osbourne one-nil

Here's an image I got last night with my R200SS.. It's 54 x 60" exposures and I think collimation was ok. Would an image taken through a refractor be any "better" or just different? Of course, a refractor at 800mm focal length would be slower, but I wonder if the image would be vastly different? Don't judge the processing too much...I have mancovid and I did it very quickly.

The previous owner installed them it seems - good old Bob's Knobs. There's a rumour that these things never need collimating but that's not true! They don't need much tweaking but they do need some...unless putting the Bob's Knobs on makes it more prone to needing tweaks?

Ah - someone else has suggested drizzling to me so I shall watch a few Youtube videos on it tonight. Thanks! I've got mine set up with a big old Losmandy plate on the back which carries my 50mm guide scope and the ASIair Pro, but even with it all rigged out, it's still weighing in at less than 10kg. I'm tempted to go down the OSG route to keep the weight down but that's more for my benefit than the mount's.. The SXD2 is rated for 15kg but I think that's a very conservative minimum, knowing Japanese manufacturers.

Nice! I don't quite get Vixen's relatively low-key profile. Perhaps they don't cost enough? Make them Takahashi prices and you're on to a winner! I think my scope is about 8 years old but I like it so much I am almost tempted to buy a brand new one for imaging and retire my current one for visual with my lad. I've got a Coma Corrector 3 which seems to cover my relatively small sensor well enough, but I reckon if I do get the extender, then I'd probably stick with that most of the time because if I want wide-field I have an Askar FRA400. Is "downsampling in post" the same as processing as Vlaiv recommends?

Got you. Thank you so much!

I've had a little fiddle and here are the same shots. All I've done is applied a screen transform function and convert to jpeg. I've not done anything else (as may well be apparent!) The first one was stacked the normal way in DSS and the 2nd using the super pixel technique. I'm not sure I can see a difference but the file's certainly smaller!

That’s incredibly helpful of you. Thank you! I guess the 1500x1500px image contains the same level of information than the larger image I currently get? I shot the Rosette Nebula the other night and was thrilled with the result. I’ll try processing it again and see what I get. Thanks again!

If I''m doing interpolation, I don't know I'm doing it! When I image I dither every 3rd shot and when I process I tend to stack using the default settings in DSS, then stretch in Pixinsight, photoshop, twiddle. I see what you're saying about the sampling as I guess it's to do with the pixels being split between the bayer matrix? That's very a very useful point!

With galaxy season here, I would like to challenge myself to get some of the more elusive little blighters. I image with an ASI533MC Pro and I could use the RC6's long focal length (1350mm), but it's very slow at f9. I also have a Vixen R200SS (800mm f4) and Vixen do a focal extender specifically for that which would take it to 1120mm and still a reasonably fast f5.6. To me, that seems more sensible of the two. My question is, would that give me any benefit over using the scope at its native 800mm focal length and simply cropping seeing as it would result in a resolution of 0.69"/pixel?

I have an ASIair Pro. I connect it, via an ethernet cable, to a GL-iNet portable router, which is set to repeater mode and connects to my home WiFi. My home WiFi network consists of three TP Link Decos which mean that anywhere around my house or garden I can get download speeds of well over 100mbit. This all works beautifully and I can connect and control my telescope when it's indoors, via my iPad, wherever I am in the house, no matter which Deco device I'm actually connected to. However....the minute I place my telescope outside, it all goes wrong and the imaging setup disappears. This is despite my phone or ipad still having a strong WiFi connection with blistering download speeds when standing next to it. I can't quite tell if the problem lies with the Deco (home WiFi) the portable router or the ASIair, but it's so frustrating. Does anyone have any ideas?

Or move back to Suffolk! I've actually got a 6" RC which I bought for a bit of galaxy imaging. What I'm trying to do is get a setup which my youngest can have fun with and entertain himself with via an app while perhaps doubling up as an occasional imaging scope, so I have been wondering about one of the new Nexstar Evolutions. But thinking about it, I could just get an AZ GTI mount and let him use Sky Safari or something....

In somewhere as foot-rottingly damp and cold as Cumbria, is keeping dew off the corrector plate of an SCT, using a heated dew shield, 100% effective or would the best I could hope for be to hold it at bay for an hour or two?

So I should think! I won't be in Thursday or Friday so just mark it to be left in the porch - it's never locked so should be fine. What a wonderful set up you have. I wonder how long until you buy something new though!

Do you remember I once sent you a scope so you could have a play with it, well, I was wondering....

Is it possible to have a mount as a best friend? I don't know why I'm asking because I know the answer is yes. I think we might go on holiday together at some point. It works flawlessly. I love it! Now I just want to get an additional scope with a bit more focal length and I'll be happy for a very long time.

I suppose the logical thing to do is try the Mewlon as it is and see what I think; ultimately if I’m having fun and the shots are nice, I’m the only judge! I’ve attached my Fuji XT3 before and shot the odd thing through it, unguided, and even then I went “wow” so if I can suss a bit of guiding then what’s to lose?! With a reducer it’s 1750mm (or thereabouts) so perhaps a dovetail long enough to mount a guidescope and ASIair pro is the starting point. Perhaps the 400mm Askar might be a more suitable guidescope at that focal length. I guess I have a lot of options to try before committing to another scope? I just want to have fun and get some photos the kids go “cool” to so they don’t think I’m a total geek.

