And thanks to @Ciraxis input, I upped the dither from 15 pixels to 25 pixels (which didn't increase the settling time all that much) and almost all of the discernible walking noise is gone. I'm quite satisfied with what I learned tonight. Here is a stack of 7 two minute bin1x1 Ha images that I captured tonight: https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/20962/Ha2r_jpg-916254.JPG I don't see any walking noise anymore so that dither setting must be the sweet spot for you and that scope. Now go shoot 4 hours of HA 
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Posted: 4/24/2019 8:11:51 PM EDT
[#30]
Was poking through the archive and searched for the very first RAW image I ever took. As it turns out it was an 1,836 second exposure of the night sky.
D200 (!), 18mm, ISO 200, f/8 (wth was I thinking?!!?)  First Raw Startrails by FredMan, on Flickr
And here's a good example of my current star trail capture ability  400 Frame Star Trails by FredMan, on Flickr
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Posted: 4/24/2019 8:48:42 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Was poking through the archive and searched for the very first RAW image I ever took. As it turns out it was an 1,836 second exposure of the night sky. D200 (!), 18mm, ISO 200, f/8 (wth was I thinking?!!?) https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40725286833_07a1117923_b.jpgFirst Raw Startrails by FredMan, on Flickr And here's a good example of my current star trail capture ability https://live.staticflickr.com/7913/46039571205_0b11b2b334_b.jpg400 Frame Star Trails by FredMan, on Flickr When stacking, how do you decide how long each exposure should be? I know something like 1/1000th would be a bit long, and 2 hours would be a bit noisy, I'm not sure what the middle ground should be, especially for a tracking telescope. |
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Posted: 5/7/2019 7:57:24 PM EDT
[#32]
Some stuff from a recent climbing outing. GoPro Hero5/7
 And a photo of the same meteor from two different angles/exposures... 
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Posted: 5/7/2019 8:05:01 PM EDT
[#33]
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Some stuff from a recent climbing outing. GoPro Hero5/7 https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/203937/twilight-02_-_1200-931002.jpg And a photo of the same meteor from two different angles/exposures... https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/203937/TLDF__170A_-_1200-931004.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/203937/TLDF__5-778B_-_1200-931003.jpg |
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Posted: 5/7/2019 8:15:12 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That is from a GoPro? Wow, I didn't know they could shoot low light that well! If temperatures are above 50ºF, you definitely want to put your hand over the lens to get at least one completely dark frame at the end of the series to try to do some dark frame subtraction to reduce sensor noise. |
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Posted: 5/7/2019 8:20:25 PM EDT
[#35]
This was the lunar eclipse in January. All of this was just from the GoPros.
 Lunar Eclipse, January 2019 |
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Posted: 5/7/2019 8:36:32 PM EDT
[#36]
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This was the lunar eclipse in January. All of this was just from the GoPros.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qigs4ezPFoQ |
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Posted: 5/7/2019 9:21:54 PM EDT
[#37]
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What's the strobing yellow on the upper edge of the cliff between 20 and 40 seconds from? Headlights passing or somebody walking around with a flashlight above? Quote HistoryQuoted:
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This was the lunar eclipse in January. All of this was just from the GoPros. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qigs4ezPFoQAny flickering near totality would be me lighting up some rocks for some DSLR shots from other angles. |
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Posted: 5/7/2019 11:12:12 PM EDT
[#38]
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Mostly headlights. This place used to be more remote. Used to be. Any flickering near totality would be me lighting up some rocks for some DSLR shots from other angles. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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This was the lunar eclipse in January. All of this was just from the GoPros. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qigs4ezPFoQAny flickering near totality would be me lighting up some rocks for some DSLR shots from other angles. What's causing the horizontal arcs in your other night shots around the moon? Is that fog on lens or something in sky? I need to learn to troubleshoot if I decide to "Go Pro" astronomy. 
