nephilim

16 minutes ago, fifeskies said:

A second monitor is a very good idea.

In fact I use 3 for my imaging.

 

1 main one for APT

1 for guiding with PHD2

1 for Stellarium and anything else , I have a live weather app monitoring local radar for incoming rain.

 

Any old monitor will do for this, I acquired some cheap 4:3 format old ones for 2 of them.

 

You can cram this via seperate windows onto one large monitor if it has enough resolution but individual screens works better for me.

I think I may now need a 3rd now 🤣

 I find having an extra monitor such a time saver, its so much easier than having to either swap between windows or having 1 window smaller etc. Aswell as my astronomy work they also work well for my outdoor hobbies such as mountain biking, hiking, climbing etc where I use 2 screens for planning & plotting routes & navigation. For the very small cost (Very very small when it comes to AP gear 😬) I think its definitely money well spent.

Happy New Year.

I would  like to thank @FLO & several members of SGL for helping me get rid of around 3k & still counting over the last 4 or 5 months 😁

But on a more serious note . It's great to be getting back into this after 7 or so years away. Having been on furlough since March,  this forum (and my mountain biking 😁)  has been a godsend to take my mind away from what's going on in the 'real' world.

Plus another mention to @FLO whose customer service & fast deliveries have kept to the same fantastic standard all the way through the year & who have consistently & very quickly answered all my emails when I found myself a bit lost when it came to what would work with what etc.

All the best 

Steve

7 hours ago, Newforestgimp said:

Yes I watched it and made notes, a step by step set of instructions but I get lost around creating the star masks etc, I’ll try like you say play/pause whilst editing alongside. Also the quality of the data he is using is better than I’ve captured so there’s a lot more signal to play with.

I tried with the 30mins of andromeda I captured in a cloud window, although not the greatest the process is becoming a bit more natural...

Re: Processing tutorials. If you have a desktop pc then I'd recommend buying a second monitor, this may sound a daft over the top purchase but I find mine invaluable for following tutorials step by step (I do use it for alot of other things aswell though. You can pick them up second hand very cheaply, starting at around £20-£30. 

AP has a very steep learning curve & for me anything that makes it even just a little easier is worthwhile 🙂

28 minutes ago, The Admiral said:

I don't know how competent or flexible the stacking software is on the ASIair, but I would suggest that you get familiar with the way DSS works as a first stage, otherwise you won't know what you are missing! It is often useful to be able to stack using something called Kappa-Sigma clipping which is very useful in removing satellite trails. Does the ASIair offer this option?

I suppose I tend to be a bit of a purist in that I'd rather have the original data on my PC than have it pre-baked by the capture software first. At least I can treat in my own way, and have the option to repeat any processing if I'm not happy. Also, you will need to take darks, dark flats, and flat exposures to work in to your calibration, which DSS (or other calibration/stacking software) uses.

Ian

Won't the dithering option using ASIairs guiding software get rid of  satellite trails. You can also do calibration frames with it aswell.

19 minutes ago, Adreneline said:

Hi Steve,

I should perhaps mention the two things I would like to see in the ASIair OS that for me would make it perfect.

In the Autorun screen you can set the various parameters for an imaging run, e.g. number of exposures, length of exposure, filter, object name, etc. It would be perfect - for me - if in addition you could set the focus position for the EAF for each filter. I know the ASIair can do autofocus but my experience with autofocus is very mixed and I prefer to manually input the focus position having carefully established it with the BM and the zoom feature on the iPad display. The other things I would like is to be able to input a custom filter name, e.g. L and L3 in my case. I've passed both of these suggestions to ZWO for what they are worth.

I have used the ASIair PA feature and it seems to work just fine and is ideal on the odd occasion I've operated away from home. As I also have a PoleMaster I tend to use a PC laptop to complete PA before starting an imaging session.

With my light-weight setup I can be up and imaging in about 20 minutes, including carrying the tripod and scope outside. Generally I connect to the mains power supply and use a 12.5V psu unit, but I also have a powertank  for operation away from the house - everything is housed in a Makita tool box! The tool box is also big enough to accommodate my Intel NUC for the occasions I want to use my Canon camera and BYEoS.

HTH

Adrian

 

  @Adreneline  That looks a very nice & tidy set up.

I've recently bought the Samyang 135mm lens which I'll be using with the ZWO 533, guiding with the Evoguide 50ED & ZWO 120mm-s all mounted on the ES EXOS 2 PMC 8 so I'll be well within my weight bearing capacity. I do have the option to power straight from the mains at the front of the house but for the back (North West) i'll be further down the garden & using my Celestron LiFePO4 powertank which will easily see me through an evening session.

