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  1. Past hour
  2. Hi, Has anyone had experience with the original vixen encoders for the GP. I am curious what count they are? Could they be interfaced to a Nexus DSC? "Push to" GPD project ...
  3. That looks like the “Venetian Blind” effect that is/was a feature of the sensor used in the Lodestar. The Lodestar uses an interlaced readout CCD, designed for video cameras, each image frame is read twice, the even numbered rows sequentially first and the odd numbered rows sequentially after. The acquisition software has to be able to reassemble the two frames in the right order otherwise it splits the frame vertically as though looking through a Venetian blind, one row has image data that captures a star but the next row down is blank and that makes it appear as though you have multiple stars closely split. I’m afraid I have no experience of using PHD for guiding with a Lodestar but when using MaxIm DL there was a bunch of configuration options in the camera setup amongst which were “Swap odd and even rows” and “Remove Venetian Blind effect”, which used together assembles the image odd/even rows in the correct order and corrects for any brightness variation between the two rows due to the timing difference when reading all the even rows first and then going back to read the odd rows in a camera that has no shutter and continues to collect photons in the odd rows even while the even rows are being read out. In PHD look for a camera configuration setting that might be called “de-interlace”, or similar, as that will be needed when reading out an interlaced CCD camera. You won’t find that in the ASCOM driver, and not in the hardware driver, it is something that the processing software needs to resolve and if it can’t then bin2 is the only option that will automatically remove the “Venetian Blind” effect and produce single stars and not what appear to be multiple adjacent stars. Sorry I couldn’t give you a PHD specific solution. William.
  4. Today
  5. The SkySafari integration works very well so you get the best of both worlds 👍
  6. Rosette Nebula imaged on the 26th March using a SW Esprit 100 and an ASI 294 MC PRO with an Optolong L’Enhance dual narrowband filter on an EQ6RPRO. 21 x 300 sec subs, All processed in Pixinsight
  7. Heya folks, it has been an interesting read catching up with this thread since ordering, receiving, and having had chance to spend about a month with the S50! I hope you don't mind me shifting direction of the thread with a brief observing report from tonight. Was thrilled to have some clear skies, and have chance to take some images to share with loved ones. So, I'll start with the best image of the evening! M51. I have a little postage stamp of a garden, that faces roughly NNE. Weather report seemed to show that trying to get out into the wild tonight would have been touch and go, so this and all the rest come from my Bortle 4 garden. M51 shows 53 minutes of data in the time stamp. This took about 2 hours to collect in reality, with some high level cloud and star trailing issues confounding the S50 stacking more. I have the raw frames for the whole evening though, and look forward to learning how to process them Next best image of the evening was M97. There are some star trailing artefacts on this image, but once again its just the live stack from the S50. Targets were few and far between in the garden tonight, and almost all of then at or close to zenith. Obviously a challenge for any device only moving in 2 axis in a fixed alt az set up. I already had 1 hour of data on M81, but some forum trawling showed me I had missed a trick, and could have got M82 into the frame as well. Well, I've had a week of rain to ruminate on my failing there! Alas, both objects soon eluded the gaze of the scope, flanked, as they are, by the neighbours houses! I have to say, as short on data as it is, and how bad the framing may be, I love the composition of this shot. And now, moving progressively from bad to awful, may I introduce you to my attempt at M108. I'd hoped to be able to get enough of this for a friend, who is a keen surfer, to make a birthday card. Even with cropping, I don't think I'll get something satisfactory! The field rotation is pretty impressive for how truncated the data collection was - but at least I caught some photons Finally, a very tiny set of 6 x 10 second subs on M94. This was enough to notice the streetlight next to it ruining the attempt! All told, 6 of the Messier objects on an evening where the forecast made me sure it wasn't worth going out. I completely understand that the S50 isn't a device that will please everyone (and indeed, does such a thing exist?). To offer an analogy, however: I enjoy balancing the carbs on my VFR400. And my enjoyment of doing so is in no way diminished by the fact that others enjoy riding fuel injected bikes. Clear skies all, Ryan
  8. Hello and welcome to SGL I am still a newbie here myself but there are a lot of friendly knowledgeable people on here and I am sure someone with more info than I can offer will be along soon. I would say though have you had a look on FLO's website for WI-FI capable kit so you don't need to run cables outside?
  9. Yeah can see the softness re seeing. But enjoyable images nonetheless, and enjoyable being out there no doubt. As you know. The practice never hurts. As I know what your capable of Good seeing all you guys still imaging. Inspiring me to also try again one day
  10. Hi Mandy. The amount of times I've had clear skies While cooling. As soon as I press record. Bang the image dims. I look up. You guessed it. Nice one for persevering and getting a image
  11. Love your processing on these Roy. Slightly understated. Very natural. with no bloating or artifacts.
  12. Good to see you doing some lunar imaging kostas. Some subtle mineral color coming through.
  13. Hi Mike good to see you posting. Some nice results there. First image to my old eyes is the one. I really must start imaging again. Perhaps this summer. Looking on here you guys inspiring me.
