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Hughsie

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Everything posted by Hughsie

  1. Please find below a selection of images captured on this day showing the activity on our Sun. Most of the activity today was located on the southern hemisphere with only a few filaments and a filaprom visible in the north. Here we can see active regions (L-R) AR13006, AR13004 and AR13001 plus some fine filaments. Centred in the image is AR13001 with some lovely filaments surrounding this single sun spot. This region of activity is classified Hsx. Here we have AR13006 just coming off the eastern limb. Classified Cao, AR13006 is comprised of 8 sun spots and is actively producing flares. A total of 7 flares occurred today the largest being C3.3. As this image was being captured a C1.7 flare erupted peaking at 10.24 UT. Moving back west we have AR13004 centred in the image. This consists of 25 sun spots and is classified Dkc. Since emerging, AR13004 has also been active, producing 5 flares today and on 3rd May 2022 a whopping X1.1 class flare. Returning to AR13006 this time with a standard greyscale image revealing the bright region around the sun spots. Heading up to the northern hemisphere we have two nice prominences on the north and north west limb plus a filaprom. Back south we have some nice prominences on the south east limb and a long filament on the solar disc. Thank you for dropping by and have a great weekend. John
  2. Below are a selection of images of our Sun captured on 30th April 2022. The solar disc. It appears relatively quiet compared to last week but we still have AR’s 12994 and 12995 (Western Limb). Worthy of note is AR12994 which has been producing some fantastic flares, including an X1.1 flare later on this day. Here is a closer view of the North West limb at 09:59 UT showing a nice prominence close to AR’s 12994 and 12995. Next we have two active regions in the Southern hemisphere. AR 13001 (L) and AR 12999 (R). We can see some bright plage around 12999 and some filaments stretching between the two sun spots. A lovely pyramid prominence on the South West limb. A follow up to the image above captured at 09:59. Located towards the bottom right edge of the disc is a dark spot on the limb. This is the conclusion of the M4.8 solar flare that erupted at 09:48, peaked at 09:58 and ended at 10:06 (all times UT). The image is inverted so although the spot is black it is actually a very bright region. This next image is of the North East region of the solar disc and shows a series of filaments approaching the limb where a prominence has erupted. I don’t believe this is a filaprom, but close. Back to AR 12994. The M4.8 solar flare has passed but there is still activity in this region. Here you can see on the Western limb the arch of the solar flare which has slowly dissipated. Finally, a short time-lapse covering 10:31 UT to 11:25 UT showing the activity on the Western limb near AR 12994 after the M4.8 solar flare. It’s a little jerky as some frames were removed due to passing clouds. Thank you for checking in and having a look. All the best, John
  3. Sunday morning on 24th April was a very windy morning here that I almost didn’t bother setting up. Here is a selection of what our Sun had to offer.
  4. Second time-lapse. This is a time-lapse of a prominence on the South West limb of the solar disc. Using the above equipment this time-lapse is made up of 107 video files spanning 500 frames each at c40fps. Each video file is separated by 30 seconds. Imaging commenced at 08:58:34 UT and finished at 10:15:25 UT. Each individual video file was stacked in AutoStakkert3! to construct 107 individual images representing 25% of the best 500 frames. These 107 images were then processed in PixInsight, aligned in ImPPG and a GIF created in PIPP.
  5. Get an All Sky camera they said, you can capture meteors, fireballs and meteor showers they said. So I did. Last night was the peak time for the Lyrids meteor shower and unfortunately it was overcast for most of the night plus I managed to have a piece of crud land on the dome. Having said that it was a remarkable success during those brief moments when the clouds cleared (though you do need to squint to see these!). First up at 01:12:47 BST we have a meteor...hooray...no wait a minute...that’s the satellite, Noss 3-7 r. Next we have a fine entry to our atmosphere at 02:37:56 BST...No, sorry that’s Starlink 1838 on its merry way leaving Hercules and off to Vega. Awash with success, I then spotted another Lyrid meteor...oh wait, that’s another Elon, this time Starlink 1616 following in the footsteps of its cousin 1838. Finally, the last opportunity before it seriously clouded over and you guessed it, it’s our favourite Starlink satellite 1871. Take a bow sir. You can’t win them all so onwards and upwards to the next night. All the best, John
  6. Ironically I have an angry spot facing the Sun! Lovely detail you have captured there.
  7. I mentioned time lapses in the original post but hadn’t got around to processing any of them, however, I have just finished the first one. Here are AR12993 and AR12994 ‘in action’. This short GIF is made up of 80 individual SER files. Each SER file is made of 500 frames and the best 25% were stacked to create 80 individual images each one separated by 30 seconds. These were then thrown into PixInsight, ImPPG and PIPP to produce this little nugget.
