Mikey0368

Thanks folks.

I take it this one would run ok on an HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt? I would be imaging with a ZWO ASI224MC and I probably won't have the finder scope attached. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra-telescopes/stellalyra-8-f12-m-lrs-classical-cassegrain-telescope-ota.html

Even although I've only used 1 light I tried processing the 900s image. I'm not fussed about the image itself, it's the shape of the stars I'm interested in. So it's 1 light, 1 flat, 1 bias and no dark.

I was experimenting with exposure lengths again last night and this is 900s (15 minutes). I only took 2 lights at that exposure but there's enough here to suggest that I might be able to try it again in a proper imaging session. This is the full image and a cropped version.

It'll be interesting to see how much more I can get when I'm using the Polemaster. Cheers.

Here ye go.......

Yep, I'm getting 10 minutes out of it. I have a Polemaster on order so might manage more once it gets here!

Just adding to this again as I'm now getting 10 minute exposures unguided. This is 85% of 16 x 600s stacked in DSS and processed in StarTools.

6 weeks later I finally got another night that was good enough for long exposures. This is 3hrs 20mins in total, all exposures were 5 minutes.

I'm dragging this up again as I've been trying longer exposures using the Skywatcher HEQ5 with Rowan Belt modification, no guiding. It was really clear and calm a couple of nights ago so I tried 5 minute subs and didn't lose any through star trails or satellites. The image is M81, 80% of 50 x 300s stacked in DSS with flats, darks and bias and processed in StarTools. The next time we get a night with no wind I'll try for even longer to see how it goes.

Cheers, I'll give that a go. Unfortunately they're jpeg files so I'll need to check my settings next time, I was expecting raw images as that's what I usually get from APT but presumably I have to reset it when using Planetary. I'll put that one down to experience!

I took images of the moon last night at different ISO and exposure settings but I'm not having much luck with processing. I used APT's Planetary feature and I have 1000 frames at each setting so I can either use a single image or stack them. The basic image looks ok but I'm sure I can get more out of it. I have StarTools, GIMP and Registax available to me but I'm not sure which processing features in particular I should be focussing on. Can anyone give me some pointers please? Thanks.

Thank you.

I know I can use my calibration frames again but do I need to make sure that the orientation of my camera is roughly the same or does it not matter? It's a dslr that I use. Thanks.

Thanks everyone, that's really useful.

I've had a wee bit of a problem with Walking Noise so I'm going to add Dithering to my APT plan. I read somewhere that you don't need to take Darks if Dithering, is that the case? I would normally take half the number of Darks that I take of Lights and I'm quite happy to continue doing so if the results will be better. My camera is a modified Canon 600D if that makes any difference and I'm tracking, not guiding. Exposures will be 60 seconds. Thanks.

Not yet. I'll be trying a few things on Sunday.

I was out again last night and it's still there. There was no moon so it aint that, and everything's been cleaned. Again, it shows up much more during processing......

Thank you.

Sorry folks, newbie question! I'm planning on having a crack at this comet tomorrow night as it's supposed to be reasonably clear for a bit. Should I use my 8" reflector or SW Esprit 100ED for it? Or are neither really suitable for something like this? The camera is a modified Canon 600D. Thanks.

Thanks folks. The moon was fairly full that night so that could be the culprit I suppose. There's a bit of trial and error involved at the moment and if the cloud ever disappears it'll help!

I have a relatively new SW Esprit 100ED and I'm getting a mark on my images. I've checked the camera (it's a DSLR) and flattener and can't see anything obvious, but the lenses in the telescope do look a little dirty. Rather than a smudge somewhere, could it just be reflection? It's pretty much a perfect circle and I wouldn't expect a dirty mark to be so circular. Here's a screenshot taken during processing as it sticks out like a sore thumb at this point. Once processed it's much less obvious but still there. Anyone experienced something like this? Thanks.

Fantastic reply, thanks very much that's really helpful.

It's a SkyWatcher Esprit 100ED PRO Triplet, f5.5.

Assuming my Polar Alignment and 2 Star Alignment are spot on, what length of exposure can I expect to take? The mount is a SkyWatcher HEQ5 with Rowan Belt upgrade and the camera is a modified Canon 600D. I don't have a guide scope so I'll be relying on tracking, and skies around here are Bortle 6 (I think). Thanks.