Simone_DB

Hi Simon, thank you for your reply! I also thought the trails are the result of some movement. I would exclude wind, it was a calm evening, but I'm so unexperienced that sometimes I find myself lacking awareness when something wrong happens. That will improve I guess 🙂 Yes, those are still images, but I'm really eager (and a bit scared 😬) to begin to use stacking software. Do you have any suggestion on a title, for a beginner? I think I'm not familiar yet with the concept of "flat frame". You mean that (vignetting and dirt spots wise), I should stack many short exposures shots (a few seconds?), or that I should take just a few of them, and those would be what you call "calibration frames"? Sorry for the confusion! I think I have to buy the book, you're not the only one here who suggested it to me. The thing is, It appears as there's not an italian version, that twould be a bit less tough. But I think I'll take it, surely it will help me to cope with many doubts! Thanks again, have a great day! Simone

Hi Wes, thanks for your kind words! I signed up some weeks ago and I must say that this site is a treasure and the fellow members are kind and extremely collaborative! 😀 Since I like photography, I'm aware of vignetting issue, and I'm quite sure in lightroom there is a feature to fix it. I'll give a look at it! Besides I live in a polluted area (even from light), so what you're saying is quite likely to be the case. I'll check the channels you suggested me for sure, since I'm doing the first steps and every information source is important. Take care man, thanks again!

Hi, yesterday, after some weeks of bad weather, there was a pretty clear night, so I decided to make my first attempts to shoot some objects. The pictures were taken with a Nikon D5100 at direct focus and a coma corrector. The objects are the Andromeda Galaxy, the Pleiads and a couple of objects, another galaxy and a double cluster* I didn't identify (I used the "tour" feature of the Synscan). I made some editing in lightroom: essentially cropping and "removing haze". I think I used the remote of the camera wrong when I shoot Andromeda, because it's a 96 secs exposure, but it wasn't my intention to have it so long, and in fact it is blurry, I suppose for alignement issues. Whatever hint, suggestion, advice or opinion is extremely welcome, and also I have a couple of questions: -As you can see (I hope) there are some circular black artifacts in the pictures. I'd like to know what is the reason for those. Besides I think the sensor is dirty, can I clean it or does it require professional maintenance? -In some pictures, near the center, there seems to be a brighter area, what can cause that kind of halo? - Are there some basic lightroom settings/regulations for DSOs? Thank in advance! * double cluster in Perseus, I believe.

Hi! If your daughter is interested in astronomy, why don't you buy her a binocular? You could have a lot of fun under a good sky! 😀

Hi, I have a couple of questions: when you say you can't see "anything", what do you mean? You actually see nothing? Can you see some stars? When you ask if you should see "something", what do you mean? What do you expect too see? And, as others suggested, have you tried to point the scope to "easy" objects (moon, Jupiter, Saturn)?

Thank you Louis D. You guessed it right, I got the scope you described. I apologize for wasting your time with multiple response, so I added my equipment to the signature field. You gave me a good suggestion and also made me realize that rotating the tube in session doesn't spoil anything (or so I inferred), which was my main concern. Thanks again!

No, I tried to use some chairs that we have on the terrace, but they never seem to be at the right height 😀! So I bend, lean, take knees and...suffer! Are there chairs actually made for such a purpose? I'll make a research, since I'm gettin an idea about how much is important to be comfortable and saving energy. Do you have any suggestion on a specific seat or chair? Thanks! And since we're here I have a question that I didn't see addressed on my manuals: is there a specific initial orientation of the tube (ocular/finder scope wise), say when the scope is in the "home" position, to allieviate the comfort issue? Or does the ocular may end up in any position so that there's no a sensible answer to that? I hope that makes sense. Edit: maybe a chair like the that?

Hello, I almost feel obligated to chime in here. I'm feeling a bit like you these days. This passion requires patience and dedication. There quite a few issues you have to learn to cope with, especially at the beginning I guess, while you make experience and processes become gradually easier as you exercise. I'm 1,98m tall (6' 6'' ft) and I can't extend the tripod legs alone, because of the weight, and can't left them extended because it fits millimetrically in the place where I stow it. So I'm beginning to get that the backache I have these days are due to the recent sessions. And in these last two sessions, I really got almost nothing of what happened, and I was just trying to align the scope. The first times, when you tipically experience the "beginners luck" I manage to align it fairly and the mount pointed the planets quite right. Two days ago, after a 3-star alignement, tried three times, the scope seems to move randomly. The only advice I can give you, if you really are passionate, is not to give up. Read your manuals, watch videos, ask knowledgeable people and results will come. You have a matter to settle with Jupiter, it seems. So try again! if you have just to observe it, point one leg of your tripod towards the polar star, counterweights parallel to the leg. Adjust the elevation accordingly to your latitude and you should be able to move the scope in RA and DEC easily to find the planet. Keep us updated! 🙂

Don't talk me about the weather 😁 Record_2023-10-31-07-38-41.mp4

Thanks Alacant, I apologize, I got a lot of information I have to cope with, so sometimes something slips out of my mind. 😅

Hi, thanks a lot, those were very useful info! I hope I'll be able to take a picture of something colorful as soon as I can, you know, I'm still struggling with alignment 😋

Crystal clear, thanks! 👌

Hi, I was told about this! Does it mean that I surely need a spacer, or maybe the distance could be already right? The camera is a reflex not a mirrorless.

