gorann

One thing to look out for is if they have a heated window. The Omegon veTEC571 has it but I think RisingCam does not have it, and you have to attach the ZWO dew heater like @tomato has done.

Very nice image Steve and well worth some zooming! Perfect framing.

If you click on the button saying 26 MP Mono you get a much higher price

I just checked what I payed for my QHY 268M in January 2021 from Modern Astronomy. It was 1554 GBP without VAT but including shipping to Sweden. So it seems that prices have slowly been creeping up, which of course is not that surprising these days. I also payed only 1200 Euro (excluding VAT) for the Omegon veTEC571C in July 2022. Now it is 1550 Euro. So, it does not pay to wait these days.

Risingcam are among the cheapest but you have to buy it from China as far as I know: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002673884516.html?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_groupList.8148356.4.4932243fRVejJx&pdp_npi=2%40dis!SEK!SEK+26%2C302.83!SEK+22%2C357.41!!!!!%402100bdec16688527937345060e97d8!12000030049605246!sh If you rather get if from Europe then Omegon (=Astroshop.eu) is maybe the cheapest IMX571, and you would not have to ship it to China if you have a problem with it: https://www.omegon.eu/astronomical-cameras/omegon-camera-vetec-571-m-mono/p,67338

Yes, nice idea indeed. But I also noted that the tilt plate can be removed and then it has a 12.5 mm sensor distance which could make it possible to fit in a filter slider (although I have not done any calculations). It is at least not possible with the 17.5 mm chip distance of ASI and others.

I have not followed this thread for a while, but I think the answers are quite simple from a statistical point of view, based on the fact that it took about 4 billion years for life on this planet to by chance get the ability to communicate with any outer world. So the state of the matter is: 1) We are highly unlikely to be on the only planet with life, since life occurred on our planet shortly after it was formed. 2) Life that would be able to send out electromagnetic signals that we could detect may be out there, but only maybe and they would be very few and therefore most likely far far away 3) And statistically they would be much too far away to have any ability to make a connection with us

That checkerboard happened to me once, but then I think it was a slightly earlier version of StarXT than the one I use now. However, sometimes it leaves a few star halos. In that case I try Starnet2 in PI and it may work better. It is free so well worth getting.

Why not try to build a harmonic drive mount? Here is a guy doing it: https://hackaday.io/project/967-diy-harmonic-drive-equatorial-mount

Really great for 76 min, and yes, all processing tutorials have to be rewritten / re-recorded after the last years of camera and especially software development!

With closer presentation I meant that I did not feel it was necessary to write an explanation about the nature of these objects and where they are found in the sky, with over 500 images of IC 410 just on Astrobin. Yes, it is possible to go deeper and closer of course. I now added details on the exposure. So this was less than 5 hours on a moon-lit night. Would have been deeper without moon and more data. PS. Here is a HaRGB close up of the Tadpoles I once processed from refractor data: https://www.astrobin.com/390129/C/

This was shot with a RASA8 and ASI 2600MC with the IDAS NBZ dualband filter (Ha+Oiii) under moon light. It is data that I collected two years ago and now processed using the latest starless processing tools (Star XTerminator in this case). I do not think the objects need any closer presentation. The blue nebulosity in the Flaming Star is actually not Oiii but reflection nebulosity. However, the bandpass of the filter is broad enough to also pick up some of this. The starless processing allowed me to bring out also the fainter nebulosity that connect and surround these iconic nebulae. 142 x 2 min, so 4 h and 44 min. Stacked in PI and further processed in PS. Cheers, Göran

Thanks a lot Grant! CS, Göran

Well, you soon get there I trust! Good thing with the RASA11 is that there is enough space for a tilt plate if you find it necessary. For the ASI2600MC, an IDAS NBZ filter is a great investment when the moon is up.

Thanks Alan! Yes, the RASA is oustanding for getting deep enough to reveal such connections. Actually there are rarely any completely dark sky to be seen in RASA images, as you are now probably experiencing with your new RASA11😄

This is data from October last year that I now processed using the latest version of Star XTerminator and also a bit of the excellent Noise XTerminator. It is Ha and Oiii caught with my dual-RASA rig using the very likable IDAS NBZ filters during monlight. I highly recommend this filter for an OSC. It is halo-free and the results are almost RGB like with a lot of star colour. The best known object of these very faint structures is The Flying Dragon (Sh2-114) up to the left. However, it clearly have a quite similar companion to the right of it (Sh2-113), although that poor dragon appears to have lost its neck😥. @ollypenrice recently pointed out that he often saw two very similar structures next to each other, so this may be another example of this. Then there is also a massive and relatively bright Ha area dominating the right half of the image, which is LBN 321. Not much Oiii signal to be seen in this area. The Flying Dragon is quite difficult to catch, so f/2 and a dark site (mine is Bortle 2-3) helps. Materials and Methods: RASA8 with ASI2600MC and IDAS NBZ filter. 84 x 10 min = 14 hours. Processed in PI and PS. Cheers, Göran

When did you buy it and where? Most dealers would help you, like FLO tried to help @symmetal

I am running a triple-rig with two RASA8 (f/2) and a small Samyang 135 (f/2) sitting on top. So all at f/2. There is quite a striking difference in resolution. The Samyang with 67.5 mm aperture does not even get close to the resolving power of a RASA8 with 200 mm aperture. However, the Samyang of course wins when it comes to field of view with its 135 mm focal length.

Yes, those star flares appear to be quite characteristic for the problem with the mirror of a batch of RASA8. @symmetal had his RASA8 replaced three times (see the link I gave) before he gave up and bought a RASA11. But, if it does not bother you then it may not be a problem and you can enjoy a very fast and capable telescope. But as I understand it from @symmetal thread Celestron is working to solve the problem and maybe you can get it replaced at some point if you contact your dealer. The problem is more clearly described in this thread:

Thanks so much Wim and Alan, much appreciated! And needed after two weeks of clouds, and apparently at least one more cloudy week coming up....

Lovely Olly! Yes, after StarXT/Starnet2 appeared, all processing tutorials have to be rewritten.

As you see from the comments here, the flares around your stars should not be there and are most likely a result of a defect in the primary mirror that appears to have affected a big batch of RASA8 that Celestron has sent out, but promised to fix (as I understand it). So you should really contact your dealer and ask for a replacement. Sorry for the bad news, but a proper RASA8s (like mine) will not produce such stars.

Really nice! Time is apparently never too short for a RASA😉. I am a bit puzzled by the halo around the bright blue star. Looks like en internal reflection in a filter, but do you use a filter? I shoot without any filter when I do RGB with the RASA and ASI2600MC. Also those asymmetrical flares from brighter stars are a bit odd. How do you arrange the camera cables? Hopefully you do not have the same issues as Alan describes in this thread: CS, Göran

Thanks a lot Ian! I see what you mean and agree - I sometimes get this feeling about some astro images.

Thanks Steve! Well I also have three ASI2600MC, but when I realized I needed one more (at least) I took the chance on the Omegon variant. Great thing with it is that you can buy it from European dealers and with a warranty (Omegon is a brand owned by Astroshop.eu but this camera is made by Touptek but in a Omegon designed casing). Mine has worked just fine so far after I started running it from NINA. It even has a anti-dew heater (at least there is a function in NINA that allows me to turn a heater on and off so I guess it is there). No fog issues so far.