Swoop1

I have been almost exclusively DSS for stacking since I started astrophotography but have recently started to use SIRIL for early processing stages such as background extraction, histogram stretching etc.

I have tried using SIRIL for stacking on one occasion and that went OK but, the last time I tried, my session was rejected as there were no bias frames.

Does SIRIL insist on the full regemin of lights, darks, flats and biases or can they be circumvented?

If so, how do I turn off any particular requirement.

Disclaimer-

I had a processing file on the desktop as the source file for the script to work from. The folder had sub folders for lights, darks, flats and biases but the bias foleder was empty. Would that have been the cause of the rejection?

Thanks,

Matt

Getting hold of a spare dovetail bar and then using a bolt of the right size to attache the camera to the bar via the tripod mount?

Or something like this ready made item-

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adm-camera-mounting-adapters/adm-vixen-type-dovetail-with-camera-mount.html

Advice- don't be overly critical of yourself.

A nice image indeed.

Now you have dipped ypur toe into astrophotography- nurture a good relationship with your bank manager.

21 hours ago, Highburymark said:

I’m a confirmed refractor man. Here are most of my refractors, past and present... TSA-120 .....

 

With that triple tube ring and saddle set up, the ex military in me really wants one.....

Very much the sort of thing that I could imaginge coming out of an armaments lab somewhere.

Buying my first telescope is my biggest regret.

Poverty now looms as I constantly browse the ads for new shiny stuff.

Until last year, my scopes were a 150mm Newt and a 150mm SCT.

I then obtained a pre owned RVO Horizon 72ED- my first refractor.

The clarity of the views through the Horizon were far superior to those through either of my other scopes when doing deep sky. 

I love my Horizon.

Having said that, my future (all things being equal and a rich relative leaving me a wedge of readies in their will), may contain a 9.25 or higher SCT for lunar and planetary work. 

I could also be persuaded that aperture fever with refractors is a genuine medical condition only cureable by giving in to it.

Nice image Dave.

Not a target I am familiar with- I shall have to take a look.

Very nice and impressive for 5 minutes of data

Very nice image.

The crispness of the little catenae just below centre left is pleasing to see.

Envious of your scope!

Very nice Mike!

I followed your advice and took the full size tour- the first thing visible when I enlarged was a clearly visible Rupers Recta.

Thanks @ONIKKINEN

I will download Starnet+++ on my next prcessing session and have a play.

Matt

Is it possible and if so, what would the software and workflow be?

Thanks,

Matt

@ollypenrice That is something in my learning future!

I want to get better at the basics first.

Thanks @geeklee.

I used to roll out a reel to my pier then roll it back in again then store it in the shed. That got a bit tedious so I cut out some of the work by fixing an external socket box to the end of a length of arctic rated cable with a plug at the other end- effecgtively a do it yourself extension. Hand looping the cable is a lot less problematic than rolling in cold stiffened flex.

You could perhaps do the same for your mount (tripod?) and have the cable wire into an outdoor waterproof encloure?

M42 captured on 26th January 2024.

RVO Horizon 72ED plus flattener, ZWO ASI533MC PRO on HEQ5PRO

20 x 120 sec lights. 5 x 120 sec darks, 10 x 0.5 sec flats. Stacked in DSS, stretched in SIRIL and levels tweaked in GIMP.

The core is most certainly blown and the whole image looks a bit soft but I think I am making progress.

Fabulous images paul!

The data capture sequence you state scares the wossname out of me!

I struggle to do an hours data through a OSC on a single scope in a night. The thought of multiple captures over different years and then combining them into one quality image?

🤯

That image is a christmas card in the making! 

My eyes can't really tell the difference between ther two- or my work monitor needs a clean....

Vey nice Alex,

The ejecta ray patterns are very discernible, particularly around Tycho.

Monday night I had my first play with the new (to me) ZWO ASI533MC Pro. At the end of the evening I spent some time doing some deep sky but, to get the hang of the camera, I started on a target I am comfortable with- the moon.

First off was with the Celestron C6 SCT and I did 3 X 1000 frame runs for a mosaic. 

As you can see, framing is something I need to get used to in comparison to the ASI290MC but I am pleased with the detail.

3 pane mosaic, stacked in Autostakkert!3 (best 10%) and stitched in ICE. No other post processing-

I followed this by marrying the camera to my RVO Horizon 72ED plus flattener in preparation for the deep sky experiment but bagged another 1000 frame run on the moon first.

Autostakkert!3 (best 10%) again with a bit of colour correction in Gimp-

Last night was the first outing for the new to me ZWO ASI 533MC PRO. I started with a bit of lunar whilst getting a look at the settings and then married the camera up to my RVO Horizon 72ED and flattener for a bit of deep sky.

This was also the first time I had tried PHD2 guiding since finding and watching a tutorial that pointed me towards some errors I was making before.

I had to force PHD2 due to the area I was imaging.

I went for 20 x 120 second exposures but PHD2 stopped guiding after 8 as there was a problem that I need to diagnose at some stage (I can't for the life of me remember what the message was but it had something to do with pulses failing)

Therefore, this is the result of 8 x 120sec exposures. no flats, darks etc. Stacked in DSS, histogram stretched in SIRIL and levels adjusted in GIMP. not brilliant (far from it in fact) but, I am pleased that I can now do long exposures without trailing thanks to guiding.

Doing some lunar stuff last night, with EQMOD synced to Stellarium.

Several times during the video runs, the control panel would change from tracking to not tracking and the moon would start to exit stage right (camera was orientated so that the moon image was the right way up and round).

No explanation for it and, shortly after clicking on the lunar tracking button, it dropped it again.

Has anyone else experienced this and/ or know how to stop my mounts annoying little habit?

Thanks,

Matt

Nice and clear in Marlow so grabbing first light on my new to me ZWO ASI533MC PRO.

Going to grab a couple of runs of lunar, hit the t.v quizzes then bust out the 72ED to see if I can work PHD2

Nice image Sarek. I can't help with processing advice as I am trying to learn myself but, I would be chuffed if I produced that.