teoria_del_big_bang

4 minutes ago, fifeskies said:

Its from the fact everything works in binary.

ie 10 equals 2 , 100 equals 4 , 101 equals 5

and of course there are 10 types of people in the world , those that understand binary and those that do not.

 

 

Ha Ha , brilliant

I was going to ad that this can be a Gray area but that would only complicate things 🙂 

Steve

2 is the states that a bit can represent.

1 bit can be either 0 or 1 and so can represent 2 numbers or 2 levels of brightness (in that case would be white or black).
2 bits similarly could be 00, 01, 10 or 11 and so could represent 4 levels of brightness so this evaluates to 2 to the power of 2 (2 x 2)

3 bits could be 000, 001, 010, 011, 100, 101, 110 or 111 so represents 8 levels of brightness and this evaluates to 2 to the power of 3 (2 x 2 x 2)

So all the way up to 16 bits can represent  65,536 levels or 2 to the power of 16.

Steve 

14 minutes ago, geeklee said:

I don't think I could cope with hundreds of clear nights a year... but I'd still like a few more!  

I do know what you mean but still, it would be nice to see how we did cope with them 🙂 

Now that would be a thread I would like to see, "Should I give it up now - I can't cope with all these clear nights".
 

Steve

1 hour ago, Astro Noodles said:

I don't think that astronomy in the UK is viable as someone's only hobby. The frustration of fixating on weather forecasts in the hope of a clear night surely will lead to madness.

Yes I sort of came to same conclusion.
I think my first year in the hobby (only around 4 years ago) must have been a reasonable year as I seem to remember quite a few clear nights (all night) and seemed to spend quote a lot of time on the hobby.
This was great for getting all my equipment up and running and learning what to do with it but as I was learning the amount of useable data was limited.

Things do seemed to have gone downhill weather wise since, but that could be just the way I perceive things.

My other thoughts have been to increase my spending and get a proper automated obsy so that I could utilise every bit of clear sky, still be able to protect my equipment in case of that shower from nowhere.
But that does mean some serious investment, which probably I cannot really afford and also what does not help is that we probably soon will be moving anyway to downsize as keds are starting to move on. So don't want to put a lot of effort into something I then have to move within a couple of years. But certainly after the move this is the way I want to go.

Steve

I must admit I have had the same thoughts this year.
I made a semi-flippant remark very early on in 2021 about selling my gear because the clear nights we got up North were few and far between, and that the huge investment really was just not worth it,  but now half way through August I really am thinking that the money I have invested in equipment is seriously going to waste.
Trouble is I do love the hobby, and even with these thoughts running round my head I stupidly went ahead and ploughed more money into a rotator and flip-flat panel.
So I obviously still want to carry on.

If it were just me I would sell up and move to what is generally considered a better area for weather and dark skies but my family must come first.

I have had some imaging sessions this year but not many and I bet very few have been clear all night.
I certainly have spent more time processing other peoples Data, such as the IKI observatory data competitions just to progress my PI skills and also have seriously considered still selling up most of my gear and maybe just having some grab and go stuff, and using my limited cash on remote observatory hours.
It just doesn't sit quite right with me letting somebody else basically get the data as I like the whole feeling of achievement doing it myself and knowing to get that image it was all down to myself, and my equipment and in a way all from my own patio.

But as a compromise and to keep in the hobby to some extent maybe remote imaging is still a way to go ????

Who knows, when I get one or two more clear dark nights all these thoughts will probably disappear again, for a while at least 🙂 

Steve

21 minutes ago, mike1485 said:

 

Thank you both. Experience from the field sounds reassuring. I guess I am over-thinking it. 

That aspect of the hobby never stops 🙂 

Steve

I have always taken my flats after a session for each filter used, sometimes after using 7 filters.

If you were to take in every possible instance of dust changing places then yes in theory you are correct about the precise way would be to take flats before every move of the FW and if you had an automated Flip Flat then you could do this as you could advance the Flip-Flat after every  filter use and take the flats but really in UK we get little enough clear dark skies so personally I would not waste my imaging time doing this even with an automated Flip-Flat.

