Mognet

On 18/01/2024 at 01:16, globular said:

What's the thermometer in the focuser adding?

Mine last night was telling me what I already knew - it was cold!

I assume it's actually there as an indication of acclimatisation

I'm testing an update that handles the new versions of Raspberry OS and the v3 camera, and can hopefully sort out some code that will handle the older cameras with no additional user intervention. In the meantime I'm trying to find the source of an intermittent bug that causes the generation of a new video to fail leading to a 404 error when trying to view the video.

If you can't wait until then, the test code, which uses libcamera-still instead of raspistill, is in the update_for_v3camera branch on GitHub.

From the RHS Glow at Hyde Hall event. Taken Friday 25th November, and has a bonus Jupiter with the moon.

Handheld shot on a Nikon D3400, 18-55mm kit lens at ISO3200. Minimal processing in FastStone Image Viewer.

I'll go for more data next time. I'd rushed things as it was the first clear sky in weeks so I wanted something on both.

Thanks. I'm using a William Optics ZS73 III APO with a flattener, a UV/IR cut filter, and a ZWO ASI585.

First images that I'm happy enough to share now I've worked through all my issues with KStars and Ekos, etc.

Double Cluster is two panels of 60 x 30 second subs stitched in MS ICE. Caroline's Rose Cluster is a single panel of 60 x 30 seconds. Both gain 252, stacked in ASTAP, and processed in GIMP.

I suspect my capture data isn't up to scratch yet as I had to stretch aggressively to get these, and I haven't set the black point equally either. The histogram from a single sub looks like this, so I think I should either take longer subs or raise the gain level. One of the FITS files for NGC7789 is attached too.

Double Cluster (NGCs 869 and 884)

Caroline's Rose Cluster (NGC 7789)

NGC_7789_Light_060.fits

No current hardware plans, just astrophotography. Planning for clusters and galaxies starting with the double cluster (two panels), Caroline's Rose cluster and Pleiades. Then probably the clusters in Auriga.

Still new to imaging, but impressed with the ZWO ASI585 and my first decent image. Might have pushed the data a bit hard as it's a little blue in the bottom right corner.

38 subs of 120 seconds, gain 252, stacked in ASTAP and stretched in GIMP. Then a bit of sharpening and saturation.

After waiting for two months for a clear and dark sky I've finally had chance to try with a UV/IR cut filter. Processing isn't great, and I was having a bit of an issue with star trailing, but the results are defintely improved. Just got to sort the other niggles now.

21 minutes ago, Clarkey said:

Definitely a good start - keep going. Just out of interest, did you use an IR cut filter? The 585 is quite sensitive to IR and your stars look at bit bloated. Maybe high cloud or something else - just a thought.

Thanks. I haven't used a filter. I suspect either my focus was a little off, or I'm stretching the data too hard as the exposures may not be long enough. I've attached one of the subs in FITS format, and the stars look fairly sharply defined in that

M_56_Light_001.fits

I freely admit to not being entirely certain what I'm doing yet, but I'm starting to get passable images with my new setup

11 subs of 120 seconds using a ZWO ASI585 and William Optics ZS73 APO with flattener on an AZ-EQ5, stacked in ASTAP and stretched in GIMP

Only 11 subs as the battery was losing power and the subs ended up with star trails in them after these

It might have also been a case of the business not being viable long term even if the technology is good https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/05/no-one-should-be-surprised-virgin-orbit-failed-it-had-a-terrible-business-plan/

Ebon Upton is saying that the Raspberry Pi will be available again soon https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/05/raspberry-pi-ceo-supply-should-be-unconstrained-in-second-half-of-2023/

That's true, it is a lot more expensive!

If you will only be using the mount in EQ mode then there's the EQ6-R Pro which isn't quite as expensive and will carry up to 20kg. Looks to be quite heavy though https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p9392_SkyWatcher-EQ6-R-PRO-Synscan-Equatorial-GoTo-Mount.html

On 10/04/2023 at 16:29, Ags said:

I’m thinking ultimately of a C11, and hoping an AZEQ5 would be sufficient.

I suspect the C11 might be a bit close to the weight limit of the AZ-EQ5. Looking at them on FLO the AZ-EQ5 handles up to 15kg, and the C11 weighs 12.5kg plus whatever is needed for imaging, guiding, etc. I'd be tempted to go with something stronger

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/optical-tube-assemblies/celestron-c11-xlt-optical-tube-assembly-cge-losmandy.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/skywatcher-az-eq5-gt-geq-alt-az-mount.html#

First light on my WO ZS73, not quite in action here but cooling down ready

It's guaranteed clear when you have other priorities

A couple of recent articles on the problems professional astronomers are facing now

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/radio-interference-from-satellites-is-threatening-astronomy/

https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/03/hubble_satellite_interference/

I didn't get the field flattener, but might need it in future. I'd emailed FLO to ask about it and Alex wasn't sure with this camera. I'm using it with the ZWO ASI585 which has a small sensor so we're adopting a try it and see approach. The stars in the corners might be ok, or they might not. If they're not then I'll get one. With larger sensors the flattener probably would be required

An update to this thread. Bought the ZWO ASI585 a couple of months ago. This week I finally decided on an imaging scope, and went for a William Optics ZS73 It wasn't on my shortlist but it had also been thought about. I'm impressed with the build quality and a quick test on nearby stuff says it's good. Just need some clear skies now for a proper first light with it

I've only felt unsafe once while out. Went up to a local and out of the way dark site one night to find someone had parked a mobile home there. Looked like they had set up to stay for a while too. Hung around for ten minutes not seeing or hearing any movement, but decided not to stay as I wasn't comfortable. The site is too far out of the way at the end of a country road for anyone to just turn up randomly

12 minutes ago, cajen2 said:

if the sky is clear and sunny all day, it'll be cloudy immediately after sunset,

That happened here yesterday. And I've seen it happen three days in a row recently too, so this is definitely one of the Laws of Astronomy

Sounds familiar. Set up to take images Sunday night and next door neighbour turned his spare room light on. I walked indoors to get some food while waiting for him to turn it off and two minutes later the skies lit up with the aurora. Only found out from checking the sky camera later

Then to top it all, I went back out once he'd turned his light off having left my kit powered up. Did the polar alignment, picked a target, set an imaging run going, and then the battery went flat. I discovered that an hour later after taking only one blurry image

So I think I'll add to the laws:

• Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. But if you can fix things as they happen, then everything will go wrong!
• If there's any short lived significant astronomical event on a clear night, it'll happen when you're looking the other way

Rechecked my all sky recording from last night, and I think the earliest I can see it is 21:26

As is typical the time that it happened was when I was indoors eating and waiting for my neighbour to turn his upstairs lights out

Caught it on my all sky camera. A moving red patch in the north-northwest for a few minutes from 21:43. Possibly some green afterwards.

Images are not good enough to share thanks to local light pollution, but can definitely see it moving in the video version