tomato

Thanks for the replies, SGP was dithering in between every sub, not something I normally do. Each panel is currently only 1 hour integration so the SNR won’t be great. I have previously stitched mosaics together in APP with better results than this, I think at least one panel was affected by high cloud, based on the changes observed on the PHD guide star SNR.

This is my initial try out of using the mosaic tool in SGP. It is 6 panels of 30 mins L, 10 mins each RGB, taken in a single night, with the Esprit 150, G2-8300 on a Mesu 200. Despite being shot on a single night I think conditions changed quite a lot as the galaxy arched overhead as despite numerous experiments in APP, I cannot fully eradicate the joins. I have found to date 1st LNC, 10 iterations and 15% MBB gave the best result, if any APP users could point me in the right direction, it would be very much appreciated. My laptop is also flagging when processing images of this size🤪 So I’m posting this monochrome version for now but will attempt more subs on this project (wind and rain currently battering the dome). Thanks for looking

That’s a fine M31, I think your second version highlights the dust lanes better, I certainly find this object really tough to process both from a colour and luminance perspective. Hats off to you for getting 17 hrs on this project and creating a mosaic, I have attempted a 6 panel M31, but have only got 6 hours in so far and I’m struggling. However, after seeing yours I will try and persevere with it.

These columns are only evident in SGP on fast downloads when focusing or plate-solving, they are not there on downloads of extended time exposures, so it’s all good.

Tried it out tonight, SGP said "rotate 64.5 degrees counter clockwise," got there in one attempt😎

Just posted today in this section on this topic, albeit with a refractor. I haven't come up with a cheap motorised rotator, but have taken some of the guesswork out of the manual operation.

Not sure if this idea is old hat, but thought I would post it anyway. Since starting to use software to frame objects for imaging, I am now being frequently prompted to rotate the camera by x degrees in either direction. This is OK if it’s multiples of 45 degrees, but can be tricky to gauge numbers like 17 degrees, resulting in a drawn out and frustrating process, losing precious imaging time. On the SW Esprit refractors, the whole focuser can be freely rotated by loosening a capstan threaded collar, so I have printed out a 360 degree protractor scale of the right size and attached this to a foam plastic backing ring which can be rotated to a reference position. It isn't super accurate, but should enable rotations to within a degree or two, which is all the software is asking for. Last time I looked, powered rotators were North of £3.5K😳

Here is a retro fitted pettier cooler on a 178, all engineered by @Tomatobro. It can get to sub zero temperatures but as the cooler is working on the external camera body there is a lot of external icing and some water droplets were evident on the sensor window when imaging at the zenith. A ZWO retro fit heating tape has since been fitted, along with temperature control to deal with this. It has a quality fan so no issues with vibration. It should hopefully get some more use when Galaxy season rolls around, but to date has taken the attached image of M51, using 30 sec subs.

That’s a cracking M45👍 I can only echo the other posters in that I thought dead columns can be effectively calibrated out, maybe the camera just needs some new calibration frames, if you draw a blank on the warranty.

Came across this article, lists some possible options: https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/11/20/this-is-how-elon-musk-can-fix-the-damage-his-starlink-satellites-are-causing-to-astronomy/#49b938d14ccc

Please could anyone advise what camera/driver settings they use for the G2-8300 in SGP, I am trying to avoid blooming as evidenced in this sub, it doesn’t happen with the generic driver when imaging with the SIPS software. Thanks

Thanks for this, You may well be right, I will investigate further.

Here are the details of the paint supplier, it was the fibreglass grey undercoat and British Racing Green topcoat. Make sure you apply the topcoat in a dry spell, rain or condensation will ruin the gloss finish. https:/supplyshed.biz Hopefully @Tomatobro has some details on where he sourced the rack rails from, but it was a while ago.

It’s an older Pulsar dome which is not compatible with the Pulsar drive system, and I have to say I’m not overly compatible with their £1300 asking price. Myself and @Tomatobro will supply details as it comes together, but the steel rack was sourced from China in straight sections which have been bent to suit the curvature of the dome. They are mounted on fabricated adjustable angle brackets which pick up off the bolts holding the steel hoop which the dome section runs on. This does mean the motor will be mounted off the moving dome so will need an independent power supply with sufficient capacity to last a full imaging session (about 30 mins in the UK?😊)

They are the same exposure times so I don’t think it is saturation. Also the same cable so that is strange. However, when powering down (the clouds returned) I did note that the on scope voltage display was only reading 12.1 v when the Peltier cooler was switching in on the camera. At that voltage, maybe download artefacts are being created (but why only with SGP?). I can try upping the volts a little on the next session? Steve, I haven’t yet posted on the forum, I still am on the free 45 day trial. I was hoping someone on SGL may have encountered this. However, if no joy here I will try the forum. I’ve only recently downloaded the software, I think it is v 3.0.3.169.

With a hint of clear sky tonight I have been trying to progress using SGP to control my image capture process. I have got everything connected (Moravian G2-8300 camera) and can run an error free sequence, the problem is when I view the downloaded and saved sub images, they have vertical bright columns emanating from the brighter stars. I took another frame of the same exposure time using the Moravian SIPS software, this looks fine with no artifacts. I have checked that SGP is downloading the data in the low noise option, and I have checked that the 240V AC power cable which runs through the same conduit to the dome as the usb cables is off. Any thoughts/ideas would be greatly appreciated.

So far so good. The top plate is only supported by 3 threaded bars and not 4 as I have seen on other versions, but no flexing or vibration has been detected on the (very) limited imaging done to date. Rather than bolt the base directly to the uneven concrete floor, 8 substantial steel spacers were machined up and put under the base flange, this also brought the pier flange flush with the false floor, which looks better. Just starting installation of the rack and pinion drive for the dome.

Agreed, the edges of the fibreglass are vulnerable to breakage, try and position them to avoid point loadings during transport.

I don’t think Mr. Spielberg would mind if he saw it, but I don’t know which Hollywood conglomerate owns the franchise these days.

Just reread the thread, thanks for the tip on the shutter rollers, this would certainly make installing a powered drive easier, it does take a lot of effort to get the standard shutter design moving.

It was a standard wheelbase VW Transporter van that was too small. This will NOT take the Pulsar dome base and dome sections in one go. However I think any long wheelbase van will do nicely. We just put protective cloths between each panel, they nested quite securely when in the van, but best to lash them together to stop them shifting, especially if you have to brake hard at some point in the journey...

Very smart, not cheap but very well engineered.

And truss tube scopes look really cool, until you put a light shroud on them.

Great project, and much appreciated. The only trouble is it will show up my mediocre processing skills, and I won’t be able to blame the data....

@Tomatobro used a black fold up storage box from Ikea and a blackout cloth, which is a must to eliminate your reflection in the laptop screen. You do look like some Victorian portrait photographer when under the cloth, but it works.