2STAR

Thanks to all at FLO during these uncertain times, my new ZWO 533 MC PRO was due to arrive on Tuesday 14th April, it arrived today Saturday 11th !!.

Great Speedy Service and in particular during this period . well done and thank you.

Eric 

Its not been good for a while with all the bad weather, been a couple of half decent nights in March and same April, I have done some visual and was out for a an hour or so each time. Unfortunately due to the current pandemic I have not received my new Astro Camera from FLO, still, its a little price to pay considering what some folk are having to go through, and I suppose it puts things in perspective all round, hope everyone is well and see you all soon hoping.

Eric

Have ZWO started exporting as yet, is there a approx ETA ?

regards

eric

ps: I am requesting this on Medical grounds as being 69 yr old I need to isolate myself in the backyard as and when possible😁😁😁😁😁😁

Yes Vicky, worse season in my 4 yr at this lark.

I understand why Winscar has dropped off due to some members not feeling comfortable or even safe there anymore due to the appearance of some weird characters ,  other than the usual doggin mob lol.

The site recently used at Towton wasn't bad but it was on Farmland we did not have permission to set up on,and I didnt think this was condusive to a good nights comfortable imaging.

There must be someplace within 30 or 40 mins we can find, I think collectively we could find it.

Other than that, Sutton Bank visitor car park (easy to get to)or pay £5 to use that farm about 5 mile further on but with facility and safe.

For the number of times we go out in winter the camp site is empty and for a fiver worth it in my opinion. 

Is this group on here extinct, its a shame that we do not post here, lets try and get it up and running again with contributions/chat etc.

Also, we need to seriously look at finding/going to a reasonable darkish sky together, where we are not trespassing on private proprty etc.

I am raising this as I was unable to attend the AGM.

eric

On 19/02/2020 at 11:43, johnturley said:

I'm currently awaiting a replacement lead from Skywatcher via Rother Valley Optics, the original one was slightly frayed, and I now suspect that was the reason as to why to low voltage flashing light was coming on after less than one hour of use. 

I have used the mount for visual use several times since without the above lead attached, and it will now run for several hours before the light comes on, only snag with this is that you have no dec slow motion.

John

Leads not correctly placed on ths diagram

On 19/02/2020 at 11:43, johnturley said:

I'm currently awaiting a replacement lead from Skywatcher via Rother Valley Optics, the original one was slightly frayed, and I now suspect that was the reason as to why to low voltage flashing light was coming on after less than one hour of use. 

I have used the mount for visual use several times since without the above lead attached, and it will now run for several hours before the light comes on, only snag with this is that you have no dec slow motion.

John

The power lead in this above diagram is not correct, the power lead is attached first, then the dec lead, thus avoiding them becoming 'tangled', there is no problem during operation with either lead if attached like stated.

The AZ/EQ 5 gt also has dual encoders incorporateed. The tracking is smooth and good in both eq or alt/az.

regrds

eric

On 30/09/2019 at 13:45, Skyline said:

My interest is mainly emission nebulas and star clusters, apart from a few galaxies i would like to image but thats it really. M63, M81, M101 NGC891, just a few to mention. 

Its all down to budget now and when to buy.

Some food for thought.

Nadeem.

Have a read up on the Optolong L-enhance duo band filter.

Something I was going to ask  the requisite 10 + stars are in the FOV with the zwo533 at 80mm  f5 for PA ?

eric

OSC for me, have used the Atik Infinity for 3 yr now have ZWOasi533 pro on order with FLO, Mono obviously gives fine detail image & produces better results, so its a case of how much do you want from an image, a reasonable photo in quick time does for me.

Short subs on alt/az or eq ,with optolong l-enhance filter subduing a lot of LP from bortle 7/8 backyards as well as bringing colour out on Emission Nebula.

3 or 4 DSO's a night is easy and the final image looks ok.

regards

eric

On 26/11/2019 at 18:24, AndyThilo said:

Plus Andromeda won't fit in the frame with my Esprit 80 and a 533 and I really want to do that again.

Andromeda should just about be in the fov with the f5 80mm espirit.

