simmo39

1 hour ago, StevieDvd said:

Was it the selection of the files in the gaia process selector that resolved it?

I've added a couple of images in case of anyone doing a search later. 

Hi, yes it was. I had seen that so many times but it didnt lock into my brain! thanks for the help.

15 minutes ago, tomato said:

Maybe this video will help, but you seem to be doing all of the steps:

Setting Up the New SpectroPhotometric Color Calibration (SPCC) Tool — Cosgrove's Cosmos (cosgrovescosmos.com)

Im so stupid! thanks for that. I couldnt see the wood for the trees! all going now! Thank you all for making a mad old man happy!

just had a look on my old pooter that has got SPCC working and I cant see the files on there but it works, V strange!

1 minute ago, tomato said:

This is what my settings look like, you do need to activate the database files as @StevieDvd has described, the method is in the release notes I think.

After a successful image solve, I open SPCC and move the instance icon over the image and let it do its stuff. If it is failing, are you getting some sort of error message?

I cant get it to see the gaia downloaded files. If i go and look direct at the file they are there. just dont know whats going on.

3 minutes ago, StevieDvd said:

I'm no expert but this is my setup

1. Note location of the downloaded xpsd files
2. Open the Gaia process (find under <All processes>)
3. Click on the wrench
4. Select Data Release for the files you downloaded
5. Use the Select button to find the files
6. Once all selected close the process
7. Before using make sure your image has been solved (I use script/image analysis/image solver)
8. Then use the SPCC

HTH

 

Steve

Hi Steve, first thanks for the reply.  I have done that so many times but got nothing i have created a file called gaia and downloaded the small gaia data set to it, it shows it in there but as soon as I tfind it with pi it shows no files in it. im at a loss to why.

Hi all, Just got my self a new pooter for doing my PI stuff. I have managed to get most things working in PI ( the exterminators and some scripts ) but for the life of me I cant get SPCC working. I have downloaded the GAIA files and tried all the methods as far as i can understand them on the PI sight but still nothing works. Is there anyone out there that can talk me through the process in good old one finger english.

thanks in advance

Nice! -26 !  I moan at +1!

Well another wonderfull image, so much work! I cant get one nights worth of data!

V nice, not one i had seen before but now on the todo list!

Nice!

V nice!

That looks nice!

2 hours ago, JonHigh said:

Yup, I feel your pain. I bought masks specifically designed for my scopes. It did make a difference but it wasn’t night and day. It was more accurate and consistent though. I use both SharpCap and APT but found I preferred SC. I tend zoom in a lot and try to take an average view due to atmospheric disturbances. It can do your head in after a while.
All that said I recently moved across to an EAF on my triplet and will not be going back to manual focusing anytime soon! 😂 

Still manual with my Mak scopes though! 

I do have a EAF but at the moment cant seem ro get APT auto focus to work for me. Will have to sit down with it and have a good play one of the nights,

3 minutes ago, JonHigh said:

Are you using a EAF or manual focusing?
This is a target I definitely want to take. Especially now I have my reducer! Weather and timing permitting! M45 and The Rosette are next! 
Lovely image! 

Thank you, Im manual focusing. I think I was being sloppy on my pics and needed to make sure I look hard at the mask.

After seeing some stunning pics of this target on here I thought I would give the target ago. I was hoping to replace the stars with RGB ones but the weather has turned and looks like that by the time we get some good sky the target will be out of my reach. This was also a test of my focus as I have had issues with my stars, althought the stars are not brilliant they are an improvment on my last few efforts.

50 x 240s subs taken with my asi 2600mc through my Askar 400 with FR and Optalong extreme filter.

Hints,Tips and CC welcome.

Thanks for looking.

Me 2!

Not much in it to my eyes, I would be happy with either.

V nice!

1 hour ago, Elp said:

You should be able to check the FWHM size of the stars when you're registering the subs which will give you an idea of focus. With my Z61 I believe my good focus is somewhere near 0.5 and 1 depending on seeing when focusing on a medium bright star.

Regarding halos, the issue is more like when imaging near high mag stars (ie Alnitak within the Horsehead Nebula) you get a halo ring around the star at least two to three times the diameter of the star thick. Yours looks more like when I'm using my Takumar lenses, initially the stars will have red bloat, nearing focus that red bloat decreases, then disappears then green bloat gets larger, it's to do with the lens focusing R,G,B at different points.

Have you tried imaging without a filter to see if the issue is still present. I have read previously some Askars do produce blue star halo bloat and could have something to do with the different wavelengths of light focal points.

Hi, yes i have imaged without the filter and I do get a little red bloat but its not as bad as with the filter. The odd thing is looking at older images taken with the filter I get some halo but not half as bad as it seems to have gone on the recent images. It might well be my focus is not as good as I think. Need some good weather to try out some ideas!

Had a look at the image once split into three channels, it shows the same problem on all channels.  Not sure what to try next. I will have a go at getting better focus but I think my focus was not that bad. Just need some good weather to do some experiments.

8 hours ago, Elp said:

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/741518-weird-halos-around-stars-what-happened/

Thanks for the pointer, will have a little look at that today.

Hi all, not sure if this is the right place for this but here goes. I went out with my rig the other night to try ang get some data on the Cocoon, all looked good untill I put it inti PI. the nebula looks ok but the stars seem to have halos around them. I can live with some but as I go to the corners they seem to go realy out of shape. I have had this problem for a while but looking back at my other images it seems to be getting worse. My rig is a Askar 400 with FR and im using an Optolong Extreme filter. I know that the filer has a rep for halos but I have had no real problems with it before.

Here is some samples.

Here is the main image

Any ideas or is it just the filter? if so whats a better replacement?

Thanks for looking.

That is a fantastic image, Im in the same area and missed both of those clear nights! life is a pain sometime.

Looks good to me, Im also in the short session club realy like my sleep! 

What can i say that hasnt been said! WoW. Cant look at the Cocoon in the same way again.