Tony Acorn

Yes Elp, I will only buy a prime lens for Astro to go alongside my SY 14mm f/2.8 although for the shoot I imagine / hope for around the end of October, the 85mm f/1.4 SY produces the FOV I want. At a wide-open f/1.4, I can stop down a bit if I want too. Those two lenses will have cost me around what I paid for my 80mm ED f/6.25 refractor - which is really a tool for different purposes, mounted on the AM3 with an ASi585 camera.

Tony

31 minutes ago, nCognitos said:

27 panels and a Tesla Powerwall, with self-power in case of a power cut. 😄

I live in what is called a "One and a half storey" house. The pitch of my roof is a tad under 40º so the panels would not be at optimum capturing angle (51º) and there are trees growing to the southeast of the house The amount of my roof that faces south and isn't obstructed by bits sticking out (creating shadows from sunrise to sunset) is not sufficient to mount more than 8 panels.

Our electrical supply to this village is already strained by a 20% increase in the number of houses over the past 7 years, and that is before any consideration to the number of electric and PHEV vehicles in the village that require charging. We therefore have frequent power dips and even blackouts as it is. I have been considering the purchase of a 5Kw back-up diesel generator as we are so reliant upon electricity these days and that may get worse if national policy is to cut gas-powered electrical generation whilst our nuclear plants exceed their lifespans whilst relying on sub-sea cables from around Europe (what happens when they don't have spare capacity?).

I am also very averse to a Smart Meter - I actually know (not hearsay) instances of co**-ups by energy suppliers that caused stress and in some cases financial loss to people with these dastardly things. We have all been charged a premium on our bills for years to cover the roll out of smart meters yet there are still many that are ineffective and must be replaced if you move your electricity / gas provider - what a state con that is/was! My diesel car is comfortable, practical and runs very well - and probably will for another 125,000 miles (more than I will ever drive) so I don't see a need to replace it.

Having had a raw nerve exposed, I shall now crawl back into my candle-lit cave and await a clear night sky 🤣.

42 minutes ago, Elp said:

It'll likely be decent but just because some lenses make for fantastic daytime lenses doesn't necessarily mean they work for astro. I've used at least a dozen lenses and pretty much all have star elongation/CA/coma in some instances. Adjusting BF distances can be tricky, you pretty much don't have that option when using camera bodies which is their optimum usage scenario and they still distort.

The best bar none for speed, size, price is the SY135, it beats most telescopes too. A telescope however will be better corrected out of the box, especially with the correct field flattener and backfocus distance set, and fine focusing will be much much easier.

Thanks Elp,

If imaging against a narrower background landscape, I'm thinking that perhaps the Samyang 85mm or 135mm lenses are probably a good choice to sit on my Nikon Z6ii. I'm more than happy with my Samyang 14mm f/2.8 MF for wider field astro work but am considering how best to shoot Comet C/2023 A3 against some coastal chalk stacks later next month. This month's Lunar Eclipse will be best shot at 70mm from my chosen location to capture the event with an old water tower in the foreground. Unfortunately my 70mm lens only opens to f/4.

13 minutes ago, 2manytrees said:

Yes; we could be getting dark skies more easily and quickly than we think!

But of course you will not be able to travel to any dark skies locations as your (mandatory) electric vehicle will have to be plugged in tp feed the grid! 🤣 🤣

Of course we should be patient regarding light pollution - with the rush to solar energy (only powering us half the day), wind (anticyclones and depressions sit over the UK quite often) and an aging National Grid that cannot cope with the intermittant supplies from those sources, the lights will be going out all over the place. Make sure you keep your lithium power packs fully charged! 🤣

I wonder if Dunstable Down would be good, probably nearer you than me. It has an elevated position (O/S Ref005185) with potentially better views from SW to WNW.

A site that I want to try is at Little Paxton, to the north of St Neots (O/S Ref 635195). This is an RSPB nature reserve where the car park remains open through the night and was recommended by a bird photographer that we were talking to in the Rye Meads RSPB site. It has good views between NW and NE and is Bortle 4 I think. 

There are three good sites to the west (2) and to the northwest of Grafham Water but a fair schlep for either of us.

HTH

Tony

Welcome Incognitos - glad to hear of another one returning to the astro fold but MK is not an ideal area for observing, its pollution is even detectable where I am in NW Herts. I too have a raft of older "stuff" that hardly ever gets looked at now that I have a ZWO Asi-based rig. In my case that is an ASi-Air Mini, an 80mmED f/6.25 refractor on an AM3 mount, an ASi 585MC (with ZWO EAF) and 120MM cameras. I can concur that it is easy to get buried in software processing stacks etc. but I think that what we can achieve now is amazing.

