alan potts

On 03/07/2019 at 20:53, Rodd said:

Nice shot Alan--the star field com,es out orange (or golden) becuase there are a lot of red stars in the region.  The golds/reds are correct for this area. (I thought teh same when I shot this region--until I looked a some very nice examples.  The good ones have orange/gold star fields (plus dark structures).

Keep adding to it.  i know what you mean about humid and hat.  Fortunately the nights haven't been too back.

Rodd

Maybe I should put the orange colour back, took a fair amount of care removing most of it using select and mask. Really useful tool in PS.

Alan.

On 03/07/2019 at 23:08, AbsolutelyN said:

Very impressive from a good old 40d. You're making me want to mod the 100d I've had sat around doing nothing for the last few years. 

I feel it is more about the decent sky I get here. Sadly missed the next two night when it by all account was good because I went to the Black Sea.

Alan

On 05/07/2019 at 15:16, Rodd said:

I have found that microlensing (if that is what is happening--still unsure) is intensified with high humidity, haze.   The other night I slewed to my first focus star and wham--it was like looking through a kaleidoscope.   Maybe co nditions were different from night to night?

Rodd

`Thanks, Rodd, could have a point as haze was in the mix for sure the first night. It was a getting better night and the target was picked up about the same time each of 3 nights, and within a small margin framed the same, so you could have a point there. What I found even more interesting was after the 3rd nights added data, which I have not posted yet due to being away, the spike vanished. This was maybe one set of data outweighing the other.

Alan

A very good first it is too, lovely image.

5 hours ago, Adreneline said:

Hi Alan,

In an attempt to answer your question I have processed the rgb data I took from a night of imaging the Veil with my 1600 and Samyang 135mm; we actually had three clear nights here - unheard of! - and the first night I imaged the Veil in rgb, Ha and OIII but was not overly impressed with the end result - hence the change to the ZS71+1600 and two pane mosaic.

This is only a quick process (pre-processed in APP, and then PI using ABE, AdaptiveStretch and combine in PixelMath); spending a lot more time may reveal more detail but hopefully it gives an idea.

Adrian

You can see it right enough but it gets a little spoilt by the thousands of stars, they seem to overpower it somewhat, still a nice image though.

Alan

That's rather beautiful MG, I imagine it is better placed for you down there, it is low here in Bulgaria so must be awful in the UK.

Alan

13 hours ago, Adreneline said:

Hi Alan,

Thank you. It is taken with Ha (7nm) and OIII (8nm) filters. If I understand your question correctly I imaged it using RGB filters on the first night (for star colour as much as anything) but I found the nebula was barely visible using 60s exposures. Sky Safari says it has a magnitude of +5.00 but I have no experience of visual astronomy (other than low power binoculars) so not sure how easy it would be to discern.

HTH

Adrian

I should have said I can't see it without a filter with an 18 inch, with filter it is really rather beautiful. My question expanding on your RGB work, will I be able to get something just using my DSLR on my scope. I do have an Olll visual filter which I imagine will be better than nothing at all.

Alan

Lovely image, I guess it is taken with an Olll filter, is it possible to take without with a camera, as visually I can't see it even with an 18 inch.

Alan

Wow, stunning clarity in that shot.

2 hours ago, HunterHarling said:

Did you include this data? If so, I think this caused the spikes.

No I didn'nt, I saw the issue which was the second night and didn't take the sub, the spike is on the first nights images, all of them 3 and 4 mins when it was in the clear of trees.. Interestingly I added a 3rd nights data a mere 48mins of subs and after stacking the spike has gone, though the data with it on is still in the stack, bit of an odd one, never seen it before as there should be no spikes and within a tad the scope and everything else was int he same place all three nights.

Alan.

3 hours ago, geordie85 said:

I'd love to shoot this one day. Can't get to it from my garden. 

The lowest I can get to is M16 whichj I've been collecting data on the past 2 nights. Hoping to add a 3rd to it tonight. 

I actually had a try to find that last night but as I was under attack from mosquitoes gave up, maybe tonight I can have another go, M16 and 17 are tempting me.

3 hours ago, Adam J said:

Its most likely coming out red because you have either pushed the red channel independently to get the red nebula to pop more. However there are a large number of bright red stars in the background anyhow.

It's not me doing it, I mask the background anyway when I colour the nebular which I have done, I reduced the orange in the stars a fair bit, you should see it out of the camera, really rich orange, I think it may be what you said about the stars colour but it also makes the background sky a mucky brown colour that I'm not keen on.

Alan

I have been slowly adding to this over the past few nights, even though it has been very hot, the sky has been pretty clear low down, seeing the Sting has been very easy between the trees. Can even see M 6 and 7 without binos.

This is about 90 minutes on 3 minute subs. Canon 40 D with 805mm APO

Why does it always come out very orange in the star fields?

