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JohnSadlerAstro

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Everything posted by JohnSadlerAstro

  1. JohnSadlerAstro
    M81 - My first galaxy photographed that was the subject
    Nice image! I took a pictureof M81 & 82 using almost the same equipment, but no supernovae!!!
  2. JohnSadlerAstro

    New "Meme" profile pic showing me watching on as my savings leave HM Government's Investment Program and enter the primary of my scope.

  3. JohnSadlerAstro

    New setup is working really well (except the finder) I am planning to get the Christmas Tree thing from FLO that allows multiple finders at the same time so I can use red dot and finderscope together.

    Autoguiding still on track for debut in July! :D 

    1. PESKYWAABBIT

      PESKYWAABBIT

      Just to let you know, although the multi finder shoe is in stock it actually currently isn't. I ordered one at the beginning of the month but and it's being manufactured now and wont be in their stock room till the end of the month. Hope that helps mate :) (currently hating having to swat finderscopes and guide scope around too) XD 

    2. JohnSadlerAstro

      JohnSadlerAstro

      Thanks for letting me know. :) 

  4. JohnSadlerAstro

    New telescope, new mount, and auto-guiding to come soon....

    Due to a most amazing turn of events, my "Operation 2017", which was originally going to be a mount upgrade to EQ3-2, suddenly turned into a full-on equipment rampage! Following January's new EQ5 and motors, I have now replaced my 3-year-old Explorer 130 starter scope with a 130 P-DS (130mm newts are where it's at :D!) although I am planning to work on some restoration of this scope so I can use it for planetary and lunar observing on the EQ2 while I image with the other setup.

    But that's not all--for my birthday in July, my (very) tolerant parents (who are about the only people I know who understand why I should spend thousands on rather frustrating optics) have agreed to get me a guider-finder and basic guidecam! As my EQ5 has the advanced motor pack with ST-4 connector, etc., all I need to do is set it all up and I'll be (mostly) good to go! :)

    Meanwhile, a LP filter, Cheshire, and other gadgets are required from my pocket money.....I think I will very soon be one of FLO's most "valued" customers....:D:D 

    John

    1. Knighty2112

      Knighty2112

      Yeah. We all spend our hard earned pennies there! We must be making FLO into millionaires with what we splurge out on Astro equipment! ;) 

    2. JohnSadlerAstro

      JohnSadlerAstro

      They deserve it though, next-day delivery and all that. :) 