  8. Thank you Rob. When this weather gets more consistent you will have to pop down and take a look. All the best, John
  9. The haze that has been present these last few weeks lifted for a second day in a row allowing a nice morning observation session. The focus was on time lapses and to give the 5x TeleVue Powermate an outing but frankly this was pushing my 60mm Lunt beyond where it should be imaging. It was fun nonetheless albeit a bit blurry. First we have the usual solar disc. A six pane mosaic using a 2.5x Powermate. Then we have active regions 12993, 12994 and 12995 through the 2.5x Powermate. Moving slightly to the East on the disc we have AR12995 and slowly coming in to view AR12996, captured with the 5x Powermate. We then head back to our friends AR12993, 12994 and 12995 for a closer look at 5x magnification. Thanks for dropping in and every a great weekend. John
  10. Presented are a small selection of images of our Sun captured on 20 April 2022. Presented in RGB and monochrome depending on your taste buds. Solar disc - 6 pane mosaic captured using a TeleVue x2 Powermate. AR12993/4/5 - Captured using a TeleVue 4x Powermate. Equipment Lunt 60mm DS THa/B1200 solar scope. ZWO ASI174mm camera and tilt adjuster. SkyWatcher EQ6R-Pro mount. TeleVue x2 and x4 Powermates. Hutech Hinode Solar Guider. Software AutoStakkert3! PixInsight for processing. Affinity Photo Panorama tool used to combine mosaic. Exposure time/data Solar disc - 5.1ms, Gain 189. 250 from 1,000 frames stacked for each pane. AR regions - 13.1ms, Gain 189. 350 from 1,000 frames stacked. Thank you for taking a look. John
  11. That made me stop and think and you probably heard the penny drop when I realised how true that is.
  12. Thank you Olly. For my shorter focal length scope (568mm reduced) I would typically use the RGB master at a low stretch, up the saturation and then blend in the L channel. Going by your comments, am I correct that I should stretch the RGB master further then blend in the L channel to suit? Do you have any thoughts about lowering camera gain to increase full well depth to avoid over saturation of the cores? I have seen on Astrobin some images using a similar focal length (1600 mm) and gain as low as zero or slightly higher, say 75, well below unity gain for the ASI1600mm? Thank you for your kind feedback, it is much appreciated. John
  13. The ones which my astro club share with me do seem to be close to the horizon. However, I have only been up and running for a few weeks and with the clouds we have had down in East Anglia, its too early to say that they are avoiding the camera.
  14. I recently acquired an Allsky camera unit and equipped it with a ZWO ASI120mm-s camera I was no longer using for guiding along with the stock fish eye lens. Still coming to terms with software and settings and identifying what is and isn’t a meteor or fireball. Fortunately my camera loves planes and satellites but there is a team in my astro club who have taken me under their wing and are more experienced and knowledgable in these things. They assure me this one is a fireball (see bottom left hand corner) and I only caught it by the skin of my teeth!