That is really something Brian.

I'm just starting on a similar path with the StellaMyra 80mm ED f/6.25, an ASi585MC camera and the AM3 mount. I am trying to get to grips with the APP software because I'm a Mac person and, if I can get anywhere near your beautiful image without filters / filter wheel, I'd be flabbergasted (or words to that effect)!

Tony

PS - I bet those images weren't taken in downtown Northampton either!

Hello TwoManyTrees and welcome. I was another whose interest in astronomy was rekindled recently having dabbled earlier. Those "dabblings" included navigating the world's oceans 50 yerars ago using a sextant to fix dawn and dusk positions when in the Merchant Navy. A more recent period of interest was curtailed by medical issues and now I've got back into it - and the significant amount of my savings that seem inevitably to head in the direction of this site's sponsor 😂. The advances in imaging and processing over the last few years are mind-blowing (well, at least to me).

Clear skies and keep posting,

Tony

How easy is the conversion to Rowan Belt Drive to do? I have the HEQ5-Pro but it is geared rather than belt-driven. I amm rteasionably handy and have a wide assortment of hand tools.

Tony

20 hours ago, AstroDad74 said:

"This inspired me from the late Alyn wallace" ... I bought (and still use) the MoveShootMove Alyn Wallace Z-Bracket, really useful when adjusting the SW SA to aim my cameras at the target. Delivery around 10 days but a good, sturdy and secure piece of kit that sits on the SA barcket.

"I want to get a sky watcher star adventurer Gti tracking mount but just shopping around for the best price 💰👍" ... I can highly recommend First Light Optics for price, delivery and service, it's now my go-to supplier. If you do get one, I also suggest that you buy the Oklop Bag for Star Adventurer Pro Styropack (also fits Star Adventurer GTi) from them as it takes the foam moulding of the original package / box and makes it far more durable / portable.

"I am planning a trip to either gran canaria or La palma for next year but don't want to take to much equipment and to keep things as light and portable as possible. Have you done the been abroad to do any astrophotography?" ... I have limited my trips abroad to regular visits to our nearest Channel Island - La Isla Blanca 🤣 as I can go by car and take as much "stuff" as I want. I'm off to The Lizard in Cornwall next month, hoping to image the Comet A3 (Tsuchinsan-ATLAS) when it appears in the early mornings on our eastern horizon (I haven't told the present wife why we are going 😉).

20 hours ago, AstroDad74 said:

 

Hope this info is of use to your Roger - I may get clear skies tonight so could be taking lots of kit outside???

5 hours ago, AstroDad74 said:

Hello Tony, Many thanks for reply. I was going to start out with a dob telescope but I preferred taking images before observe the night skies. I looked into a Nikon D800 but decided to for a Canon Eos 6d....This inspired me from the late Alyn wallace as this was the camera he started with so for me that said alot coming from a well recognised award winning landscape astrophotographer, He inspired me to take up astrophotography, So with that I slowly begin my to journey into astrophotography and buying two second hand Canon Eos 6d from London camera exchange which one camera had only 2000 shutter count considering these cameras was released back in November 2012....Not bad for a twelve year old camera I thought 👍

The lenses I brought brand new again tring to find the cheapest option to purchase them. I have had many people say that astrophotography can be expensive and that is true but if you do your research I truly believe you can find the best option about getting what you want.

Living in West Sussex is a great location for me for Astrophotography I currently go to the coast Selsey is great location over looking the sea so no problem with light pollution there, Bortle 4 skies possibly at times 4.5, Then you have the south downs international dark sky reserve which is very good for Astrophotography or just observing the night sky. I forgot to say that the late Sir Patrick moore lived in Selsey.

Your current astro setup sounds great👍 Do you still use your Nikon 7200? 🤔 I want to get a sky watcher star adventurer Gti tracking mount but just shopping around for the best price 💰👍 I am planning a trip to either gran canaria or La palma for next year but don't want to take to much equipment and to keep things as light and portable as possible. Have you done the been abroad to do any astrophotography? 

