rockinrome

Hi Pier Looks like a problem (bug?) in the ASCOM driver software and not NINA itself. Have you the latest ASCOM platform and drivers for your equipment. If i'm reading it correctly the error works from bottom to top.... meaning the error appears from ASCOM.iOptron2017.Telescope BUT fails further down with the move in NINA. Regards

Hi Albir For what it's worth I use the white t-shirt method over the objective. I've used NINA and APT with their Flat Wizard in the past with good results in the range of 0.001s - 1s exposure.

Hi JB I agree with Kon re. binning, but I would ONLY be referring to colour CMOS here. There is just no point. I know you need to get to the pixel scale required though and it is a pain!

Thanks for the info Ady - all the info helps. Matthew

Thanks for the insight Varavall. These are the little things that trip us all up! Matthew

Thanks again all that have replied here. This forum is ace and you guys always come up with the goods and give plenty of food for thought. All the best Matthew

Thanks Budgie1 - just the kind of "automation" I was after. Kind regards Matthew

Thank you. I currently use NINA. Thanks again Matthew

My entry here is taken over Aldeburgh beach in Suffolk with a lovely Belt of Venus. Thank you. Matthew.

I may have the answer but looks like it will involve the hand controller. Not really a problem though at this stage. The attachment is from the SynScan guide and says you can call any position (I assume moved by the hand controller or software controlling the mount) the home position and then recall that the next time you power on. So - with gudie in mind I would do: (1) First time move scope under control to my park position (2) Function > Park to... Current Pos (3) Then next session use Start from Park "Yes" (4) Second and further times, Function > Park Position (park to last park position) Thanks again all for your help/comments. Matthew

Thanks for the reply vlaiv. So, yeh, I get what's said here - the power-cycling bit is key to me here. Matthew

Thanks for the confirmation - that's what I've read and make sense. Matthew

Thanks for the quick reply Steve. With respect though - I am not mixing anything up (may have not explained properly of course?), I was very careful to say Home and Park as I know these are interchangeable sometimes. I guess the escence of what I am saying is that I would like to simply return to where I left off or at least back to Home when I switch on again without any start alignment etc. BUT I do need to move the scope to a suitable "parking" place before I close the obs. You said "A lot of astro software will let you save a start position, that is effectively your home position now. You would not need to go to the old weights down/scope north home position." - I *think* this what I am after - a software solution (or handset at a push!) Best regards Matthew

Hello all I know there have been some threads on this, but not one *I think* has answered this question.... Let's assume that we have a perfectly polar aligned system and we all know that Home position is when scope is pointing at the NCP and that's all good. (There are loads of articles about how to achieve this - all good, sorted.) BUT..... Is there a way to have an automated park position at the end of a session - like counter-weights left, scope to the right. Then when we come to another session, do an "un-park" and it moves to the home position, ready for use? So when we switch on in this case the mount knows it's parked and not at home position as this would be incorrect to start from. I know that you can specify "Home at current position". Is this the answer?, i.e. move scope with handset to best position for me and then use that as the "park". What I am trying to achieve here is a non-manual (which is error prone) solution. Thanks for reading. Matthew

Taken looking over Brackenfield, Derbyshire. Canon EOS 5D Mk2. ISO640 f/7.1 8sec 135mm. 2 panes stitched and processed in Affinity Photo.

Thanks Olly, sound advice. That certainly gives me food for thought before I start spending (or not).

That is great information - thank you very much for your time.

Yeh. I have tried that route and that is great, but as you point out does not widen my view (not that that is a problem) ..... but yeh, deffo a route to think about.... Thanks.

Thank you for the information. Appreciated.

My arc seconds per pixel.

Hi Elp, thanks for the reply. Yes, I do get slightly elongated stars with the 0.6x. My goal was to get a faster system to reduce exposure times and to get a better match for my camera (533C). Thank you.

Hello all and thanks for looking - not posted for a while... Hopefully a quick question to answer. I have a 6" Ritchey Chrétien and wish to focally reduce at most 0.5x. I already have a 0.6x reducer/flattener and tried this. All OK, but has some vignetting on the edges. So my question is two-fold I guess: (1) Is that reducer OK seen as it is also a flattener? (2) Is the vignetting due to (1) or simply just the way the light falls on the sensor? I did looke into a simple 0.5x reducer - would that work (https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astro-essentials-eyepieces/astro-essentials-05x-2-focal-reducer.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw-vmkBhBMEiwAlrMeF1d9yhWga3xDRvB1zOQlknp0PMXz5nsb-AP9kOOHMpqVeunYdsX6LBoCbeQQAvD_BwE) Or do I need more like this: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reducersflatteners/astro-essentials-075x-reducer-for-stellalyra-gso-ritchey-chretien-ota.html Thanks again. Clear skies. Matthew

Hello all, this is going back some years, but I think it has legs! Rosette Nebula in Monoceros. Altair Astro 72ED-R and field flattener with Canon 600D stock at prime focus with SkyTech CLS clip-in filter. Total 1hr 40min @ ISO1600.

Hello, I would recommend the Jackery units (I have the 250). Have used one for around a year now with no issues. Similar power requirements to yourself, lasts about 3 hours. All the best.

Hi Sinbad40 I have done the Rowan Mod on the HEQ5PRO and can confirm much better quiding (less corrections) with no (very, very little?) backlash. Well worth the investmant. All the best Matthew