Gina

My previous imaging sessions used the Windows operating system with a number of different applications running together and connected with ASCOM. This worked for the most part though there were frequent problems with USB and comms ports and some others. Getting astrometry (plate solving) to work properly was tricky. The whole system was run off a laptop in the warm room attached to the scope room of my observatory. This involved numerous cables and a USB hub and was rather messy. Now I have changed to using a Raspberry Pi to control everything and capture images, with WiFi connection to my desktop computer indoors. The RPi is contained in a little box directly on the mount with just very short USB cables to camera, EFW and mount. The RPi also controls a focus motor. All these remote operations are contained in software/firmware on the micro SD card in the RPi - the system is called INDI and is free Open Source software. This acts as a "server" with "client" software on my main desktop computer indoors. The client software is called KStars and does everything all those individual Windows apps did with the old arrangement. Furthermore KStars is free Open Source software provided by the KDE Education group. It is multi-platform software, meaning it runs on Windows and Mac OS etc. as well as Linux. On the education side KStars provides a wealth of information about the cosmos with links to a vast on-line resource. For astro imaging the software provides control of all the equipment including capturing images and saving them to appropriate folders on the main (client) computer. So far I have only used a tiny part of the capabilities of KStars - capturing images and controlling camera, focussing and very limited mount control. Now I am learning how to use the mount controls to find deep sky objects (a star map with many deep sky objects is included), slew the mount to position, track and guide to hold the image stationary on the sensor. The software has an easy to use scheduler permitting setting up an imaging run which can be left unattended once set running. The KStars Handbook

Soon be time to get to grips again with PixInsight but I've got the book and there's plenty of on-line tutorials so I'm prepared even if my memory fails (very likely).

Been outside again and still only a few stars out. Think I'll chuck it and got to bed... Been hot today, been out tonight so closed everything up and shut down the equipment before going out - don't think I feel up to getting everything ready again.

Been outside and the sky looks rather like it did last night at around this time - some stars out but not as many as on a good night. I'm just wondering if I can manage two late nights in a row. I might be able to manage some Darks I guess... Now let's see... Which filter makes no difference - needs same exposure, same gain, and same temperature as the corresponding lights. OTOH I could take Darks any night.

I've been weighing up two different methods of getting an imaging rig pointing at the right part of the sky. Previously I have used the scientific method of astrometry to find where the rig is pointing and automatically slew to where the star pattern matches the area wanted. This is all very well but it's very complicated and processing heavy. The other method is to image a larger area of the sky and use the human eye/brain system to slew the mount to put the wanted part in the centre of the display, where it will be covered by the narrower view of the main imaging rig. This latter method is what we do with a finderscope, of course. I'm simply adding a camera for remote viewing. Whether this even wider field imaging system would need a separate RPi I'm not sure,

Quite a lot of cloud tonight but it could clear. If it doesn't I can always grab some Darks.

I need to get to grips with the new mount control with KStars. I had it all worked out with CdC, ASCOM and Windows (though frequently had USB problems with it). I know everything can be done with KStars including astrometry to find exactly where the rig is pointing. KStars has it all in the one package.

I think I'm going mad!! Just looked at those 47 unbinned Ha subs from last night (or rather early this morning) and they're fine - no star trailing, just nice tight little points of stars! So what the ****** was I looking at this morning??? Just triple checked that I really am looking at those unbinned 47 subs!

Been grabbing Flats. Both binned 2x2 to match last night's run and unbinned as I plan to take some hi-res images. Checked out the mount and couldn't find a problem - seems to be working fine.

Bigger printer - more height or more width?

I'm always dopey in the morning too - I'm a "night owl", I seem to come alive about 11pm. Fine for astronomy, of course. May take some flats this afternoon and also need to find what went wrong with the mount.

Feeling rather tired today after last night's "marathon" - went to bed after 3am - but been having a look at some of the images, particularly the ones after I went to bed. Unfortunately, something went wrong and tracking stopped, resulting in star trails on all the non-binned Ha subs. Curses! In fact, the mount didn't seem to have gone as far as I expected when I closed the observatory roof this morning. Even so the night went better than I expected - as first try at astro imaging (apart from ASC, which hardly counts) for a couple of years I wasn't expecting anything special but results surprised me 😀 I captured 47 subs unbinned Ha before the light spoilt the images anyway which suggests that there's 5 hours of sufficient darkness for 3nm Ha imaging. I didn't get that last night because the sky was too poor earlier in the period.

I'm finishing off with some unbinned Ha. I'll do darks another night. I feel pretty pleased with tonight's run! Good job I can have a lie in, in the morning 😁

Not entirely sure that the Ha isn't saturating so I'll take more subs with shorter exposure maybe 45s or even 30s.

OIII 2m exposure displayed in PI. More signal but not limiting.

Well whatever reason it didn't work plugged in directly to the RPi, it's fine connected to the camera USB hub. So it's all working now.

When the 10 SII subs are finished I'll take some longer OIIIs.

4m SII plus smaller stretch. Some showing now.

Still not enough so doubling again - 4m. Here's the 2m in PI plus a stretch.

Very little SII at 60s so going to 120s.

OIII

Better. Capturing 10 of these then I'll do 10 OIII and maybe 10 SII.

Gotcha!! Overexposed in fact so going for 60s.

Yes. 120s exposure. West is up so I'll rotate to the east a bit.