2STAR

19 hours ago, Adam J said:

In my experience lots of the yellows are lost in any LP filter when imaging galaxies. That would go in hand with the filter absorption curve. I can only speak about DSLR from personal experiance, but there is nothing fundamentally different from a DSLR to a dedicated OSC in terms of RGB color balance.

Adam

Thanks for your reply

eric

On 23/07/2019 at 11:07, Adam J said:

You will end up with a pixel scale of <0.5 arcseconds per pixel. Along with the weight of a 200/1000 (don't go with the F4 for galaxies) you will be struggling to guide to the required accuracy without an extremely capable mount / probably in a obsy. Also you will be struggling to get sufficiently good seeing (atmospheric conditions) to enable you to resolve objects down to <0.5 arcseconds per pixel unless you are imaging from an elevated location.

Thats not to say you cant do it though, its actually potentially a very good galaxy combination, your just setting yourself up for a challenge. The 183 is useful as a pure galaxy imaging at between 750mm and 1000mm focal lengths and for wide field nebula imaging at focal lengths <400mm.  I would seriously consider the 183m though as opposed to the OSC if you want to image galaxies in any light pollution at all as using filters with an OSC will result in horrible colour balance.

Adam  

Adam, you refer to the use of any filters with OSC  resulting in 'horrible Colour' balance,  can you please enlighten on that assumption, as it contradicts what I have read and researched elsewhere, eg:  The Optolong L-enhance duo band filter which I have  read numerous articles on its recommendation for use in Bortle 6 + skies, in particular with the ZWO range of ASI OSC.

regards

Eric

Still named EAA on some sites !

On 13/12/2019 at 22:10, david_taurus83 said:

I just looked up that camera. The sensor is 11mm x 11mm so your FOV is almost half as small as the one I used mentioned above.

 

Personally, i think the method used to describe the size of these sensors is misleading.

 

Hi, Thanks, I guess I will have to wait until January and give it a go

45 minutes ago, david_taurus83 said:

I could polar align with Sharpcap with my ASI1600 on my WO GT71 at 336mm...

 

FOV with this was 3.0° x 2.3°

Thank you for your reply, it has helped answer my query prior to purchasing the camera.

Eric

1 hour ago, cuivenion said:

I think you should be fine with this, it's actually a wider FOV than a typical guide camera and guidescope (in one axis). You will have to get the mount in the right area to begin with, I tend to just get Polaris near the center of the FOV in the polar scope before I use Sharpcap polar alignment. Just too double check your scope is 400mm focal length?

 

OK, Thank you, yes it is 400mm FL, sounds encouraging, I am buying the camera in January . I am not looking for long exposure ie using a guide camera, but hoping to grab short 1-2 min subs and avoid rotation.

Eric

Quick question plz

Will I get enough stars 10+ in Sharpcap pro PA just using the ZWOASI533MC Pro Cooled Colour camera with the Skywatcher espirit 80mm triplet, I have the Polar Alignment scope for this mount Skywatcher AZ/EQ5, but have found it to be of no use due to it being mounted in such a way that my right  'weak eye' cant focus the thing lol, and getting my left eye up to it is like having to be a contortionist.

regards eric

The ota is f5, the camera is 1" square chip

On 28/03/2019 at 17:55, Grierson said:

I suppose the answer will be obvious when somebody knowledgeable posts but what is EEVA? It does not seem to be in the Glosary.

It has had a name change for some reason I think it now means Electronically Enhanced Video or Visual Astronomy ( or something like) it all means the same thing really, using a dedicated Video Camera to capture DSO's. 

On 15/08/2019 at 02:06, Wavseeker said:

you have a big national park tho to the north of you

It still gets Cloudy lol, we manage around 12 to 15 nights good sky per year.

Eric

On 12/08/2019 at 18:43, Wavseeker said:

what area of the UK are you in?

West Yorkshire

On 27/07/2019 at 02:18, Wavseeker said:

Ladies and gentleman, 

Thank you for helping me in advance. 

As a kid I've always been fascinated with the sky and what was in it. The nights sky is filled with beautiful stars and nebulae and I want to see them for myself and be amazed how insignificant we really are compared to this vast open space. So let me adress some of the key points that I want for a first scope.