Regards Roger 

 

Hi Roger,

I couldn't afford (in my wife's view) two cameras so I sold the D7200 (wish I hadn't now) and gradualy changed my lenses from the F-Mount cropped sensor sizes to full frame as needed on the Z6ii. The SW Star Adventurer 2i-Pro is a good mount if you just want to track with a camera but it is NOT an Equatorial mount, unlilke the GTi I think. I managed decent 30s exposures with no star trailing but to get better, I chose the ZWO route rather than buying cheaper and wanting to upgrade later. Certainly a trip to The Canaries (if locals let you in) sounds good and the SW SA GTi wouldn't take too much of your baggage allowance.

I'm off to the Isle Of Wight later in October and I  know I can get down to Bortle 4 on the southwest side of the island. I'm hoping to grab some images of the next comet then too.

Tony

Welcome Roger.

West Sussex I think has some decent Astro locations I believe, certainly more than Hertfordshire offers. Your journey sounds rather like mine although I started with observing (6" Dob -> 10" Dob -> 6"Newtonian on an HEQ5-Pro mount rather than imaging before a bout of Big-C got in the way. After that, I am determined to make the most of every opportunity so I went with a Star Watcher Star Adventurer 2i-Pro on which I mounted un-modified Nikon 7200 and Z6ii cameras with Samyang 14mm f/2.8 and Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses.  The results from those raised my interest further and set new challenges. Now an ASi bundle including mount, focuser, guide and main cameras and have increased FLO's profits significantly - I'm sure I am / we are not alone in that 😂.

Tony

13 hours ago, globular said:

Councils did almost nothing about increasing recycling take up for years and years. They are now charged / fined by the weight of landfill waste produced in their area. So councils now do a lot to promote and even force residents to recycle more / sort their waste.  Thank goodness.

Introduce a council fine for the light glow in their area and the council will miraculously start doing something about unnecessary residential and industrial lighting.

Globular for president! 🤣

Suggesting that local bureaucracy should be increased to address light pollution is an anathema to me because Councils, Councillors and their employees are people living in a rarified environment, dreaming of how extend their little empires, impliment another layer of control on the residents / businesses who believe that these people / companies will continue to pay even more to support schemes - many of which are hair-brained in the first place!

We also live in an age where residents will form a vociferous body to oppose any reduction in street lighting levels or operating times on the basis of "security" which could and perhaps should be resolved through more effective policing and a justice system that offers real deterrents. In order to trim our costs, our local council (and I was part of this) wanted to cut the street lighting between 01:00 and 05:00, saving significantly on the energy bills even after installing the necessary timers. A few (and it could be measured in 10's rather than hundreds) started a campaign bombarding the council leader, their local councillors and even their MP with their opposition - arguing that women and children walking the streets after 01:00 wouldn't be safe.

Having had a decade of involvement at local and county council levels, I think I can speak with reality (the example above) born of experience.

Tony

Excelent set of questions Chris and I will be interested to see what the learned body of SG reply as it will be informative for my bundle too - even if that has an ASi533MC-Pro rather than my ASi585MC (not pro) camera.

Thanks for asking and hope we both get some more frequent clear sky nights!

Tony

When I was a lad (and god was in short trousers), "In my experience in the UK we rarely get a night that is not blighted by passing cloud" we were only blesse with Passing Cloud when we had money to burn at the local tobacconist! 😂

Back to the OP, I seem to be ok without the ASi temperature sensor in my rig* although I have only managed around 150 minutes of continuous imaging so far. If the temperature gradients increase between start and end of sessions, the use of one may become necessary but I have dew heaters on my guide scope and the main scope which may mitigate.

* StellaMyra 80ED f/6.25, ASi 585MC, AE 50mm f/4 finder scope, ASi 120MM, ASi EAF, ASi AM3, ASiAir-Mini

Welcome HAL9550

I think it is rather easy to lose hours (if not days) viewing YouTube channels and some actually deter the newbie from going out and doing stuff.

I found Pete Zelinka and Alyn Wallace (sadly missed) both to be very watchable and informative. PZ got me through the initial steps in my ZWO ASi journey (but that did cause me to buy yet more gear) and Alyn was simply inspirational at using more simple photography gear (of which I seem to have quite a bit) for astro imaging. 

Beyond capturing images, the question of what we do with them brings in which software packages you choose to apply. Now that I'm getting some decent DSO images with the 80mmED f/6.25 frac, I'm trying out Astro Pixel Processor. I think that Nik Szymanek's Astronomy & Music Channel provides good instructions for even a very basic image processor such as me, at least enough to convince me and another local imager to try APP.

