michael8554

500mm FL and 5.36um pixels gives an image scale of 2.21arsec/pixel, which is probably Undersampling,. If your Netherlands "Seeing" is similar to the UK. I expect others will disagree..... ! Michael

Hi Ray It's not the ISO that "blew out the sky", it was the length of the exposure. Stick on ISO800 and reduce the exposure length. Michael

"I've always avoided OAG's as my set up is not permanently set up and I have enough on my plate to get things going without going down that rabbit hole!🤪" If you store the OAG with both cameras mounted, then it becomes a plug-and-play item, no setup required. And the 1200mm FL of the 250PDS is crying out for an OAG, but I appreciate the "sideways" configuration might cause other problems. Michael

Hi Ray The 600D is known for banding, and the 550D is the same camera, but without the swivel screen. But a much darker band is unusual. What ISO ? The dust bunnies are very defocused, so are not on the sensor IMO. Michael

Hi Tris Post on the LX200GPS Forum, many experts there: https://groups.io/g/LX200GPS/topics GPS needs to be turned off first in the menus, then power-cycled, before manually entering time and date. Otherwise there's interaction between the GPS and the manual setting. Michael

Yes sounds like a plan. To save changing cameras: If you rotate just the suspect camera 90 degrees and the left side still has the higher figures then it's the camera. Michael

"but it feels like I'm not able to get close enough to the prism." That's why way back I explained why you should make a focuser like the low-profile Baader you posted an image of ...... :-< "It's practically impossible to measure this the way things are connected mechanically" Fairly easy. With a ruler measure from the middle of the OAG body to where the imaging camera chip is. Then use the ruler to show the same distance from a guestimate of how low the prism is, then locate the QHY5L-II sensor there. The OAG focuser will take up the inaccuracy. Michael

Hi Ian This coma might be unnoticeable in "daytime snaps", but is all too obvious in star shots. You could try setting the lens to different focal lengths, and stopping down the f/ number. Better results will be with the lenses RickWayne suggests. Michael

Hi Thrifty That's a great image given the unguided long focal length setup. No coma, and just a little elongation due to PAE. Without a PC screen to look at an enlarged LiveView display, focusing will be difficult. A f/6.3 Focal Reducer from Meade, Celestron, Antares etc will help, spaced at 105mm Back Focus from the camera chip This adapter gives the correct FR Back Focus with a Canon DSLR: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/celestron-sct-t-adapter.html For the focal length "sweetspot" vlaiv refers to, there is probably a figure published somewhere. Otherwise, if you can be bothered, adjust until you get a 2000mm Focal Length when the image is Plate Solved. Michael

Hi KEJ The Meade f/3.3 Reducer was designed for the tiny sensors of the 1990's. So I'm not sure what the stars in your 1" Square camera are going to look like ! Michael

I agree with Mike Q. I can't imagine how I'd accurately sketch what I see in the eyepiece if I had to reverse/flip everything on the sketchpad. Easier to scan the sketch and reverse/flip in software. Michael

Track the mount with the covers off as in your images and observe the belt over one rev of the belt. Is it running smoothly ? Or bouncing, catching on a tooth, etc ? And when slewing, to see behaviour when moving fast. Michael

Tension yes but also misaligned pulleys, damage to belt. Michael

Hi Alan So you're discounting the RA belt drive ? Michael

SharpCap was in video mode. That's fine for a bright planet, Is that suitable for just "pointing at the sky" ? Try Long Exposure mode 2 Secs exposure ? Michael

The guide figures for the east run were RA = 0.44 Dec =. 0.41 , and less than your image scale of 1.5"/pixel, so stars should be round. But those Dec spikes you see too must have an impact. RA has a noticeable sinusoidal wave in the graph, The EQ8 has a 3.3 minute worm period, so looks to be PE, maybe the belt drive ? South guiding had RA = 0.53, Dec = 0.22, significantly different, and now RA spikes, again maybe the belt. Michael

So are the stars green in the original ARW files ? Michael

Hi Favo The main image processing problem is that all the stars are green. Is this the "Sony Star Eater" problem I've seen mentioned before ? Or was that after PS adjustments ? Michael

I agree with the above replies. DSS is looking to stack stars, so the landscape will be very confusing. And the stars have to be round. Maybe the lens needs stopping down in F number ? Michael

Not a NINA user, so I don't understand the ASCOM message. Is this possibly related to the DST change on 26th March in Spain ? PC time and NINA time different ? Michael

Hi Alan The guidescope mounting is much better than the commonly used soft-tippped screws in rings. Maybe good enough to discount diff flex from that source. In each 10 minute guided runs, were the RA and Dec guide figures similar to each other ? That suggests guiding was good enough to give round stars, Leaving only gravity related movement elsewhere. Michael

I'm not familiar with your mount. But I googled for the handset menus, this might be what you need to monitor: View / Goto Pos / RA Dec Michael

I can't give you an experience-based answer, but an eyepiece-shaped camera such as the mini series has a good chance of placing the sensor at a similar point to an eyepiece. Michael

1. The Ha mod leaves the IR filter in place, so no need to add another IR filter. 2. A Full Spectrum mod removes both filters, useful if you always use additional light pollution or other narrow-band filters. 3. White Balance setting is in the Raw .CR2 metadata, and most image software gives you the choice to apply it or not when loading. Michael

Hi Nic I may be wrong, but doesn't the laser need to be mounted on a stationary part of the platform, so that the platform can be pointed accurately at the NCP ? Not "to the RA axis at one of the ends". Michael