DaveS

DSO imaging puts the most stringent requirements on a mount, so any mount that will be good for DSO will be brilliant for planetary.

I think of the dictum of Ansell Adams, that the negative is the score, and the print is the performance. If we substitute negative for our linear file(s) then perhaps we can extend his darkroom skills / magic to our postprocessing. Maybe taking a "Group f/64" attitude. Or maybe I'm talking cobblers. Won't be the first time 😂.

This image of the Cetus A group is where I've got to so far. The shadows can still be seen but much reduced from what I had previously, and the negative vignetting has gone. I'm tagging @peter shah on this as he knows the ODK inside out.

I've tried using flatbox Flats with an ADU in the 31k-35k range, calibrated with Master Bias only and there is an improvement. The diagonal shadows can still be seen but need an unhealthy stretch to be visible. The situation now arises: If I have a go at the solution indicated above then I could end up with all the data collected previously rendered unusable, and there's a hell of a lot of data. I will likely have to keep two sets of calibration frames for Before and After treatment.

Thanks. I will have to dismantle the imaging train and have a look at the spacing adaptors. As I recall they are the ones supplied by OOUK and have knife-edge baffles machined into them. I wonder if a spray with Black V3 might be more successful than trying to flock such a complex surface. I will try again with my flats, calibrating with just a Master Bias frame.

A problem may well come from using a T-Shirt stretched over the end of the OTA for flats. I'm trying flats from a flat box.

Here we go Calibrated with Dark frames only and a linear stretch And with Darks, Flats, and Dark Flats. Uncropped with a linear stretch.

Thanks. I'm on my phone having only just surfaced, so it will be a while before I can post something.

I'm going to try raising the peak ADU. At the moment it's between 21k and 24k, I think I will aim for 25-31k.

I feel a bit of a numpty asking this, since I've had my ODK 12 for some time now, but has anyone else seen shadows from the spider vanes / secondary mirror in either their light frames or flats? I get them in both , and no amount of stacking methods have so far been able to remove them. I've been assuming that it's all down to my ham fisted processing, but I'm coming to wonder if there's something fundamentally wrong with the OTA. My best guess is the mirror spacing being off. I know the collimation is sloightly out as the "hole in the doughnut" is very slightly off centre in an out of focus star image, though the rings themselves look circular. I've put this in the Telescope Discussion board, but the mods may think it belong in Imaging Discussion. I won't be upset if it's moved.

I started, but had horrible trailing in my first subs due to a dodgy local model. Started again after the meridian, local model went OK, apart from one plate stuffed up by Jupiter. Got three subs then the clouds rolled in so packed up.

Alas, the PAS is the best part of 4 hours from here, too long for a casual bod.

Oh no, this is dreadfully sad news. My condolences to his family. He will be sorely missed on the forum.

Now he's REALLY pi$$ed off

What is a "clear night"? Does such a thing exist?

Love these guys, mad as a box of frogs.

For all the advances we're still at the wire and canvas biplane stage. Space travel won't be routine until take off for orbit involves a conversation with ATC rather than a room full of techs ready to blow your ride out of the sky. V1, rotate, V2, and V3, orbital insertion. And the throttle quadrant goes all the way to 11 😂.

More in depth on the Beeb website https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-64223882

I can't see myself imaging anything in January, or anything else for the foreseeable.

Looking at the flight path I think it might be visible from the southern most coast of Ireland.

Better quality .

Made the local news, BBC Spotlight.