Thanks all…I’ve been without internet all day so this is nice to come back to. That all makes sort of sense and I accept I was being very simplistic. I guess I need to consider my mount’s capacity. Would now be a good time to own up to always having craved an R200SS? I’m not sure why…perhaps I’m a Vixen guy! I shall ponder on your advice. Thanks again.

I hate myself for admitting it, but I have become hooked on astrophotography. Currently, my imaging rig consists of a Vixen SXD2, an Askar FRA400, a ZWO ASI533 camera and an ASIair Pro + little guide scope. It's great; it works, but what I really crave is those tiny little galaxies or groups like Stephan's Quintet. I need more focal length. I have three options floating round in my mind. 1. I have a Takahashi Mewlon 180. Visually, it's beautiful and it seems to hold collimation perfectly. It would seem sensible to use this if it's a reasonable solution. From what I've read though, it might be a bit of a pain when it comes to astrophotography; the focuser moves the mirror, it's not flat and I'd need a £350 reducer/corrector to make it work to any decent level. There are then issues with mounting any other gear as I can't find any tube rings etc and there isn't even a finder shoe on it. I suppose a very long dovetail on the bottom could give me enough mounting space. With the reducer, I'd have an f9.8 with 1760mm focal length. 2. The obvious solution really, an RC6 such as the Stellalyra. It has a decent focuser, plenty of mounting options, and doesn't cost a lot more than a reducer for the Tak. It would also give me two focal length options, both a lot less onerous than the Tak but still enough to get me "closer" those targets I crave. My main concern is collimating an RC; it's not that hard is it? The astronomy tools site suggests it's a good match for my ASI533 camera. 3. Probably silly, but how about a long focal length refractor like a Stellamira 80mm f10? No collimation needed there (hopefully), but perhaps not enough aperture to pull in those fainter objects and a bit restricted on the focal length....if it would work at all that is. I do like refractors! My heart says make use of the Mewlon, my head says get an RC6. Any thoughts?

I second the chips suggestion, if only to cheer yourself up from being in Shap.

Last night my SXD2 mount wouldn't power up. This made me very grumpy. I discovered the fault- the 1mm of bare negative cable soldered to the metal spring clip that forms part of the cigarette lighter socket had come loose. I've mended it, but it did make me realise the importance of being able to provide power to the mount. I know I can buy replacement cables from Vixen, but when I googled the plug at the end of the socket; a DC12V EIAJ RC5320A Class4, I was only given information on Vixen power supplies except for one Japanese electrical component shop. Is this a unique power plug that only Vixen use? It seems to have the dimensions of 5.5mm x 3.3mm. Should I stock up?!

Castlerigg Stone Circle would give you a nice foreground with a relatively dark backdrop of Skiddaw but it's a fair way from Kendal.

If you're near Kendal, I'd head up the A6 just north of Shap and then turn left into Swindale. Not a street light for miles and miles. If you want a more traditional view, then how about the southern end of Grasmere just under Loughrigg Terrace - that should give you decent views towards Andromeda and the Perseus area. If you're feeling really adventurous, forego the Lakes entirely and head up onto Great Asby Scar - no further than Grasmere and totally deserted! The Lakes are rammed!

After many years of drooling, I got my SDX2 mount earlier this year. I adore it. I bought it to make visual observing a joy and it's lived up to expectations. What's surprised me is how, by putting a camera at the eyepiece end of a telescope, it would yield very pleasing results.; I'm hooked. At the moment I'm shooting through a SW 130PDS, which is actually excellent (particularly for the money) but its 650mm focal length is a bit of a bug-bear. It's not got enough reach to get those tiny objects or enough field of view to capture nice wide nebula, so I'm in the market for a wide-field refractor. My heart says the Vixen SD 81S. I've always had a soft spot for Vixen stuff and it would complement my SXD2 mount nicely, although that is obviously totally unimportant. I believe these are excellent and Ed Ting agrees (assuming an SD 81S is just a refinement of an ED 81S). I don't think it comes with a dual-speed focuser (despite what FLO's page on it says) but I'm not sure that particularly matters. The WO GT81 is a bit more expensive but does seem to be better value by giving the dual-speed focuser, a camera rotator and more options for mounting "stuff" associated with astrophotography. I'd be shooting with an ASI533MC Pro and whichever scope I got I would get a flattener and probably a reducer too for the Vixen as I'd want to be around 500mm focal length. I would want whatever I got to be a capable visual instrument too so I feel this rules out the 60mm quad or quintuplet-type scopes. I know the Is either the Vixen or William Optics scopes objectively better than the other or is there nothing in it really and it comes down to subjective judgments? Thanks!

Got you - thanks. I've got lots of bits and pieces lying about so I'll have a tinker and see how it goes.

So for the sake of one additional bit of kit, you'd say it's the way to go? I guess it would give me a stronger wifi signal too than the device itself gives out.