DaveS

*** Update ***

OK, having said DONE (And it is as far as data collection is concerned) I revisited this after purchasing a PI licence (Yep, turned to the darkside of of the dark side), and trial licences of Blur XT and Noise XT.

I've been round and round the circuit so many times that I'm getting dizzy, but this is where I've got to so far. I'm sure it can be improved though. 

Raw subs integrated in WBPP, DBE, Blur XT  SPCC, Masked Stretch and Unsharp Mask after LRGB. Saved as PNG

DBE still can't get rid of the dodgy background , so I may just have to knock it down further.

I think they are filming in Oz for their Stargazing Live which we don't get to see. Typical way the Beeb shortchange and stuff UK stargazers.

All clear nights forecast will disappear and cloud over by the time you get to them.

I've come to the opinion that the "ground state" of British weather is cloud, any clear sky is an unstable exited state that will soon decay back to the ground state.

Although I could set my imaging rig to start when it's supposed to be clear and shut down afterwards the forecast has been so unstable that I didn't bother last night.

Well, that's still a damn sight better than the image in Stellarium. Do I put this on my target list? probably, though I'm concentrating on HCGs at the mo.

BYW, also featured in this months AN monthly guide.

No need to mortgage your soul to Adobe for PS, Affinity Photo will do everything you need, plus it's more AP orientated, and is more user friendly than GIMP.

AP is so different to ordinary photography as to need more specific tools. Terrestrial photographers talk about "Expose to the right" while we are trying to dig out detail from the shadows.

You could also look at Affinity Photo. Although not free it's not expensive and pretty damn good. The latest version also has some AP specific tools.

Although I have been a die-hard PI refusenik, the latest tools from Richard Croman have changed my mind. Might be worth having a go with the trials which are free.

I always like seeing images of M106, one of my "bogey" targets. Not that easy to bring out the details in the outer spirals without blowing out the core.

This was my Big Bertha just after doing a 128 point sky model. There was far too much moon for galaxy imaging

I keep my secondary rig under a TG cover with an electric pet bed underneath to keep condensation away.

Constantly setting up and breaking down is not only a pain but a recipe for errors, as is constantly chopping and changing your rig.

I started my imaging journey in west London, Bortle 8 on a good night. I didn't even consider OSC, went straight for NB mono. For fighting severe LP NB is the way to go, as narrow as you can afford. Nowadays you don't even have to mortgage your soul for Astrodon or Chroma, Antlia do 3nm at a more reasonable price.

On 26/02/2023 at 16:12, Shimrod said:

I'm not sure derogatory names adds anything to the debate. 

I rather think that the "derogatory names" I've used are very mild compared to the expletives used by professional astronomers who have just had their observations stuffed up by another lump of Musk's junk.

I've used an inclinometer app on my phone. The bottom of the phone is flat enough to get a good reading.

I have my secondary rig under a TG cover, but I also have an electric pet bed under it on low (Unless a real drop in temperature is forecast) which keeps condensation away.

I've started a project to image as many of the HCGs as are doable from here, and are't so compact as to be a single smudge.

This is HCG44, AKA the Leo Quartet. 9 hours Luminance Bin 1 and 10.5 hours RGB Bin 2, captured with my Trius 694 on the ODK 12 at a totally bonkers 0.46"/px

Unfortunately I had the camera off and on the OTA so many times hunting for whatever is causing the rogue diffraction spike that my orientation gat totally stuffed up needing huge cropping (And there may be more hidden in the background)

I'm calling this DONE, as I cannot be asked to throw good data after bad, I would have to start again.

Onwards to more HCGs, hopefully without any more rotation. North is to the left.

Oh my word! I have never seen even a hint that there are tidal streams like that around M63.

Kept in my obsy

I've been tearing my hair out trying to work out why I wasn't getting an image from my QHY 268 after putting it back on the 'scope.

Then I thought to check the reducer (Which is sunk into the focuser)

🤦

Oh no, yet another galaxy to image lol

As for small targets I'm starting out on my quest to image as many of the HCGs as I can. I won't get all of them, but we'll see how many I end up with. I've already got my Trius 694 on the ODK 12 for a totally bonkers 0.46"/px.

Regarding RASAs, given that you really want about 1000 mm FL with today's small pixel cameras, that implies a clear aperture of 500 mm. Anyone want to hazard a guess at how many figures in the price?

After a bit more thought, and considering Olly's point that 6" is about the limit for useful imaging, then I might replace the ODK12 with a TAK TOA 150. I'm still not sure about the camera, though I notice that QHY have a slightly more "affordable" IMX 461 camea.

I'm getting more than somewhat irked by the manifest distain shown to those of us who's astronomy pretty much depends on GOTO and plate solving.

Apparently we are too bone idle to learn the sky, well when I was a kid I took every opportunity of a clear night to go out with my little Hamlyn astronomy book and learn at least one new constellation each night. I still know my way around.

And we have the attention span of a ferret. Humph, believe me, getting even a high end automated rig running reliably enough that it can be left to its own devices takes the attention span of a Pak Protector, not a ferret.

We also apparently want instant gratification. The nearest I get to that is carrying out a trial stack the next morning, most of my images take a lot of nights, some of them over 2-3 years. I don't know if you call that instant, I don't.

And real astronomers haven't pushed their telescopes around for a very long time, more likely to be found sitting in warm, well lit control rooms on the top of mountains.

Rant over.

I can see a Kessler Cascade coming, then nobody will be able to get to orbit.

2 hours ago, wookie1965 said:

I haven't had a good time with mine whether it was the seeing or transparency I was out Friday night M42 looked brilliant even in the 25mm but when I went to M65 nothing nada nought same with M51, I would have thought a 10" would at least of showed something.

Shortly after I moved here I pointed my little 180 Mak at the Leo Triplet. I only managed to get M65 and M66 in the FoV, but they looked like a pair of car headlights. Having a dark sky helps.

I've actually thought about this a lot, and in that disastrous event then I would likely replace my DDM 85 with a Planewave mount, as the cheapest ASA mount is now £25k or more (Depending on how much the pound has tanked), as for the telescope, I don't know. Not too happy with OOUK, maybe a Planewave as well.

The camera and filters are even more problematic, but something with a Gsense 4040 sensor is the likely best choice.

100% GOTO plus plate solving. Imaging time is too precious in this dank swamp of a country to waste any of it faffing around trying to find your target.

The "thrill of the chase" come later when the data is on the computer and you're trying to tease out faint tidal tails from the background.