I will be getting a scope later on in the New Year, again light weight & looking at the WO GT 71 or 81.

Steve

1 minute ago, Adreneline said:

Excellent!

Happy New Year Steve - hope the AAP comes soon for you.

Adrian

Happy New Year to you too Adrian & fingers crossed for a speedy delivery.

Clear Skies

Steve

Thanks for all the replies. I've now bought it. It's out of stock just like everything else at the moment but the month or so wait will give me plenty of time for reading up on it 🙂

11 minutes ago, Adreneline said:

Hi.

I don't have the AAP but I do have the ASIair which I've used for the last 14 months. It rates as one of the best things I have bought in the AP world - I love it! Like most things it is not perfect but name me one piece of software that is - although I do think BYEoS (IMHO) gets pretty close. There are a couple of features I would like to see added to the software but they are not show stoppers.

The air will work remotely and without the home network. I control my air with an iPad and it works seamlessly. I've not carried out a rigorous test to see just how far from the air I can go before I lose contact but it certainly seems good up to 5/6 metres (lounge to patio).

I use an ASI1600MM-Pro for imaging along with a ZWO EAF and EFW. I have used an ASI120-mini to guide but as I use a CEM25-EC tracking is certainly good up to 180s exposures so I tend not to guide. I connect my EFW to the 1600; the 1600, the EAF and the mount are hard wired to the air.

The ASIair is based on a standard Pi3B+. I have tried using Pi3 and Pi4 with Astroberry and been driven to the point of distraction. In my view there is no comparison regarding ease of use and setup between the two. I accept the ASIair can only be used with ZWO products (and a subset of Canon and Nikon cameras) but I for one don't have an issue with that - ZWO have developed an excellent imaging control environment so why shouldn't they restrict it ot their own products. Interestingly I don't see people bemoaning the fact that Atik software only works with Atik cameras.

Is it expensive? I guess it is but it represents less than 10% of the cost of everything else that is sitting on the tripod (mount, imaging scope, guide scope, imaging and guide cameras, EAF, EFW, filters(!!!), dew heaters, etc.). ASIair works seamlessly with SkySafari running on the iPad- it is highly responsive (unike Ekos).

My ASIair failed two days before Christmas - I was distraught! ZWO came to the rescue within 24 hours with a revalidation code so I could replace the Pi3B+ with one of my own - the code arrived Christmas morning. That and the fact that FLO also offered to replace the unit as it was less than two years old.

Would I buy another - a Pro - without doubt.

Hope this helps.

Adrian

@Adreneline Thanks for reply Adrian,  everything I've heard so far is very positive more or less. I think your comment regarding expense is correct, 10% of final set up cost is more or less the same for me. Anything that makes for a more streamlined session can only be a good thing.

All the best

Steve

1 minute ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

No I know what you mean about doing it yourself route and with these cameras I think it will be great,. As I say I have no experience with them myself but many using them seem well happy  and despite being a bit pricey for hardware that is say £70 to source it is often well worth it to save the hassle of messing about with bits f software yourself.
If you get one I would be very interested in your thoughts as my cameras are mostly ZWO anyway so not ruled out getting one 🙂 

Good luck with it and I hope we get some clear skies up North in 2021 🙂 

Steve

Thanks, I'll keep you in the loop when I'm finally up & running, it'll be a couple of months as I've still the 533 to buy. I know what you mean about the weather, I'm in Killinghall at the moment so not very far from you. I'm heading back to Cumbria in a few days where I'll then be trapped a its gone into tier 4. Although that means plenty of free time research & practice.

All the best

Steve

14 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Are you intending to buy a ZWO camera ?

I am not sure if it is still the case, or was just an issue in the earlier days of the Asair Pro, but I seem to remember a lot of threads about some non-zwo cameras not being supported. This is what put me off getting one and decided to go the RPi and Astroberry route. This is a lot cheaper way to go but certainly not an "out of the box" solution. 
I may be wrong so don't go on my say so alone but I sort of recall seeing people saying with ZWO cameras they were a great way of running your sessions but not necessarily with other cameras.
Have you considered the Stellarmate Plus, both this and the Asair are essentially Raspberry Pi's anyway but the advantage is they come with pre-loaded software and I believe the ability to get help if needed so a much easier solution than loading a RPi up yourself.

