teoria_del_big_bang

Just now, alan potts said:

Tell you tomorrow, I've used it 2 years, Evo lives in Sofia the same country where I live, so I feel I ought to pay him, it is a hell of a program for what amount to 15 quid, I feel we should all cough up.

Alan

That was my thoughts after using it for only an hour or two. 

Steve

APT is a great program and very easy to use.  I think they are exceptionally kind and nearly everything important is available in the free version.

According to their website the following are additional things available on the fully licensed version.

Additional features of the FULL version :

• Ours thankfulness about your appreciation for the involved in APT work and support!
   
• Automatic EOS Lens focusing (using FWHM or HFD) - built into the Lens Panel. Never implemented in astro program before!
• Framing Masks - a multi session aid to help orienting the camera by same angle and position during multiple nights or after meridian flip. Never implemented in astro program before!
• Ability to store PointCarft results in Object Browser for future use in different nights or after meridian flip.
• Ability to show only the currently visible stars in the Object Browser for easier selection of alignment stars.
• Ability to show only the currently visible objects in the Object Browser.
• Ability to configure APT to check if the target is above the horizon before every GoTo or GoTo++.
• Ability to schedule plan execution for beginning of Deep Sky Darkness (DSD).
• Powerful and easy to use Commands/Script Editor for imaging session automation.
• Notifications for refocusing when the temperature changes or closing dew point to avoid un-needed heating (requires
  TEMPer(Gold) or TEMPerHUM or focuser with temperature sensor).
• HD Video recording for Digic IV cameras from the Planetary panel. Requires lens or T-ring with focus confirmation.
• Support for Lunatico GNS - Good Night System to get alarm for problem with the imaging session on your smartphone

I don't think there was anything in the paid version I required but was happy to pay what is less than £20 as I thought it was more than reasonable and would have paid more for a very useful bit of software.

I cannot compare it to others such as sequence generator as of yet I have not used them. I downloaded SG and meant to give it a go with the free fully functioning trial as I do believe it is a bit more flexible but APT has done all I ever needed to so still with it. The ease of plate solving was revolutionary for me made things sooooo much easier to get the target I wanted framed just as I wanted it.

The help file is also pretty thorough.

Steve

41 minutes ago, alan potts said:

Lovely shot always reminds me of Rick Wakeman surrounded by keyboards, where is this in the sky?

Alan

I would never have thought of that but now you have said it I can see it 🙂 

Steve

Thats a cracking image with lots of detail 🙂

Taken with same camera and scope/ flattener as myself so why can't I get the same detail, maybe I need to try harder 🙂 

Steve

Looks great. Are the 4 Digital Readouts ammeters?

Steve

I have booked to arrive Friday but can only pick the hired campervan up around 2:30 PM so best will in the world would not get down until around 6:00 PM. Is that too late really, what time is the curry?

My only other option is to book the Thursday as well (if pitches still available) but it is quite a bit more expense to do this.

Steve

9 minutes ago, Geoff Barnes said:

Drooool… anyone know how much my kidneys are worth?

If anything like mine then they are probably pretty well worn already, so not enough 🙂 

Steve

Not only is this my first NB image but really the first one I am remotely happy with. I know I still have a lot to learn, both with the imaging and more so I think with the processing side but, I also appreciate this is a pretty easy target but I am pleased with it as a start.

Also forgive me for the artificial diffraction spikes, I was just trying out the software and actually quite like them.

I did actually take images over two consecutive nights, whilst on holiday at a lovely spot in Suffolk stopping in a log cabin. However, I had real issues quiding for the first night which I cured the following evening. Originally I stacked all the images but when I looked at the subs the unguided ones were all pretty poor with elongated stars so this is subs from the second night and only a few. This is a fairly quick process so will have another go when I get home. 

Comments and suggestions for improvement welcome, I am pretty thick skinned.

Steve

WO Z73, ZWO 1600 Mono Pro

9x 400s Baadar Ha 3.5 Nm, 8x 400s Baader OIII 4.5 Nm, 7x 400s Baader SII 8Nm

Yes, no surprise really that is a magnificent image, very well done and well deserved.

Steve

4 hours ago, upahill said:

Hi Steve,

Was our first year last year, at any star party, everyone was very gentle with us 😄 Weather wasn't great for stargazing but I highly recommend turning up for the quiz (hopefully the bar will in the tent again too )

There were some great talks too, learnt quite a bit over the few days. You will have a great time and the camp site is great. I am a bit of a social introvert myself and found it all very relaxed and welcoming.

The curry and hog roast were pretty good too, so worth getting tickets for that if you havent already. 👍

20 minutes ago, Stu said:

You will be very welcome Steve. SGLSP is a very relaxed atmosphere, people are very helpful and friendly and your level of experience really is irrelevant; everyone is just keen to share their enjoyment of the hobby.

