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michael8554

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Everything posted by michael8554

  1. michael8554
    You need confirmation from VC200L users that a Full Frame DSLR won't be vignetted, your APC-C size might be as large a format as is practical. I'm pretty sure you can't Bin a DSLR. And yes 0.65arcsec/pixel is oversampling, but many use small-pixel cameras and get good results - one for vlaiv to expand on. Personally I'd rate the Canon 6D MK1 over the 5D. Michael
  2. michael8554
    I agree with the previous posts. A bargain if you have previous experience of Meade Classics. Too much for a beginner. And some general tips for buying a Classic (not applicable to LX200GPS and other newer Meade mounts): Due to aging, many of the capacitors in the base and in the handset need replacing before they go "pop" - there are many posts and videos on how to replace them. Also only run the mount with a 12/13.8V source, the later Meade suggestion to use 18V only worsened the capacitor load. Michael
  3. michael8554
    "Hot mirror" and "clear protector" are unfamiliar descriptions, so whether it's a Ha or Full Spectrum mod is unclear to me. For a Refractor, and a Full Spectrum mod without any Clip-In filters, a UV-IR filter will be required. If you are going to use Clip-In LP filters all the time, then a Full Spectrum mod would work, otherwise just the #LPF-2 Filter removal is required. Michael
  4. michael8554
    I'm used to seeing Flats that have an even overall colour caste, not Flats that are red in the middle and green at the edges ? Michael
  5. michael8554
    If only the #LPF-2 filter has been removed to increase Ha response, the remaining #LPF-1 will filter IR. Only the white balance will have altered, easily corrected in PS etc. Michael
  6. michael8554
    I've had the red LED fail, and the track on the potentiometer (the brightness control) go open-circuit. Buy a cheap digital voltmeter and check the volts are getting to the LED. Michael
  7. michael8554
    I can remember when clouds used to be freely available for months on end. Now only the rich can get them. So unfair ! Michael
  8. michael8554
    Ah, my bad, I didn't spot your test conditions. I just latched onto the Log which I falsely assumed was a proper guiding session. So I gather you were testing your RA and Dec movements, but Dec=90 is not going to give any meaningful information. Michael
  9. michael8554
    You haven't said what OTA you are using. A small refractor may yield a small image of the moon that the ASI will frame nicely, but will only be using a small portion of the DSLR sensor. Conversely the ASI chip may be too small to frame the whole moon, but the moon nicely fills the DSLR sensor . DSLR 1080 HD Video is not the best way to do Planetary, if FOV allows use the LIveview 5x or Crop Video modes : https://www.astropix.com/html/equipment/canon_one_to_one_pixel_resolution.html Michael
  10. michael8554
    Pretty good barbulo. Look at the Histogram on the camera LCD, and select a Manual shutter setting that keeps the right hand end of the "hump" away from the right hand end of the display. So for instance, instead of 1/640s exposure, try 1/1000s. Michael
  11. michael8554
    It can, read the instructions 😆 Tools / Manual Guide. Set the pulse size to 5000. Each single click on the N, S, E, W buttons will move the mount a small amount that you will only see if you're looking at the guide star. Used for fine framing, or the Star Cross test. It's not a replacement for the high speed slew buttons on the handset, that's not a requirement for guiding. Michael
  12. michael8554
    Oh dear..... Yes, you were Calibrating at Dec = 90, where stars are effectively "stationary". The first three Cals were done with the INDI mount driver, which reported your Guide Rate = 7.5arcsec/sec, and the RA and Dec positions. But your exposure of 20ms is crazy fast, leading to Star Lost messages. And probably exposures were occurring before Cal moves had completed. Exposures in the order of 1.5 to 3 seconds are usual. Then you switched to ST-4, so RA, Dec, and Guide Rate were unknown. Were you still at Dec = 90 ? Reported Guide Rates were RA = 21.6, Dec = 24.4, your previous setting was 7.5, which is okay. I get the feeling you are using PHD2, but haven't read how to use it ! Look at the Help and How To guides available via the Help menu. Start here: https://openphdguiding.org/phd2-best-practices/ Stick with the INDI driver with a correct setup ! Michael
  13. michael8554