17 minutes ago, Adam J said:

Flattners dont correct vignetting, they correct for field curvature. Apart from that imaging at F7.5 is also not so great.

My mistake , it reduces halation, I have obviously been given some duff information

regards

eric

I have  used my espirit 80mm f5 for imaging (mostly eaa), I have researched in detail and the 533 is a perfect match for my specific 80mm, the sq sensor fits most objects in the FOV I wish to image, and there are LOTS & LOTS of DSO Objects suitable !

I will be using the Optolong L-enhance duo band filter for my bortle 8 backyard where most of my imaging is done, it restricts a lot of LP and additionally brings out colour particularly in Emission Nebulla ,Just waiting for things  to settle down in China and delivery of my 533 from FLO.

ERIC

On 15/02/2020 at 20:15, Adam J said:

I see, you will almost inevitably want a flatterer / reducer in the near future for imaging.

Vignetting should not be a problem with the 533 sq chip size and 80ed from what I have read so a Flattener is not required.

eric

6 hours ago, Muzz said:

As a customer with an effected preorder I just want to say thank you to all at FLO. I am sure this is a very difficult and time consuming situation for you all to deal with. I certainly appreciate everything you do! (Just like many others here)

Things will get back to normal - In the mean time I am enjoying the clouds and gale force winds so it isn't like I would be in a position to use the ASIAIR anyway

As mentioned, the weather here would have curtailed use of my on order ZWO 533 in any case, so in many ways it is not that fustrating in reality.

eric

2 hours ago, soldave said:

Good evening all. Just joined the forum as I've just joined the ranks of telescope owners with the purchase of a used Sky-Watcher 130M. I have zero experience with telescopes and astronomy so this is very much going to be a voyage of discovery for me. The telescope looks in good condition though so hopefully I've made a good purchase. I'll be reading up on here to find out what a decent replacement lens is as I've heard the 10mm isn't spectacular on this, as well as which laser collimator to get, decent grease for the worm gear etc. And that's before we get to using the thing! The only question I have right now Is regarding the metal piece that looks almost circular and then with an arm coming off it (see pics 2 and 3 below). The screw holding it in place was loose when I got the telescope. Can someone advise what it's for and whether it's in the right position or not?

Anyway, that's it from me for now. I'm sure I'll be active on this forum. Very active!

Where in West Yorkshire are you, if near Wakefield come and join us.

eric

Wakefield Astronomical Society member

1 hour ago, Dave Lloyd said:

Hi and welcome. The mount you have is an equatorial. If you just want to point and shoot to start with you can put that dial to 90 degrees and use it as an alt azimuth mount. This just means that it will work just like a camera on a tripod. And don't worry, you'll soon be throwing those terms about like the rest of us😁

Good advice

On 09/01/2020 at 08:56, laserguide said:

I just don't feel ready to jump into mono cameras yet,wirh separate filters etc. Maybe one day 🙂

For my West Yorkshire backyard  sky (bortle 😎 I am going to Stick with a OSC, with a optolong or zwo duo band filter, & sharpcap.

The new OSC CMOS cameras are very sensitive with low noise and image capture in colour is a lot easier learning curve than messing with Mono & filters etc.

The duo band filter is a good LP suppressor & boosts certain Emission Nebula colour.

The Mono cameras are a favourite amongst some folk, but not for me.

I was torn between the 294 & 533 , the square sensor and FOV of the 533 is sufficient through my 80 mm Espirit to capture the images I want.

Each to their own and as is often said regarding astro gear, it is a very subjective subject !!

On order ZWOASI533pro with FLO, due March sometime hopefully,  🤔

regards

Eric

ZWO 533 pro arrived, optolong L-eNhance dual band filter arrived, next step, as I do EAA mostly is to try the new ASI Studio software, simple UI and although in its initial development looks ready made for EAA enthusiasts, Sharcap although tried & tested software has a steep learning curve and I found 'glitches' in its stacking of images, so next clearish night I will have a go with the ZWO Studio software and see how things go.

regards

eri 

On 13/02/2020 at 12:12, sploo said:

Having done a bit of simple astrophotography using a DSLR+camera lens+Skywatcher Star Adventurer I've picked up a nice simple noob starter scope... a 300P flextube Dobsonian (yea, I know).

