The Admiral

No, I don't think so! May be envious, yes, but not too kind 😄. Ian

I thought, oh, another Veil Nebula image! But then I noticed it was by Goran, and I knew it would be worth a look 😉. Correct! It's just such a lovely image of interwoven gossamer filaments. Ian

I can understand your disappointment. In my experience, even with printing your own, you need to spend a fair bit of time tweaking a particular print, running off test prints. I guess then you are not paying for someone else's time to get it right. I should think that the commercial printers make certain assumptions about black/white ratios etc of conventional prints which do not apply to astro prints. It is better to have your screen calibrated, though. Ian

Well that is what I thought you had planned 😉. Well, I wouldn't suggest that you embark on new sphere of activity just to print this up, better to get a commercial printer to do it for you. But I have happily produced prints getting on for A3 in size, from <16Mp, 4/3rd format files, so long as you haven't seriously cropped the image. Even then, it could be upscaled. Ian

I agree, the Bubble looks so 3D in the second one, perhaps there's a bit more local contrast, I don't know. Ian

I'd be well pleased with that! Go on, hang it on the wall 😀. Ian

I've just acquired some dew bands from Dew Control. They are W&W brand and what I appreciate is that the leads are available cut down to the length you require, and the plugs changed to 2.1mm barrel type to directly plug into the ASIAir. Have yet to install them. Ian

That's their strategy, but as affective as they are with their own products, it's up to the potential purchaser to decide if that's something they can accept. If not, then there are other similar products/solutions on the market. In theory, by restricting application, they can at least ensure that the product will work properly. Ian

Can't help thinking there must be a way. I know that you can use a pre-existing sub to re-align the gear in order to continue a session, but I'm not sure how you can pre-save a new FoV without actually imaging. Ian

Yup, that would make a difference ☺️ Ian

No I don't think it should, as it is calibrated at that position. The problem I had was that the pointing was a few degrees off, and my setting up was such that it was outside its acceptable limits for doing a PA. When I went through the meridian, guiding stopped, the mount changed orientation, guiding was re-calibrated, and guiding started. I have a vague recollection that before starting you should clear the previous settings, but I'm blowed if I can remember any details now. That may or may not help. Presumably this is more connected with the AAP operation than the mount. Ian

I am not a mobile imager, but I too have to do this . I suppose one advantage of the iPolar is that its field of view is greater than the image through the scope, so I suppose it might be able to get a more precise fix. For those with an APS sensor, life should be a bit easier. But also, as I've found to my frustration, the initial alignment of mount would have to be more precise. When I first got the mount the home position was a bit off, so my initial alignment by eye was way off, and I had a very frustrating time trying to re-adjust the mount's position in the middle of PA, particularly, as I've said, I couldn't find a way to come out of the PA loop without the smiley face. I ended up having to re-start the ASIAir and better align the mount towards the NCP and begin PA again. Not only that, but it seemed that I had an overhead power line in the FoV! Since then, I have re-set the home position using the AM5 mount app., and I pre-align the mount using a magnetic compass to at least be pointing in the right direction . Ian

What a super image Göran, or should I say, "picture". But then, we've come to expect no less . Envious or what . Ian

Hi Dark Raven, Well, perhaps it's worth noting what I had been previously using. I was using an iOptron GEM45 in stand-alone mode, doing three star alignments and requiring connecting the iPolar to a laptop for PA. I was using a DSLR with an intervalometer, and had just started guiding with an MGEN. At that point health issues required me to seek lighter gear, and I opted for the new, unproven AM5. It was a long wait before it arrived too! I also switched to an ASI533 astro camera and the ASIAir +. So anything was going to be easier . But I do find that the AAP and AM5 just seem to work seamlessly together, and the beauty of plate solving simplifies the whole process. It is a complete imaging package in a box. Not to mention the advantage of the AM5, you don't have to balance the scope! I have found that PA has been a bit of a minor issue. I think that this may be because my view of the NCP is a bit obstructed, but I have not found it easy to get the smiley face, and I have not found a way of cancelling the PA routine until the smiley face appears, so it's been a bit frustrating. Perhaps I can best describe it as the movement is a bit 'twitchy'. I am improving on this though with experience. From one imaging location in my garden I need to do an all-sky PA, and I've found it to work well. Mind you, I have never got the quoted PA below 1" as in the video, but the PHD2 guide results show it has always been below 10 arcmin. Unlike in the video, I am guiding, so it's not so critical. I also note that when he chose to compare the results with the All-Sky, he pointed the scope towards the East, which the ZWO guidance explicitly says one should avoid. It needs to be towards the South, so I suppose it isn't actually 'all-sky'. Ian

Can't answer that directly, but I first set my guide scope up at night using a distant terrestrial light source (street lamp I think) viewed from a bedroom window. At least you don't have to wait for stars, and just tweak when you next have access to them. Alternatively, you could focus on distant clouds, or anything really so long as it's far away, during the day. I didn't use my ASIAir for that, but IIRC, ASI Studio on my laptop. Ian

About 49cm centre to centre. Perhaps a bit too small a footprint to prevent tipping with anything but a small lightweight rig. Ian

A relatively new experimental feature of the ASIAir is the 'all sky polar align' feature, which can be found under the 'i' button. You switch it on, and then you can do a PA looking towards the South. I've used it because I too have a poor view towards the North, and it seems to work well enough. Remember to switch it back off again when you want to do an ordinary PA. Have a look at this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP2Z32e5ZcI Ian

True, and it's always an option, but you will save some 5 kilos with the carbon fibre tripod, if that's important to you. I've found it light, rigid, and stable in use, though my experience is with a fairly lightweight compact rig. Ian

I use the ASIAir Plus, and I must say that it doesn't half make the whole process easier. What's your scope? Ian

Good news indeed, you won't regret it . You must let us know how you get on with it. The thing about the harmonic mounts is that because of their high torque, there should be no need to balance the gear, indeed there is no facility for it, and I have heard it said that the PE is better with an unbalanced load on them. I don't bother with balancing mine, but I guess it can't be far off and it is only a relatively light scope. If you have a heavy kit then you may feel it more necessary if only to try to keep the CoG within bounds. Mind you, the AVX tripod is very unlikely to tip over I should think. What gear are you planning to use with it? Good luck. Ian

Welcome to the thread Rossco72. I've been very pleased with the AM5. Other commitments and/or weather has limited my use somewhat, but I've been very pleased with the guiding every time I've imaged, though I suspect the seeing hasn't been too challenging to date. My last venture out on 25th August returned this, as given by PHD2 browser I'd managed to PA to within 1.1' that night. This session was to augment the amount of data on IC1396, already posted, but I am still to finish processing this latest image. Reading the posts on the ZWO Mount FB pages, this does seem to be typical. Good luck Ian

An amazing image for sure. I never cease to be amazed at what actually lurks up there! The very wide field is an ideal format for displaying this material. Ian

Not to mention your pristine skies . Ian

As always, Göran, a beautiful image of a little known object. Refreshing to see targets different to the oft imaged favourites. It crossed my mind though, at what point do you draw the line? Could you go deeper on a target with more time, and if so, why do you decide to stop where you have? Ian