Adreneline

Apologies for the terrible (understatement) quality of this video but it was totally unplanned and evolved as it went along. I am hoping I have captured Mercury setting over the Lincolnshire Wolds but please tell me if I am mistaken. Captured with a Canon 6D + Samyang 135mm; I really need an intervalometer! I just couldn't quite get Venus in the same frame as Mercury was setting. If we get another clear sunset over the next couple of weeks I'll try again. Adrian

This is a new one for me and I really like it. Wow! Excellent job despite the challenges. Very thought provoking - just stunning. Thanks for sharing. Adrian

Would that be for all applications of AI or just GPT? Adrian

Purely because I don't like the idea of leaving out, although I am sure the TG would protect it well enough. As I have no intention of mounting large telescopes on my pier I didn't go mad with a concrete mount - I settled for a modest block just 600 x 600 x 300 mm - that is still a big chunk of concrete! I kept disruption to the surrounding soil to a minimum. To me it feels completely solid and more than up to the task of providing a steady platform for the AZEQ6 and RedCat/SharpStar telescopes. I also routed a mains supply to the mount and a network cable - nothing fancy - just a mains lead with a moulded twin socket. The pet-warming mat is powered from the mains cable and switched to operate 6 hours ON - 6 hours OFF. I did have approval to build a permanent enclosure but this arrangement works more than well enough for me. I will PM you more photos of the build. Adrian

My permanent pier is one of the best things I ever did. The combination of AZEQ6+ASIair-Pro (or Plus) works flawlessly with hard-wired network and pretty well on wifi, but I am on the range limit. The combination of TG cover and pet-warming pad keeps the mount dry at all times; I always remove the OTA assembly at the end of a session. Typically takes me 5-10 minutes to be setup and ready to start an imaging session. HTH.

Very nice Stu - you've done a great job on the data. I couldn't resist having a little play. I too like to see these targets in the wider field context but your M51 is so good it can stand being the star of the show so I did a bit of cropping: Hope you don't mind. M51 is one of those targets that really captures the imagination. Adrian P.S. Trust the mk2 is going to plan.

I can honestly say I didn't have a problem with dew so I didn't use either - sorry, can't help with that one.

I ordered this one: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-diamond-steeltrack-focusers/baader-steeltrack-diamond-rt-for-refractors.html with this: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-diamond-steeltrack-focusers/baader-steeltrack-diamond-rt-adapter-m90x1-for-refractors-gso-rc-scopes.html Adrian

Just to add one thing - this is a single 120s frame taken with an unmodified Canon 6D (full frame) using the 6" RC at 1370 mm with no calibration frames - all I have done is apply a screen stretch and then a screen capture. ... and yet people claim you cannot use a full-frame sensor with a 6" RC - well I have done and it looks pretty good to me in terms of frame illumination / lack of vignetting. I also used the RC with a mirrorless Canon M6 MkII (APS-C) sensor : ... this is a single uncalibrated frame - 120s - a simple screen stretch in PI as with the 6D - 1370 mm. HTH Adrian

I was happy with this - I know it's not perfect but for a £375 scope it wasn't too bad - taken without the flattener/reducer, L from an ASI1600MM and colour from a Canon 6D. @Sarek - why do you need a BM when you've got spikes like this - it the focus is off you get tramlines instead of single lines.

I made the mistake of looking at one of my lights in ASTAP and the tilt was crazy - by 'tilt' read 'droop'. With the BDS installed the 'droop' was virtually eliminated. Too much information is a dangerous thing - to the wallet

It is a TP link wifi range extender which worked very well, however, in the end I opted for a hard-wired system - much more reliable. Can I also point out the little mini-clamp at the front end of the 'gold' vixen bar. This was to provide extra reassurance when mounting the OTA - it prevented the whole lot from sliding out of the ADM clamp whilst I got things tightened up. I use this arrangement on both my RedCat and my Samyang - better safe than sorry!