Thanks, I am sure it will be great and really looking forward to it. It will be good just from the sociable aspect but also hope to gain some experience from those more knowledgeable as often first hand guidance is worth a thousand words from a book or internet 🙂  

I have booked the curry,  hog roast and Sunday roast too 🙂 

Steve

I have just booked for Friday till Monday. I am a real newbie, only had a scope for about 2 years so I cannot engage in any riveting Astro stuff but really want to meet some of you so please be gentle with a SGL Virgin 🙂 

P.S. This is really out of my comfort zone  as I do not  hold conversation easily so hope all will go well on my first outing 🙂 

Steve

For all that effort you deserve a result and you certainly have one 🙂 

Very nice image.

Steve

Another nice Image. Lucky to get anything decent recently, certainly up north anyway maybe a bit better further south. I hope so anyway heading to Suffolk for a weeks holiday with missus and my sons dog and of course my imaging setup so hoping for some clearer skies 🙂 

Steve

Thanks for reply @david_taurus83 and sorry for not asking earlier but I did not get a notice you had posted this. 

I was aware of the arrow and have already fitted then with the arrow pointing towards the scope (not the sensor) as I always thought should be the case.  The only thing that made me wonder was when I looked on the Baader site and saw the following:

If you have a coma corrector, field flattener, focal reducer, focal extender (to a lower degree due to concave surface), or in extreme cases a whole lens group for more complex field corrections a few centimeters in front of the filter it could be useful to flip the filter against the rule from above (thus having the arrow pointing away from the telescope). Cause in such cases the likelihood of reflections from the sensor could be better then fort and reflections from such glass-surfaces.

And would have just turned them around but thought I would see if others had followed this instruction or not. I have not had a real chance to try them as yet due to cloud cover. Are your arrows pointing towards the scope ?

Also was warned about the O111 halos prior to buying so went for the ultra NB Baader OIII to see if this was better.

Seems like my setup is very much identical to your own with the light pollution filter permanently fitted hence why I wondered if the L filter was really required or in fact was okay to use but made no real difference due to the Light Pollution filter.

Steve

A stunning image.

Steve

That's criminal, I would be demanding a refund.

Steve

+1 for mole grips. 

Did the screw fit?

Alan,

That really is a great image  🙂

Steve

Oh I hope I am right and apologise if not 

Steve

Wow, that is just superb.

Steve

I only seem to have screws as small as M2.5 that I can find at the moment (I am sure there are about somewhere, if I ever find I would send some with pleasure) but I would be tempted to try a M2 screw, maybe as Neil says off ebay (might have to get 5 of them but should be cheap. Go for stainless, I would think that at this size they will all be full threaded even if not stated as such.

Steve

That actually look like it could be metric, I would guess M2 x 10 mm.

If you look at the diameter of the threads it looks to be bang on 2mm. I blew one pic up in paint and turned the thread round 90 degrees against the ruler. The pitch best I can see if I blow the photo up is 0.4 mm which is M2. These are readily available and I probably have some if you want me to post one to try. That just leaves the spring (if it is an m2)

Yes I suspect as Alan it will be imperial so either UNC (Unified National coarse) or if a fine thread may be UNF (Unified National fine).

If you can find the diameter of the threads accurately as there are a number of screws this size with very little difference in diameter that narrows it down tremendously. If UNC or UNF then dimensions are in inch but if you can give in mm then we can convert. You will ideally need a pair of calipers or micrometers.

Then knowing the diameter we need the tpi or threads per inch, or in 25.4 mm.

My immediate suspicion is it is either UNC #4-40  (40 threads per inch) or UNF #4-48(48 threads per inch) but that is just going on the 2.5 to 3 mm diameter suggested by Alan.

Steve

I have just bought a set of Baader 36 mm unmounted filters (LRGBC & NB). I have also found the following information on the Baader website.

Always put the more reflective side towards the telescope side. On these filters were the position matters. This arrow indicates which face of the filter should be directed towards the sky (telescope-sided). All cell-mounted filters are already oriented in a way that the most appropriate filter face is facing the sky when the filter would be mounted directly on the front end of the nosepiece of a camera. 
If you mount your filter the other way, any reflected light would have a short to the camera sensor, resulting in a higher risk of getting some kind of back-reflections inside the camera field. Many sensors have highly reflective areas near the light sensitive area.

But:  this is true only for instruments without optical elements near the focal plane. If you have a coma corrector, field flattener, focal reducer, focal extender (to a lower degree due to concave surface), or in extreme cases a whole lens group for more complex field corrections a few centimeters in front of the filter it could be useful to flip the filter against the rule from above (thus having the arrow pointing away from the telescope). Cause in such cases the likelihood of reflections from the sensor could be better then fort and reflections from such glass-surfaces. If in doubt, it helps to make some test images from a star field with bright stars, using the filter in both ways for comparison.

I do have a flattener but just thought I would check whether others have found the above to be true or not.

Also I bought the full set of LRGBC filters my reasoning being that as I have a light pollution filter in the flattener which is applied which ever filter is selected I thought for Luminance I would be better using the clear filter. I can only fit 7 filters so need to either fit the clear or L filter, so am I right to use the clear one, or does it not really ,matter?

Steve