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Posted: 5/8/2019 9:54:25 PM EDT
[#39]
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Still looks amazing. I forgot to mention it. It's unbelievably good for a Go Pro, I was under the impression their images weren't so good due to the wide angle vs pixels, but that must have been the early versions. What's causing the horizontal arcs in your other night shots around the moon? Is that fog on lens or something in sky? I need to learn to troubleshoot if I decide to "Go Pro" astronomy. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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This was the lunar eclipse in January. All of this was just from the GoPros. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qigs4ezPFoQAny flickering near totality would be me lighting up some rocks for some DSLR shots from other angles. What's causing the horizontal arcs in your other night shots around the moon? Is that fog on lens or something in sky? I need to learn to troubleshoot if I decide to "Go Pro" astronomy. So, no, it's not fogging. It's just gross over exposure anytime the moon is in or near the frame. Here is a close-to-proper exposure near totality of the eclipse [Hero6] … 
And another shot taken at the same time with a Hero5 from a different angle, but with an exposure set for the stars (even in totality, the moon is still blown out) [ETA: after looking at that timelapse, this was as the moon was coming out of totality, and I had returned to my tent to call it a night, which is why the inside of the tent is illuminated] … 
And here is a stacked image from that same Hero5, same night, closer to moonset (way, way out of totality and back to a completely full moon, albeit partially obscured by some conifers, which helps abate the most offensive blooming from the overexposed moon) … 
The GoPro images aren't bad, and in some cases, surprisingly good. Just depends on where your expectations are. For comparison, here is a D800 image from a similar angle to the Hero6 during totality … 
And a D800 image from a similar angle as the Hero5 shot of the tent … (I'm just to the left of my tent, and a bit ahead of it in the distance. Similar timing of the photo, within a minute or two, but a completely different orientation of the constellation Orion. I'm guessing it's lens distortion.) 
Both of the D800 images are composite images. The moon is from the next frame, but stopped down something like 7 f stops. With some work with the GoPros, I guess I could have done something similar if I was controlling through the smartphone app and taking individual photos, but I just had these things running on a fixed timelapse interval. |
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Posted: 5/8/2019 9:57:08 PM EDT
[#40]
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Do any of the software packages have the "remove airplane track" option? How many shorter exposures are needed? |
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Posted: 5/13/2019 8:13:25 PM EDT
[#41]
Figured I'd post this here too:
I finished up my first try at M51, the Whirlpool this weekend with the new scope (MN190). I REALLY like this scope! I also tried out my new ZWO ASIAIR, which is basically an all in one imaging solution built on a Raspberry Pi system. It worked remarkably well in both image acquisition and plate solving. The auto guiding wasn't as good as PHD2 for me, but I didn't mess with any of the settings yet. Well here it is, 224 minutes in total integration. Lum: 64 minutes Red: 32 minutes Green: 48 minutes Blue: 45 minutes H-Alpha: 35 minutes |
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Posted: 5/14/2019 7:55:18 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Figured I'd post this here too: I finished up my first try at M51, the Whirlpool this weekend with the new scope (MN190). I REALLY like this scope! I also tried out my new ZWO ASIAIR, which is basically an all in one imaging solution built on a Raspberry Pi system. It worked remarkably well in both image acquisition and plate solving. The auto guiding wasn't as good as PHD2 for me, but I didn't mess with any of the settings yet. Well here it is, 224 minutes in total integration. Lum: 64 minutes Red: 32 minutes Green: 48 minutes Blue: 45 minutes H-Alpha: 35 minutes https://www.focalworld.com/index.php?media/m51-224-minutes-lrgbha.3035/full I really hope that the ZWO air keeps improving, it needs a few more features before I'll buy one. I'm looking at buying a tiny travel mount to take with me as I travel this year. My scope is still in for repair 
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Posted: 5/28/2019 4:57:37 AM EDT
[#43]
Haven't been out much lately, weather hasn't cooperated on nights off. So I've been working on an observatory instead.
