Adreneline

If you have not done so already you might find it helful/useful to buy a copy of 'Dark Art or Magic Bullet?' by Steve Richards @steppenwolf; the book provides valuable advice and guidance on using Photoshop to process astro-images. You don't say which camera you are using. I use a Canon 70D which I drive with BackYardEoS. BYEoS provides a focussing assistant which I find works really well although I know that others on this forum prefer to use the Live View feature on the camera; there is also a version of BYEoS for Nikon cameras. APT also provides focussing aids including a software implemented Bahtinov Mask. I am pretty sure both BYEoS and APT are available as fully functional trial software Good luck!

Hi! Well I have had a quick go at processing your image. I've used PixInsight and Photoshop. I cropped the outer edges a little before applying DynamicBackgroundExtraction twice - once in subtraction and once in division. I then created a mask so I could try to reduce the noise in the background using MultiLayerTransform process. I then cloned the image and performed a HistogramTransform stretch on one of them and an Arcsinhstretch on the other. I then saved them into Photoshop and used a layers to pull the colour from the arcsinh stretch into the histogram stretch image. I followed that up with some very careful use of the dodge and sponge tool and a final noise smoothing using Dfine. A lot more data would help pull out the details in M51 and some flats would help reduce the background gradients. Have to say you've done better than I ever did with a dslr. To me the image looks very well focussed and I like the framing - personally I like to see these targets surrounded by the vastness of space and not totally filling the frame. Hope this is of interest.

Hi Eddie, Thank you for responding in such a helpful manner. I must apologise for having misrepresented the potential of your software. I am a little surprised no one else corrected me at the time (seven months ago now) for not using the software to its full potential so hopefully your clarification will be of help to others. In my defense when this type of 'crisis' occurs you are just so glad you find something that exists to get you out of the mess you've created for yourself. The problem is that I have not made the same mistake twice - yet! - so I haven't used the software since and the next time I do it will all be rather unfamiliar again. The fact is your software was a lifesaver at the time - used to best effect or otherwise - and for that I am very grateful. Thank you again for putting me on the straight and narrow and my apologies for my inaccuracies in describing your software. Adrian

Getting a few crossed threads here! Not sure whta happened there. Glad to hear it's working - sometimes the old 'on-off' switch saves the day!

Haha! Why didn't I spot that? Must have been "the lateness of the hour"! Well spotted Fingers crossed that will sort the problem for @Kaliska

Hi, This is my driver setup page: I've input the entries for Timeout, Retry and Baud. Not connected to the mount at present so can't check the System status; I will do tomorrow if you're still having problems.

Hi. Apologies of you have already done this but did you click on Driver Setup and search for the comm port? - click on the little binocular symbol once the Driver Setup window opens. With my NUC the Lynx is either on Comm 3 or Comm 10 depending on which port I plug it into. Also, I had to run Toolbox as 'administrator' the first time I ran it in order to 'Register' the software (right-click and select 'Run as Administrator') HTH

Hi. I recently bought one of these: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0711R7JS6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AXZ3JQ1GVFPIF&psc=1 So far it seems to be coping with NEQ6 + Atik428 + ZWO120MM + HitecFocuser + ZWO mini filter wheel - all plugged into the NUC via a 6 metre (3+3) active usb3 cable. The hub is mounted on the side of the NEQ6 using bathroom silicone sealant! I guess only time will tell but so far so good. HTH

After a meridian flip maybe? - and no registration before combining?

Hi. After calibrating I register the r, g and b components with StarAlignment. I then crop off black edges with DynamicCrop. Next I apply DBE (or ABE maybe) before deciding if I need to use LinearFit before finally combining the registered inmages. I basically follow this tutorial: http://www.lightvortexastronomy.com/tutorial-preparing-monochrome-images-for-colour-combination-and-further-post-processing.html HTH's

I started using my (not inexpensive) Canon 70D dslr - which is my only camera - and was not too happy the first time I fetched it in afer a long night of imaging only to discover it was soaked/dripping with dew. That was enough to convince me to buy a osc ccd. Now I know lots of people rubbish osc cameras but with the weather we get here, or lack of clear skies, it has provided me with some very pleasing results. I know it has limitations but it works very well with my ED80DS. Over the last 20 months i have progressed to a mono ccd and filters and a second shorter focal length scope for bigger targets (nebula) but I still use the osc when imaging galaxies. HTH

Just a footnote: I emailed the VH developer saying I had experienced problems loading the optimised software onto a Pi3, giving full details of what I had done and what I wanted to use the application for, i.e. astrophotography. The response I got was "just use the the ARM build not the pi3, I haven't tested with a pi3+ yet". That was the full extent of the reply - so I won't be purchasing any time soon! Not sure why they would be offering software for sale that is untested - no wonder people have problems. A sad reflection of the age in which we live I suppose

Thank you for your response. I was using a fully wired connection - no wifi - and I was just using Artemis software on the NUC to capture the image. I will give the smaller ROI a try and try binning to see if it helps. I had hoped the new Pi3B+ might be fast enough. You are correct that the optimized builds can only be used under licence. The point I was trying to make was that when I attempted to install the optimised Pi3 software on the Pi it resulted in an error message, as it also did with the Pi2 optimised software. The Pi optimised installed without error but then the client software pops up and says no licence - no run! I am certainly not going to buy a licence if there is any chance it might not work so it's looking like I may be approaching the end of this road. Adrian

Hi Everyone, With March about to pass without a single image being taken my mind has turned to wire reduction and being able to move the OTA and mount further away from the house tethered only by a network cable and mains supply. Because I have a Raspberry Pi3 Model B+ to hand I thought I would try Virtualhere - just to see how far I can get to realising my goal without too much extra spend. The Virtual Client installed fine on the NUC and I have been able to install the basic usb-server (vhusbdarm) code on the Pi3B+; you can install the specific usb-server code without a licence although when I tried I got an illegal instruction command from the Pi. Nevertheless I persevered with the basic usb-server, connected successfully to the NUC and could see the Atik428ex connected to the Pi. I was all the more encouraged to see that Artemis could also see and use the camera. The resulting image was not so encouraging and I wonder if anyone can tell me the likely cause of the banding on the image. This is a 0.2s exposure using an L filter. The pylon is not that black but the sky colur is pretty accurate! I did not go so far as to try the mount connection (NEQ6) or guide camera (ASI120MM-S). Thanks in anticipation of any help. Adrian

I try lots of things Graham - and I'm getting used to disappointment - slowly Thanks for the link - it looks interesting. At least these eternally cloudy skies allow time for experimentation with the systems and peripherals. I will look forward to hearing your success story. Good luck. Adrian