DaveS

If this is in the wrong place then I trust the Mods to move it. I've been doing my stacking and post in AstroArt V8 up to now, using a first order G2v calibration to equalise exposures in the R, G, and B channels but I may be moving to PixInsight after watching Adam Block's video on the SPCC script. The question I have is: Should I keep the G2v calibration in my exposures, or will this interfere with the SPCC process? From the video it looked like he was using equal exposures for the separate RGB channels.

If you already have AstroArt (Which version?) then why not stack and combine in AstroArt? The stacking is very fast, and the RGB combination tool is now very much better than it was when I first started using AA, in V5.

Well, I don't know about "written by monkeys" but it's certainly written by mathematicians, for mathematicians, possibly working in a little hermetically sealed bubble, with no reference to the outside world. I did start the 45 day trial, even bought Warren Keller's book, but it still did my head in. That being said, I've been looking at some of Adam Block's YT videos which make things a bit clearer, so will likely be purchasing a license in the new year, when I have a new computer with the power to run the software well.

A Schmidt corrector plate is very nearly plane parallel, but not quite. On side will have a very slight, very complex aspherical surface only a few wavelengths deep. Roughly it's the difference between a sphere and a parabola of long focal length.

From what I've read the outer halos of M31 and the Milky Way may already be colliding.

AstroArt 8 for stacking and post. Occasionally I'll stack in DSS on the odd occasions AA doesn't like my data (Mostly NB) and finish in Affinity.

APS-C sensors can be used with 36mm unmounted filters, beyond that 50mm round unmounted are needed.

Not envious at all. Yeah, right 🤣. The caldera is well worth a tour.

I just watched Adam's video on YT, and I guess I'm convinced. Damn, gonna cost me ££££, as I really need a new workstation since my 11 year old gen 2 i7 is probably marginal at best.

Since I'm something of a galaxy obsessive BlurXT might be exactly what I'm looking for.

Just giving a "Like" isn't nearly enough, that's a fabulous image. I've been fighting the same target with my ODK 12 / G3 16200 and not getting anywhere near that. Bravo!

I had the free trial some time ago but it was on a very small boot drive which was getting clogged up by junk and something had to go. I now have a much bigger boot drive but I may specc out a new machine for PI. I can save a bit by foregoing Win-Dross for Kubuntu. Even Warren Keller's book didn't help.

Having seen the result that John @silentrunning obtained with my Cetus A data on the WA group may have tipped me over the edge. But can I afford the strait jacket and padded cell to go with PI?🤣

Damn. I've been a PI refusenik but I may have to bite the bullet.

I send the data from my mini PCs to the big NAS in the office via ethernet. I could use WiFi, but ethernet is more solid.

Even better is remote connection to a nice warm office. Looking at tonight I think I will only have a short session as I've been in the habit of leaving a sequence running until the early morning then getting up to close everything down. Don't fancy going out to the obsy in sub zero temps wearing only my dressing gown, brr...

A I Artificial intelligence? Or artificial inanity? Or possibly Artificial Insanity?

S/H ASI 1600 might fit the bill. A bit smaller than APS-C (I think it's closer to micro 4/3). The back focus is 6.5 mm as-is, but it *should* come with an 11 mm adaptor ring which takes the back focus to 17.5 mm, similar to a lot of old CCD cameras. Possibly an ASI 071, which has a native 17.5 mm BF, but might be more, even S/H

I would never tie myself in to the ASIAir and the ZWO ecosystem. It might be superficially simple but you have no options going forward. Looking at my cameras, I have two ZWO cameras, plus a QHY 268M, a SX Trius 694 Mono, and my current main camera, a Moravian G3 16200. I also have Prima Luce Labs Sesto Senso focus controllers. I use mini PCs with just the necessary software installed.

We had torrential rain and high winds a while back and had neglected to tie down the cover over my rig. It got blown off and everything underneath was drenched, so had to go out just in my dressing gown to bring it in. Eventually got everything dried out though it took a while to remove all the water from the heat sink of the camera. I found putting it in the oven on "defrost" worked as it had warm (Not hot) air blown over it. A hairdryer on low also helped with drying off the mount. It all worked after drying out.

@kirkster501 There was a long thread in the Lounge which you might have missed if you've been away for a while.

I had a look on a few occasions, but there was quite a lot of cloud. Where it was clear the sky was so bright that only a handful of the brighter stars were visible. No point in opening the obsy.

It makes me incredibly sad to see it like this, I remember seeing it when I went to pick up Gina for an astro camp last year. 😢

And now he's really pi$$ed off

Delivered today, another uranium glass bowl, but English rather than Bohemian Ooh, feel the warm glow of those gamma rays ☢️🤣