    Calibrating at Dec = 0 is important, but the suspected very low Guide Rate is your main area of concern. Post your previous GuideLog. Michael
  14. michael8554
    Many questions to ask, so it would be easier if you post the PHD2 GuideLog file. The yellow message refers to insufficient movement during Cal, which suggests your Guide Rate setting is too low in one of the softwares you are using. Equal and opposite 2500ms RA and Dec guide pulses from PHD2 could indicate that either RA or Dec pulses are going to both axes, due to cabling problems. Note that those equal 2500ms pulses were calculated during Cal to move RA 98.2 pixels, but Dec only 22.2 pixels. Did you Cal at Dec =0 ? Otherwise that indicates a lot of Dec Backlash that became part of the calculated Guide Rates during the PHD2 Cal. Michael
  15. michael8554
    Walking Noise. Dither between exposures helps, Michael
  16. michael8554
    https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/608291-etx-motor-unit-fault/ michael
  17. michael8554
    The ASI174MM is a 1936 x 1216 camera. ZWO quote some other resolutions: 1936X1216@128FPS 640×480@309FPS 320×240@577FPS I'm guessing that non-standard resolutions like 1024x1024 or 1024x1028 will take significant time to interpolate. From oacapture, my emphasis added: User ROI selection allows selection of arbitrary size regions if the camera supports it. But maybe I'm not understanding the subtleties of downloading ROI resolution versus full frame resolution. Michael
  18. michael8554
    Which weighs more, 2.2 pounds of lead, or a 1kg of feathers ? 😆 Michael
  19. michael8554
    With the stars on a lower Layer, and The Ring on the top Layer: Lasso a Selection just outside the blooms of nebulosity. Create a New Mask Layer of that Selection. Add Gaussian Blur to the edges of the Mask until The Ring merges seamlessly with the stars. Adjust black level to match stars and Ring backgound levels. Michael
  20. michael8554
    Were The Ring and the background stars shot with the same equipment, in other words do they both have the same field of view, and the size width and height in pixels ? Then both need to be cropped by the same percentage, so that the stars image includes only the stars in The Ring image. If from different sources: Crop The Ring and note the width and height in pixels. Crop the stars image so that only the same stars as in The Ring image are included. In the Image Resize or equivalent tool, set the new size of the stars image to be the same as The Ring size previously noted. Layer them, you now have a cropped Ring and cropped stars that match in size. Michael
  21. michael8554
    Annihilate, annihilate, resistance is futile ! Michael
  22. michael8554
    That's more like it 😆 What misalignment are you referring to ? Your guidecam focus could be better, aim for HFD of 3 to 4 on the Star Profile instead of over 5. Michael
  23. michael8554
    The Autoguider port on the LX200GPS control panel is only for old-school ST-4 guiding - for a cable from the ST-4 port on the camera. Connect the camera directly to the PC, USB to USB. Other procedures to while away the hours: Train Drives on a distant landmark - Appendix D of the Instruction Manual. Improves the accuracy of final moves in GoTo's. Has to be followed to the letter or you will keep going back to the start - bin there, dun that ! Check the date after a GPS fix. If it's not 2021, the mount needs a software update to correct the deliberate world-wide "GPS Rollover" in 2019. You can switch off GPS Alignment and enter time and date manually, often faster ! Michael
  24. michael8554
    As I said before, this isn't coma, it's star drift. The exposure that works depends on the Focal Length of the lens, the longer the focal length, the more the star drift is "magnified". If you're happy with the 12 seconds results, that's all that matters. To improve requires taking say 20 exposures in quick succession and "Stacking" them together to make one improved image. Then using Photoshop or equivalent to enhance the contrast and colour to your satisfaction. You might need to merge one image of the landscape into the Stacked image. Michael
  25. michael8554
    Hi brenski If those star shapes were only in the corners, and the centre stars round, this would be a lens feature called Coma. Since all the stars are elongated, that's due to the stars drifting across the sky during the exposure, exaggerated in Peter's image. Try faster exposures until you find one that doesn't show drift. Neither of your lenses is the cause of the problem. Michael
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