Craig123

Hi all Like a good few on here I started imaging with a Skywatcher Ed80 purchased through SGL together with s/h Baader filters, all on an Heq5 now coupled with asi1600 mono. I sold some gear recently and considered saving for an Esprit 100 as an upgrade but I've started to wonder if I would be better off with some chroma NB filters so I can image when the moons about abit more with improved contrast etc Any advice on what might be the way forward ? I was told by a very knowledgeable chap that the Esprit will give incremental improvement on my current scope but think the filters might be more useful for now. When i started this hobby I thought it was difficult.. and I still do but in a different way 😂 Here is where I am at with my current set up from last month. Any advice much appreciated. Hoping to avoid (any more) costly mistakes.. 😁

Many thanks Alan. I feel like I'm getting to grips with it all a little better. A fascinating journey over the last couple of years. Sometimes unbeliavably frustrating and by turns rewarding. I will stick with it. 👍

Thanks 😊 I used my Skywatcher Ed80 bought on ebay, Baader NB filters bought on here plus Heq5 guided with qhy5ii. Camera was Zwo 1600 mono which I really like using.

Thanks Mark. Much appreciated

Hi all Here is The Elephants Trunk taken over 4 nights in lockdown over April with 3 in a row over the new moon.. Its the best run I've had thus far in my astrophotography journey here in Durham.. Hope there is more on the way. Processed in modified SHO in PI and PS. 48 x 10 min Ha 30 x 10 mins Sii 34 x 10 mins Oiii

The Zwo filters are well known for causing bad halos. Baader are better but I still get them on very bright stars using the narrowband set.

That looks great Micheal. Thanks 👍👍

I'm good with PA in sharpcap so that's one less concern. I have been imaging for a couple of years but used artemis capture and was familiar with that. It had a star marker feature to align imaging sessions so that's how I did it. I got an ASI1600 mono recently so that has lead to new capture software (SC) and now ascom. I knew there would be a few hiccups but was trying to avoid adding another programme in like ATP or SGP as much as people love them. At least till I know my way round this stuff... I may well end up checking out NINA

Yes. I have it on the computer and sharpcap has the find my location button suggesting it can see the plate solve application. I tried to solve but could only see 1 star. The camera capture screen had a good field of stars but I'm thinking the solver needs different settings.

Thanks. I will look that one up tonight. Two recommendations .. Any recommendations for plate solving BTW. I tried all sky plate solver via sharpcap camera control last night and it didn't work. Not sure if I need to configure a solver with focal length and pixel size etc or wether ascom already has the info to use elsewhere and tells the capture software what it needs.

Its an Heq5 Pro. Working out Phd has taken a back seat as I've run into various other issues since I started imaging that have taken up each clear night so I've just plugged in and used it as is and it seems to have worked well enough to get some imaging done but of course I want to improve. I didn't realise there was a dark library option for my guidescope until last night! but I've done one now so thanks for pointing me in that direction. I noticed the RA aggression was high and followed a tutorial suggesting it should be nowhere near 100 but each time the new profile wizard puts it up at 70.That was part of my initial confusion. I have to admit I need ro read up on drift alignment as that is new to me aswell.

Thanks Spillage. Much appreciated . I think I wil use the new profile wizard and look at the suggested settings for calibration and run darks off this afternoon incase it's clear later.

