TiffsAndAstro

Hi I wonder if theres a sub forum or something where I can post an image and details and get some realistic feedback?

Apologies I maybe mixing terms. I do a very rough polar alignment get the pa scope pointed close to polaris. Add counter weight camera lens check balance. Then an accurate polar alignment via the pa scope and alt/az (i think that's their names) matching the Polaris position in synscap app. Then i do a 2 star align in the app. Then i do a polar alignment on a bright star or jupiter using the same physical knobs above. Then i select a star on or close to my target and do another polar align via app and physical knobs but it's usually spot on. 2 min exposures still seem too much though

I really would like the horsehead tonight if clear ish. Might do quick experiment on it with my mirror and 200mm f3.5. Maybe andromeda before it drops too loo?

Ty after 10 to 12 hours this is the first image I'm happy with.

So only thin usable from last night was 2 hours on alnitak trying to get "everything" in frame. Which I did but dpnt like 4mins stacking maybe 10 minutes processing I'm pretty happy. M42 core not too blown out but weird processing artefacts if you zoom into core. Vintage 135mm f2.8 iso400 unmodded 600d moon not up.

Tbh I'm just doing quick pa through scope then doing pa via synscan app. Seems ok but not great.

well my plan tonight is hh flame and orion (getting them all in shot if i track alnitak) as soon as it goes dark to as soon as they drop below neighbours house. maybe 7pm to 1030 pm. 135mm maybe at f2.8 but may stop it down if it helps star shape. maybe 60sec at iso400 again

Slander. I think much much more likely I discovered a new black hole or two Honestly, in the scheme of things it's a crap image. But it's my first go at m51 and with a 14yo camera and 25 quid mirror lens Might be clear tonight might give it a go at 135mm f2.8 and/or 200mm f4.5 I'm guessing I'm suffering from a common noob thing of being a kid in a candy shop and not concentrating on one target, but dodging clouds, roofs trees and accounting for rotation and how long I have to shoot is tricky

Here is a terrible stack from last night. 60 sec subs stars look fairly trail free at least.

This is fantastic ty. Parallax is a really good word to describe the effect I can see happen. In case it helps, if I try to look to the far extreme right I can see I little column of years. A bit like: 2026 2025 2024 ....... 2023 However I'm so pro at this I thought there was only one ring to adjust polar scope focus. Will need to look for the plate thing you mention

Sw gti Think I might try an asi air do plar alignment in that

I have to do a 2 or or 3 star alignment first before synscan all will let me to a polar slign due to no mel or maz I remember mel and Kim gonna have to google mel and maz

90 x 60sec subs with a 500mm mirror lens. its sort of ok, but i think i could do better. full moon light pollution and cloud dodging.

here's a random .cr2 file, 135mm f4 60 sec (i think it was - need to make better notes as i go along) seems andromeda might be visial tonight so ill try an hour on that an hour on pleides and an hour or as long as poss on orion IMG_6399.CR2

just in case i set picture mode back to neutral so its 0 0 0 0 ty im tempted to find a reset to defaults and give it a go last night was covered with thin high cloud i couldn't see it until i loaded the subs onto my pc. still i had a chance to do proper polar alignment via synscan app and it seems im a god at PA. which is unlikely. is there a way in the synscap app to see how accurate it thinks i am and can even test it?

set up full polar aligned, it fact went so easy seems too good to be true. doing 60sec exposures atm just hoping someone can check my image for any obvious problems? there's cloud in this image and it looks a bit oxer exposed but don't want to drop iso below 200. i should set picture style to neutral ?

In an hour or so I'm gonna try quick polar along, 3 maybe 2 star alignment then full polar alignment. Cue clouds

Ty for the advice, but m31 is too low will look for m45 though and give it a go. Pleides probably out of view before orion cant check until later. so too many clouds last night. might be similar tonight, if it is ill try a proper full polar alignment, at least i can practice that. If clear, will try pleides then orion. should have two hours when they are visible for me.

If I move my eye to the left/right... How can I tell if I've lined it up with my eye in the right place. Wherever that is.

would 10 x 107sec subs show more details than 107 x 10sec subs, do you think? i know its not an easy question to answer though.

im not expecting to rival the jwt but i'd like to see some progression orion is gettting lower by the day, but its possible i can get some of it tonight. i really do appreciate everyone's input and help ty again. also - only had a little play with siril's noise reduction and i don't like the results. hopefully just means i need more experience with it. the green noise reduction seems to work well mostly.

wow ty for this. definately never enabled this intentionally. i've generally used 800iso but did try some iso400 last night maybe with better results. playing with processing now, stacked with background extraction looks ok, but it seems almost monochrome will have some more tries at it. here's one i made earlier - i think its better and worse at least more red. this is all good practice for me though, apologies these are both from 107 x 10 sec subs f2.8 iso400 50mm on 600d moon up to the left and almost full, no lens hood and probably poor PA. if its clear tonight ill try again but do a Polar Align, Start Align and then try a 2 star polar align. Maybe with a 135m that has a hood. also, tempted to try my 18-55 kit lens for comparison's sake. its a lot slower though.

do you know where this feature lives? would it function even in manual mode?

ty so much for all this. i think it possible i had exposure compensation on, possibly. im pretty sure i have it off now. its been clearish here for a few hours. i took orion again while i could see it, some pleides first too, also playing with a mirror lens as i type this. my tracking times have been a bit variable though, sometimes star trails at 10sec, sometimes at 30sec - especially with the mirror. i've tried to take in what everyone here has suggested, hopefully some of my efforts from tonight will turn out well. i just want to see an improvement from using a triped and a gazillion 5sec exposures. im taking all the calibration frames for both lens and exposures etc - will do my mirror flats when clouds arrive. im assuming the mirror will be bad but it looks nice