fwm891

You could make a hinged assembly. Open up between filters and then close down again...

That's a really good bit of imaging - well done.

Image changed. Now a combination of 2 nights 28x 300s (2hrs 20m)

A combination of 2 nights: 28x 300s processed in PI and tweaked in PS

Scope TS RC 8 @ f8

Mount iOptron CEM60

If your using PI as you processor then you need to use SCNR at an early stage. That will remove the green bias.

ABE will sort out the background or DBE which can be tailored to suit different images.

Rather than doing your stretches in STF (nothing wrong with that), try using the Curves Transform. You’ll have more control. Use it in combination with Saturation. You can use saturation on individual colours or as a broad blank increasing or decreasing saturation as needed. Later you will use masks for even more control.

Happy processing 

22x 300s subs taken earlier tonight.

TS RC 8 @ f8 with an ASI533 cooled to -15° C. Mount iOptron CEM 60.

Processed in PI and PS

NGC3718 and others.

Scope: TS RC8 @ f8

Camera: ASI 533MC Pro 0 gain -15°C

Capture: ASI Studio, PHD2 guiding

Subs: 13x 300s

Processing PI and PS

Struggle last night. First SGP refused to center the framing even though the object was in the field of view. I even went back and installed an older version but the same result so I switched to ASI Studio, there's no way to select a dither with ASI Studio (hint to ZWO) so that has contributed to some noise but focus was a problem and I've ended up doing some sharpening in PI (convolution) with a luminance mask to try and control where sharpening took place.

Easter bunnies were removed in PS and the image resized.

I'll go back to this group another night...

@Stu Great write up. I finished building a 16 inch with John Nichol optics late last year and really enjoy getting it under a clear sky. I'm hoping this haze clears today so I can have another session.

Clear skies

I have a 533 and it’s superb. Virtually no noise making processing much simpler. And v sensitive too.

 I changed from a 294 to the 533 due to the amp noise in the 294.

Nikon have different pin/sockets to connect to, make sure you chose the right connector for your Nikon.

e.g. I have 2 one has a 10 pin connector the other has a little rectangular connector…

Captured 8x 240s subs 1250 iso on a modified Nikon. The moon had pretty well swamped the image so I tried combing it with a colour image shot a few days ago.

Two images rotated and combined in PS.

TS-RC8 at f8 1624mm fl.

Well fog and a nearly full moon were not the right bed mates to shoot the Eskimo through last night.

RC8, NBZ filter, mono modified Nikon D5100. iso 800 @ f8  and processed in PI (stacking - took ages!) & PS.

Subs: 65 @ 15 s, 1 @180s cropped matched and merged in PS

Must try again on a clear moonless night (some hopes!)

Centre of the Rosette nebula tonight through fog. This is a monochrome image taken with a modified Nikon. 7x 300s, 1250 iso using an RC8 @ f8

Processed in PI.

Are you using the'guide using multiple stars'. I've had the main green cross not be on a star but a number of little green circles sit around stars across the fov and guiding is good anyway?

Two mounts for me. First my current mount an iOptron CEM 60 standard non EC version then an Avalon linear fast reverse EQ mount. Both mounts work(ed) very smoothly. Didn't like my NEQ6 Pro.

IC434 captured via my TS RC8 at f8 (1436mm fl) mounted on a iOptron CEM60 guided by PHD2. Sub captures were with ASI Studio (SGP playing up!) and processed in PI.

Camera: ASI 533 MC Pro.

Subs: 7x 400s @ -12°C

Hi David, I think it depends on the camera and the version of ASIAIR. I think some of the early asiair's were restricted in the cameras they could control. Try updating the asiair firmware for your model.

Well I've been using the dob for a while now and thoroughly chuffed. I does take a little while to settle but keeping the optics in a cool ambient temp room helps greatly. It has been moved around in my car to different obs site around Hereford and assembles easily with little move than a tweak to the secondary mirror. The primary so far has had little need to adjustment. I've added a couple of eyepieces a 5 and 13mm Tele Vue Delite giving: x400 and x154 respectively .  These proved great for J&S at the end of last year.

Once this series of storms pass I'm looking forward to more galaxy hunting...

At one time the OD of the primary was a good basis to start from

Hope you don't mind I've had a play.

I split the image into upper lower parts, using a pen tool to cut across the top of the mountain range.

I've slightly darkened the lower half then where theres exposed rock I've used the dodge tool at 1% shadows to lighten these areas, then applied a surface blur (1px radius, threshold about 25). For the top half I've added a little saturation and contrast overal, then used the burn tool on highlights (2%) to bring back the detail in the trap area.

Just now, Icesheet said:

Yes, I agree they do. I will try that and what Vlaiv suggests to see if I can get a more natural transition from foreground to sky.

A slight blur to the foreground layer will be enough. Visually although both could be taken individually as distant blur to the foreground will imply foreground/background. Just take the edge off not a heavy blur.

Might be better if you slightly softened/blur the focus on the foreground. Both being in focus makes them fight each other for dominance.

Set the alarm for 4.00 this morning as Leonard didn't get past a neighbours house until then.

Image is a stack of 30x 60s subs. This has just been stacked aligning on the stars. I need to look again at how to stack the comet and stars as stills.

Finally I have a few photos of the dob.

I hope you like

Three-quarter front view

Side view

View of the mirror box and rocker box

Upper cage assembly showing the Moonlite CR-2, 60mm RACI finder from Altair Astro and a modified Red Dot Finder

Secondary mirror support assembly

Getting some superb views of objects I've previously only 'seen' after photographing them.

Astroart is a good all round package, capture, scope and camera control, post processing too.