kirkster501

I managed to get 30000 frames with the x2 Powermate with the TEC140/ASI224Mc. Jupiter was dancing around like a dice in a glass being shaken, the seeing was so bad and clouds kept rolling in obstructing it. However, I think I have now got the idea of focus. I've got the main bands and, I think, the GRS in this, albeit slightly fuzzy and hazy. Good fun all the same I will keep working hard to get better whenever I can get the opportunity. I'm trying to expand my repertoire of AP subjects and themes - I'm also branching out into solar and lunar - because DSO imaging (especially LRGB) seems to be becoming more and more unsustainable in the UK with each passing year. Indeed, I have considered flogging all my DSO AP cameras and telescopes and focusing on quality widefield Sigma lenses and OSC imaging for DSO and a C11/C14 for planetary/lunar and maintaining my Dob for visual. That is how bad it is getting.

I have a 2" x2 Powermate so may try these suggestions tonight if it is clear

Fabulous image - a perennial favourite of mine. I have also bought a OSC (in my case a QHY268C so the same sensor as you) for the same reasons, namely, sick and tired of never being able to complete a project due to incessant cloudy weather. With this sensor you can get something decent in the can inside an hour, the sensor is so sensitive and good. I have mine paired to my Samyang 135mm now and so much light gets in that results are quick and satisfying. I'd love to upgrade my G2-8300 for a QHY268M too but there is no way I can justify it and the EFW and 36mm filters for the use it will get in the UK permacloud.

Super M27 with good colour and detail in the nebula and good focus. I agree with Goran's comments and suggestion about the brown-ish background. Your stars seem to lack colour as well and I know from imaging this myself that the stars in this area possess plenty of colour. You could use a mask and increase the colour saturation of the stars. That is nit-picking on a very nice M27 though. Well done.

Thanky you Vlaiv for those tips

I want to get into planetary now that Jupiter is starting to get a bit higher. This meagre effort is only at a very small imaging scale at the moment with my TEC140 and ASI224MC and no barlow so the planet shows very small on the sensor. I did some preliminary setting up in order to get Jupiter on the sensor with my Telrad and red dot finders so that my C925 is ready for Jupiter next time. The seeing was rubbish and there was loads of mist and it is obviously quite low in altitude from the UK currently. Despite that I thought I'd do a quick capture all the same. So this is best 30% of 2000 frames with a bit of sharpening. I don't think Damian Peach need worry about this new kid on the block stealing his thunder just yet 🤣

Nice one. For some reason, when the sky has that very slight haze the seeing can be good.

Didn’t turn out to be that good did it? 🙄 Moon, high whispy cloud and rubbish seeing and completely clouded over at 10pm 🙈

I may get the Dob out and set up the Samyang 135mm rig.

I am going to rewire my box according to Alan's method. I have blown individual fuses several times now. I think this is because the 12v is making contact before the ground, as explained by Alan.

Agreed Malc. I was very sad indeed to learn about Julie, I had many laughs with her over the phone. She was the matriarch of that business and organised everything and the lads did the building and fitting. I do hope they can get this back together again since their carpentry skills are second to none.

Sad to hear this since they did a tremendous job on mine in 2016. Even then, it took over a year from order to installation. In their defence they are excellent tradesmen and I have not had a single issue with it. As a wooden structure with moving parts, in the UK damp for five years, that is good going. They lost their secretary and main admin person who had her fingers in all the admin to cancer - Julie - last year. I was very sad to hear this. Nathan, who is a carpenter, told me this and said they are overwhelmed with the administrative side of the business.

Possible this is caused by UV/IR being let onto the sensor that should be filtered out by the filters, luminance and blue are the worse effected. Lots of stuff online about this. Try a UV/IR cut filter in the nosepiece of the filter wheel before the filters.

I haven't as yet (12 years after acquiring them).

That double cluster is one of the best I have ever seen.

Completely spectacular. Wow.

That’s it! Thanks!

About three years ago I ordered a dob scope cover from someone on the Internet in the UK, someone who makes them privately. It is superb and only cost about £40 - much less than the Telegizmos one. Can anyone recall the name of them please because for the life of me I cannot find it in my records and my Google ninja is failing me too...

Thanks for the kind comments all. Yes, without wanting to sound smug, I am impressed too. This was only meant to be a "test run" the same day I put this rig together. I tentatively grabbed a few subs before it clouded over, thinking they would be junk and I'd be tinkering a lot more with the setup. However, to my great surprise they weren't junk at all and this picture is the result. Literally just pre processing with flats, darks and darkflats and a very small bit of post processing - just noise reeducation, stretch and a colour saturation boost. That's it. I do need to drop a F-stop to try and improve the corners. I think this APS-C colour sensor in the QHY268C and the Samyang 135mm are made for each other. My permanent mounted dual rig is now the FSQ85 (reduced) and G2-8300 and TEC140 with Atik460. Then I have this Samyang setup on this page and I also like to do some wide field DLSR 50mm stuff too. I can have all four rigs going on a clear night to maximise my data.

Indeed Olly and at that F ratio it gathers a huge amount of light very rapidly so you can get a lot done with this rig.

More data would bring out further nebulosity. I am wanting to do a large panel of the Cygnus/Cepheus/Cassiopeia area with this rig - if it ever stays clear for long enough that is,

Hi mate thanks, yes I did, an LDAS LP filter.

Very nicely done. Nice to see it framed as a wide field.

I’ve had one of those scopes. Brilliant scope but very, VERY heavy has mentioned earlier and HUGE. You will need a serious mount for it. Unless you have dark skies it is completely wasted and you can achieve the same with a C925. On that basis I sold it. Guiding at that 3m plus focal length is very challenging, let me warn you. https://skastro.net/meade-14-acf/

This is a really hard subject to image. I have failed miserably in Bortle 5 skies. Great image Olly, chapeau mate.