DaveS

If you really need a hub then I'd be inclined to get a Pegasus APB which will also give you 4 12V outlets and two auto dew heater outlets.

The QHY is not only cheaper than the ZWO (Even more if you can jump on the Astrograph pre-order) but I suspect the build quality is higher and it offers 4 readout modes compared to one compromised mode on the ZWO. For me it's a no-brainer.

If you are buying the QHY camera then the QHY wheel makes more sense than the ZWO, as there is a direct connection between the camera and the wheel.

My old SX wheel is 7x1.25" so I would need a new plate. Plus mounting plates on camera and 'scope sides. i will wait for the camera to arrive before making any decisions. The saving over buying a dedicated QHY wheel might not be that great.

It doesn't come with the dovetail which is a bit of a pain for me as it would make rotating the camera a doddle without having to rotate the filter wheel and upsetting the balance. ASA mounts are extraordinarily sensitive to balance. I would like to know what camera side adaptors come with it as I would like to attach it to my ols SX filter wheel.

Yeah, I can't decide on which adaptors, spacers etc until I get my hands on the actual hardware.

I will wait until my 268M turns up and I can see exactly what spacers are provided before trying to second guess what is needed. There will be plenty of time before the next clear night. Months probably.

I went to get a takeaway at the local pub yesterday evening, and the usual suspects still had outside decorations going, including the pub, but I can forgive them for that. The private houses, nope. I even saw some decoration down the bottom end of my village (More a hamlet actually). All I had over Christmas were a string of fairy lights hung up around the sitting room, and a couple of green swags. Nothing outside. To my mind it's just uncouth.

This is 5 hours H-alpha with the ODK rig. Capture in Maxim DL 6 on the nights of the 22nd and 23rd Jan, Processing in Astro Art 7. Sigma Add stacking with Darks, Flats, and Dark Flats. Then DDP and a light Unsharp Mask to bring out the structures. Given a slight crop to remove alignment edges. Not 100% sure about the focus. Edit: I will try to get [OIII] and [SII] in the unlikely event that we get a clear sky with no moon

Seeing some familiar names on the photos.

The pub up the road still has "icicles" up, at least the last time I looked. Planning on getting a takeaway from them tomorrow so wil see if they're still tup. I think all the other houses in the village have taken theirs down though a few were a bid tardy.

And even when it does clear Micro-$-Oft borks your imaging PC with its Win-Dross updates. A beautiful clear night and everything is either not connecting or not responding. SNAFU

Just received my copy of Astronomy Now and reading about @ollypenrice's mega mosaic. Big thumbs up 👍

Thanks for the link, and yes I did read it all.

Interesting QE curve, peaking in the [OIII] - H-Beta region. Is that a function of the IMX 571 sensor itself?

I wonder too. The kit in my sig would buy quite a nice car, a lot more than the car I actually drive. With the warming North Atlantic pushing ever more water vapour into the air, which then gets chucked at us by the jet stream i wonder if UK astronomy has any future. The increasing light pollution doesn't help either.

Thanks Daniel, very informative. Something more for me to investigate.

I think it is. I seem to remember downloading a pack of drivers when I wanted to get my old QHY 5-II running on a new stick PC. The QHY has 4 different readout modes while the ASI only has one. I can see how some of the modes might suit different imaging regimes.

Just had the invoice from Rupert, he reckons 7-10 days due to import problems, says it's chaotic at present.

You won't be losing detail, you're still imaging at 0.8"/pixel, and as Dave says, just crop as needed. I find the smaller, but similar resolution ASI1600 works just fine on my 130 f/7 triplet. In fact I've just ordered a QHY268M to get a larger FoV at similar scale.

You may need to experiment. With my ASI 1600 I absolutely *must* take Darks, and Dark Flats, but Bias just stuffs everything up. In the case of my old Trius 694 I don't use Darks, Bias does instead. TBH I'm in the dark myself as far as the new breed of CMOS without amp-glow, so cannot really advise, though I suspect it will be a case of taking Dark frames but not Bias, but that's just a guess.

Nope, you're just wasting imaging time. If everything is left as it is, then just do the one set. Only do another if you notice new dust bunnies appearing, or if you've had to strip the rig down for any reason. Do take Dark Flats though, this will help your calibration.

If you're not stripping the imaging train down each time then there's no need to take flats after each session. Just take one set when it's convenient.

See the stuff in my sig? Getting on for £20k of that came from Astrograph, so I would say they are genuine, but Rupert can be a little slow in replying as he's virtually a one-man band, and is often in spain at E-EyE.

I don't use the e-commerce function on the site but email Rupert directly. He usually invoices me via Quickbooks.