  5. JohnSadlerAstro
    Or, "Somebody"; I think that was me! I must try that out with my new P-DS. John
  6. JohnSadlerAstro
    Hi, If you want the theme to be "Clouds", get these guys on the job! https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/ John
  7. JohnSadlerAstro
    Hi, My 130P-DS is due at the door any minute FLO certainly have quick dispatching and shipping! John
  8. JohnSadlerAstro
    redchannel2.jpg
    Wow!!! Nice capture! will you make a full RGB version anytime soon? That would look amazing.
  9. JohnSadlerAstro
    Ouch! That sounds nasty. Though you can probably claim to be one of the very few people to be able to see Black Holes..... John
  10. JohnSadlerAstro
    Hi, So this is a comparison... no prizes for guessing which is 8-bit!!! Interestingly, 8 bit is 1.2 MB, 16 bit is 10.4 MB! (both have slight sharpening applied). The halos on the 16bit are a result of something............but its not in GIMP, stack looks like it, so I don't know. (oh, and only 13 frames in 16 bit, 70 or so in 8-bit, I did a very critical restack.) This is the old, 8-bit, with bad gradient, noise, nasty colour, and clipped. Then we have the 16-bit version, still loads more processing to do, no clipping, lots of colour, loads less noise, and overall "healthy" look. Although I haven't got everything out of it yet, the data is really improved in it. (I like images with quite right backgrounds, easier on the eyes, black sky = bad sky)
  11. JohnSadlerAstro
    Hmmm...Nice idea, that.....your SW as bad? We've had 2 "good" nights this year--my mount has more motors than that! Issue with Gaussians is, they can reduce resolution; planetary imaging-- (I've only recently heard of that, never realized you could see PLANETS or THE MOON whatever that is from the SW!!! ) ---would be a nightmare with that! John
  12. JohnSadlerAstro
    I am so sorry, sire moderator. I was too excited LOL John
  13. JohnSadlerAstro
    Erm....can you get banned for using too many emojis?
  14. JohnSadlerAstro
    My HAPPIEST post ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have 16-bit GIMP now!!!!!! Thank you so much for the links to it. It's amazing! I could see the difference as soon as I did the 1st stretch!!! Now I know why my photos were looking bad!!!!! Ha Ha, beat ya, noise!!!! I am soooo excited right now.......... Also Gradient...It melts away with discerning use of the Curves function!!! Before the background looked like.....a typical 'clear' night in the South-West, ie., muddy puddle... I will look into the trial versions of the £££ software, and see how they compare, and perhaps buy one one day........ (Though it seems unjust to ME for me to have to spend my MEAGRE pocket money on a COMMERCIAL license , but then.....) John
  15. JohnSadlerAstro
    How do I download this? Just click on the Latest ".md5" file?
  16. JohnSadlerAstro
    Hi, So I've recently realized how much 8-bit GIMP is affecting my images, and I wondered, is PixInsight worth the £175 price tag? And do I have to pay that much? Surely I'm not "Commercial?" Also, is there actually a 16-bit version of GIMP available? John
  17. JohnSadlerAstro
    Hi, When I owned an EQ2, my motor drive seemed to work ok, the main issue I had was the big hawser that seemed to be necessary to supply power from the handset to the motor ! I think really that the EQ2's drive is very basic, and as there 's no polar alignment scope, I personally have spent 3 hours drift aligning, and still found it wanting. (Although I still used it in my 1st imaging attempts). I never got a stationary image. Thank goodness and an Uncle for supplying the money for an EQ5! And just a thought----this thread was started in 2009, lol John
  18. JohnSadlerAstro
    yeah, I meant about an hour of 60-90s expos. Thanks for the advice, I'll try it with the lens, and see what I can get.
  19. JohnSadlerAstro
    Hi, OK, so this is rather an ignoramus question, but would I be able to capture the Rosette Nebula with an unmodded Canon DSLR on a 900mm focal length scope with an expo length of say, 1:00-1:30? John
  20. JohnSadlerAstro
    On a serious note, (not wanting my humour to get me banned)! What would you suggest as the best method for taking white frames? I've been having trouble with vignette, but as my sensor is large, its more one-sided. (I'm ok with dust as my DSLR auto cleans the sensor every time it turns on or off). John
  21. JohnSadlerAstro
    Hi, Nice pic, mate! Perhaps some photoshop to bring out the details? John
  22. JohnSadlerAstro

    My New EQ-5 Mount Has Arrived; It's all set up now, apart from the motors, which where not in stock with FLO when I ordered. Just a warning to all: THE INSTRUCTIONS SUPPLIED BY SKYWATCHER ARE NOT GOOD! :D If you follow them, be prepared for: 1. Some entertainment! & 2. Words not found in the dictionary! :D

     

     

  23. JohnSadlerAstro

    M1 Crab Nebula

    JohnSadlerAstro commented on HiloDon's gallery image in Member's Album

    M1 Crab Nebula
    WOW!! What camera/setup are you using?
  24. JohnSadlerAstro
    My EQ-2 mount is nearing the end of its useful life. It has suffered a screw shear on the Dec. Slo-Mo controls, and now the handle of the main mount bolt has disintegrated. Although I would like to repair the mount, and keep it in operation, unfortunately, it is getting left behind in my astrophotography journey, and a replacement was due within a year or two. The recent disasters have only highlighted the need for this, and so a replacement is on its way! More next week.... ===========IN MEMORIUM============ EQ-2 (2012-2016). A Wonderful Telescope Mount. Who Passed Away While Drift Aligning On The Front Path, And Who Will Never See The Stars Again. WE WILL MISS YOU
  25. JohnSadlerAstro

    Deep-Sky Images

    Images added to a gallery album owned by JohnSadlerAstro in Member's Album

    My very first Deep-Sky attempts, taken with EOS 1000d and EQ2 with 200mm lens.
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