Lee_P

Hello and welcome! We're not that far away, I'm in Bristol.

Awesome!

4 hours ago, oldannie said:

I like everything about this image.  The colours are lovely to my eye and the whole image very striking.

 

Annie

Thanks Annie, that's very kind of you to say. 

Arms of steel!

I've just seen that Askar are releasing a new telescope. Looks quite good! $2495 on AliExpress, not sure that that will translate to in the UK if local suppliers (cough, @FLO?) stock it.

http://www.askarlens.com/index.php/17phq/274.html

Aperture size：107mm
Focal length：749mm
Focal ratio：f/7
Objective lens：Quadruplet air-spaced APO (including two ED glass)
Image circle：44mm
Maximum accessory connection (with the focuser fully retreated)：
1. Imaging mode:
79mm (from the base of M48×0.75 male thread)
99mm (from the base of M54×0.75 male thread)
119mm (from the base of M68×1male thread)
149mm (from the base of M86×1 male thread)
2. Observing mode:
120mm (from the end of 2" visual back)
Total length：603mm（when the dew shield is contracted）
754mm（when the dew shield is stretched）
Net weight：5.7kg
Gross weight：6.9kg
Rear-end thread type：M86×1 to M68×1
M68×1 to M54×0.75
M54×0.75 to M52×0.75
M52×0.75 to M48×0.75（with M48×0.75 filter thread）
Four-piece photographic adapter：M48×0.75
Standard package items：a 107PHQ OTA，a pair of tube rings, a handle, an Askar 300mm Vixen dovetail plate, a set of four-piece photographic adapters, a manual

I print photos too (I'm a professional photographer) and also use an Epson XP-15000. (It has six ink tanks though, not the four you mention)? A top tip is that printers have profiles that match brightness, saturation etc. to the printer and photo paper that you use. This makes a *huge* difference, far more than you'd be forgiven for thinking. I use Epson Premium Photo printer, like you have on order, and it's great. I do all my printing through Lightroom, and it makes loading printer / paper profiles a breeze, (see screenshot below) plus has a soft proofing mode that helps you to match what you see on the screen to what will come out of your printer. Once you get all those things set up, you don't need to be giving extra boosts to vibrance and saturation.

3 hours ago, Albastars said:

That is stunning!  Thanks for posting.

Thanks!

44 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

Very nice. It certainly has a bit of 'nip' to it.

Haha, I guess that's one way of putting it!

3 minutes ago, Rustang said:

Noise has been my only gripe and that's a small gripe as its been a great camera, it just gets on with things with out fault (touch wood!). It needs pushing harder, longer subs etc than compared to the CMOS cameras. I will probably upgrad to something like the 294mm when I can but for now I've been more than happy with the QHY-9. As Lee has said, budget normally helps decisions, I managed to step into the dedicated camera world after buying a complete set up, camera, filter wheel and filters for a great price so took the jump. Future proofing yourself is something to consider aswell, if your doing this long term, buy right first time round if you can!.

Ah, so your QHY9 is mono? That would make a difference considering the QHY8L Sabalias is considering is OSC. A whole other can of worms to be opened..!

1 minute ago, Sabalias said:

Thanks Lee, really nice pics there. It sounds like I might be better off saving up longer and getting a newer CMOS camera though?

Stu

That's the question! Depends on your finances and how much you want to put into the hobby, I guess. @Rustang's photo is very impressive, and certainly shows that the QHY8L is capable of good results when in the right hands. 

2 minutes ago, Rustang said:

I've been using the WO Z73 and QHY-9, so I'm under sampling too but its really not been an issue. This is the last image I took with that set up. 

That's a really fantastic image!

7 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

That is a great image, only thing I would do it to rotate it 180 degrees but otherwise I love it 🙂 

Steve

Thanks! I did try rotating it actually, but didn't like it quite as much. Maybe because I'd spent so much time looking at it the other way around, it just didn't seem right to me  😂

I actually used a QHY8L and 80ED back in 2017. I found them a decent enough pairing, especially coming from the Nikon D700 DSLR I used prior. The camera definitely shows its age when compared to the modern CMOS cameras we have now though.

In case it's useful, I've fished out some images I took. My processing skills were in their infancy, so perhaps take these as a kind of lower limit of what you could achieve?

This was a real toughie to process! The end result may be too vivid for some, but I personally quite like the striking palette, and I've never seen the Jellyfish presented in these colours before. As always, the data was gathered with a small refractor and OSC camera under Bortle 8 skies. More info on my website here.

* January 2022
* Bristol, UK (Bortle 8 )
* Telescope: Askar FRA400 f/5.6 Quintuplet APO Astrograph
* Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC-PRO
* Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme
* Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G
* Guide: William Optics 32mm; ZWO ASI 120MM Mini
* Control: ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF
* Software: PixInsight, Lightroom, Topaz DeNoise AI
* 600 x 120 seconds

Total integration time: 20 hours

Very nicely processed. 

2 hours ago, Elp said:

Do you need prior permission to be on site at night? Never actually been, only passed it.

2 hours ago, jacko61 said:

I thought it was all cordoned off; or is that just at the solstice?

Graeme

2 hours ago, johninderby said:

You have to pay to visit normaly and the site is open from 9:30am till 5:00pm.

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/prices-and-opening-times/?utm_campaign=aka_stonehenge_21&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9pft08TU9QIV2t_tCh1TIAjsEAAYASABEgKpFvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Not sure if they ever allow visting outside of those hours. Maybe worth asking if they ever have nightime events.

I was only allowed there because I was working for English Heritage, and it was all arranged in advance. 

I recently ran a few stargazing sessions at Stonehenge -- some cloudy! -- and took a few photos in the short amount of time I had before the participants arrived. It was quite something to be all alone among the stones at night.

Hello and welcome!

1 hour ago, msacco said:

Do you happen to have the raw stack perhaps?
Thanks

Here you go. Stacked using PixInsight, so I hope you have that to open it! https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1b_HA8fBfA6t3GVAe1z6InCDYp5hyE_pp?usp=sharing

11 hours ago, msacco said:

One thing I wonder, in the M31 image you shared, it seems like the blue channel is slightly more bloated than the other channels, did you notice that? Not sure if it's the result of editing or the optics itself.

Ah, can't say I noticed that. Could be the optics or my processing!

I own the Askar FRA400, so not the one you've shortlisted, but similar. It's very good. Review here.

These were all taken with an ASKAR FRA400 telescope and ASI2600MC PRO camera, from a Bortle 8 city centre.

Very impressive!

Hello and welcome

I think that those are very respectable photos, especially for early efforts! 👏

On 13/01/2022 at 22:17, Richard136 said:

Seems to suggest use in dry areas. I'm outside without cover... would it suffer?

Hiw do you split the power feed? With in line connectors or diasy chains ?

I follow a similar approach to @DeanCJ -- the same Nevada power supply, plugged into an outdoor mains socket. A cigar adapter splitter goes into the Nevada, and then Lynx Astro cables come out: one for my ASIAIR Plus, and one for my mount. And when needed, one for my flats panel. I keep everything permanently in a waterproof box that lives at the bottom of my telescope pier. (Although the mains extension lead is packed away when not in use). If you always use your kit at home, and have access to mains power, I'd recommend that over batteries. More info and photos here.