Budding Star Gazer

On 23/10/2021 at 20:35, Chris said:

They have just upgraded from their two security lights to 3 security lights. I thought it was the Full Moon glaring through the curtains!

There is a very simple swift (legal) way to deal with this issue,

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/artificial-light-nuisances-how-councils-deal-with-complaints

There is also the far more direct not so (legal) but guaranteed to produce much better results method i used with my neighbour, never been a problem since. 

Northface chilkat boots, water proof to submersible, fleece lined and good for about -40.. Only downside is the price but you cant beat them. 

The Svbony CLS filter i purchased does not fit the EOS 6D.. Damn amazon strikes again, lesson learned. 

3 hours ago, rnobleeddy said:

Been at this for about 18 months now. Enjoying it, but trying to work out what to focus on in the longer term. A recent observation is that it gets harder and harder to make improvements, and so I wondered what others take on this is?

 

I started with a 130PDS and a modded DSLR. Over the course of a few months my images progressed from terrible to acceptable. As it happens to help with this comparison, towards the end of my time with this kit, I imaged M33 and it was one of the better images from the time.

Fast forward a year - I have an (older) cooled mono CMOS, filter wheel, narrowband + LRGB filters and a couple of decent APO refractors. I had some mount issues that I recently resolved, and so as a test, M33 happened to be favorably located. I collected about 4.5 hours of LRGB data. I'd like to add some Ha to the image too, and get more/less moon impacted L data, but the comparison is not clear cut. I probably prefer the older one!

The new one has more color (probably too much, given they quick processing) but maybe over processed. Given the cost ratio of the setups (a £200 OTA + £150 camera vs a £1K OTA and a £1K of cameras and filters) I'd certainly choose the earlier image for the value for money award! 

The point isn't these two images in particular  - but that it seems to be getting harder to get better. Does everyone experience this? There are other benefits of course. I love narrowband images and the new setup is far more consistent - I never get to  the end and regret the fixed pattern noise of the DSLR anymore. But I might also be happier with the cheaper setup - that way if I leave it out overnight and it gets rained one, it's not quite as big a deal!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both nice shots, i guess if you're not noticing improvements its either becuase your current imaging & processing skills or the equipment is at the limits of their respective capabilities.

thats not a bad thing though, I guess even someone like david Bailey reached those limits too. 

I am just starting out with imaging & for me its not necessarily (at this moment) about the quality of the shot but the excitement of taking it by myself with my own equipment.

for years I've had a fascination with deep space & exploration of our universe & marvel at the shots our professional scientific community pump out to us plebs, we now have for the most part that capability from our own back yards. 

People like trevor from astrobackyard are the reason I've just spent so much money to go & do it for myself and if i can get images anywhere near the detail you and others capture I'd be over the moon.. Pun intended. 

I guess it comes down to if you love what you're doing & you're getting consistent results that you're happy with do you need to improve further? 

If the answer is yes then it will mean spending more, learning more or both. 

7 hours ago, Thomas Burgess said:

Time to tell a story.

Right, I live in Bath, UK, when I was a nipper (now 43) I went to the Herschel museum, got interested.

Parents brought me a telescope, never got it to work, thought it was me and gave up, found out years later it was faulty.

30 odd years later during lockdown I tried again. This time an Amazon deal (fool, I know), was fun and rewarding but noticed the secondary mirror fixture was basically shredded and effectively floating.

This year I want to do it right, I have a budget of £600 max. I have been looking at the Sky-Watcher 127 Virtuoso Goto GTi but can't find any reviews on it, can anyone advise.

I've gone for the table top version due to portability and space, have 3 young kids I'd like to inspire but also be able to easily pick up and defend from them with speed.

Also looking at a little basic astrophotography when my skills increase..and make me feel like a big boy..err man.

Apologies for the long post.

When on a tight budget apature is what you should consider the priority, space might be tight but an 8" dobsonian when packed upright on its base does not take up a lot of room. 

The goto mounts are fun but that is what you're paying for so the OTA is nornally always small. 

With apps available on your phone for a very cheap price or free (i use stallerium) its quite easy to guide yourself around the sky with a manual scope and make good observations on a larger apature scope. 

Can i suggest you check out the orion 8" skyquest. You will probably get far more viewing pleasure for you and your family that you will with a small OTA goto. 

