Notty

I took some data on night 1 of LRGB all unbinned. Night 2 I took a load more RGB but made the mistake of binning it 2x2, because I'd read that is what we do with rgb(!) though I don't know why. I say mistake, because DSS (predictably if I'd have thought about it) refused to align with my unbinned reference data from the night before as they were different sizes. I was wondering how we all get around this? I know we can get DSS to drizzle to match the unbinned size but would I be introducing noise? If I bin my unbinned data to match it then I've lost resolution? Or have I? Or is binning rgb pointless anyway (AASI1600M, ED80)? thoughts appreciated, thank you.

Thanks, yeah as I said I used to have the 200PDS newt (which I think was f5) but it wouldn't hold collimation and caused me violent thoughts and words so I promised myself I'd not get another newt.

Thank for the reply, I'd realised I'd omitted my cameras, asi1600+fw or eos6d. Mount is an heq5. I'd assumed any larger refractors would be too heavy for my little mount?

I currently run an ED80 ds pro on an HEQ5, and although the ED80 is fine for wider field images obviously for galaxy season it's not ideal. I used to have a 200PDS reflector which (when collimated) gave a nice resolution, but was too large and heavy and the mount struggled a bit (and I hated the whole collimation faff). My question is if anyone could recommend any other non-reflector type of scope my mount might be able to handle? Or maybe it doesn't exist but thought I'd ask. I image with ASI1600m+filters or unmodded EOS6D thanks, Andy

Why thank you!

My first go at this. About 1:10 Lum and 50 mins each RGB. Coloured to my own taste in Startools. ASI1600m + SW Ed80-DS. Thanks for looking

That's really, really nice. The wow factor for me was when I zoomed in and saw the resolution you captured.

Insanely good image! I'd hang that on my wall

Thanks, I just noticed this also, subtle difference between 120 and 120 mini, which I hadn't picked up. I forgive them (I'm sure they're very grateful 😜)

Following. Same scope same flattener and similar wierd flats, similar post!

Hi thanks for the reply. I did think of that, but then I got a sensible set of flats through the camera lens. I might have a go tomorrow, but say I didn't get the patterns what would you say that pointed to, apart from my camera and f/w being completely incompatible with my scope? Or are you thinking it points at some kind of tilt issue maybe?

Stacking them together shouldn't be a problem as long as you stack them with their own calibration frames. Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs but just in case you can use the groups tabs in DSS? Eg front group would have you reference frame (for alignment) and any common calibration frames (which I don't think would apply in this case unless focus and orientation was identical on both nights in which case you could use a common flat, and if it were multiple nights at the same exposure and camera temp you could use a common master dark) then groups 1-n would be each night's lights and unique calibs. That is a cracking image by the way!

I'm beginning to think it's reflections, but I'm now bust on ideas. I've now cleaned the inside of the front objective, I've painted the 3 retaining screws which hold on the focuser to the tube black and added matt black paint to the (faded) factory matt inside. I've then reshot the flats. Same result, with B & G sporting the same noticeable disks. Just to make sure it's not the camera or filter wheel I've shot another set of flats through my brand new 135mm camera lens, and they are perfect, in the sense that there's nothing other than vignetting with no weird texturing or shapes. I've spent two days trying to track this down now and I've nowhere left to go. Maybe my glass is permanently stained in some way that I can't see that resists my baader optical wonder cleaner? If anyone has ever experienced this and found the source I'd love to know. I'll share here if I ever get to the bottom of it.

I wonder if anyone can help me troubleshoot something clearly amiss in my imaging train. It's a SW ED80 DSpro with a lakeside astro motor focuser, with a SW FF/FR and I have LRGB Ha filters in a ZWO EFW and shot through asi1600mm pro. The anomalies have been going on a while and I'm really trying to home in on what's causing the problem. Ivo from Startools kindly helped me with my data in this thread below and pointed it out again, but it definitely wasn't dew or cloud. I know I shouldn't, but I have now cleaned my refractor lens, and the FF both ends and reshot and stretched flats in order to try and see what's going on. To my knowledge flats should show vignetting and the odd bunny but not the odd patterns I get. Also, I seem to have different bunnies on each filter, which is annoying since I fitted them straight from the box and they look spotless to me. I've posted stretched ones of the flats here, hopefully in LRGB order and I'd be really grateful if anyone's got an opinions on what might be going on, as I've run out of ideas. I've reshot the flats in daytime using my flat panel and also a t shirt but they don't change anything. The bunnies (if that's what they are) look too big to be on the filters, but I don't understand why they change position between filters otherwise, but it's the diagonal criss-cross banding that is really twisting my melon! Anyone got any ideas? Help gratefully received. Andy

A video is basically just a sequence of individual frames. Stacking software (autostakkert etc)can disassemble an mpeg into its component frames.

That’s very nice. What camera/filters did you use?

Hi for moon shots I believe it’s like planetary ie you take depending on the camera movies/as many stills per second as you can then stack them afterwards.

Agreed, I find these views convey the absolute immenseness(!?) of the universe way better than my ED80! Thank you so much for the kit tips. I don't suppose you still have the specifications of the pulley and belt you ordered from motionco just so I'm primed when I can get the eaf? I can't find anything on FLO which resembles the astrojolo kit, but maybe I'm searching wrong. ASIair is an infuriating proposition to me at the moment. I'd get it today if it supported any old ascom guide camera. I kind of get it that they want to tie you in to their kit, but what I can't forgive them for it not supporting their own 120mm which to me is their affordable guide camera. Unforgiveable! To be honest I'm seriously considering one day getting another 135 and paralleling my 1600mm for NB and my EOS6D for osc targets. There literally is no limit to how much money this hobby can take from me even at the budget end!

I had one of these lenses ages ago but had to sell it before I got a chance to use it. This thread (and in no small part your stunning images Adrian) have persuaded me to order another one, and I'm pondering the relative merits of the astrokraken/astrojolo mounting and manual focusing solutions, though my plan long terms is to go ASI air with the ZWO eaf. I was therefore wondering where you sourced your belt drive and bits for the focuser - did you make them yourself or is it produced somewhere as I couldn't find it? I'm also encouraged to hear platesolving is ok as I was thinking images with that much going on might require a bio computer to solve! Did you use anything for solving before the asiair? I'm assuming my APT platesolving should work what do you think? Thanks, Andy

Was there much of a temp drop between start and end of imaging? I’d always understood correct focus does change with temperature so as it drops you’d need to refocus

I believe that Is correct. Don’t know it’s it’s how everyone does it but in the main group I just put my reference image and master dark. Subsequent groups have the lights and calibrated flats for each night/channel

That is simply gorgeous and makes me seriously regret selling my same lens before even using it. Might I ask how you tackle focusing on a lens like this? Also how critical would you say guiding is for a lens this fast? I have the ASI1600M cmos camera so was wondering if the fast lens+short exposures might negate the need for it, not to mention negating the need for a heath robinson guidescope mounting solution.

Wow. Fantastic detail!

Love them both but starless looks amazing. Might I ask, how do you achieve focusing in NB? I never found a bhatinov for my camera lens but I'd love to do some widefield stuff like this in NB, I've got the same camera as you.

Thanks Adrian! Yes that's superior to what I was getting when I combined Ha with R, but I couldn't live with the loss of the Ha data, though you've done a better job preserving the detail than I did.