  14. I bought this very scope in order to cannibalise the Starsense unit (which is fantastic by the way). The tripod and mount are next to useless, but the F10 achro optics are actually pretty good, with a passable focuser and RACI diagonal. It’s mostly plastic but very lightweight. Before I removed the Starsense, I mounted the scope on a decent mount and had a nice time using the Starsense app to guide me to various DSOs and doubles. The Starsense now sits on my 102ED but I have kept the 70mm OTA for lending to friends.
  15. Final test before going anywhere. Preparation for M81 and M82. The small rig contains an ASI2600MC-Pro and a Carl Zeiss Jena DDR 135mm F/3.5 @ F/5.6. The lens is thanks to @Franklin, while both an ADM clamp and a long Losmandy plate are thanks to @steppenwolf.
  16. have a spring clean out sale Louise, but first spend sone time figuring exactly what you want then gear yourself around it, I will give you my pre-requisites that led to my choices. Lightweight overall Able to carry good payload mount (without counterweights, refer to point one) and also lightweight itself (only 5kg) Reasonable aperture (150) and suitable for suitable for spectroscopy All in one system able to operate via tablet/phone Simple to operate I am no expert, anything but however my setup allows me to do what would be unthinkable a few years back, especially to a novice such as I. Given what you say, I feel points one and two above should be of particular interest to yourself. Not sure about the rest but that was important to me. Oh and my powertank is Lithium/Ion type, much better in cold weather and no charge memory issues. Cheers Steve
  17. I'd buy new just to avoid hassle, but I believe you can contact Celestron if you run out of activations. Hope so. I used 3 goes trying to get a phone that worked, a 4th on my daughter's iPhone and the 5th on my pixel after they released a patch because despite it being compatible it did not work! Might email them tomorrow actually and check. I'll report back. I got the az80 cause it was on offer at flo, but it is absolutely worth it I think. If you need a mounting solution for another scope and don't have a 3D printer, let me know and I can do one for cost + postage + hobnobs. Someone is selling my design for £28 on ebay (rip off, but nought I can do) but I rattle them out for about £8 (inc postage). If you do have a 3D printer, go for this one: https://www.printables.com/model/559841-starsense-explorer-finder-shoe-mount-holder But back to your question, it's brilliant. Provided your phone is compatible (iPhones just are, android is a bit hit and miss, but pixel phones now work). The app is a bit weak though. You cant save observing lists so you just need to search for each target in the software. I think iPhones can integrate it with sky safari but I've no idea how good/bad that is.
  18. Yesterday
  19. Starsense is revolutionary! i can’t imagine surfing my way around the sky without it, anymore. If it has the module mae sure it hasn’t been activated on more than one or two other phones, confirm how many it allows for as I have forgotten and am not home at the moment. I did a real short bideo on youtube for the purpose of demonstrating to a friend how it works, i will include link below.
  20. I bought these and some m12 threaded bar, nuts and washers. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08542NQ4Y?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
  21. In short, yes! It works really well, I bought a new LT80AZ on offer, mainly just to get the StarSense. I have used it to good effect on my other refractors, it is very accurate. You just need a method to mount it on your scope, which is not too tricky to sort in these days of 3D printing. Actually, I must try it on the 16”!
  22. I've been doing some experimenting to try and find the right values for gain and offset, having watched a video done by Cuiv. Sharpcap sensor analysis shows that gain 300 is where the S/N ratio drops so I understand that, though this translates to gain 150 in NINA with HGC enabled due to the way that Sharpcap calculates it for Altair TEC cooled cameras. Do the below figures look to be the right ballpark? Cooled to -5 on the bench Gain 150 with HGC mode enabled Offset 260 Exposure is 0.0001 (is this to fast?) Minimum pixel value is 6 Thanks Ed
  23. You can try Skeye as an alternative. I've dabbled not to much success, Starsense is supposed to just work.
  24. Thanks Jeff, the telescope seems quite decent, although it requires careful attention to collimation, and the standard coma correction turns out to be a bit insufficient with a large sensor. Even in my ASI 183 camera, it happens that the outer parts of the frame lose precision due to coma.
  25. That sounds like borderline illegal product design! You can't factory reset it? After 4 phones it is a dead parrot? I am going to get the EU to ban this ludicrous e-waste (after I have bought one).
  26. what's a good test subject for focus/tracking that's up? everything seems very small in stellarium on a 200mm crop sensor. ngc7000 NA nebular if its high enough?# cheers for any suggestions. not keen on globular clusters
  27. New or second hand? If the latter, make sure it hasn't been activated on too many other phones. I think it allows up to four. There are several members who have bought AZ70s solely to cannibalise the Starsense for other scopes, and they seem to think it was worth it. There's a thread somewhere on their efforts.
  28. Our local Astro club meet tonight, and a very good showing. Of people, not skies! Forecast clear, so it was when I started setting up. Literally the exact moment my scope touched the mount, I heard pat-pat-pat on my jacket. OTA back in the car for half an hour or so, then it seemed to clear. As we were all back out and I’d just done my alignment, the heavens truly opened! So what did I see tonight? Just Alcyone, my 1-star align. All kit, OTA, eyepiece, diagonal, finder, lifepo4, handset etc etc now arranged on my table, dabbed down with towel and drying. Magnus
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