Mak One

Here's a few shots taken 4 April.  Took a while to get around to processing these:

All done with the 150 Mak and the ZWO120MM after a session removing large dust bunnies from behind the camera's optical window.  I'm scrupulous with the kit.  How do they get there? 🤔

Happy Easter everyone.

Ash.

Processing on this mosaic came together more quickly than anticipated, so here it is:

Skymax 150 Pro and ZWO120MM.  AVX performed well.  About 25 panes (went a little conservative on the overlaps), 400 frames each, Registax and PS tweaks as usual. TIFF file is a monster!  First stitch attempt had a small rectangle missing at the bottom of the Sea of Tranquility - so there's about 3 extra panes added to make sure the hole was filled in!

Ash.

Some pretty good seeing last night.  Still working up a mosaic, so in the meantime here's a shot of Mare Nectaris to be going on with...

The "in orbit" orientation sort of appeals somehow. 

Skymax 150 and ZWO120MM.  Single pane, 400 frames, Registax and PS tweaks.

Ash.

Thanks Philip - Just tried a .jpg from iOS on a Mac and I don't see the thumbnail, just the link to the attachment.  I'll think I'll stick to Windows. 😕

Thanks Mark.  Gave it a go in edit - didn't work.  Just tried it in Windows with another version of same. Now I can see the image thumbnail in the upload box with the "insert +".  Is it an iOS issue perhaps?

OK. Going to sound like a total newb now, but when I select “insert in post” why do I only see the attachment link and not the image? Clearly been away too long!

This is the first one in  a long time.  I wonder what the catalyst was? 🤔

ED80 and ZWO120, bit of Registax and PS. (Edit - managed to get the image to appear here now.)

2 panes of 500 frames each with ND96 moon filter on ZWO120MM.

Stay safe and well everyone.

Ash.

I'm waiting patiently for the kids to grow out of the ubiquitous trampoline in the back garden. By removing the trampoline but leaving the frame (it's a 8-footer) and filing in between the six posts with opaque material that can be raised/lowered as required to avoid it all getting mobile on windy days, I'd have a permanent observing screen that just happens to look like a trampoline. Not quite got how I get the scope in and out of the frame with out having to lift it over the frame ring 3ft off the ground, or perhaps limbo-ing the lot under it...

Funny the schemes you dream up when it's cloudy and the council have gone LED streetlight mad...

Not a first DSO, but a first go at narrowband using the Hubble pallet: A tiny M57 taken on 05 May using the ED80Pro, 314L+ mono and EFW with Baader nb filters. Processed in Dawn and tidied up in CS6. 10 x 2min subs each filter. Best guiding I've managed so far as well, at least according to the PHD graph. It wobbled around either side of the line, but did it consistently and didn't drift off and stay off like usual.

On the few occasions in the last 8 months when I've been able to get out and actually set up, I've been (very slowly) trying to get guiding working. Actually got to the point last night when I (gulp) captured some subs. With the usual first target M42 (and most of the southern sky) obliterated by a new zillion lux LED streetlight (thanks Council!), I ended up plumping for The Bubble Nebula. So, just for posterity, here it is:

Bubble Nebula 020213_levels_crop.bmp

16x2min subs in Ha with mono Atik314L+ on ED80 Pro and Atik OAG. ArtemisCCD and processed in Dawn and GIMP. Yes it's noisy, no darks etc, some odd artifacts from processing, but it's start.

Looking forward to my next session now (at this rate about it'll be about June...)

Thanks both - glad to know it's not just me.

So, who's going to tell Cor B. about the bug in his otherwise cracking software then?

I've had a problem with the gamma curves window in Registax 6 at the wavelets stage: I minimised the window to tidy up the screen. When I want it back I click on the button but only get the gamma box title bar, not the graph. No combination of opening/closing/minimising/maximising seems to work. All other graphs etc work fine.

I've reinstalled it a couple of times - each time it works fine "first pass", but once minimised the same issue crops up. Running it on Vista Home Premium.

This version of Reg6 was downloaded from the Sky @ Night CD from a few months ago.

Any clues, or do I just need to get another version online as the Sky @ Night version is somehow corrupted?

Thanks

Discussed purchase of an ED80 DS Pro outfit with James earlier in the month, with a right angled finderscope in lieu of the standard straight-through. The kit was set aside awaiting my order. We cleared up the precise model of finderscope required and the order was placed.

The finder was on longer delivery than the 'scope, so James sent me out the outfit complete with original finder, with the correct finder to follow on with a stamped addressed package to return the unwanted straight-through back to FLO. This way I wouldn't lose out on observing time whilst waiting for the right-angled finder to come in.

The scope outfit arrived last week, on time as promised, as did the correct finder today, complete with the SAE.

Excellent service as usual.

Thanks James

PS. First light report [thread=146815]here.[/thread]