I mounted mine (SW-50ED) on the top and even then it was only just possible to balance the DEC with the supplied bottom rail. In the end I added an additional bottom rail (see image below). I upgraded the focus unit to a BDS which has a tilt compensation system built-in, not that I had to use it. The fitted focus unit was really not up to the task. I found the spider worked just as well as a BM - especially combined with the autofocus in NINA/ASIair. I didn't have any problems but I am aware some folk use a shield. I used an inexpensive laser collimator to get in the ball park and then refined it with a star test outside; it is fiddly but I got a really good result with a bit of perseverance. Exactly the model I used to own. I sold it last year purely because I'm losing my grip! The old hands are not what they used to be. I got some great results in the time I owned it so it was a reluctant but necessary sale - before I dropped it Here's my setup just before I sold it. NOTE!! The counterweight hanging below the lower bar is just a coincidence - it is my CEM25 standing behind the AZEQ6. You can see the 'gold' extension bar I fitted below the RC lower vixen bar to help balance the OTA assembly. The third 'orange' bar is permanently attached to the AZEQ6 saddle clamp and has an ADM clamp attached for mounting the OTA. HTH with your deliberations.

I have the £11.70 version and it works a treat - no complaints.

It's almost like the spacing is too great (if you were using a conventional flattener) .... .. and I'm not sure how best to interpret this ... ... I tend to look for symmetry rather than get too worked up about absolute values. Adrian

P.S. There is a thread on the AstroBin forum where someone has used NINA to completely eliminate tilt - all explained in great detail.

Good question - and I really don't know. Is your sensor orthogonal to the Vixen bar? I have mine in 'landscape' orientation - looking at your image I would hazard a guess your sensor is the same. A single image is preferable as the stacking will reduce aberrations etc. I know some folk use one of the tilt adjusters (CTU ?) you can buy. If you are using NINA then I understand there is a plug-in available to analyse sensor tilt/misalignment etc. I used a digital level to eliminate the droop in my imaging train; the changes/adjustment I made all helped but I still have some tilt/misalignment despite my best (inadequate) efforts. I suppose it could be down to sensor tilt but if that is the case I am going to live with it. Adrian

My decided that my tilt was all coming from 'droop' in the imaging train, even though I had replaced the EoS fitting with an M42 screw end-plate on the lens. I also found some of my thicker plastic shims were not consistently thick around their perimeter - cheap and cheerful and now all in an incinerator somewhere! We are talking fractions of a millimetre making all the difference. I decided I was never going to get zero tilt and it was less stressful to crop off the offending peripheral regions - a cop-out I know but life is too short and clear nights to rare. 😆 Good luck.

I guess you've already done this type of thing with ASTAP, which is indicating mild tilt: .. or with Siril, essentially consistent with ASTAP but a 'cleaner' display: I messed around for ages trying to eliminate tilt on my setup - I seem to recall getting down to 6% in the end. I ended up supporting both the lens (WO bracket) and the camera (ZWO camera bracket), both of which have different centre heights w.r.t. the Vixen bar and hence needed shimming to get the axis as parallel to the bar as possible. What a game! I think stepping down to f2.8 is a good move. I use a 49mm step-down-ring which I think gives cleaner star shapes and stops down to effectively f2.6. Sorry I can't be of more help 😐 Adrian

Apologies for the quality. Taken with an old Canon G16 - IMG_1114.MOV - it should have been around 20 seconds duration but the battery went flat in the cold.

Absolutely not! I know it's a different scope etc. but the built-in R/F on an SS13028HNT I am using is 55mm and when used with my ZWO camera (6.5 mm back focus), as @Elp implies, the smallest changes make a significant difference. I notice you also have a filter in the imaging train (looks like a Baader CLS or UV/IR cut?) and that will contain 2 mm thick glass requiring an extra 0.66 mm to be added to the back-focus distance. I would set it up at as close as you can to 42.66 and then as @Elp suggests introduce incremental changes and look to see what you get. I have a stock of 0.1 mm shims - very handy! Good luck! Adrian

Very nice Dave. You must be very pleased - your SY and 2600 are doing a great job. Very good star shapes and colours all the way to the corners so you've nailed the setup and spacing. So much to feast your eyes upon - great job. Thanks for sharing! Adrian

For me Dave the star of the show is all the dusty stuff. So much to revel in and explore. Great work with the capture and the processing. Thanks for sharing. Adrian

Apologies for the misleading advice - I hadn't appreciated you had removed the tilt plate. Good luck.

Yes - to the front face of the camera + 6.5 mm.