1. Around €1000

2. Big aperture, I want to see as much as possible and as far as possible while not losing a clear image

3. I would like to have a push to or go to system

4. Beginner friendly

5. Size is not a problem 

8. I prefer reflectors since it seems they give more aperture for the money but if you know a better scope that sees more with less aperture let me know

9. I have a Canon 550D and maybe I could use this for a bit of astrophotography. This is last on the list tho and can be scrapped if the first 3 points aren't met

Of course build quality is very important when making my choice so keep that in mind as well.

I'm looking forward to you guys advice. 

 Happy stargazing and clear skies! 

Hi, If your sky is anything like here in the UK, then you do not get that many good nights per year, studying the night sky is an option if you live in a good area with not many clouds like here in UK North, forget getting a small scope or binoculars.

The Atik Infinity software is amazing in producing short exposure images on a laptop screen either Alt/Az or Eq .

Veil part little more colour same exp and set up

Couple from me, both taken in LP backyard at home , UV/IR filter, Skywatcher 80mm Espirit Triplet, Alt/Az Evolution goto/

Horsehead & Flame 15x45 sec, Part Veil Nebula 20x 30 sec, Camera Atik Infinity OSC

Beyond my simple mechanical no go mind Marci, but its interesting to read and I look forward to seeing it all in action on a visit to Winscar or elsewhere, good stuff mate

eric

The battery will do over 4 hour easy outdoor cold evening.

On 3/23/2016 at 21:58, wookie1965 said:

This scope is going to be awesome pity ere not going Buxton so i could see it and through it.

 

I have seen  through it !! its absolutely fantastic, Damian just needs to make some steps now to complete the job lol 

On 12/7/2015 at 00:51, JG777 said:

Sounds good Eric. Good luck for Tuesday night. I was out earlier with mine we had a clear night, first one in ages and the FLO app is predicting Tuesday clear as well so will go out again.

Ok a few more tips some based on silly mistakes I made. Have a look here http://www.latlong.net/lat-long-dms.html this site gives you co-ordinates in the required format of the Hand Controller, it needs to be in DMS ( degrees, minutes and seconds) . You tap these in to the HCs custom time site which you will need up there in Winscar. If for example you are going to the resovoir then this comes out as 1° 46' 2.2692'' W and 53° 31' 9.3828'' N. The HC takes the W cordinate first which is longitude and ensure it is set to West not East. Then tap in the latitude which is North. You can do this before you leave home and the settings will save. If you get this mixed up like I did once your scope will not align. Then ensure correct time, correct date in Month / day / year format , universal time and standard time. If you get that all in correct you are good to go. Yoy probably already know this stuff

2 star align is very reliable although you might want to give 3 star skyalign a go but I find skyalign a bit fussy. I used 2 star earlier and used Polaris as my first star then chose Vega for the second. Now dont ditch the RDF just yet because I admit I do have one on my scope as well as the RACI. It is a very decent RDF unlike the Celestron abomination, but an RDF is useful to get you into the general ball park area at the sart of the align. Ensure the RACI and RDF are aligned with the scope as near accurate as you can manage, this really helps things. Once you have the star in the eye piece defocus it and turn it into a big doughnut. This helps to centre it in the EP.

When you align try and ensure you approach each star from the same direction. Usually moving up and to the right.

Some people report they get better results if they mount the scope slightly forward heavy. I personally do not preffering to have it balanced, but this may work for you.

There are some indentation markers on the bottom edge of the mount for lining up with the bolts. Thats what I use in the dark.

Check you lower clearance on the OTA once you have the visual back, diagonal and EP in place. You might need to set a slew limit.

Have you got ant dew control? These big SCTs do fog up a bit without warning!

Les us know how you get on. Have a great evening.

Hi again, any thoughts on what I should set my slew limit to when I have my focal reducer/t connector or visual back and atik infinity camera connected, I have it at 70 deg at moment, but yet to use out in the field so to speak

eric

On 3/12/2016 at 22:35, Theninjagecko said:

Not vibration. The mount is very sturdy but tonight I noticed it seems loose even though everything's tightened up. Its hard to explain so I made a video. Is this normal ? Thanks. Apologies early for the camera orientation and the Walsall accent  

 

 

 

Yes, mine is exactly the same as yours, i get the same movement as you do, been like that a while now but hasn't seemed to get worse, and tracking etc appear to be unaffected.

Eric

1 hour ago, DoctorD said:

Hi Jorman

Sorry the Ultrastar didn't work out for you.

