Adreneline

2 hours ago, geeklee said:

I trimmed down this list and scripted some simple output from Simbad until I had the four with the highest redshift (z) that were visible.  I created a custom catalogue (yellow) which shows their designation, redshift and Light Travel Time.

This is clever stuff Lee - the defaults in PI Image Solve & Annotate can be overwhelming! Another great job joining all four panes - seamless integration and a perfect background - to my eyes!

Adrian

17 minutes ago, StevieDvd said:

but with the capture repeating automatically

This is the really cool feature - updating almost in realtime.

It was curiosity that led me to complete a PM alignment and then check it with SharpCap using the PM camera - confidently expecting it would spot on! Oh well - too much to hope for. I also then went on to check with the ASIair and I didn't score 10/10 for that either! Lesson learnt - stop fretting and get on imaging - I am a PoleMaster devotee.

Exactly my experience with a PoleMaster.

I found the QHY camera is also recognised by SharpCap so you can use that as confirmation if you feel so inclined - but I would advise against it - and don't be tempted to triple check with an ASIair either! 🤣

The Iris, now with nine hours of data - not sure it worth investing more time - the law of diminishing returns is starting to kick in I fear:

Time to focus on the ET and try to grab some more data before astro darkness is lost in about five weeks time.

Thanks for looking.

Adrian

Interesting to see what you've achieved - I am currently imaging the exact same thing and have amassed 150m of R, G and B and 90m of Lum - it's a challenge.

I think I prefer your Medium Iris but your Bold dust/background.

Adrian

2 minutes ago, carastro said:

Had to scratch my head at "ET", thought you had captured a UFO with this Iris for a minute,  🤣

Lovely images Adrian.

Thank you Carole. Haha - I don't subscribe to UFOs.

I'm currently reading the Foundation series which predicts a time when we populate the galaxy - a terrifying prospect.

Adrian

Thanks Lee.

RGB imaging is my nemesis - truth is I don't have a clue what I am doing so I don't do too much!

6 minutes ago, geeklee said:

I just need to get all that dust off my desk from the IC1396 image, it's covered in it

Haha! You know me. I am a firm believer that space is dusty, dirty and dark with pockets of beauty - and dangerous, but not to us imagers - only our wallets! 😆 

Nebula season might be drawing to a close but in the late hours of the evening NGC7023 rises above 30 degrees just after astro darkness begins, followed by IC1396 at around about 02.00.

These two provide an interesting contrast for the SM90ED+ASI1600MM+8EFW to do first a bit of broadband imaging and then a bit of narrowband imaging.

Here is six hours over two nights (two hours per RGB filter) on the NGC7023 .....

followed by six hours over two nights (two hours per 3nm narrowband filter) on IC1396.

I have intentionally set out not to over process these images and intend to keep adding data until astro darkness runs out in May - clear (Moonless for the Iris) nights permitting.

Captured with an ASIair, pre-processed in APP, post-processed in PI.

Thanks for looking.

Adrian

45 minutes ago, maw lod qan said:

My, system isn't back to normal yet.

But it has got to have been worth the system disruption surely. What an unforgettable experience.

13 hours ago, Ags said:

I know RC collimation is a famously fiddly thing. I hope to get close enough with a cheshire and finish the process with star testing. I may end up buying more collimation mcguffins before I'm through!

You probably don't want to hear this but I found I couldn't get a satisfactory collimation with the stock focuser unit - too much droop from the draw tube. I upgraded to a Baader DST and found collimation to be much easier and all done with a Baader laser collimator and a star test. I sold my RC purely cos' it was getting too much of a lift for my ageing hands - I was frightened to death I'd drop it one cold night. Like so many astro things I now regret selling as the images it produced when used with an ASI294MC (also sold  ) were very good indeed.

1 hour ago, wimvb said:

I use a MeanWell 12V 150W power supply

+1

A definite improvement at 1:1. More natural colour, more depth and structure revealed. Previous image looked over-sharpened to my eyes but then it is all quite subjective. Worth a re-visit for sure.

On 21/03/2024 at 21:39, Stu said:

The clouds

I have imaged these many times and have in fact named them the Pita Nebula. They can exhibit great structure and colour and can be captured easily with any telescope/camera combination - preferably short exposure and no guiding.

3 hours ago, MonsterMagnet said:

I can't seem to find the grub screw which allows the coarse adjustment knob to come off - any advice appreciated.

You need to rotate the focuser until the grub screw comes into view through the hole underneath.

HTH.

Didn't realise Brocken Spectre was included @shinebug777

Caught flying out of Frankfurt on route to Prague - with my iPhone.

33 minutes ago, geeklee said:

I'll tag @Adreneline as I think he may have a photo of his DSLR attached to the lens and focused on stars.

Here is my Canon 6D (unmodified) attached to my Samyang 135mm and perfectly focussed (to my eyes anyway) on a star field.

What's good enough for Canon and Samyang is good enough for me!

Right or wrong I do everything I can to adjust the backspacing between camera sensor and lens to ensure I get focus within the base of the 'L' for every filter.

I accept that each filter (L, R, G, B, Ha, OIII, and SII - all 2mm thick) does not focus in the exact same position but everyone does focus within the base of the 'L'.

I am not sure why I would want to image without a filter, but if I did then with the SY135 the focus mark will most definitely move outside the base of the 'L' as implied by @geeklee.

If it focuses anywhere else then I would suggest the spacing is sub-optimum.

