Hallingskies

Is there a reason for this? There seems to be a world-wide delay on the Esprit 100 from what I can work out.

Wot they said....😁 Although I find the hot pixel filter in "extras" in the AA preprocessing menu, set to around 70%, works pretty well if you aren't too much of a pixel-peeper....

If your flats are like mine then they are of fairly short duration, and so I guess they won’t be too badly affected by low level light leaks. I have put a rubber O ring around the base of the filter wheel motor and tightened up the OAG which was a bit loose. Those measures seem to have improved things quite a bit. I had an uncooled SXV-H9 for years and got into the habit of taking a few darks between filter changes - taking darks next day without temperature control was a dead loss. The 460 is a vast improvement in that respect. There is so little noise from the camera that if there are no light leaks I am hoping a defect map in Astroart should do away with the need for darks altogether. 🤞🤞🤞

Just testing the imaging train on a new scope and mount. Got everything talking to each other OK, but when I tried running a few test darks on my Atik 460/EFW2 combo, they all showed a bright edge to the frames. After a bit of messing around I found that the cause appeared to be a light leak around the gap between the EFW2 case and its exposed drive motor. A thin strip of carpet tape around the motor where it goes into the case seems to have cured it. I don't recall having any difficulties with dark frames in the past but then I usually shoot them at night immediately after (or during) a session. Just wondered if anyone else has had this problem. Or am I just being unrealistic in expecting a filter wheel to be totally light-proof in bright daylight?

I use SkyMap Pro, same as you, and also use it for telescope pointing via EQMOD. Unfortunately, SMP rather spoils you when it comes to comparing it to freebies such as Cartes Du Ciel (clunky user interface) or Stellarium (pretty, but eats PC RAM). SMP is intuitive and user-friendly, and the EQMOD tie-in allows seamless transfer from planning a session and potential image framing to actual imaging. It is my go-to programme, quite literally.

VC200L. Does everything.

The random backgrounds and “fact-lite” presentation style of Brian Cox’s latest epic reminds me of another BBC presentation...🤣🤣🤣 He even sounds like him. Or is it just me...?

If you have an Olll filter from your deep sky kit, try that. I find it works quite well on lunar imaging.

PaintShop Pro. I took the longer exposures and used selective curves and layers (combination of lighten and screen modes) to produce a “dark” moon, with a mask to suppress the remaining overexposed bits. I then combined a bunch of the short exposures in Registax, with the output layered over the dark moon in screen mode. I think... It was certainly a bit of a faff. I don’t do Adobe or Pixielights... I agree it does look a bit artificial but it I did try and get the result to look like how I thought I saw it through my 8x30s. Maybe I failed...

From the 16th July, a combination of various exposures using a Canon 450D coupled to my "grab n' go" Nexstar 4SE...

Thank you for the informative write-up. This is an object on my to-do list and your location guide was quite useful. I find Carte Du Ciel a bit clunky and have been using a decade-old version of SkyMap Pro (v10 I think) with EQMOD instead. The variable star FOX252 is in the SMP catalogue and is pretty much in the middle of the FOV for this object, so hopefully I won't have too much trouble finding it later on this month.

Thanks. Easy when you know how....😀

How did you get the coarse focus knob off so that you could fit your focus motor? lt’s not obvious on mine.

Conversation in the pub last night... ”You been watching that Planets thing on BBC?” ”Sort of. I found it a bit frustrating...” ”Why’s that? I thought it was brilliant.” “Sure, lots of clever computer graphics and even some real data, along with some nice music and unnecessary sound effects (in space you can’t hear the rocks bang together...). But waiting for some facts to come along was like waiting for a bus. To actually learn anything, you had to wait until some exotic and random scenery popped up and was pointlessly walked over by a celebrity scientist like Brian Wotsisname...” ”Cox?” ”Well, I wouldn’t go that far but I know what you mean...” “Infotainment?” ”Exactly. But sadly light on the info...”

Just to get this thread back on topic.... At the end of the day the Clear Outside app is just another forecast, subject to that wretchedly unpredictable force of nature called “weather”. I find it best to just look out of the window. Even then, there is no guarantee of it staying clear, although Metcheck’s satellite maps are a big help in that respect.

One of Ian’s many strengths was that he always had time to talk to his customers (potential or actual) over the telephone. This is something I will miss, as FLO seem to prefer e-mail.

China has no such short-sightedness. The possession of the Moon and near-Earth space is an opportunity to secure global military, political and economic domination.

You have witnessed the beginning of the end of dark skies anywhere on Earth. And all for the Great God of the Internet....

And now the damn things are flaring... https://spaceweatherarchive.com/2019/05/29/starlink-satellite-flares/ My local skies are bad enough without 12000 of that nice Mr. Musk's satellites lighting up the night like a fireworks display. Time to give up this hobby, I think. Still, at least Mr. Musk will make lots of money from our loss... At least the next Carrington event will be some sort of karma.

The tone on this thread is becoming quite waspish. I thought I had logged on to Cloudy Nights by mistake....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rentokil-VDTAZ012B-Wasp-Nest-Destroyer/dp/B01H2S24OC/ref=asc_df_B01H2S24OC/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309859607452&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5585671923939612406&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045021&hvtargid=pla-698532502539&psc=1 It’s the only way. If you don’t wipe them out, the nest will grow to monster proportions. I get them in my loft most years, last year a nest got to the size of a football before I found it and zapped them. The foam works a treat.

Couldn’t agree more. I suppose there must be a good reason for the change but Artemis just works and is really user-friendly. Why replace it? But then I said that about Windows XP...??????

We actually didn't feel too badly disposed towards Thanet's finest at the time, despite their initial brusque approach. They have a tough job and had probably had a bad shift. After a little bit of explaining (10 kids, a few parents and a teacher in tow gives you quite a good alibi - as well as back-up) they backed off and were actually quite interested in the constellation tour I was doing! We were about five miles from Manston airport and a few weeks or so after 9/11 so sensitivities were probably quite high, but I still think it's best not to use laser pointers in public even if there are no planes about. Nut jobs have given them a bad name, to the point where anyone seen using one is automatically assumed to be causing mischief, at least on this side of the pond. PS: Just noticed you are Texas-based, Louis. There is a world of difference between US and UK policing styles, I think, sorry for any misunderstanding!

Sorry mate, but I was in a field with a teacher friend and some of his kids when a couple of HM constabulary rocked up, aggressively demanded to know what I thought I was doing and tried to insist I hand over the pointer I was using. I said nothing about them seeing it - I assume someone else saw us and phoned them. Spin on your own axis if you like, just sharing my experience....

From personal experience I would not use a laser pointer. The use of laser pointers in the UK is not illegal but you will find that your local police will just assume that you are a moron and will give you a hard time if you are seen. And given that the majority of the Great English Public do seem to be pretty moronic these days, who can blame them?