Despite my complete lack of scope experience, I'm so far enjoying the views through the scope (and probably should be asking lots of questions about that); but my mind is turning to the photography question.

In terms of tracking, I assume the altazimuth GOTO mounts would be able to find (and maybe keep) a particular star or galaxy centred in the field of view, but that they would not be able to correct equatorial rotation - such that you'd continue to look at the right object, but it would slowly rotate in the view?

My 300P doesn't have the GOTO system but I'm mulling over ideas for adding motors - either altazimuth, or maybe a Poncet Platform for the whole scope+mount to sit on.

You need a goto, alt/az is ok if using sharpacap and a CMOS OSC, SC makes slight adjustement to keep object on track and minimise Field rotation, the latest CMOS cameras from ZWO are also  good on a alt/az mount.

For really good images it has to be EQ though.

eric

On 13/09/2019 at 23:10, GavStar said:

My family enjoy summer holidays in the Canary Islands, great food, sun and lots of swimming. I add to that fantastic skies for astronomy and on our most recent trip, I was able to stay two nights in the Teide national park hotel, Parador de las Cañadas del Teide. This hotel is situated at about 2100m high and is the only place to stay in the national park itself so has very good dark skies.

Attached is a daytime photo I took of my observing location.Given luggage constraints, I decided to take my recently acquired Tak FSQ-85 together with my night vision monoculars and various eyepieces for afocal use. Also attached is a photo of my setup in use at Teide. Apart from a quick test session at home, this was my first chance to try the Tak and I was eager to see what the fast side flat field views would be like with Night Vision under a dark sky. I wasn’t disappointed:)

The Tak worked brilliantly with my skywatcher az gti and once I’d done the initial alignment I didn’t have to update it for the rest of the session.

Night 1

Lovely clear skies on arrival at the hotel at about 8pm. I had a beer in the hotel for refreshment after a day in the sun and then headed out once it got dark at about 10pm. I took a number of sqm measurements through the night and the best was 21.58. First up I decided to just have a scan of the Milky Way with my night vision monoculars. The centre of the Milky Way was pretty high (certainly compared to the UK!) and the dark rifts were as clear as I’ve seen.

I took a short phone video of the views which gives some indication of what was visible.

 

Then the Tak was setup. I did a star test and this showed the optics were top notch.

First up with the Tak was some planetary viewing (not with nv!) of Jupiter and Saturn which are much better placed in Tenerife than the UK. I was using my 3.5mm Pentax Xw giving around 130x. The GRS really popped out and around 6 cloud bands were visible. The seeing was very good and I got very sharp views. Saturn showed the Cassini division very clearly plus some cloud handing on the actual planet. A great start!

Next up I used my night vision in afocal mode to get my first proper view of m22. I used an 18mm delite to get 25x mag and got nice mass of stars resolved in the centre. 

I was keen to see what the Tak could deliver for widefield vision views so changed to my 55mm plossl in afocal mode (with ha filter for viewing emission nebulae) which would give an effective speed of f2.5 and a field of view of nearly 5 degrees.

With Cygnus high overhead, I couldn’t resist looking at some old favourites. The fast effective speed and dark sky combination really showed since emission nebulae just was everywhere. With the fast speed of the Tak the plossl did show some astigmatism at the edge of the fov but the very minimal field curvature controlled this well and the widefield views were excellent. 5 degrees is larger than I normally observe with and I found that I enjoyed the additional framing of the larger objects.

For example, here is the Veil, North America/Pelican and Crescent nebulae.

The background emission nebulae is very apparent in the Crescent image and gives an indication of how the skies looked as I was just panning up from Sagittarius to Cygnus.

Next up was a look at the nebulae in Sagittarius (which in the UK are very low, but significantly higher in Tenerife). The large fov and low mag meant that the detail in these smaller objects was limited but again the background nebulosity again came out well. 

Here you see the Swan and Eagle and the Trifid and Lagoon.

