step_hen

I use the same reducer as WolfieGlos on my Starfield. Works very well. The 0.6x reducer looks interesting. Anyone got any real world experience of using it with the Starfield? 

This is JUST visible over and between the rooftops and trees from my site for around a week each year. Rosette Nebula, aka the Skull nebula, and my wife says she sees a fish head 🤷🏽
Taken with Stellamira 90ED refractor and ASI533MC-P camera and LEnhance filter over three nights. 8hrs 35min of total exposure. Processed in Pixinsight.

Wow. So much to see. Amazing work Olly and team. I've just bought a Samyang 135!

Stephen 

Here is my effort. First time processing SHO data and I think I like it. Might need to invest in a mono setup in future!

Processed in Pixinsight as follows

• Graxpert on all three images
• Linear Fit to Si
• BlurX and NoiseX to all three images
• Combine with ForaxxPaletteUtility (I tried various combinations of HOO, SHO with and without luminance layers and preferred the Foraxx outcome)
• Remove stars with StarX and stretch stars only image with histogram transformation
• GHS on starless image
• Colour masks to increase the saturation using curves
• Contrast enhancement using Curves
• some local histogram equalisation to enhance the details
• DarkStructureEnhance script
• Rescreen Stars
• Slight star reduction

Thanks for providing the data!

Stephen

With the skywatcher flattener, you can insert a filter into the rear cell and hold it in place using the three grub screws. I screwed the filter itself into a 'donor' empty filter holder ring first so as to not damage the expensive filter with the grub screws. Then attach the camera and you had the correct back spacing for my 533MC. The Starizona flattener inserts into the OTA, and can therefore handle the more standard 55mm backspacing allowing the use of a filter wheel. It doesn't seem to flatten the field as effectively though. The new BXT AIv4 has helped with the corner star shapes! 

Thanks. Yes I've just switched to the Starizona Flattener from the skywatcher one. Harder to get the back focus distance correct, but allows the use of a filter wheel. 

I was hoping to add more imaging time to this but the UK weather hasn't been kind recently ☹. This is NGC1499, the California Nebula, shot with Evoguide 50mm ED Refractor using L Enhance dual narrowband filter on a ZWO ASI533MC Pro camera. Just under 8hrs total integration. It's a huge object! An emission nebula in the constellation of Perseus, said to resemble the shape of the state of California when viewed in full at the right angle. Just under 8hrs total integration time made up of 5min subs, shot over three nights in November and December. Processed in Pixinsight using Graxpert, SPCC, BXT, NXT, SXT, GHS, NBN, Curves, stretch stars and rescreen.

I use a toilet tent for a semi-permanent setup. It can be pegged down at each corner and has pockets internally for weights for added security. It's stayed stable in several of the named storms we have had in the UK over the past year. I cover the mount with a towel and a waterproof cover inside the tent and keep dew heaters running to stave off the condensation. It's easy to un-peg and lift the tent over the mount to start observing, and makes a suitable shelter near the telescope for a laptop table or for providing shade for solar observing. 

A couple of lunar images from last week, 24th November. First is the Mare Insularum region, dominated by the craters Copernicus and Kepler with their bright 'rays'. Toward the upper left is Aristarchus at lunar dawn and Schroters Valley just appearing out of the darkness. Second image is Sinus Iridum- the bay of rainbows with the dark lava fields of Mare Imbrium in the foreground and the  Jura mountains and Mare Frigoris behind. Shot with 6" Classic Cassegrain telescope, ASI178MM mono camera and an IR pass filter using Sharpcap Pro. Stacked in Autostakkert3, sharpened in Registax and finished in Photoshop.

Yes it does look a little darker on my phone than it did on my monitor actually. 

I had a friend make up an adapter so that we could attach the 'quark' unit removed from a Daystar Solarscout (60mm) to my larger Starfield 102ED refractor. Here is the first image, a composite of two different exposures. 100 frames stacked out of 1000 taken in Sharpcap, processed in AS3, Registax and Photoshop. Lots of high hazy cloud and rough seeing so pleased to get a good first test image 

Stephen 

Full disk 19 June in CaH

ED80, Calcium Quark and ASI533MC

Stacked in AS!3 and processed with Registax. 

Sun in Calcium 19th June 23. Some lovely proms visible today!
250 frames stacked out of 1000 captured using ASI533MC and Ca H Quark on an ED80. Processed in PIPP, AS!3 and Registax6, finished in Photoshop

Full disk 16 June in CaH

ED80, Calcium Quark and ASI533MC

Stacked in AS!3 and processed with Registax. 

First time using the CaH Quark, attached to a Skywatcher ED80. Plus Ha from Daystar Solarscout, once again loaned from my astro society. ASI533Mc Pro used in both scopes.

Full disc in Ha. Daystar Solarscout (kindly on loan from my local astro society) and ZWO ASI533MC Pro. Lots of activity today!

And here are AR3294, AR3298 and AR3299

Lots of activity today with three prominent sunspot groups in a small region and several other groups visible across the disc. These are ARs 3292, 3296 and 3297, shot with 6" Classical Cass and ASI662MC. Only 67 stacked from 2000 frames taken due to conditions. Sadly had to abort an attempt at full disc image as clouds rolled in too

I use a spare dovetail clamp attached to the front end of the dovetail. Had intended to add some weights to it but found it has been heavy enough to achieve balance by itself. 

Stephen 

Baader ASSF- Solar Film Filter

Full Disc imaged with TS 65mm Quad and ASI533MC- Pro camera, and closeup of AR 3282 with ASI662MC camera, same telescope.

Thanks. It's a very good scope for lunar at native f12, haven't had much chance to try it on planets yet but that's why I bought it initially. This was mainly experimenting to see if it was useful for smaller DSO or not. The reducer (a telecompressor actually) is starting to affect the star shape at f8, so I think I'll pull it back to somewhere closer to f9 where it seems to do better. That's a x0.7 or x0.72 reduction or thereabouts. Very slow for DSO but might be useful for occasional imaging of targets beyond my smaller refractors reach, without having the issues associated with mounting a very large scope instead. 

3hrs 30mins with Asi533mc and 6" StellaLyra Classical Cassegrain, at F8 using CCDT67 reducer

Haven't been able to find many images online of this scope being used for DSO imaging, so thought I'd experiment while it was full moon. StellaLyra 6" f/12 M-CRF Classical Cassegrain at f9 with ASI533mc and CCDT67 reducer. Will attempt reducing further to f8 tonight if it will take it

M13 Hercules Globular Cluster 56mins

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy 1hr 40mins

M101 Pinwheel Galaxy 3hr 15min

Anyone got any recommendations for an app available on Android phones?