Some people do not even take flats for all filters and use same flat for all.

I think the filter wheel moves pretty slowly and generally within a session very little dust actually moves.

Steve

I was going to leave a blank reply to indicate how I was speechless for a long while but I will just say WOW!

Another beauty Peter and one I would gladly hang on my wall and never get tired of looking at it.

Steve

yup the clouds scuppered my imaging at about 1 am. Not been great viewing up til then but around that time just about total cover.

Steve

Congratulations John , 50K that's incredible.
 

Steve

Wow, shes a beauty, but must mean a month of cloud and rain before you can use it 🙂 

Steve

11 minutes ago, Len1257 said:

Gigabit Ethernet will be better than wifi? 

It is but I don't have an obsy and so means a 20M+ cable running between mount and computer which I spent ages getting rid of long Ethernet and USB cables so wouldn't go this route again.
It is only a small thing and I am being picky. I There are loads of ways I can get the images transfered after the session so this would not put me off getting one, maybe the price would ???

Steve

Interesting.

It's a fair bit bigger than a RPi, not that that is a big issue.
I would not have said no to a couple more USB ports, although with 6 I may get away without a separate  hub, I would have liked to be able to plug an external SSD drive as well to download the images to, so I can just take the drive to my processing computer as I don't like transferring over WiFi. That takes up one USB port.
No HDMI for a monitor so presumably need to connect over WiFi.

But that's just being picky.

Steve

 

Hi and welcome to SGL and welcome back to astronomy.

Yes even casual observing can be difficult with work and a growing family but even if you get a few hours here and there on those dark clear winter nights what a way to relax and let all the pressures of life disappear for those brief moments.

Also SGL is a great place to chat and discuss astro stuff at any time so even from your armchair you can get your dose of astronomy.

Hope you get your dob soon, and I hope you get those clear skies too 🙂 

Steve

Just a shame about the UK weather 😞 

Steve

Yes it is an old thread but one I missed so glad it was resurrected because that is one cracking image, especially on high res, so I was delighted to see it this 2nd time round 🙂 

Steve

I think we both would gain a great deal with a trip to Olly's place in France 🙂 
Something else thats been on my wish list for a while.

Steve

1 minute ago, Rustang said:

I'm still very much learning a lot of things so in the same boat as you and that's well into my 3rd year of doing this. The dark corners have been a bit of an issue especially with details and nebulosity that I would like to keep in the corners but it is what it is. In regards to compatability, i.e camera sensor size to scope apature/fl what would it need to be to gain the correct compatibility if that makes sense? Bigger apature? Smaller focal length!? 

Very similar to myself, I think I have been doing astronomy for 4 years and AP for 3, so maybe a bit longer than yourself. Unfortunately mostly due to weather and no obsy I do not get as much practice as I would like as the imaging sessions are few and far between.
But I think I have gained a pretty good overall understanding of what to do but still I know a lot to learn.
So as I say please take my observations with a pinch of salt as in a way I am asking the rest of SGL as well 🙂 

Steve

28 minutes ago, Rustang said:

Your probably right but what a complete pain in the back side that would be, I really could do with a more permanent setup but there's no chance of that yet. As i say I always take the camera off and rotate each session to find the best orientation for each target.

I do not have a permanent setup either - on my wish list as it has been last few years. But I do keep all my imaging train, including FW and camera set up permantly. I have a sturdy handle on top of the rig and take the whole rig off that is sat on the dovetail and store it in a cupboard.
I am a bit of a fussy sod so I still take flats after each session, with a flat field panel really does not take long, for each filter I have used after each session. There has been a few instances this did not happen for what ever reasons but so long as the camera and image train has not moved I can pretty safely use the last set of flats. Yes a few more bits of dust may have settled or moved but generally it is better to use the last flats than not use any I have found.

