irandar

The bright guy in Singapore has made quite a few improvements in his free FinderCam app for iPhone. It is designed to be fastened to a scope or binocs with a suitable holder or can lie flat using a mirror periscope. You can select any target from the many in the catalogs or type in the name. A red line shows you the way to move the scope. Platesolving is used for exact positioning. Clicking on any object on the sky map brings you the name and az-alt position. The date and time can be set for planning. It is also useful for scanning the sky in a handheld manner, similar to Stellarium Mobile. I have updated a YT video to demonstrate the features. The developer is very responsive to your questions and suggestions for improvement. Wishing us all clear skies. Irving

Finding Astro Targets with Findercam: Update May 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npfne_2E7Wc&t=257s

Hi folks, I have redone a tutorial showing how to use Affinity Photo on Seestar files. 

Seestar: Stacking and Editing Orion Files with Affinity Photo

https://youtu.be/rRGRqfjwP5I

I think you would enjoy Affinity Photo much more. 

Hi folks,

I recently made a Youtube showing how to use Affinity Photo 2  to edit a single 10s FITS from Seestar. Affinity will also stack multiple FITS. 

Astrophotography with SeeStar: Affinity Photo for FITS File Editing

https://youtu.be/mP7-M7TWV_E

Hi folks, Would someone like to send me some avi video files from Seestar for me to practice on. About 3 GB worth would be fine. I am waiting for my Seestar. Thanks and regards, Irving

I would like to report that Facebook has a new astro group, Affinity Photo Astrophotography. It is obviously devoted to all those good things that James Ritson brings us.  Hope to see you there. Regards, Irving

Hi Seestar folks, Could anyone please send me some avi Seestar video files?  Maybe a few GB. Thanks a lot. Irving

Hi folks,

I am trying to connect my Asiair mini with my Sony a6000 camera. This camera is on the list of tested compatible cameras for the AA. I think the camera settings are correct but the AAmini does not recognize the main camera by name as it does with my Canon 1100d. This I see on my iPhone AA app. I only see a USB connecting message on the camera, but I cannot take a preview photo. 

I do know that this camera is being used successfully with the AAplus. 

Does anyone use the AAmini with the Sony a6000?

Thanks for any help, Irving

I am a beginner but I do know a bit about Affinity Photo. With the macros of Affinity there is an easy way of stacking images from different filters and then choosing a composition (SHO, HSO, LRGB etc) followed by  one of many stretching methods. Also the calibration files are easily included. I have made Youtubes on this. Also there are many by James Ritson, the developer of astro with Affinity. Here is a recent one of mine. Hope this helps. Regards, Irving

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMzr5EQbbQA

Astrophotography for Beginners: Affinity Photo Editing of Telescope Live Data of SMC

Are you using Affinity Photo 2? I got it recently and it does have a lot of good JR macros available, that AP1 does not have. Regards

Thanks for the detailed explanation of Slooh services. They do not seem to explain it so well. I have been using Telescope Live to get sets of about 12 fits (HSO and LRGB) for about $1. Then stacking and editing with Affinity Photo. It gives practice with processing but without the excitement of scheduling your own mission. I would want to get fits files for editing. Does Slooh send a set of fits files for stacking and editing? Best regards and thanks again.

Hi folks,
As I suspected, I need some help with my new AAmini. I am testing the DSLR camera connection without any guide scope or mount. I connected my Canon 1100D successfully to my AA mini. I took some photos that looked to be ok since I could see they were downloading to the AA mini.

I found that the Canon would sometimes reset itself from Bulb to 1/1000 but I could put it back to bulb.
Sometimes the camera after taking a shot would continue with multiple shots every second or so.

Looking at the SD card of the camera I could see 2 shots but not all of them.

After plugging a cable into the PC slot of the AAmini and into my Mac, the memory of the AAmini did not show any recorded shots. There are 6 subfolders and all of them were empty. That surprised me because each of my shots showed that they were being downloaded during a few seconds.

Grateful for any advice. Thanks and regards, Irving

I was able to connect my ASIAIR mini with my Canon 1100D using a micro usb with normal USB on the AAmini side. I am pretty sure that guiding requires the ASI camera and scope. Would be happy for any advice on using the AA mini with cameras, Canon and Sony (a5000 and a6000) and with the ASI guide camera. Thanks and regards

ASIAIR mini activation on iPhone problem.