Steve

Ive already got the ZWO asi 1200mm-s for guiding & my main imaging camera will be the ZWO 533MC-Pro, I'd also read about AAP camera compatibility issues but as mine will both be ZWO it made sense to use the AAP rather than Stellamate (although i'm not sure if Stellamate is easier or harder to figure out when it comes to ease of use.)

Im in no way tech savvy so it hadnt crossed my mind to build my own Raspberry Pi, just the thought gives me a headache.

2 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Steve,

I am not that familiar with the Asair but from the look of it it is more or less a Raspberry Pi with some clever software pre-loaded and is not exactly cheap. 

Regarding the WWi-Fi then as it is essentially a RPi it will suffer from a poor Wi-Fi connection and as Steve says above (Blimey all Steve's on the tread so far !) you would need a wi-fi repeater or do what I do on my RPi setup and use a LAN cable which can be up to 100M and work flawlessly.

Steve

Thanks for the info (we need more Steve's in this thread though 🤣) I'll be using it mainly at home but also taking it into the middle of nowhere & will be pretty much right next to it during those sessions, I will get a repeater though.

As you mention, it's not cheap so I wanted to be 100% sure about it's capabilities.

22 minutes ago, StevieDvd said:

Hi Steve

Yes the ASIair Pro (AAP) have the same wifi solution as it's primary use is expected to be a standalone, away from home one.

The reach of the wifi is a bit poor as the aerial is a small part of the Raspberry Pi circuit board,  which the ally case seems to impair slightly. So not good to use from indoors when the mount and AAP are in the garden.

The AAP can be the hotspot or it can connect to your home network - but you will come across a lot of folk who recommend an external wifi extender which can be used at home and/or out & about.

There are quite a few happy AAP users here at SGL so feel free to ask questions.

Regards

Steve

@StevieDvd Thanks for the reply. I emailed FLO in the end as I'd had no answer here, Grant confirmed what you have also said.

That's good to hear, I was going to use my laptop but having seen the reviews of the AAP it looks a far better suited piece of kit. I'm going to watch a few more tutorials today & more than likely buy it later today although there's is a wait on it of a few weeks, I still have to buy my camera though so I'm in no hurry 🙂

11 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

The wider it is, the sooner you have to do a meridian flip...

Olly

Another good point thanks. There seems to be too many cons with this.

7 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

Disadvantages - flexure, cost, width - could be an issue with a dome, balancing.

Ah, that doesn't sound good although I don't have a dome. I think I'll stick with piggy backing

Can anyone tell me if there are any disadvantages using a side by side set up for AP?

I'll be using the Samyang 135mm lens paired with a ZWO Asi 533MC-Pro on one side & on the other side for guiding a Evoguide 50ED & ZWO Asi 120mm-s. I'm thinking that it would be tidier as I could strap my ASIair Pro (this is a potential purchases but I've not bought it yet) to the centre in between the 2 camera systems.  

Also would I need the 11" standard bar or the 7"? This is what im looking at mounting them on. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adm-vixen-type-v-series/adm-v-series-side-by-side-mounting-system.html

2 hours ago, Martthebass said:

I've decided to take the plunge and go for my first cooled camera, after much pontificating, although it's not an ideal pixel match, I've gone for the ASI533MC.  A couple of questions; firstly is the dew heater strip essential, is the session limited or could there be damage to the window if not used?  Secondly, I'm assuming that the camera couldn't be powered from my ASIair pro and that I'll need the separate power supply, is this correct?  TIA

I'm looking at getting the 533 & ASiair Pro & guiding with ASI 120mm-s, from the YouTube reviews I've read the 533 can be powered by the ASIair (unless I've misunderstood) I'll also be powering my mount with it (it has 4 X 12v outputs) I'll then be powering the ASIair with a Celestron LiFePO4 powertank. I can't help regarding dew heater straps for the 533 but I'll be using one on my Samyang 135mm lens which I'm using also.

Someone..... Anyone?

1 hour ago, Ande said:

.... What will you do with them? All of those wonderful images of nebulae and far-flung galaxies. Wide angle Milky Way shots, and star clusters etc. Do you put in all of the blood, sweat and tears and then just let them reside on your hard drive, or do they see the light of day in some form or other? Maybe get turned into posters, or postcards, or maybe home-crafted birthday cards etc?  
 

I am just getting an imaging rig together, and hope to put any pictures I am lucky enough to create to good use. Of course, there will be the obligatory wallpaper and screen-saver for the computer. And, at the very least, a poster or two on the wall. Be interesting to hear what fate awaits the images of other members on here.