Given the dark skies, I then moved on to some less well known objects. Here is CED 214.

 

I’d noticed recently a large object near the bubble which I wanted to explore more. From research afterwards I discovered this was sharpless 157 or the lobster claw. 

And I often find the widefield views of the nebula containing the elephant’s trunk a bit indistinct and disappointing but not tonight - the dark nebula was clearly visible.

The pac-man, cocoon and wizard were quite small but still fun to view

It was approaching 2am now and a couple of old friends had now arrived reasonably high in the sky. The heart and the soul nebulae, which were again framed really nicely by the Tak/55mm plossl combo. 

It had now been a long day, so I decided to pack up and get some sleep ready for night 2...

Night 2

I spent the day at the beach with my family and then did the drive up the mountain at about 8pm. When I left the coast it was sunny but it gradually got cloudier and cloudier as I went higher. By the time I arrived at the Teide hotel it was completely clouded over .

Checking the internet satellite pics things looked much more hopeful with skies looking clear by around 10.30pm. I went out around 10pm and by the time I had setup the skies were once again dark (sqm 21.48 max) and clear with the Milky Way sweeping overhead as before.

This time I focused mostly on real-time nv visual observing, moving from Sagittarius upwards towards Cygnus following the swathes of nebulosity visible through my Tak. A breathtaking view of the night sky.

After a couple of hours of just scanning the general emission nebulae in the Milky Way, I took a few phone images of some lesser known dsos.

A couple of examples were sharpless 119 and sharpless 86.

 

To end day 2 I finished with another couple of favourites. First up the 5 degree fov of the setuo gave a great framing of the gamma cygni nebula (which seems a bit underrated compared to the North American etc) but I really like it. And the the California nebula, again the large fov captured this large nebulae well.

The next morning as I was driving down the mountain back to the coast (listening to Suede, Oasis, Radiohead and Duran Duran(!)), I reflected on the 2 nights observing. My new scope worked faultlessly with the az gti and the skies were the best I’ve observed under. I realised that I get so much more enjoyment observing with nv under dark 21+ skies rather than the 18.4ish I get at home in SW London. Even though the nebulae are visible in London, the sky background is much brighter unlike the dark skies where the sky background is inky black and the nebulae just seem to pop out of the sky. 

 

 

Brilliant report and great images.

52 minutes ago, Calzune said:

I´m soon going to a astro cam,my first plan was to go for zwo asi 294 pro, but since there is licensing issue and the corona virus the stocks are out.

so... Im thinking of going for mono , asi 1600mm.

zwo offers different kits and im not sure of what I should get. there is LRGB, LRGB+OII,SII and HA. (this is the most expensive one and it is double the price of asi 294 pro.

How often do people use the RGB filters? I know that L is good for detail and OII,SII and HA is great for nebulas.

I dont want to spend to much on this but in AP you always do.... Any tips on the kits?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-cameras-imaging-bundles.html

https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/product/asi1600mm-c-mini-kit

 

What would you go for?

What is the licensing issue ?

The Optolong dual band filter has good reviews for OSC cameras especially on Emission Nebulas, and there are lots of those  , also, a good LP filter all in one.

Eric

ps: You cannot really use individual colour filters on a OSC .

Change of tack, Now going for the 533 suits my set up better, on order with FLO when ZWO are up and running again.

Give the eyepiece a miss ,Use a Telrad to get you on target, then mess with your settings, Alt/Az works fine.

eric

Interesting article, I have just sold my Atik Infinity, had it 2 yr and it is a good camera , easy to use software, and can capture decent images for the purpose of EAA, it is however when all said and done a video camera for DSO, drawback is it is not intended for the purpose of capturing Solar System objects.

I have been thinking of buying the Atik Horizon but not certain it is worth the extra cost over the OSC ZWO294 MC pro which has both DSO and Solar System capability. ( I dont know if the Horizon has Solar System capability)

Sharpcap 3.2 apparently works very well with the ZWO range, and I think I may well be heading in that direction.

However, anyone new and wishing to start out capturing DSO's I would highly recommend the Infinity for its ease of use.

Eric 

Has a small pixel size to bear in mind