Steve

28 minutes ago, Rustang said:

So if i do understand you correctly, it could be that my scope and camera are not quite compatible then and that's whats causing the dark corners? but my flats in general seem ok?

 

Pass, I think that is my worry same as my setup but I am not sure.
Also even if that is the case then so long as you are aware of them and they get cropped from final image then does it matter ?

Again, these are questions I am also asking myself. and my lack of knowledge is not helping me. 
I think that because this larger chip size on my new camera is fairly new and I did not see this before it just worried me, but then again I do worry about a lot of things hat I probably shouldn't 🙂 

And yes to me at least the rest of the flats look as I would expect but you can see the issue that if the camera rotates, even slightly, all those dark spots where dust is on your optics will be in a different place and so the flats will not remove them from the final image and also will add some lighter spots that correspond to the dark spots.

Steve

55 minutes ago, Rustang said:

There's no way I'm taking new flats every time I remove the camera, its just to practical because it comes off after every session.

I thought is was essential to take flats just after, or just before every session and that the camera rotation with respect to the optics must not move.
I have heard of people not taking them for every filter, which is not ideal, but not using flats taken with a possible different camera rotation.

Steve

Take this with a pinch of salt as I am in no way expert but to me generally if I auto stretch the flats they look just as I expect with the exception of the black areas on the corners.

If it were vignetting I would expect these corners not to have such a defined circular edge but to gradually merge from grey to darker grey to blackish, If that make sense.
On the RH side the corners are a bit like that but on the left there is a very defined hard edge where it goes almost black from light grey as if the  sensor is too big for the optical disc.

I know I may be talking rubbish here as this is my very naive way I see it.
And one reason I have taken great interest in this thread is that since going to the bigger sensor on the QHY268M mine are very similar, just with far more crap and dust bunnies than yours and I have had the same concerns as you.
Not all my filters show the same though some look worse than others. Here is my  Red filter, okay the edge is not so defined but it soon goes from light grey to black.

 

But this is the LUM, a lot of dust bunnies or dirt but much more what I would expect.

I know this is not a real test as you have to be careful when auto stretching as you need to see how much it has been stretched and all these images will have different amounts so difficult to directly compare them.

I probably have not helped whatsoever here because of my lack of knowledge and understanding, so sorry if this just confuses things more, but I asked very similar questions sometime ago to whether my flats looks correct and never really got a definitive answer so still worry I am not doing things right, or something in my optics is not quite right.

Steve

1 minute ago, banjaxed said:

Thans again for all your input and suggestions. I have decided not to waste any more time on this grinder and I am going to return it. That sharpener looks like a good idea Steve, might be more suitable for what I want.

I like it for the few times I do any sharpening.
Don't expect miracles it is quite easy to push too hard and stop the wheel so you will struggle to take out big gouges in your chisels if you have hit a nail or something (talking wood chisels here not bolster or masonry ones) but to put a real nice sharp edge on wood chisels, knives, scissors etc with a bit of patience they are great (in my opinion), I have had one for years.

Steve

I actually found these better and easier to use for sharpening drill bits, chisels, knives etc.

Sharpener

They are practically useless for constant use sharpening loads of stuff as it is a slow process to use, but for but for the odd chisel or drill it does a really good job and so easy to get the correct angles.
All that is left to do is a bit of a rub on a strop and they are as sharp as can be.

Steve

After watching these two videos I would be tempted to return it if you still can.

Out of the box it seems they are not brilliant, the 2nd video shows how to get the best out of it but even at the end it is not great.
In a way I think this will be true for all grinders certainly under £50, I think all will vibrate to a reasonable extent, even the same grinders some will be better than others it will just be pot luck how good yours is, but some models will be better and generally the more you pay the better.

Anyway see if the 2nd video helps at all or just persuades you to take it back. The 3rd video is for a different make but goes a bit deeper into the pitfalls of these cheap grinders and how to get best out of them.

1st Video         2nd video           3rd video

Hope they help

Steve