Nikodemuzz

Indeed I forgot to mention that, sorry! OSC yes, ASI071.

Hi all! I have a question about combating the effect of auroras in my images. I have a Baader Moon & Skyglow filter, and an Optolong L-enhance. I would think at least the Optolong would block the aurora light quite effectively, but how about the Baader? Auroras present themselves occasionally where I live, but the reason I'm asking is a trip we will be taking in December. We will go high up North into the Arctic Circle. While the good 16 hours of astronomical darkness each day present (weather permitting) great opportunities, I know from past experience that auroras will be there most nights. Sometimes more, sometimes less. While they are spectacular in their own right, they can pretty much ruin your deep sky exposures. What measures can I take to shield the sensor from auroras?

Same probably goes for the dark nebula image. I probably took the contrast too far in an attempt to make a pleasing image.

That's true! Also the halo of M31 extends quite far, so there probably isn't a real cut-off into "black space" at all in that frame. It's hard processing-wise, because if you stay true to the "correct" circumstances, the resulting photo will likely seem bland.

Here's my take on the dark nebula. Again, thrilling to work with such good data. 😃 I found controlling noise versus enhancing detail in the dark dust cloud the most challenging aspect in processing this.

Great service to the community, Richard! Thanks! Working with data from a dedicated astro camera for the first time was quite eye opening. Hitting auto stretch in PI had me collecting my jaw from the carpet. I'm sure good observing conditions and an experienced user also make a difference to the quality of the data, but it sure was different than what I'm seeing from my DSLR. 😃 I had a go at the Andromeda stack. I have to say, not much processing is needed at all to have a pretty convincing image, in my opinion. I stretched the image and enhanced the dust lanes a bit in PI, then worked on the color and the stars a bit in PS. Must have taken less than 15 minutes total. I still have some gradients in the background, and the core seems a little pink, but all in all would be very happy to catch an image like this myself. I worked on my own image of M31 a lot, lot longer than this and, well...

Thanks again for the help, Adrian! I got it working. However, it wasn't by connecting through the handset. If I did that, ASIair didn't find the mount at all. However, when I connected to ASIair via the RS232 port, but had the handset attached, I got it to work. Curious, but I'm happy that this hurdle is now in the past. Off to the next one! 😃

In that price range I would certainly be interested. Here's hoping that one comes up! I am not in a hurry now, but I can imagine that when the nights get dark again in the autumn the itch will grow stronger. 😃 Besides SGL and Astrobuyandsell, are there marketplaces that should be on my radar?

That was a poor choice of words on my part, and was meant very much as a tongue-in-cheek comment. I sometimes forget how careful one has to be with jokes, sarcasm etc in the written form, especially when people don't know each other and their backgrounds. I'm truly sorry if I caused any offense to anyone.

OK, I would be very happy if this would solve the issue. I'm just a bit confused about why this is not mentioned in the manual... Cool looking setup, by the way! Is that a camera lens fitted to the astro camera? Here is the manual section for reference:

This might be a clue. I didn't have the hand controller attached, should I? There is no mention of it in the mount manual, if I remember correctly. I inserted the coordinates manually. Thanks for helping, Adrian!

Hi all! I had a first imaging session yesterday with the ASIAIR. While it is quite typical that things don't quite work out perfectly straight out of the gate, I was surprised at the amount of issues I faced. I had set everything up in daylight, and all seemed fine then. There were some minor bumps, too, but the main issues were: - The mount (CEM60) didn't seem to track correctly. I took a 60s test image with the SpaceCat and had long star trails in the image. Almost as if the mount didn't track at all. The night before I tested the mount without ASIAIR, it tracked fine, or at least stars weren't obvious streaks. I had connected to the mount via the RS232 port, using the serial-USB adapter that comes with ASIAIR. The manual mount controls from ASIAIR work OK. - The plate solver - Goto function worked erratically. In the Preview mode the plate solver indicated success, and the polar alignment tool also worked. When I chose the M101 from the object list and commanded Goto, the scope turned downwards and headed toward a tripod strike, prompting me to power off the mount. M101 was almost directly overhead at the time. Not convincing. Would you happen to have any insight as to what I may be doing wrong?

Thanks for the feedback on the TS scope! I could certainly save a pretty penny by taking that route. I have read some of Olly's sermons on the TEC, and to say his results are impressive would be an understatement. However, as new a TEC140 is out of my reach. Used, perhaps not? How often do these pop up?

This is an interesting idea, and could very well be true. One user in Astrobin has posted several deep-sky images taken with the Evostar 150, and they are quite good indeed. The fact that it is only one user, is a bit worrying to me, though.

I think I'll start here and see how far I get: http://www.jgiesen.de/elevaz/basics/ 😃

Here we go! This is what I was looking for, thank you! Still, if someone can give me some hints on how to calculate such graphs myself, that would be extremely useful!

Seems interesting, unfortunately wasn't available in the app store for Android.

Now that I think about it, this might not be so hard to calculate after all. Since the coordinates for the objects are readily available, all I need to figure out is how to calculate which RA/DEC coordinates are visible each month based on your coordinates on the globe.

Cheers! I'll have a look!

Thanks Mark! Oof, I was fearing I would have to do it that way... What I would like to achieve is a database of objects and their elevation above horizon on a monthly basis. It will take a few cups of coffee to complete even the Messier objects. I'm sure there are calculation models for this, but whether they are accessible or usable by a normal person is another thing entirely.

I hope I am not asking too simple a question. 😅 Does Stellarium (or other similar program) tell me when a given object will be highest in a given location? I mean during the year, not tonight. What I would like to do is to formulate an observing/imaging calendar for my interesting targets. As we all know, this hobby cannot be planned out with the calendar in hand, but hey, it seems I have some time in my hands sitting in the quarantine. 😃

I have been thinking about my future refractor choice a lot, although I am trying to hold off on any impulses and stick to the original plan: save up funds and invest for next season. I'm sure you can relate to the troubles. 😃 The route I think I will be taking is to try and save enough €€ to get a telescope from which there is no reasonable upgrade path. I did some preliminary price comparisons for the aperture-wise comparable models from a few manufacturers. I have taken into account the import duties and taxes associated with the US models, and necessary accessories needed to make the telescope a complete package (flattener, adapters etc). I'm sure I have missed something, but at least we're in the ballpark, I think. - TEC140 10150€ - Astro Physics 140 9050€ - Takahashi TOA 130NS 9380€ - AMP LZOS 152 9570€ - Skywatcher Esprit 150 4980€ Except for the Esprit 150, the models are quite similarly priced. I dropped the 150mm Takahashi, the price is simply out of bounds. Honestly, so are basically all of the models listed above, except the Esprit. If the quality of the Esprit is anywhere near the premium models, it is an absolute no contest in terms of value. Given what I've read in this thread and many others, it sure seems to give the premium scopes a proper run for their money. In other words, if I'm buying new, there isn't much thinking to be done. However, a used premium scope might be in the same neighborhood as the Esprit 150. However, as a value proposition, would I rather choose a used TEC/Tak/AP or a new Esprit with potentially more aperture? How often do these really come up, from a seller who is willing to ship it internationally? How comfortable am I buying such an instrument from abroad without having a chance to collect it let alone see it before purchase? This is a documentation of my thought process, more than anything else. Hopefully it is useful to someone who is considering similar topics! 😃

I see there is an Astro-Physics 130 in the sales section...🙈

Planet tripod (with iOptron CEM60), fresh from the delivery man! I'll post a picture from it's natural habitat once I'm blessed with proper weather.

It's the "nutwood brown". The shade does make a lot of difference in my opinion, too!