SiriusDoggy

Solar Ha image from today (04-01-2020) Lunt 80mm Ha scope, ZWO 1600mm monochrome camera. 2 exposures, 1 for the surface and 1 for the faint limb prominences. Combined and colorized in Photoshop. Surface image inverted to make the AR area pop.

Thanks Pete!

Thank you everyone!

This image is two images combined. One image was taken to expose for the surface and the other for the very faint prominences along the edge.The original files were 1000 frame SER files edited using AutoStakkert 3! and ImPPG. Combined and colorized in Photoshop CC.The reason I set up yesterday was that I was alerted of a new sunspot just coming around the limb. You can just barely make it out up around the 10 o'clock position as a very small lighter colored area. Astronomers believe it might be the 4th from the new solar cycle 25.Lunt 80mm Single stack Ha scope. ZWO1600mm camera

Our neighbor, last night.Explore Scientific ED127mm refractorASI ZWO1600mm camera2000 frames captured as a SER file. Processed in AutoStakkert 3! and ImPPG.For all my viewers outside the U.S., sorry for using miles instead of kilometers.

https://youtu.be/8HiH9iCnTrM

Nice shot! Thanks for sharing.

Beautiful images. I might have to break out the Ha scope since I'm going crazy with boredom under quarantine. Stay safe out there folks.

Thanks guys!

Here's the complete time-lapse of the transit. Mercury Transit

Thanks!

Well, the Mercury transit was a huge success here thanks to the script help I received here from Purgitoria. Thank you so much! If you ever make it out to Las Vegas, reach out and I'll buy you a beer. I'm still working on the full animation but I've included a couple stills and a link to a very short animation test that I made of 3rd and 4th contact. Here in Las Vegas, the transit was already in mid progress so we missed 1st and 2nd contact. The planet was almost halfway through the transit at sunrise. I started imaging as soon as the sun rose above my neighbor's house at 6:50am but it honestly didn't get steady enough to animate until around 8am. So I have 2 hours worth of images to process and edit. I've figured out a few automation tricks to speed up the process. This first shot is from around 8am. This shot was at 9:58am, just 4 minutes from 3rd contact. The animation of 3rd and 4th contact. I haven't composited the edge prominence portion just yet.

Well, the Mercury transit was a huge success here thanks to the script help I received here from Purgitoria. Thank you so much! If you ever make it out to Las Vegas, reach out and I'll buy you a beer. I'm still working on the full animation but I've included a couple stills and a link to a very short animation test that I made of 3rd and 4th contact. Here in Las Vegas, the transit was already in mid progress so we missed 1st and 2nd contact. The planet was almost halfway through the transit at sunrise. I started imaging as soon as the sun rose above my neighbor's house at 6:50am but it honestly didn't get steady enough to animate until around 8am. So I have 2 hours worth of images to process and edit. I've figured out a few automation tricks to speed up the process. This first shot is from around 8am. This shot was at 9:58am, just 4 minutes from 3rd contact. The animation of 3rd and 4th contact. I haven't composited the edge prominence portion just yet.

Thanks! I'll keep tweaking the exposure times and sleep times once my new SSD drives arrive and I can do some true testing on the scope. I was not aware of the millisecond timing you mentioned. I think we're in good shape now so thanks again for your assistance with the script. I'll of course be posting the results around here after the event.

Fooling around with the script a little more I may have found the issue or at least a work-around. On line 20 and line 38 I changed the time.sleep(0.5) to (1) and it is now running ok. At least in my short 10 minute test it did not error out.

I have finally had a chance to test again with a little more rest on my brain. I'm still running into errors but this time around it actually recorded the .ser files correctly. But it's still giving me an error after just 1.5 passes through the script. Rather then try to explain it, I just made a screencast of the actual capture and issue. SharpCap Pro script error

I'll be doing more testing tomorrow. Working now so I don't have access to my gear. It was also only recording one file and locking up. Obviously a problem at my end if everything is working for you.

Yes, I understand about setting the file format in the GUI. I have it set to .ser and it is recording a .ser file. When I open it in SerPlayer it shows a single frame. I only had time last night for a quick check as I needed to get to bed for an early work start again. I've got a few days coming up starting tomorrow so I'll have time to do some more troubleshooting. I'll post a screen capture of what's happening if the problem continues. Thanks again!

So I finally had a chance to run the script. And I'm running into a new problem. I believe the script is set to record single frame images and what I need the script to do is record short video clips in the .ser format. It seems to be trying to record a single frame in the .ser format so it is attempting to record, but how do I change it so that it records for a single 10 second or 1000 frame video clip at an exposure of 20 milliseconds? Maybe I'm not understanding something. I did manage to change the file folder location in the script. Thanks again.

Well, either way, thanks again. I'll be testing it tomorrow night unfortunately. I just found out I'm working till 8pm tonight and have to be back at 6am so not much time for sleep tonight.

Wow man! Thanks so much. I'm at work now but excited to give it a try when I get home this evening. I understand what you are saying about the destinations but I know how to change that part of the script. I'm anxious to try it! I'll report back later and let you know if everything flows ok. Thanks so much for the assistance! I didn't realize it would take that much code to do this.

Does anybody here know how to use IronPython scripting that is used in SharpCap Pro? I'm looking for help writing a very simple script....at least I think it should be. But I'm completely dumb when it comes to this language and am having no luck on my own. Here's what I wish to do for the upcoming Mercury Solar Transit with my Lunt 80mm Ha scope. I want to make a timelapse video from a series of stacked .ser files. I want to shoot 1000 frames once every 30 seconds that is exposed for the surface. exposure time TBD. Then, I want to shoot another 1000 frames exposed for the edge prominence details. I would like to place these two files in two different directories on separate harddrives. And of course have this script repeat itself for the entire duration of the transit. Renaming and/or numbering the files would be a bonus. I've posted the same request on the SharpCap forum and received limited help from the admin because I think he assumes I understand the scripting language which I do not. I understand it enough to edit exposure times and directory locations but the whole language is just very confusing to me. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Beautiful Images Dave! Congrats and thanks for sharing.

Well, it's been a while but I guess I'll resurrect this post. I just acquired a nearly mint condition old orange tube C-8 for practically nothing other than being in the right place at the right time. Here's a shot of the corrector plate and serial # which from what I've read here puts it around 1976-77? Serial # 802514 The original triangle tripod is also in great shape with zero pits. Likewise, the wedge looks brand new as well. Just waiting on a replacement power cord to see if the motors are still good. Also had to pick up some hardware to mount the wedge to the tripod and scope.