I was able to connect my iPhone SE2 and activate ASIAIR mini only by turning off the Mobile Data. Some phones call it cellular data. Since this phone does not remain connected to the Internet I needed to turn off the AIR and reconnect to the Internet and back to the AIR.  But for this to succeed the Mobile Data needed to be off.  Hope this info helps someone. 

I was able to connect my iPhone SE2 and activate ASIAIR mini by turning off the phone's Mobile Data. Some phones call it cellular data. Since this phone does not remain connected to the Internet, I needed to turn off the AIR and reconnect to the Internet. But for this to succeed the Mobile Data needed to be off. Hope this helps somebody. 

Hi paulastro, I would be glad to remove it  and put it elsewhere. Although I do not consider it to be an advert. Please tell me how to go about it. Thanks and regards

Wanted also to say that if you rig up a holder for your iPhone, then FinderCam can be used on any scope without the StarSense mount. 

Hi Folks, You might be interested in trying out FinderCam, which uses plate-solving to find a target from large catalogs.  It now has been adapted so that it can be used with any iPhone in the StarSense mount. It is on the App Store for free. Here is a screenshot from my SE2 in the mount.  

.

Hi folks, The app FinderCam for iPhone has been improved so you can use it on the normal StarSense mount. It uses plate-solving to find the target from large catalogs, and there are a number of useful features that allow you to use it in light polluted skies. It is available on the App Store and is now free. Here is a simulated daytime use in this photo, showing the green guide line to the object. My iPhone SE2 was in the mount viewing down onto the mirror. I could not get to the screenshot buttons without getting my arm in the way. If you fix up a mount, the app is also useful to find your way in the sky with any scope, or perhaps mounting it on binocs. You can use it handheld as a sky guide. Hope this is useful.

Hi folks, If you have an iphone you should look into using FinderCam . Plate solving is used to find the object. It requires mounting your phone on the scope. And now the developer has added use of the StarSense mount with mirror. I have been helping him with his English. It is now free on the app store. I have done a YT on it. 

Introducing FinderCam

https://youtu.be/uCnj5vVCvdM

Hi folks, PlateSolveCam has now been replaced by FinderCam, which features the same plate solving features for finding objects with your telescope. The developer in Singapore is hoping to find experiences astro guys and gals to test his software. While waiting for skies to clear, I have made a youtube that explains what FinderCam does and how to use it. 

https://youtu.be/uCnj5vVCvdM

Hi folks, There are 3 other iPhone apps from a guy in Singapore. I have been helping him a bit with English text. The simplest called PushToCam involves strapping the phone in any position and aligning with one star. The more complex one involves mounting the phone so the camera and scope point in the same direction, called FinderCam. And the most sophisticated one involves mounting the phone and aligning with 3 stars. It is called PlateSolveCam. All of them will locate unseen objects and point to them with a green line. 

More info is here https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/875631-platesolvecam-ios-app-introducing-and-looking-for-testers/#entry12687388

I made a simulated daytime Youtube also. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3tc7YPv6-I&t=29s

PlateSolveCam: an Alternative to StarSense for Any Telescope

Testers for the app are needed, especially in clear-sky regions.  Thanks and regards, Irving

Your Sony Nex 5n will work very well. It is light and any mount will take it. I did a youtube on this problem with small reflectors.

Astrophotography: Getting Focus with a Camera on a Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130

https://youtu.be/b8T8vljMz_s

I seem to keep harping on how to use a mirrorless camera instead of a phone to get focus with the  Starsense DX130 and similar reflectors. Just made a short Youtube on the subject. It includes Sony Nex camera only, with Barlow and with eyepiece projection.                                                                              Using a Camera with a Reflector Telescope

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVYoy1TCWjA

Hi folks. I am a beginner and am interested in the question of leveling. It seems pretty clear from these posts that leveling for an eq mount is not necessary. Think of someone viewing at say 65 deg latitude in the north. Likely his scope only goes to 60 deg. Question: Is it a good solution for him to tilt his mount about 10 deg by adjusting shortening one tripod leg? He would have to make sure of the stability before aligning with the north pole. Would any other type of alignment with a goto be affected by this tilting? Thanks all for your opinions and wisdom.