As you know, I'm at the same stage as you more or less & finally nearing the end of getting the gear needed to start (I dont think i'll ever be at near the end of everything i'll want to get though 🤣).

For me, taking the images isn't just about how beautiful these objects are, its also to do with the challenges of taking them. I also love the idea that the photons of light needed for these images to be made  will have set out many many years ago & travelled through space to finally arrive on my cameras sensor. I find that fact quite mind blowing. 

So to answer your question, these images are for me really 🙂

4 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

Yes but not now.

F/4 scope is excellent instrument but one really needs to have quite a bit of experience imaging with newtonian scopes in order not go crazy / start pulling their hair out.

Faster the scope - more issues are likely. Things like tilt, collimation, focusing precision, illuminated and corrected field ...

All are ready to cause grief to even experienced imager.

Stick to F/5 for now and maybe in some distant future - switch to F/4

Very good point @vlaiv

5 minutes ago, AlanP_ said:

Also, would it be worthwhile for me to pay the bit extra to get the F4 as opposed to the F5 verion?

F4 will gather more light quicker than f5 so I'd say yes although if you want to also observe with the scope then an f4 is less forgiving with cheaper eyepieces than f5

4 minutes ago, AlanP_ said:

Ok great! So even if I added autoguiding in the futurre, along with my Photon F5 and DSLR camera, my HEQ5 would hold up?

Yes. Usually if you look at the maximum weight carrying capability of the mount (I think yours is 18kg) then half that for imaging so that would mean 9kg for everything, scope, camera, guide setup etc.

The 18kg maximum refers to just observing.

Hi, I'm looking at getting the above to control my imaging sessions but I'm not 100% sure about the WiFi set up.

From what I've read it acts as it's own WiFi hotspot. Does this mean I can take this to and use it in an area where there is no public or private WiFi signal? 

I have the Explore Scientific EXOS ll mount which also has its own WiFi hotspot & I'm able to use it anywhere & was wondering if the ASIair is the same type of set up before I press that 'buy it now' button.

Tia 

Steve

3 minutes ago, Waldemar said:

I would say the Photon f5 Newtonian is your best bet. It focuses with DSLR camera's and your HEQ5 should be able to handle it easily .
The other two are both achromats, wich means chromatic aberration: red and blue fringes around stars. 

 

Great minds think alike 😀

8 minutes ago, AlanP_ said:

I have been trying and trying to find an Astrophotography telescope that is in stock, but its becoming a very difficult task. Most of the suppliers are out of stock and nothing is coming in for quite some while by the looks of it. I initially wanted a 130PDS but I can't find one anywhere, even used. (Speaking of which, if anyone has a used telescope suitable for Astrophotography, send me a message!). I'm not sure if anyone else has much luck with other suppliers.  I'll be using a HEQ5 Pro mount with a DSLR camera and down the line I want to implement guiding. So, i'm not sure what the weight of the telescope should be or if these telescopes are too heavy. Perhaps some of the more knowledgable users can chime in on this. Anyways, here are the telescopes I have found and are in my budget.

TS Photon 6" F5 - https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p12285_TS-PHOTON-6--F5-Advanced-Newtonian-Telescope-with-metal-tube.html

Bresser Refractor Messier AR-102L/1350 - https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p9739_Bresser-Refractor-Messier-AR-102L-1350---Optical-Tube-Assembly.html

Skywatcher 80/400mm - https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p4485_Skywatcher-Startravel-80-OTA---80-400mm-Refraktor-opt--tube.html

Not sure how good/bad these are or if they are even suitable at all for my use, but its all I could find. 

 

I'd say out of the 3 that the newtonian reflector would be the best. If you were looking for a refractor you'd ideally want an apochromatic rather than a achromatic, have a look at this https://starizona.com/tutorial/imaging-with-a-refractor/#:~:text=Above%3A An achromatic lens usually,focus point%2C causing chromatic aberration.&text=Apochromatic refractor lenses are designed,two) reach the same focus.     I'd personally go for a small apo, they are lightweight, with good colour correction, William Optics do a good range such as this https://www.firstlightoptics.com/william-optics/william-optics-zenithstar-73-ii-apo-2019.html  or Skywatchers 80ED. For a reflector on an HEQ5 I'd be looking at one of Skywatchers PDS ones such as the 130. Also keep in mind that a refractor needs a field flattener & a Newt needs a coma corrector

This is also a good free app for phone or desktop. Although if you do download it to your phone make sure that first you go into your phone settings & switch on app permissions for location & storage otherwise the app wont work. https://edu.kde.org/kstars/