This is my 1600 in my SY135 with 1mm Astronomik filters and spacing adjusted to ensure the focus mark is within the base of the 'L'. (Sorry it's a rubbish photo - I thought I had a better one but can't seem to find it  ).

HTH

Adrian

That is an impressive amount of detail Alan, and 49 hours on a galaxy target is serious commitment.

I was considering using continuum subtraction on one of my own images the other day - I need to take a proper look at the process.

Thanks for sharing.

Adrian

10 hours ago, Astrosurf said:

That brought up co-ords. But how do I translate them to RA and Dec to enter into the ASIAir GoTo feature?

On my version of SkySafari if you go to the settings screen you can select Horizon (seems to be the default), Equatorial (what you need for the ASIair) or Ecliptic (for people more clever than me!)

If you select Equatorial then the App will give you the RA and Dec settings you need for the ASIair GoTo

HTH

Adrian

With all this cloud and rubbish weather imaging opportunities are (a) few and far between, and (b) frequently punctuated by clouds.

I have decided to move away from my NB comfort zone and image some open clusters on the basis that I can take lots of 30s exposures and even if half end up in the bin hopefully I'll still have enough to make an image.

This is image R:G:B = 18:22:24 x 30s - more than 54 frames were binned due to clouds, haze and contrails.

The Collinder catalogue is a catalogue of 471 open clusters compiled by Swedish astronomer Per Collinder; published in 1931  some of the entries are now disputed, nevertheless it is an interesting group of objects many of which are worthy of imaging.

Collinder 464 is a 4th magnitude Open Cluster appearing in the constellation Camelopardalis. It contains some pretty interesting stars.

(This diagram is courtesy of SkySafari - aligned with the image above using PI DynamicAlignment)

Centre stage is BN Camelopardalis (HD32650), a 5th magnitude Variable Star. It is 378 light years from our solar system. It is a blue-white star of spectral type B9pSi and its energy output is 76 times the Sun's luminosity.

We also have HD 31312 (HR 1572), a 6th magnitude Variable Star. It is 681 light years from our solar system. It is a red giant of spectral type K5III. Its surface temperature is 4050 Kelvins - 30% cooler than the Sun's - and it is 37.2 times the Sun's diameter in size. This star's total energy output is 337 times the Sun's, and it has a mass of 1.2 Solar masses.

In the same region is HD 31565 (HR 1587), a 6th magnitude Variable Star. It is 1546 light years from our solar system. It is a red star of spectral type K0 and its energy output is 624 times the Sun's luminosity.

Positioned between the two is HD 31590 (HR 1589), a 6th magnitude Double Star. It is 558 light years from our solar system. It is a white main-sequence star of spectral type A1V. Its surface temperature is 9395 Kelvins - 1.6 times hotter than the Sun's - and it is 3.9 times the Sun's diameter in size. This star's total energy output is 107 times the Sun's, and it has a mass of 2.7 Solar masses.

Finally, sneaking in near the left hand side of the image is HD 34450 another 6th magnitude Variable Star. It is 1607 light years from our solar system. It is a red giant of spectral type M0.5IIIbBa0.5. Its surface temperature is 3690 Kelvins - 36% cooler than the Sun's - and it is 96.1 times the Sun's diameter in size. This star's total energy output is 1545 times the Sun's, and it has a mass of 1.2 Solar masses.

I've looked on Astrobin and cannot find any other images of Collinder 464 - maybe I am searching for the wrong thing.

So despite the incessant clouds preventing my first choice of NB imaging at least I got something from a night with the telescope under the stars - or should I say clouds!

Just got 470 left to do  

Thanks for looking.

Adrian
 

We were lucky enough to get a really good one in October last year.

Two pots of gold!

I upgraded my Baader NB filters to Astronomik 6nm and I am very pleased with them. I have since purchased Antlia 3nm NB filters for my second rig and they are amazing - to me.

I still use the Baader RGB filters and the Blue is the weak one. I am deliberating like you as to where to go from here so I shall be interested to see what advice you get.

Adrian

P.S. The reason I moved to Antlia is they are 2 mm thick - like the Baader - so were a good match in the same filter wheel (8EFW) which is really helpful when using the 8EFW with my Samyang 135 lens.

4 hours ago, Skipper Billy said:

I didnt know there is a delay feature - I will have to investigate!

HTH

8 minutes ago, tomato said:

You have a Mesu so you could try extending the sub exposure time.

Picking up on @tomato's comment - I have an iOptron encoder mount and the advice I received from iOptron was to use the Delay feature in PHD rather than extending the exposure time; encoder mounts can exhibit a sort of 'hunting' behaviour where PHD is effectively fighting with the encoders. Sadly my iOptron mount failed before I got the chance to use this feature; previously I had never managed to get guiding working with my CEM25-EC.

I am aware you have had this working in the past so this may be a complete red herring but @tomato's prompted me to share what I had been told.

Adrian

Depth, structure, just the right amount of colour and loads of detail. What's not to like?

Nice delicate touch with the processing Lee; I much prefer images that are not oversaturated, but that is very much a personal thing.

I have yet to try HDRComposition in PI, but then I keep shying away from M42 - there's always next year!

Looks like you've got the Epsilon tuned to perfection too.

Adrian

9 hours ago, Fegato said:

I agree with the others - a really nice composition!

Good luck with the completion.

Thank you Robin. To stand any chance of getting a 'finished' image this year (if there such a thing as a finished image) I really need to put the ASI1600 on the Samyang and prey for a couple of clear nights to get some OIII and SII. I could also do with some Ha to reinforce what I already have. The next seven days look terrible but you never know!

Adrian