Thanks. I slewed up near the zenith and and switched on phd looping once I had my target framed. That's the way I usually did it with the st4 but never got this message.I need to calibrate lower down and then go to my target. Maybe because I've changed the way I connect to the mount

Thanks. Well I'm reading over the PhD manual and think the guiding tab advanced setup page is where I need to set it up. There is a calibration declination button in degrees which is at 0.Wonder if that's it. I remember getting a message saying not enough steps performed aswell now. Jeez.. Perhaps it wasn't such a great session now I think about it. 🤔

Hi everyone I tried to use my Heq5 mount via ascom last night for the first time. I've been building up/putting it off for ages and stuck with ST4. However i need to get platesolving worked out and had just added EFW so last night was the big night for ascom and whatever else that leads to. I connected and slewed via Stellarium which was a nice little buzz to watch as the clouds whizzed around eveywhere except Cassiopeia as i was trying out on the Heart. It didn't hit dead centre but pretty close. I tried plate solving through sharpcap using All sky plate solver but got a message saying only one star detected. It suggested changing something but in all the drama i forgot what that was.Perplexing as there were alot of stars and nebula on the subs. I centred it and then pressed PHD for guiding feeling elated to have got so far..ish.Then i got a message saying calibration wouldn't work well as i was not close enough to the equator...Change the dec to between -20 and +20.I had no idea what this meant and pressed re calibrate. I have never played with the settings on PHD and have guided for up to 20 minutes with ST4 but of course i changed the settings based on a tutorial as i went through an ascom test run in doors. The calibration message may just be because i switched to Ascom. I'm not sure. I've put screen shots up of my original settings that i just left as is from first use of phd and the new recommended ones. Which looks best as a starting point ? How do i change dec calibration between -20 and +20. I then tried imaging and with my very sketchy knowledge i thought the guiding looked Ok. Tried 5 minutes and stars looked ok. Then heavy rain....SO ...Can anyone help with these issues please. I feel i'm getting closer thanks to great advice on here and if i get this worked it will be a great day. I'm off to look at the phd manual for a while and see what i can glean from it. Screen shots below plus last months target of Tadpoles and thanks to those that helped me get to this point.

Yes thanks .. Totally worked. Even for doing darks on the scope. However it was abit finicky with a dram or two of whisky on NYE with elastic bands pinging off when changing filters. 😁

Hi Dave. I got back out on I C 443 around New year and the light leak is gone. Thanks to you and Vlad for keeping me right here

Thanks Dave. I was starting to think I needed to move house 😂 ..Of course the next clear night is Xmas eve.This hobby tests you to the limit.

Thanks also for that Dave. I will check it again. Those spacers are the standard zwo ones. The wheel is 1mm thicker than the zwo efw if I remember rightly. I also saw it stated 56mm was correct to account for filters which was the distance i measured to sensor. That said there is very slight mishappen stars on one corner.. The same annoying corner with the light leak I think.

Hi all. I posted a few pics of my setup on the Jellyfish imaging night. The next session I did that you kindly looked at @Vlad of the flaming star, I dimmed the laptop down and put it on red night vision but its still quite close to the big gap in the wheel ( you can even read the info on the filter edges through it ). How much do I need to be aware of light coming from the house. I try and keep it as dark as possible but my daughter sleeps with light on upstairs. Is it mostly light hitting the sensor from a leak or do I need to go as far as blackout blinds all over the back of the house ? It looks dark around the camera now except for handset and laptop but my eye might not pick up ambient light from around the garden.. or account for neighbour putting bathroom light on over the fence or similar. Many thanks

Thanks Dave. Yes, hopefully the wheel is the culprit . It's quite dark out the back with fields in the direction im imaging bortle 5 but my house is behind the scope . If a put foil over the wheel that may fix the leak. How much should I be wary of ambient light from my house. Do I need to get blackout blinds for example... I didn't expect the system to be so unforgiving but I'm also surprised at the quality and design of some of the gear I've bought. Craig

There's a few set up pictures Peter. There is a big opening on the optic star manual wheel which was close to a laptop and there was some light through the curtains of the house behind my scope.. Just a little but maybe that's enough to produce the big gradient on subs. Craig

Looks good. I'm not going to be popular in the kitchen with all the foil I've been using all of a sudden. I just hope that's what the problem is. There's a little ambient light coming from bedroom curtains above and behind where the scope is pointing but I didn't think it would affect my subs too much. Thanks for the suggestion. Craig