I think you may be being a little over critical or perhaps had too high expectations given your astrophotography background, although from Hilodon's "Ultrastar C Limitations" thread, I think that perhaps the Ultarstar was not really suitable for your needs.

With my Lodestar C (not the latest X2) and C8 with the F3.3 reducer, I can get an image in 30s which, for dimmer objects exceeds anything I can see with my eyeball from my light polluted garden (no real chance of dark adaptation given the two 1kw Halogen "security" lights my neighbours insist on using!). The image improves with further exposures and stacking, much like  the detail in an object can be seen with extended viewing.

I agree that this is not real time - it is electronically assisted astronomy (EAA) - perhaps in time we will see further camera developments that make true real time DSO observations possible and the video shared by  cuivenion shows a step towards this.

However, for many of us, the cameras we use provide the only way to view many DSO's in a level of detail that is otherwise impossible given the equipment we have and the lack of access to dark skies.

I hope that you do not totally give up on the Video/EEA aspect of our hobby - it is a great way to share what we do.

Other cameras are available such as the well respected Mallincam range which can be used without a computer as well as USB cameras from ATIK and Starlight Express (Lodestar X2 in particular) which have been used with some level of success. These have lower resolution and relatively small chip sizes which will affect what you can fit into the image - a range of OTA's/focal lengths are necessary to get the best from these devices 

I occasionally broadcast on VAL - 

http://www.videoastronomylive.co.uk/#!doctor-d/c1j5j

Please drop by and see what we can achieve.

Clear Skies

 

Paul

 

Being relatively new to astronomy and over 65yr in age , EAA suits me fine, GOTO mount/Ipad scope control/Laptop Camera control, no straining at the ep, easy quick set up, and colour images for me to look back on and show to family & friends, ok, so not works of art or even very good, but they are images lol. ( and many extremely difficult or even impossible for my eyes to see via just the ep

What I do know from reading on SGL & other related sites is that when it comes to equipment etc discussion, each to their own as it does appear quite a subjective matter lol

regards

Eric 

 

18 hours ago, jorman said:

Gentlemen,

 I have returned my Ultrastar C camera back to the vendor. He was kind enough to accept it with just a minimal restocking fee after hearing my arguments. I believe this field of imaging is not quite ready yet. I have seen some of your beautiful pictures, but the fact remains that most of those shots are taken in pristine skies and usually with multi-stacking of subs. If an image needs to be stacked, let's say 20 subs for 20 seconds each, that is over 6 minutes looking at the image. Hardly what one will consider live or near live imaging. My initial intention was to use this camera for outreach programs in our community, but no one is going to stand up behind a computer screen for over 5 minutes to see an image when they can walk to a telescope a few steps from the computer and look at a planet, or M42, etc. I think the cameras in the market are a good start, but until the average user under average light polluted skies can get a fairly nice looking image without much manipulation in less than 30 seconds, this field will remain a very small niche in the scheme of things. The vendor did not even want to sell me  the Lodestar 2X color because in his opinion the marginal gain in exposure time was not good enough for my application.

So I thank everyone that sincerely tried to help me out. I will remain on the look out for further camera improvements and hopefully in the near future I will join you again.

Sincerely,

Jorman

WOW !!!

At last John, everything is now 100% with the evo , just need the weather now

YKSE, I replicated what I saw in your photo, it appears to have solved my problem , many thanks for helping I appreciate the time and effort you made to assist me with this problem.

Eric

Member WADAS

There's another screw under the findscope you can adjust with a screwdriver.

My celestron RACI finder could be easily aligned with those two screws for a long time. One day it became quite off, not even losen or tighten the screw under could get it properly aligned. I put in a spacer between the screw and finder to get it work.

Celestron_RACI.jpg

Many thanks, I will give this a try & let you know,

It is a great RACI but I keep leaving the lights on with it and the batteries are always flat when I get out there. Have I got any spares in the box? Of course not!! I have got used to using it now without it lighting up. You can get pretty good alignment on a distant object in the daytime, then fine tune it out in the field.

hi again John, did you have any fuss with raci when aligning with your scope, I just cannot seem to get it spot on with both adjustment screws tight with my scope, I seem to need the raci Finder to move further left toward my scope but the adjustment screws won't screw in any further

I am finding this nearly as difficult as that handset holder !!!!!! .( well not quite lol)