A couple of pictures taken by my partner, yesterday evening.

Hi yesterday there were two main issues: a megawatt moonlight and scattered clouds. So I didn't shoot DSOs, but I tried to align the scope for exercise anyway, and something weird happened. The the only worthy pictures I took was the partially eclipsed moon. I attach a couple of pictures, one (made with the phone) that shows the moon rising behind the clouds, whose edges seemed lit as in daylight!. A very impressive sight! The others show two versions of the eclipsed moon and a "Halloween version" (with clouds). The weird thing with alignement was that it seemed I made an acceptable work, as planets was more or less found by the scope. But when I tried to look for the moon, the scope pointed somewhere towards S instead of E, where the moon was rising. I couldn't get why. I used a 3-star alignement and maybe I made some mistake there.

Hi! This evening there should be some clearing, at least until 10pm, so I could have a chance to get some pictures (but not with the modified camera that I'll borrow Monday). Probably I'll try to get a shot of the Pleiads, or some other DSO. Obviously if I succeed, I'll post the results! Have a nice weekend everyone 🙂

Hi Denys, yes, you and the others already gave me a great support. It's not always easy to find a forum where people, for various reasons, get to understand what you need or sometimes they just have a kind of aggressive or dismissive attitude. I'm glad I found such a kind and welcoming environment here. I'd be more than willing myself to help other people one day. About the modding of the camera, I have a collegue that own a Nikon D3100 which he removed the IR filter from, and he's not using it anymore, so I'll have a chance to make some practice with that! Buy the way, such a modding is suitable just for reddish objects, or is it good in general for DSOs? Edit: I just reread your last post and I noticed that you already answered, at least partially, to my question. Thanks!

Good to know Cosmic Geoff, thanks a lot!😉

Denys thank you so much, a general idea of the workflow for the different types of objects is exactly what I was looking for! I'll check that channel for sure and also the video you linked asap. I just hope that the weather will improve a bit the next days, but looking at the forecast, it could be take a while. Also I stumbled upon a couple of articles regarding camera modding, but all I know so is that such a thing exists, more or less. I'll dig into it as well! Again, I really thank you, such a concise and accurate post is extremely useful to me! If you PM me your address I can send you some good italian wine. ☺️ I hope I can post some results soon! Have a nice day everyone! Edit: I saw the video, fantastic! 👌

Astromuni, thank you! 🙂Can I take a video with the camera itself and then process it with some software? Do you recommend any in particular? I saw the video that @Denys linked and I wasn't able (yet) to grasp a lot about the programs the guy uses, of course. But if you or someone else is willing to suggest what sw should I begin to get to know is welcome, since I have no experience and I guess there are many of them.

@alacant thanks a lot! If I remember correctly, the reseller gave me the adaptor because he already sold the T ring to me (for a 130mm I previously had). But since it's something cheap, I'll consider the purchase. Thank you! @Denys Yes, I used the satellites to check the focus, I'm glad I got it right. I'll check the video as soon as I can, thank you!

Here is a crop of the best Jupiter

As I was saying, yesterday I took a couple of pictures. It was a short session mainly for the clouds. It was mostly covered or scattered, so I couldn't align the scope and went completely manual. The following pictures show the equipment and the mounted camera with and without barlow. The daylight picture was taken to check the focus as suggested, and it seems quite right (I think). The trget is about 4-500m away. The other ones show Jupiter with and without a barlow (the best ones 😔). And the open cluster (if it is), I think it's the Pleiads. I attached one where trails can be seen (I think it was 2 secs exposure), while the others are about 1 sec exp. The Jupiter best one, where you can barely see the two cloud belts is underexposed for the satellites, while the inthe others you can see the sats, but Jupiter is too bright. All the pictures a unedited RAW, then converted to JPG and downsized to 1280x1024. I think I need some suggestions about exposure and ISO (I think I cannot set anything else on direct focus) both for planets and stars and any comment is appreciated! 🙂 The open cluster was taken with NR on long exposure even if it wasn't that long. I'll try again when I'll be able to properly align the scope. Tanks for your time!

Hi thanks. Yes, I also think I should have no too much trouble in focusing. And in fact I think my issues are more related to the fact that...I have to learn to take astro pictures! Yesterday I stayed out for about an hour and...(see below)

Hi, thanks for your reply. I have this extension that I had previously bought for a 130mm I was using before this one (by the way, I bought it erroneously because it worsened the problem), but it's a 1.25", so I don't think I can use it. In any case what I don't get is the fact that wherever I read things on the subject, it seems that the problem is that Newtons have the focus point too close to the tube. Now you are saying that you had to move your camera back. Frankly I'm perplexed*. Anyway I tried just once, so maybe I made some mistake, even if I don't know which, since I only had the camera in direct focus with the T2 ring and an adapter. I should be fine with my equipment. I'll try again as soon as clouds allow me, we got bad weather these days. Thanks again! *I'm perplexed also for your case since I read that the focus issue concerns newtons under 150mm. Edit: I found an interesting article which describe my problem. In particular the section "The solution – a Barlow lens", because I've done just what he describes, that is, I've used it but maybe not the right one (see "You have to use the right Barlow"). I'll let you know. In the meanwhile if someone has a clear idea on the topic, I'm more than eager to hear from them