freiform

The glow calibrarates out completely by using darks, just tried it on my new 183MM this morning. Just make sure that you disable any dark optimization in your stacking program.

Sven

54 minutes ago, Pullock said:

IDAS LPS-P1 Light pollution Filter 62mm

It goes in front of a lens, I guess?

Have fun with the SA, I use mine not nearly enough.

Hi Adam,

I was aleready on the phone with TS, the supporter was very helpful, did check this and that and called me back a couple of times. They will send me a new set.

I don't want to imply bad practices, and maybe something in their stock got mislabled or mixed up, but you have to wonder. How long are the new ones on the market? About a year, a bit longer?

Regarding LRGB filters, I cannot find any 'new' revision for the 31mm variant on ZWO's site. There only is the new and 1600-optimzed(?) threaded version.

Sven

Hi Adam,

yes, I am aware of that. The question was how to tell the difference visually. I already opened the LRGB, they seem to have blackened edges, although not very carefully executed.

Of the narrowband filters, I only opened the Ha, and this one doesn't have a blackened edge or purple AR coating.

So I assume the LRGB are the new revision while the narrowband are not?

Sven

Apparently the edges of the new ones are blackened, mine are not.

Sven

I got cotton gloves. They leave a bit fluff, but I guess nothing that a bit of air won't take care of. Thank you!

I am not quite sure if i ot the right filters, though:

Sven

I just wanted to put the 31mm filters into my wheel, but the Ha does not show a red reflection like shown on the ZWO site [1].

Did I get a set of old filters?

Thank you

Sven

[1] https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/product/zwo-new-narrowband-31mm-filter

Hi Rob,

the threaded ones for my eyepieces I have no problems with, it is the unthreaded variety for imaging I am afraid to touch

Sven

That looks like a sturdy tripod!

Hi,

any general recommendation on handling filters (loading a filter wheel in my case)? Do you wear gloves? Or am I overthinking this? Which I tend to do.

Sven

ASI183MM Pro and goodies. Yay!

I was surprised by the weight of the filter wheel. I hope my GP can cope. 😀

28 minutes ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

Doesn’t work in my house or in my garden. I must be the odd one out.

Hi Marv,

there usually is a reason if things are not working.

Sven

Alternatively you could get a bunch of Serial-USB converters. They are ceap and you can connect all sorts of things to your mount. Or PC.  😀

The long one is an EQDIRECT-USB, the short one EQDIRECT-Bluetooth, using a HC-06 module and a 7805 voltage regulator. The other end is a repurposed ethernet cable.

All the best

Sven

I went with the ASI183MM Pro. I got a deal on wheel and filters comparable to the complete ASI1600 kit. Very excited. 😀

I found no definitive answer on this anywhere so I went for an ZWO ASI, although the 183MM Pro model. 😀

Hi

I want to put my Star Adventurer (3/8" photo) on my small pier (GP mount). Before I start designing something, has anyone built or 3D-printed something like that?

All the best

Sven

5 minutes ago, JamesF said:

[..] QHY, who don't appear to be doing very much with it at the moment.  If this is true I'd be slightly uncomfortable about relying on those QHY cameras without an open source driver (which is most of them, these days) working on Linux without some indication as to what support process exists in the event that they stop working.

Thank you, that is valuable information. I don't want to be dependent on some dubious software release practices.

I have a reasonable offer for a 1y/o 163 with wheel, LRGB and NB Filters. The filters are labelled ALccd 36mm, but I cannot find anything on those. Apparently, the NB have a bandwidth 12 nm, which is also not quite optimal. Even the relatively cheap ZWO/Optolong have 7 nm.

Well, after @Dr_Ju_ju's suggestion I posted over at the INDI boards, we'll see what comes up.

Sven

Hi,

can anyone comment on Linux/INDI support for the QHY 183? I only read that it "should work", but found no definitive, up-to-date statements

Thanks

Sven

Well, something's not right. The Software says 1.0.0.20, the manual that was packaged with the programm says 1.1. And it gives a procedure that I can not follow as buttons appear to be missing (e.g. the show button). Maybe they mixed up versions.

Hi,

Is anyone aware of a guiding star simulator that lets me play around with guiding without access to the sky, i.e. cloudy, daytime, cold.. ?

An app that moves a bunch of pixels with specified speed and curvature? I stumbled over Star Guiding Emulator, but cannot get it to accept any changes to its settings. Without proper screen size/resolution, simulation won't work properly. I only can get the simulated star to move straight across the screen.

I probably could set up one mount for the purpose, while examining the other, but then I wouldn't know what effect(s) to attribut to which mount.

Any ideas?

Sven

So far, so good. Heat gun at 320 °C and a small nozzle did the trick. The glass cracked starting at the places I applied physical force, hopefully the bondings are still intact. 

Sven

Hi,

maybe a bit late to the party, but any ideas how to remove the glass of the D3000's sensor? I can get no purchase anywhere. I suppose heating would be the way to go? Any recommendations on how hot is too hot? 😁

A friend gave it to me "for my astro stuff" because the camera would't find focus anymore, now I know why. I wonder how that happened. There was some loose plastic on the bottom shell, maybe to much pressure and the bottom sheared the cables off.

Sven

Hi Adam,

26 minutes ago, Adam J said:

If you refocus between filters then you wont see any CA on a mono camera, well unless its a really poor scope. It might cause a tiny bit of bloat on stars but it wont cause colour fringing so long as you re-focus. 

Thank you for the reply, that is reassuring.

Do you by chance have any thoughts on the camera choice? I've been throwing this and that around and am leaning slightly towards the 183 Pro. Looking at various Objects (by no measn a extensive list), I find that more often even the 1600 is too small and I would need a shorter FL anyway. With the 183 I could go for smaller objects, galaxies or planetary nebulas. The only thing I worry about is that the 183 is significantly more difficult to handle due to the small pixels and that my GP (or myself!) would not quite be up for it even with the realtive short exposure times.

Any other suggestions?

It has been pointed out to me that with LRGB, I will start seeing chromatic aberration with those cameras compare to my DSLR.  Wouldn't take the L filter take care of that? I have also been told that 1,25 filters will introduce vignetting, although I found lots of reports that state the opposite.

10 hours ago, Adam J said:

Don't discount a used Atik 460EX if the micro lensing is an issue for you, i think its a better sensor than the 183 unless you really want new.

Assuming I came across one of these, how would it compare regarding exposure times? What I find attractive about current CMOS astro cams is the short exposures. How does the 460EX compare?

Anyway, it seems micro lensing of the 1600 is an issue with longer focal lengths or very bright stars. So not really a showstopper. And the greater sensitivity and ease of handling due to the larger pixels also seems more suited to my needs.