  15. With galaxy season in full swing I reluctantly decided to use my StellaLyra RC8 to capture some of the smaller galaxies in view. I say ‘reluctantly’ as this beast as consumed time and extra funds to get it to a point where collimation looks reasonable. Couple that with getting my head round whether to bin or not to bin then throw in off axis guiding as well and I hope you can sense my pain. So what do we have... First up is Messier 94. Equipment RC8 SkyWatcher EQ6R-Pro ZWO ASI1600mm Pro Cool, Bin 2x2 Gain 139, offset 39. Chroma 1.25” LRGB filters ZWO 8 EFW OAG with Lodestar x2 Data Captured across 4 nights (22nd to 25th March 2022). Luminance 229 x 120s Red 70 x 120s Green 74 x 120s Blue 75 x 120s Darks, Flats and Flat Darks x 50 each. Next is Messier 100 captured with the same equipment, however, this time camera binning was left at 1x1 and down sampled in PixInsight. Data Captured across 2 nights, 1st and 2nd April 2022. Luminance 244 x 60s Red 41 x 120s Green 44 x 120s Blue 19 x 120s (clouds stopped play) Darks, Flats and Flat Darks x 50 each. M94 suffers from being captured just after a half moon and more time should have been spent removing gradients. In both images there appears to be some colour bleed around the edge of the stars. Naturally all data was aligned and then the resulting master of each channel was aligned again. The capture of M100 then software binning in PixInsight seem to have produced a better image but then I have to weigh that up with the Moon not being present too. Finally, the brightest stars. In M94 the large star above the galaxy suffers with a glare between the diffraction spikes. I reduced the Luminance exposure time to 60s in M100 to counter this but it still remains (see large star in the bottom left). I don’t know if this is symptomatic of the ASI1600mm as I have seen it in my refractor images too. All thoughts and feedback welcome. I am just waiting on the next clear night when I have resolved to complete a star test and hopefully fine tune collimation. Thanks for dropping by. John
  16. I find it easier to seek forgiveness than to ask for permission!
  17. Lovely clear shot of the new activity.
  18. Yes imppg is free software. Above is a YouTube video giving some tips on its use. The YouTube description also contains a link to download the software.
  19. A small selection of images of our star captured on 19 March 2022. Image 1 - The full solar disc revealing AR12971 on the west side of the disc (left), AR12967 and just to the east is AR12965 slowly drifting from view. Some nice filaments could be observed on the Chromosphere. Image 2 - A close up of AR12965. The day before this was classified as FAO and contained 6 sunspots. This morning it was classified CAO and its sunspot count had reduced to 4. Having previously produced an M2.0 solar flare on 14 March it has diminished in size but still managed to produce a class C2.1 flare later this day. Image 3 - The whole ‘gang’. From west to east (left to right) we have AR12971, AR12967 and AR12965. AR12971 is a small active region comprised of a single spot and classified AXX. It has not yet produced any flares. AR12967 is similar in size to AR12971 and also has a single spot, same classification and has not produced any flares at this time.
  20. First the Quark will provide you with the opportunity to capture some great images. I have one and should use it more but here are the reasons why I prefer the Lunt; 1) The Quark has a built in 4.2x telecentric Barlow. Depending on what refractor/camera you pair it with, full solar disc imaging may not be possible and so you need to produce mosaics and combine to achieve a full disc. My Lunt and ASI174mm produce full discs straight off the bat. 2) Flexibility. I start my imaging session taking a full disc image. I then add a 2.5x Powermate to capture closer but ‘wider fov’ images of areas of activity, stepping up to a 4x Powermate for closer views. The Quark just has its internal Barlow. I guess you could add another but I have rarely seen this done. 3) Tuning. With a pressure tuned Lunt it’s a simple case of turning the knob to achieve the darkest measure on the histogram for a given exposure/gain. When double stacked, I then adjust the histogram to achieve the lightest setting after adding the extra filter. Sounds complicated but it can be done in under a minute. With a Quark you have 6 or so settings and the filter needs to get up to temperature. This can take 10-15 minutes. When trying to image on a partly cloudy day this can be a pain when the sky is clear as the Quark warms up then you find it’s cloudy when it hits temperature. 4) Ambient temperature. In the Summer the Quark can shift off band as the filter further heats up. You then have to re-adjust tuning and wait. 5) Filter lottery. The filter inside the Quark are not necessarily the best. I have read stories on this forum and others of not all Quarks being created equal. I have not personally experienced this. 6) Energy Rejection Filter (ERF). I have used my Quark on both a William Optics Z61 and Z103 APO refractors. I would not want to use a Quark for any long period observation on the Z103 without adding an ERF on the front of the scope. A good quality ERF will cost c£500 to fit a 100mm aperture, admittedly cheaper for smaller ERF’s. It’s not a mandatory purchase but something worth considering if you are pairing the Quark with a quality APO refractor. 7) Double stacking. The cost is horrific to add another filter to the Lunt but once you bite that bullet, wow the level of extra detail puts a smile on my face every time. In summary, the extra cost of the Lunt provides more flexibility and convenience but it doesn’t fit everyone’s budget. Richard, if the Quark fits your budget stick with it as now the Sun is firmly back into its active cycle it will give you great views of our star. Looking forward to seeing your images soon and welcome to the ‘light’ side!