Hope you like it.

Alan

10 hours ago, HunterHarling said:

It looks like there was a tree or something in the way. Maybe the observatory roof/dome was partially in the light path?

The first nights images were definitely not near a tree and the roof slides way backwards away from it, oddly and correct as you are the second night I did start shooting with part of a tree in shot, I just waited five minutes for it to clear the tree.

Alan

Just now, AbsolutelyN said:

Is it a permanent setup? Perhaps something in the light path internally if camera was removed and put back? Lovely image even if it is only quickly bashed through PS.

Yes it is a permanent set up but I took the camera off after the first night to download, it's only a DSLR, Sometimes I take the laptop to download which I did this morning, I want to add another 45 minutes or so tonight.

Alan

I have got about 90minutes or so on this target which is very low at between 18 and 22 degrees whilst I can see it, when it goes from sight it is not getting any better, trees for you.

On the first nights subs one of the stars has a set of spikes, where as, the second night it was not there. Now both sets were not matched up exact there was a little difference in the frames and I do mean little. I have never seen this before, what caused it?

24x 180seconds at 1600iso and 5x 240seconds.

Only bashed through PS quick to ask the question, it is struggle getting the orange colour out of the subs, I guess this is because the low position in the sky.

Alan

That's a good as any shots I have seen of the moon, nice and sharp.

Alan

9 hours ago, Firas said:

Hi Alan! Where can i find your review?

Do you think a type 1 Paracorr would be as suitable for imaging with an f5 newtonian as with type 2? I found a second hand type 1 that is much less expansive than type 2. 

Thanks in advance 

/Firas  

It will be deep in the Members equipment section it was a few years ago now but still relevant today, I still have the Mk2 and it is a fine if somewhat expensive piece of kit, but then I find that true of all TeleVue, I have a fair amount of their eyepieces too. As for the imaging question, though I do AP it will be best for you ask on the Imaging section as a question, there are some excellent folk there that will help you. My guess would be as the difference between the Mk1 and Mk 2 concerned mainly only the edges then for AP with anything but a very large full frame sensor you should be fine.

Alan

21 minutes ago, Nigella Bryant said:

I alway's park my mount in home position when finished and unpark and then align, usually two star alignment is enough to put the object in the field of view. 

Are you properly polar aligned? 

Just what I was wondering, I use to set mine up every night from scratch and whilst PA is not critical for visual in needs to be reasonable. The other thing that I had a problem with which involved pointing was low battery power, so I went to mains transformer after that, that was on a HEQ 5 Pro

Just so you don't get confused, the Home position is pointing at the pole unless you have told it otherwise, though I am not sure you can do that with your mount.

Alan

Park the mount mean the scope slews to point at the Northern, in your case pole, then the normal thing is to turn off, mines parked in it now. If you do this and for whatever reason it does not point to the pole there is something very wrong. The other thing you can do is select different stars on the Align I again had a bit of an issue with this.

Ensure the coordinates of where you are are correct, this caught me out once, they actually reversed themselves some how, I'm sure it was not me. Also check time is correct.

9 hours ago, vlaiv said:

Yes, Starguiders at FLO are best priced as far as I know. They are quite cheap for the set if one counts in discount for multiple items.

I've seen the same line at TS marketed as TS ED 60 Flat Field. I wonder if there is any difference. I suspect that it is the same design, but wonder about QC and coatings since they are 50% more expensive.

Anyone ever came across comparison between different brands of these EPs?

I've seen these Paradigm's dressed up a good few different ways going right back to when I restarted in 2009, I first saw the from a US company, Astro Tech or something very much like that, I bought a 40mm from them which in turn was the same as the SW Aero. I don't use my eyepieces very much at all now since venturing into the Astro Photography side, must say that seem rather a waste of 26 Televues, in fact I was thinking of getting rid of some now I have moved the LX 200 from the observatory and rarely use the Dob.

I feel though they are all going to much of a muchness, like so many and I have never seen anyone, like you, put them side by side.

Alan

Look forward to seeing what you have to say, I'm a bit like you were, often told beginners to buy them without ever having one. Your other set the Meade HD were very overpriced over here when they came out, so much so I moved onto TeleVue, I had the SWA range and most of the UWA range beforehand. HD 's here in Bulgaria were 200 e each, may even have bee 225e, so long back I forget now.

Never really thought about it but I feel the two previous cover anything I am likely to think of. Like Pete I do enjoy being outside with the capture and look up most of the time, even have my Dob outside as well sometimes. I could easily afford a complete remote set-up but like banging on with my AZEQ6 and scopes, am going to upgrade to a decent CMOS soon, then maybe I will sleep out there.

Alan

I have done it in the past John from a better position than yourself but it is far from easy even here. I used the m/n 190mm and rate it harder than Sirius.

Alan