DaveS

I think some things are quantum, you can only find them when NOT looking.

I've been thinking (Possibly overthinking) about autofocus within a LRGB regime. Up til now I've been focusing manually with a Bahtinov mask, so making a new focus for each filter. Now with autofocus I have initially been using the Red filter and measuring offsets for each other filter for the autofocus routine. However, if one is planning a LRGB image, then the Luminance layer is going to be an average position between the other three, so will have a blur due to uncorrected chromatic aberrations, even with a triplet. Therefore, if one is going to use the Luminance filter for autofocus (As I think I should), then is it necessary to use individual filter offsets for the other filters? For narrow band, where the L filters isn't used then I think offsets will be needed. Help! I think I may be overthinking this.

On BBC4 at 9.30. Note the earlier time, not the usual 10 o/c probably to make way for some stupid historical drama or other. The ESA Solar Orbiter, should be one for the Sun Worshipers here.

That really is a very fine image indeed, love the definition in the string of Bok globules along the lower edge. I think it's because the [OIII] line, coming from doubly ionised oxygen needs higher energy UV than the singly ionised HII or [SII] lines.

I'm currently running 600 sec NB and RGB subs, and 300 sec l subs with my ASI`1600 set to Max DR Download is through a USB2 hub, but am considering running a dedicated USB3 lead.

Looking through a telescope.... What a curious idea 😉.

That is a wonderful image Gina, even more so given the near full moon.

RIP Margaret Burbidge. https://www.space.com/amp/astronomer-margaret-burbidge-dies-at-100.html 100 is a pretty good innings.

Feed your data in here, and it will tell you how big a filter you will need for a given sensor, I think yu would need to try different sensors to see which of them came in under the 28mm dia of a 1.25" filter. In general, the ASI 1600 is reckoned to be the biggest that can get away with 1.25" filters, and then only in an ASI wheel which puts them close to the sensor, and for F ratios greater than 5.

I'm very happy with my DDM60, but delays mean I haven't got the DDM85 in to commission yet, and it may be after May or June before it is. Just to note, the list price of the DDM100 is about what I paid for *both* my DDM60 and DDM85, and would much rather have two mounts than one, even with 100 kg capacity. Edit: When Rupert from Astrograph delivered my DDM85 I asked him about the likely pricing of the DDM100, and he thought it would be comparable to, or a bit less than, the current DDM85 Pro with 100kg capacity, which last listed at £19k.

No, not to me, but I was Idly browsing the Astrograph site when I came across This. I suggest you sit down before clicking the link, the price might be a bit of a shock, even for ASA adicts like @Waldemar and myself. Mind you it's comparable to other professional observatory class mounts with 100 kg capacity. Note that it's their *entry level* mount , the others go up to 500 kg payload. The mind boggles.

Oh dear, you've fallen through the Dark Side event horizon, There's no going back now, you'll find your hard drives full, and your bank balance empty 🤣.

I have an extensive set of taps and dies, plus gauges inherited from dad. Unfortunately, due to the era, they are all imperial (Remember it?), so may need to buy a new set. The nearest I get to metric is a full set of BA taps and dies, including the odd numbers.

A very nice collection of galaxies, very well processed. Especially considering the rubbish weather we've had this Winter / Spring. *sigh* My ODK12 is looking wistfully at these wondering when it will get First Light 😢

This is the H-alpha stack given some processing, Unfortunately the unstretched stack shows damn all hydrogen signal. The middle image is what AstroArt was showing me using an auto-Auto stretch, the last image is the CCD range.

Starting Monday at 2.15, BBC 4 Extra are repeating Dr Heather Cooper's series over 30 weeks. Might be worth catching.

Thanks both Despite 8 hours of H-alpha data the jets still aren't showing. Maybe I'll be able to use the possible clear nights next week to capture lots, as with the full moon I won't be able to do Red or Green, let alone Luminance.

Even though this is just short of 33 hours , I still consider it to be WIP 4 hours each R,G, 8 hours B in 10 min subs, 8 hours HII in 10 min subs, 4 hr 45 min L in 5 min subs 130mm f/7 TS apo, ASI 1600, Baader LRGB and Astrodon H-alpha filters encoder guided on ASA DDM60 Sigma Add stacking in AstroArt 7, H-alpha added to Red channel, and more processing steps than I care to think about, but DDP, Histo Stretch (Several times) Points Gradient Removal on each stack and final RGB, two rounds of Colour Curves. Luminance given DDP and Max Entropy Deconvolution before LRGB synthesis I want another 4 hours ech Red and Green to balance the stack, plus Hydrogen (Maybe) and Luminance (Definitely). C&C welcome as always.

Plenty of detail coming in the central disk.

That's really rather good (Understatement of the week) I've been bashing my head against 19 hours so far and don't have anything like the texture and colour that you have. Back to work!

Thought I might as well post this as I may not get any more data for a while. 4 hours each R,G,B in 10 min subs, 5 hours H-alpha in 10 min subs, 2 hours luminance in 5 min subs. I need more H-alpha, as the data I have is very thin and noisy, plus a lot more Luminance. Capture TS Photoline 130 mm f/7 triplet apo, Baader lRGB and Astrodon H-alpha, ASI1600MMC encoder guided on ASA DDM60. Stacking and post in AstroArt 7. C&C welcome. as always.

Just an update to say that progress is on hold for the duration, as I need the sparks to be available to wire up the 'lekky, and getting the 'scope on will be a two-man close-contact job unless I buy a winch.

You could look at AstroArt 7, it does pretty much everything from acquisition through to processing, including guiding and plate solving.

I think I can still just split Mizar and Alcor, on a good night when they're near the zenith.

I have split epsilon Lyrae naked eye, but not since I was a youngster. My eyes are just too damn rubbish now though my distance glasses do make a difference. Last autumn I did see NGC 752 which Stellarium said was 5,86 due to air mass., while point stars at that mag were not visible.