Laying out the site  Attached FileDigging out the pier and post locations  Attached FileBase set for the EZ-Tube pre-cast pier system  Attached FilePier partially buried  Attached FileCompletely buried  Attached File |
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Posted: 5/28/2019 6:51:38 AM EDT
[#44]
Just saw this thread. Once I settle down, I want a 12”+ SCT on a wedge for AP
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Posted: 5/28/2019 7:05:21 AM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Just saw this thread. Once I settle down, I want a 12”+ SCT on a wedge for AP |
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Posted: 5/28/2019 7:20:33 AM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Where are you located in CO? There's a few of us on here from over CO into AP. I’m currently in Panama. ( thread in team ) Don’t know where I’ll end up. Time will tell. |
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Posted: 5/28/2019 7:53:37 AM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Haven't been out much lately, weather hasn't cooperated on nights off. So I've been working on an observatory instead. Laying out the site https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/158414/1_jpg-960758.JPG Digging out the pier and post locations https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/158414/3_jpg-960759.JPG Base set for the EZ-Tube pre-cast pier system https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/158414/4_jpg-960760.JPG Pier partially buried https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/158414/5_jpg-960761.JPG Completely buried https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/158414/6_jpg-960762.JPG I wish I had open skies like that. I finally got my scope back, just need to get everything set back up and test out the optics. I also bought a Skywatcher adventurer for travel shooting, but havent played with it yet. |
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Posted: 6/1/2019 4:47:18 PM EDT
[#48]
I just fell down, hit my head, and had an idea. It hurt.
Anyway, I posted this in sixgunner's eye of the needle galaxy shot thread. Link to that thread with nice image If anybody here knows people that know people that write the scope/camera controller software, maybe inject this concept into their thought processes, writing a complete control software solution from scratch just to add this is a bit too much for little ole me. Is there an open source camera/scope controller package where I could donate some code? The Thought: Maybe I just thought of my next code project. Sounds like too much work, just submit it as a change request to the authors of the controllers you use. Have the controller temporarily double-take exposures around ADS-B transponder aircraft traffic and satellite passes. Would only need to close shutter for 10 seconds of a 10 minute exposure rather than miss it entirely, but could be tuned for some pretty spectacular results requiring little work. adsbexchange has an API for flight locating, and I believe one of the satellite database sites has a pass spotting API, though I can't recall which one right now. The math would already be done, controller would just have time windows for a lat/long box to not expose. --ETA: Heavens Above API - Satellite passes calculated ADS-B API - live atmospheric aircraft flight location data feed |
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Posted: 6/1/2019 8:22:20 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I just fell down, hit my head, and had an idea. It hurt. Anyway, I posted this in sixgunner's eye of the needle galaxy shot thread. Link to that thread with nice image If anybody here knows people that know people that write the scope/camera controller software, maybe inject this concept into their thought processes, writing a complete control software solution from scratch just to add this is a bit too much for little ole me. Is there an open source camera/scope controller package where I could donate some code? The Thought: Maybe I just thought of my next code project. Sounds like too much work, just submit it as a change request to the authors of the controllers you use. Have the controller temporarily double-take exposures around ADS-B transponder aircraft traffic and satellite passes. Would only need to close shutter for 10 seconds of a 10 minute exposure rather than miss it entirely, but could be tuned for some pretty spectacular results requiring little work. adsbexchange has an API for flight locating, and I believe one of the satellite database sites has a pass spotting API, though I can't recall which one right now. The math would already be done, controller would just have time windows for a lat/long box to not expose. --ETA: Heavens Above API - Satellite passes calculated ADS-B API - live atmospheric aircraft flight location data feed The ccd guys would probably love it though as they can get into 10-30 minute subs |
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Posted: 6/4/2019 11:19:12 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Sweet! I wish I had open skies like that. I finally got my scope back, just need to get everything set back up and test out the optics. I also bought a Skywatcher adventurer for travel shooting, but havent played with it yet. Not a whole lot more progress, finished the with the floor joists, stacked the rest of the pier (still needs sealant on sections above pier floor), and installed conduit for pier electrical and data to the eventual warm room location. Unfortunately injured my knee while painting the subflooring, so taking it easy for the time being.  Attached File |
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