uhb1966

Alright, here comes the guide log.

The interesting part begins with the string "Guiding Begins at 2023-10-03 00:20:28" ... thats the part of the session where these things happened.

PHD2_GuideLog_2023-10-02_202444.txt

Hi all, i_ll check if i can find a log in PHD2. But it was really flatlining with a super small error ... but maybe the guide star was far out. 

Hi Onikinnen, thanks for the quick response! This "hobby" is driving me nuts ...

Alright... so i set up yesterday evening, with a small PE error (<10 minutes) and great pictures at low declination.

i went on imaging M31. When it was directly overhead, i noticed again elongated stars while PHD had its guide star *dead* center - practically no correction at all...

The only thing that might be suboptimal was the distance between guide star and M31- maybe 3 degrees.

I checked this website http://celestialwonders.com/tools/rotationMaxErrorCalc.html and i got the following:

16 microns would be like 2.1 pixels in my camera... Hm. I guess i have to minimize the distance between guide star and target?

Hi Julian, no recent updates...

Hi all,

my mount has started acting weird: 1 to 3 times a night, the connection between PC and hand controller gets unresponsive. If you access the hand controller (which is set to PC direct), the hand controller has trouble getting out of pc direct mode - its frozen. Pressing ESC multiple times will finally succeed, reconnecting then works.

Has somebody experienced that behaviour? Any ideas? I will probably replace the cables first, just in case...

@ONIKKINEN @michael8554 @carastro Thank you all ! i adjusted the mpcc distance, recollimated and changed the spacing between scope and camera, and i got crisp round stars - even unguided at 2 mins. But i got into 2 new problems stuff for another post. Thank you again 😍

...unfortunately i'm too stupid to use my vintage 2006 QHY8 to its full potential, so theres no point in it 😭

Looks like this camera is being sold in germany at the same price, even including our outrageous VAT: https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p14967_TS-Optics-ToupTek-Farb-Astrokamera-2600CP-Sony-IMX571-Sensor-D-28-3-mm.html

Wow i wish i could make pictures like your test pics...

@michael8554 yes, collimation was also suboptimal. I also exchanged the 2" extension - lets see if it helps. Thanks!

I just realized that the spacing to the MPCC was way out 😕

@michael8554 "Tilt" ... i was afraid of that word!

@carastro yup, no flats, but thanks!!

Autosave.tiffAutosave.tiffHi all,

 i'm back into imaging and i have a huge amount of trouble

Please check out this test picture: the stars are formed like eggs, but not regularly - their forms seem to be all over the place ?! What things am i doing wrong? I'm using a reflector with a baader MPCC and a vintage qhy8.

Ive done way better pics with the setup? Autosave.tiff

Hi Onikinnen,

did you go ahead on the filter?

Very nice!

An aurora that far south? Wow.  Great pictures

For me, just positioning a chair in the evening towards west and watch the stars rising did the trick! Use a chair that can be swept back

Hello Dear Thalestris,

sorry to hear you are selling up. I wish you all the best!!

This topic echoes deeply with me!!!

Spending a few thousand is easy... cheap reflector 400, cheapest reasonable mount 1600, used cam 600, eyepiece 200, guider 300, field flattener 200, bits and pieces 500 == 4000.

But if it s something you always wanted to do, its well spent.

From my experience, planning your sessions early and setting up before it gets dark are the biggest light contributors.

Dont sell, youll regret it!

Very cool *****

Awesome! I guess you are using narrowband filters?

Well, i'd say very cool

well, wayx better then my attempts -

I just wanted to say THANKS A LOT @Lee_P For doing this awesome work!