Always purchase what you know you will be happy with & what you think you will get the most enjoyment from. 

I've spent many years around norfolk, have family in wisbech, lovely shots.. A Tatooine sunset 

2 hours ago, Clarkey said:

Should have added - the OTA is fully flocked already.

I believe if the primary mirror is out of alignment it can have this effect as the light souce doesn't all train to the secondary mirror & travels straight back up the OTA to the point of entry.

Someone with way more exerience than me could put your problem right. 

Ahh good point..

It was already available as a searchable item on the mobile version. 

5 hours ago, Clarkey said:

Hi,

I am after some guidance from the collective mind of SGL.

Last night I was imaging in Ha and OIII using the Photon F4 newtonian, aplanatic coma corrector, zwo EFW and filters with a 1600mm pro. I have imaged with this same set up previously without issue, but this time there was a bright star in the field of view. Although I used to the usual problem of halo's round stars with the OIII, this time I had really bad reflections with both the Ha and OIII. In fact the Ha was much worse. For info there was no moon and there are no lights overlooking the scope. Additionally it can be seen on all the subs - not just some. Does anyone have any idea of what might have caused this reflection? Below is the stacked Ha channel.

 

That looks like light reverberation from the inside of your OTA, id say check the reflection before & after adding dark material to the inside of the OTA. 

Hello all, 

I plan trying to capture some shot of Leonard over the next few days and need some advice. 

I will be using a Canon EOS 6D with a 35-135mm lens mounted to a sky watcher adventurer. 

Would i be better to take video over a longer period & then stack the frames rather than trying to track it for still shots? 

Both astrophotography & the kit i will be using are new to me. 

I have a few days off coming up and am hoping to get a look at the comet and maybe a good photo, i have just been looking at stellarium and the projection at my location is it will break the horizon at 2am rising high in the sky until sun up on 3rd jan and subsequent nights. 

Fingers crossed & I'll pray to the cloud gods for some clear nights

2 hours ago, barbulo said:

Bear in mind that you can easily get rid of that colorization during processing; just aligning the three channels. 

Cheers, i have yet to use the post editing software and have a lot to learn there. 

There is a lot of noise in the photo, iso settings too high maybe with too long exposure, I'm new to this so i could be wrong of course, when you. Zoom in kind of looks like a pulsar.. You have 2x dark lateral spikes too. 

Cherrs for the info, we mainly have white LED lamposts around my immediate area, one of which is outside my garden fence and does cast a small amount of light in to my garden but for the most part because of the diffuser is blocked. Overall if i head to our local country part which is elevated above the town we suffer the same orange hue as every town does but not as pronounced. 

I have just purchased the Svbony CLS filter as it states low to mid pollution level, i have noticed that most filter tend to lean towards a colourisation of photos which i'd like to avoid. 

I have been reading about the tri & quad band filters which seem to cover the best of all scenarios while preserving the raw data but as they cost quite a bit and I'm only just starting out i think I'll save my money.

I will try some stacks with and without the filter of the same target to see if there is any real benefit at my given location. 

I've also been reading about the filtration for exposing richer colours in nebulae, I'll hold off on that for now but its all very interesting. 

41 minutes ago, BEC0MM said:

Hello stargazers!

 

I've been fascinated by astrophotography for years, and decided to jump the gun a few months ago after finally moving to Annecy, a small city with bortle 3/4 sky only 30 minutes away.

Already equiped with Sony mirrorless cameras (stock a6000 & a7ii), I got myself an entry level tracking mount (star adventurer), a heavy-duty tripod (ts optics), and a nice 51mm APO refractor (WO RedCat51) a got my first 'shot' a few weeks ago:

https://www.astrobin.com/0pg5ji/B/

I've obviously have a lot of room for improvement, even with my simple setup... And I am looking forward to find in this community the knowledge, feedback and inspiration that will help me improve.

 

Clear skies!

I use to spend time in the Alps every winter, i miss the quiet of the night when the towns & villages finally turn in for the evening. Montchavin was my last visit, spectacular place at 2am when its snowing & its so quiet you swear you can hear your own heart beating, envious of you right now! 