I admit to being scared by Photoshop and try to use Lightroom Classic in preference so any tips on where to find decent instructional videos for using PS for Astro work?

Clear skies all,

Tony
 

2 hours ago, CraigT82 said:

Tring Astro definitely worth a visit, used to work in Hemel so went there a few times to have a look around the showroom and chat to the owners. Highly recommend it if in the area. Tring is a very nice villlage too.

And a small local brewery - Chiltern Brewery - produces a rather tasty pint that can be found in some local pubs. Look out for Beechwood Bitter if you're in the area.

As a newbie, I'm more than happy that my ZWO ASi bundle is doing a good job of tracking Caldwell 33 with my 80mm ED f/6.25 frac tonight but I think it is because I have dew heaters on both main and guide scopes.
Grabbing 60 x 180s images seems to be the easy part, finding out what to do with them will no doubt prove more of a challenge 😂

I believe it's called "social evolution" Chaz. As someone born in the first half of the last century, the things we were allowed to do when I was a child are unrecognisable or even banned today. We no longer speak the same language as our grandchildren with various words being repurposed and new ones invented. Our village has two pubs but the younger generation who one would expect to use them seems intent on not drinking alcohol "because it's bad for you!" so either one or both will not survive. This same younger generation injests (injects) more "recreational drugs" than I knew existed at their ages - but that doesn't do the same harm in their view.
The base-line cost of doing anything are rising exponentially - due to for example hall hire (which then involves the premises having this, that and the other facilities / capabilities etc.) invariably because some little self-opinionated jobsworth is justifying their little empire. Whilst I'm against persecution and exploitation, our society has changed so much that we now need be vetted (by yet more bureaucrats) before villagers like me can drive (even more) elderly people from our village to hospital / dentist's / doctor's appoinmtments (if you can get one of those 😂). Against such examples, fewer people are prepared to take the responsibility of running groups but still expect those groups to be available to them and their offspring.
The world we now inhabit isn't anything like it was last century so it is no surprise clubs are adapting to meet the realities of today. Sadly that means far fewer opportunities for personal contact and face to face conversations. 

On 13/08/2024 at 19:33, Tomatobro said:

Here is the stack from last night and a time lapse of the same

That's really impressive - persistance pays off!

Hi Stu and welcome - if you're anything like me, you'll find astro is like a vortex sucking you towards a (financial) black hole 😂. Yes it is a fascinating hobby and it does give us (well, me at least) a great sense of perspective away from the trivial and banal noise of everyday life but we are always dependent upon the weather gods and the amount of light pollution in our individual locations. What's more, it beats the hell out of sitting in front of the haunted fish tank, a habit the wife indulges far too much!

I had a good experience in 2022 and hoped to repeat that this Perseid season. So far I've only managed to capture a passing satellite the other evening but who knows what tonight will bring. Here's my favourite from 2022:

"Do you have any tips for focusing the 14mm?"

Hi Spad,

My Samyangs have both been pretty good although I agree that the infinity marks aren't that accurate. Here's how I do it:
1 - Place a small piece of reflective tape on the Focus Distance Scale over the Infinity mark.
2 - Set your camera on a tripod and focus on a very distant object in daylight, checking against the LCD screen when it is zoomed in to maximum magnification. (I have a set of wind turbines some 10Km away that I use). When focused, use a fine permanent marker to put a dot on the tape
3 - Swing the focus ring just past the ideal spot then return to ideal focus, putting a second spot on the tape when you get to ideal focus. With my mirrorless camera, I set the aperture through the camera, not on the lens barrel so the central guide marker comes in handy as the reference mark.
If you are lucky, the two spots will coincide but if not, you know that there is a small amount of slack in the focusing mechanism and you can allow for that depending on which direction you need to turn the focus ring. If the two positions do coincide (as mine do on this new Z-Mount lens), change to dot to a decent sized line that you can spot in the dark.
I shot this image last night using my Z6ii Nikon - ISO 640, 15 seconds exposure at a max aperture of f/2.8. I've cropped the image by 50% but not applied any sharpening, noise reduction or any other editing / correction. You can pick out Ursa Major and Cassiopea whilst a satellite flies over Polaris. Unfortunately, I didn't get a single Perseids Meteor - which was why I had set up that camera whilst imaging the Veil Nebula with my ZWO bundle. Although quite clear at times, there were significant wind gusts trhroughout the session until clouds rolled in around 1am.