Skipper Billy

2 hours ago, Skipper Billy said:

You may already have found this, but I use this (Process Icon) to reduce the magenta stars in PixInsight and have been very happy with the results.

I am sure its me being thick but I cant work out how to import the process icon you so kindly sent me ???

Outstanding - and great patience !!!

I am getting better at gathering data but processing is still my weak point so I have nothing to add except it might be worth posting up your three stacked files to see what the Pixinsight and PS wizards can get from it then ask the questions about what they did they you didnt ??

May I ask why you gathered so much more Ha than Sii and Oii  ??

38 minutes ago, steppenwolf said:

easy to reduce (but not remove  entirely )using the Noise Filter - Remove Colour Noise filter in PS on a duplicate layer, turning the new layer into a hidden layer mask and then white brushing the affected stars:-

Thanks I will try that too - thanks for the info. i have just seen the price of a 2" Astrodon mounted OIII filter so a software solution is very much required !!

1 hour ago, Kaliska said:

You may already have found this, but I use this (Process Icon) to reduce the magenta stars in PixInsight and have been very happy with the results.

Many thanks - I will try that.  Thanks for the heads up.

2 hours ago, Hallingskies said:

Apologies if I am insulting your considerable intelligence...🤪

Not at all !!!!!!    

1 hour ago, Astrobug said:

Did you combine the 3 channels or use Halpha as a lum layer and Ha+Oiii+Sii for the color combination?

Straight combination of the 3 channels

2 hours ago, Hallingskies said:

I note you that you are using Baader filters, which I have never had any bother with - except when I initially fitted my old manual filter wheel back to front!  Then I got off-set haloes on bright stars, just like yours.  Put it on the right way and voila, haloes gone.  Just wondered if you are using unmounted filters with that huge camera of yours. 

Apologies if I am insulting your considerable intelligence...

Thanks for the suggestion but the filter wheel is definitely the right way round and the 2" filters are mounted and will only go in one way.

It is annoying and disappointing though!!

1 hour ago, Ikonnikov said:

I wonder if you might be able to get even better signal to noise using longer sub exposures since the KAF16200 sensor has quite high read-noise; certainly I find that 30 mins per sub helps with the Moravian G3 camera

Thanks - I am still learning this cameras foibles - its quite different to my Atik 460!!

I will try 30 mins next time and see how it goes.

Cheers.

8 hours ago, Craney said:

There is a macro in the Astronomy Tools  Plug-in  for PS  that is entitled    "Reduce Large Violet /Blue  Haloes"    .....

Not sure if this is for an artifact of RGB imaging specifically or whether it is  applicable across all astro images...... might be worth a go ?

Thanks - I will try that. Cheers.

9 hours ago, Laurin Dave said:

I don't know how to deal with the blue ones in processing (I'm sure there is one) but  in the SHO version in Pixinsight do this ... invert the image (in the menu .. Image Invert) , run scnr green (adjust to taste) then re-invert and they're gone or at least diminished

Great tip - thanks - I will try that this evening.

1 hour ago, tomato said:

I note there are blue halos around some of the bright stars in the first image, which interestingly don’t all appear concentric with the stars? However, I’m afraid my processing skills fall far short of offering any pointers on this.

Yes there are - but not in the Hubble image. I dont know how to get rid of them or what causes them - I wish I did - very ugly!!

First image this season due to lousy weather!

First light for new camera - Atik 16200

The Heart Nebula - imaged over 19th and 20th Sept. in Ha, Sii and Oiii - 10 x 900 second subs of each. Takahashi 106 - Atik 16200 - EFW3 with Baader 2" filters, guided with SW ED72 and ZWO290 mono mounted on a Mesu 200. Sequenced with SGP, guided with PHD2, processed with darks, bias and flats in Pixinsight. Post processed in the SHO (Hubble) style and HOS. Jpegs attached - full definition images here - https://www.flickr.com/…/72157675109735132/with/48770836883/

Constructive criticism welcomed - I DO listen !!!

I feel the cold and work outdoors in the winter in NW Scotland - in moderately cold weather (around freezing) I wear 'winter lined' walking trousers, down to -5/-10 a pair of womens woolly tights under the winter lined trousers and colder than -10 or windy conditions a pair of ski trousers over the top of the winter lined pants and womens tights. Plenty warm enough. I have bad circulation in my legs but still manage with the above.

Agree with above about Sealskin socks - they make a big difference.

Also a really good hat makes a big difference to general comfort levels as does a scarf.

Have you installed 'StellariumScope' ???

http://welshdragoncomputing.ca/x/index.php/home/stellariumscope/download-stellariumscope

38 minutes ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

I got on here for answers, and basically windows 10 doesn’t work with EQMOD yet.

That's quite simply not correct. W10 plays very nicely with EQMOD.

Not having a go - just don't want people reading that and believing it to be true.

Thanks Julian

From memory its 2XX.XXX - its quite old as I couldnt see a benefit to upgrade to 3xx.xxx

Maybe I will have to get my hand in my pocket!

Well done - you should be very proud of that!

You will need the FTDI chip lead I am afraid.

I found a workaround a year or two ago but even that doesn't work now.

Get one of these - the other benefit is you can plug it into any USB port and it will know which port its supposed to be.

42 minutes ago, blinky said:

Interesting, don’t think I can stretch to the 290, was thinking of the 120 for guiding

Cant speak about the 120 from personal experience but a lot of people use it VERY succesfully.

1 hour ago, blinky said:

I wonder if it’s time to sell the Lodestar..... if I need to use bin2 to get round interlacing, realistically it having a guide camera with 16um pixels guiding a camera with 3um pixels going to work? Might be better to sell and buy the ZWO guider instead.

I used my Lodestar 1x1 and 2x2 and to be honest I didnt see much difference in guiding performance (both were very good).

I bought a ZWO290 mono with the idea of making an 'all sky camera' but havent done it yet. I tried the 290 as a guide camera and it is much better than the Lodestar - smaller pixels, more sensitive and my guiding with it (with a SW ED72) is very, very good.  

The Lodestar used to be the 'gold standard' of guide cameras but maybe it is losing it's crown??

PS - just found 'recovery' options in the SGP options menu that looks like it will do the trick too.

Cheers Folks.

Last night I was taking 1800sec Ha subs in between the clouds.

Whenever PHD2 lost its guide star and the dreaded flashing red screen popped up SGP aborted the sub and the run!

It did this twice and both times within 2 mins of the end of the sub!

I cannot see a way to make SGP carry on even if PHD2 loses the guide star.

Any suggestions??

1 hour ago, Calzune said:

got any link, tips for a cheap guide system? I have my eyes on this combo from FLO https://www.firstlightoptics.com/guide-cameras/sky-watcher-9x50-finder-adapter-zwo-asi120mm-bundle.html

You wont do it well for much less than that without going down the secondhand route. The one in the link is a good proven performer and will guide anything up about 1000mm FL without any difficulty.

Well you should have good dark skies in Skovde, my eldest son lives just outside Alingsas not far from you and the skies are great. (Sorry about no dots over the o's and a's !)

The biggest single benefit you will probably ever get in astroimaging is adding guiding. It doesn't have to be expensive. A converted finderscope and cheap camera will do it.

Then you are not limited to short exposures and worrying about trailing etc.

Great first effort - keep at it!