On 24/11/2021 at 23:27, Hollie42 said:

Hi there, 

I’ve been wanting to get a telescope for a while now and have figured with Christmas coming up would be a good opportunity to ask for money towards one. I’ve done some research but am new to all this so figured I’d get some advice from people who know what they’re doing instead of my mum 😂 apologies if this question gets asked over and over 

 

I’ve found this telescope and from reading different forums and stuff have found some possible upgrades to get along side the scope and mount possibly. Just wanting to know if these look alright really?

Telescope and mount - https://www.mhzoutdoor.com/uk_en/skywatcher-newton-explorer-130-eq2-sk1309eq2-8032539190251?utm_source=google&utm_medium=comparator&utm_campaign=GShop_mhz_Uk&utm_content=MHz

Red dot finder - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/finders/telrad-finder-astronomy.html

Finder scope - https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/skywatcher-right-angled-magnified-finderscopes.html

Also if anyone has any recommendations of carry cases or anything like that it would be appreciated, cheers!

 

This is quite a popular first time telescope and if budget is an issue you will always find very nice, used examples on ebay that could save you quite a lot of money to spend on some extra eye pieces or accessories. 

Sky watcher adventurer, canon EOS 6D with EF lens 50mm 

I don't care what anyone says it's the most majestic object in the night sky, i can remember when i was a kid looking up at it letting my tiny sci fi imagination run wild with thoughts of flying saucers, cylons & forever wars wondering if there was any chance any of it could one day be true. 

I still feel the nostalgia on occasion when i am out alone miles from civilisation with nothing but the moon for company.. That is until that thing moving just out of sight puts the wind up you enough that you tune in to your bat capable hearing & snap back to reality.. 

Check out YT channels like astrobackyard & astrobiscuit, the latter has a discord channel which is quite collaborative.. Will most likely join it myself as i like the idea of his shared imaging project  & is probably a fantastic opportunity to be part of something while getting the tech supoort as well. 

On 03/11/2021 at 12:44, Pompey Monkey said:

I'm getting increasingly peeved at constantly having to swap between metric and imperial components, nuts, bolts, and tools on my rigs. It can really interrupt my train of thought while assembling stuff.

And, as for planning how to make stuff that includes both measurement systems, it's nigh-on impossible.

Just venting!

An en engineer who has spent 21 years with the same issue i can offer a little help, with the right taps & dies you can turn one in to the other, it will mean increasing the overall size of the fixing and purchasing new parts but all can be reworked to a British standard thread. 

Lots of places will carry out milling work for you if you're not comfortable doing it yourself and if you look on the www you will find charts for the closest match in size to convert imperial to metric or the other way around. 

Hello all, 

I have been looking a light pollution filter for my canon EOS 6D and it seems to be bit of a mine field when trying to rap my head around all the technical aspects of what is filtered out ect, obviously i have some educating to do on that subject so i thought it would be better to just ask. 

What manufacturers make the best general light pollution filter, i live in an urban area with hight levels of light pollution & in my immediate location we have the white light LED street lamps some of which bleed directly in to my garden. 

All help is much appreciated. 

3 hours ago, Jamgood said:

Reading about the Tal-1 has been interesting. A once, very highly, regarded starter observing scope. 

You might however find that standard 1.25mm eyepieces/attachments don't fit the focuser tube as the Russians used their own sizes pre 94.

You also might find that the OTA requires some modification to achieve prime focus. At £21 though, I don't suppose you'll care if you have to cut a couple of inches off the bottom and move the primary mirror up.

Good luck with it. 👍

Yes i have read they are not standardised, i have really purchased it for the mirrors and will mod it with a new focuser if need be, its going to be for imaging rather than observing. 

On 11/10/2021 at 20:48, Deep Sciences said:

Mars colonization is always found to be at the top of the list of space colonization but Venus colonization is actually better in many aspects.

https://scientificdocumentaries.com/space/cloud-cities-on-venus/ 

Some pretty worthy satellites worth thinking about too. 

If mr musk came knocking at your door & said we want you to be the first human to step foot on another world. we think the chances of making the journy across an ocean of space to then plummet through an atmosphere that will barely slow you down & finally relying on engines, that have sat dormant since they were test fired, to slow you down to a few feet per second for a touch down are 5 maybe 10% at best.. Would you go! Knowing full well the chances of returning safely to the earth are less than the outbound journey? 

For me, personally.. Where do i sign.