  21. I would go with the Lunt. Quarks are good but it can be a bit of a lottery as to whether you will get a good one or not. With the pressure tuned Lunt you can get on band fairly quickly but with a quark it will take 15/20 mins to achieve, plus as the Sun heats up the Quark it will move off band and you will need to adjust again. You can also double stack a 50mm Lunt which then gives in better contrast.
  22. Presented below is a selection of active regions on the solar disc during the morning of 18 March 2022. Equipment - Lunt 60mm DS TH⍺/B1200CPT solar scope. - Celestron AVX mount. - ZWO ASI174mm camera. - Tele Vue 4x Powermate. Software - Sharpcap Pro used for data acquisition. - AutoStakkert3! for stacking of individual frames. - ImPPG used to invert images. - Remainder of processing was undertaken using PixInsight. Image 1 - The full solar disc revealing the active regions and some nice proms on the south west limb. Exposure time 5.5ms, gain 50. Image 2 - AR12965 decaying and drifting out of view. Classified FAO, this region at its peak contained 34 sunspots but today this had reduced to 6. Exposure time 21ms, gain 189. Image 3 - AR12967. Classified AXX, this region contains just a single sunspot. Exposure time 18.5ms, gain 189. Image 4 - AR12968. Exposure time 19.5ms, gain 189. Apologies, but I have incorrectly labelled this as AR12970. Image 5 - AR12971. Classified BXO, this region consists of two sunspots. Exposure time 21ms, gain 189. Thank you for dropping by. John
  23. Presented below is a selection of images captured during the morning of 17th March 2022. Currently I am working off my AVX mount which is roughly polar aligned with an inclinometer and compass. Last year I was keeping the gain setting on my ASI174mm very low. Typically, I would be aiming at a gain setting 100 - 150 only on higher magnification. Today I set the camera to unity gain, 189, for all images and adjusted the exposure times to achieve a 70-75% full histogram. The full disc and 2.5x magnification images were being captured at c130 fps which meant that with my poor polar alignment I could capture 1,000 frames before the area of interest drifted too far. Image 1 - Full solar disc. Visible was AR12965, AR12967 and AR12970. The latter was no longer visible later in the day. 250 from 1,000 frames stacked and calibrated with flats. Exposure time 1.25ms, gain 189. Image 2 - AR12965. Captured using a Tele View 2.5x Powermate. Usual 250 out of 1,000 frames stacked. Exposure time 6.5ms, gain 189. Image has been inverted. Classified FAO, located N24W44 and made up of 8 sunspots, this region was the source of an M class flare on 14 March 2022. Image 3 - AR12965 close up using a 4x Tele Vue Powermate. Exposure time 17ms, gain 189. Image 4 & 5 - AR12970. Not as imposing as AR12965 but activity nonetheless. Captured with a Tele Vue Powermate 2.5x (Image 4) and 4x (Image 5). Exposure time 6.5ms, gain 189. This region first appeared on the solar disc during 15th March and if you want a quiet spot to sit down and relax on then AR12970 is just for you. Thank you for dropping by. John
  24. Second this. The Thinkpad T440p is a great old laptop and easily upgradable if you also like to tinker. A back lit keyboard really helps in the dark and if you get one with Windows 10 Pro then you can connect remotely from indoors too using the Remote Desktop app.
  25. I use a solar power bank, the sort you would use to charge a phone. After all, the Sun will be out if I’m solar imaging so it makes sense to use the resource available up there. Just one more point about the Quark. It will move off band as the ambient temperature rises so if you are imaging for a long period you may need to adjust the tuning. This isn’t a problem in March but could well be come the Summer. Also something like this http://www.rowanastronomy.com/productsa4.htm (second adapter down) will get shot of those newton rings. Just apply some electrical or duct tape around the circumference of the adapter to stop stray light leaking in.
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