Space Oddities

Thank you Adam. I wasn't aware of this issue. Indeed, not very cool! I had selected the 183 initially because it seemed to be more versatile than the 178, which I also considered. My goal would be to use this camera for hunting galaxies, with the 130P-DS, once I have a better mount. And that can be used in the meantime with smaller scopes, like my 60mm. It's hard to choose! But that might be too soon too. I realize I have enough on my plate right now, and I don't want to over complicate things and end up frustrated. But I like thinking ahead and having the next step in mind; your answers will definitely help define that next step Thanks everyone!

Thanks for the link, I'll look into it! Fortunately this scope isn't rare, with WO and AT having similar versions. Perhaps there's a compatible reducer out there!

Thank you @vlaiv for the thorough answer and additional information, it's very helpful I didn't consider the ASI1600 initially, as it seemed more expensive and less adapted to my gear. But on the other hand, FLO and other providers are selling interesting bundles with the EFW and LRGB filters, and the price difference is about 60€ with the same accessories. I'm not sure ZWO filters are the best, I was actually more inclined to chose Baader's LRGB, but those sold with the ASI1600 seem good enough for the time being. Perhaps the ASI 1600 also gives the advantage of be more forgiving as well, and more future friendly (especially with the 130P-DS). I don't think I'll get a more robust equatorial mount in a near future, at least not before I own my own garden or a bigger balcony... but that's not going to happen anytime soon I do have a 1x flattener for the TS 60mm, however I haven't heard of any reducer compatible with that scope. Could be interesting indeed, f/6 is quite a slow aperture. And thanks for the info @DaveS, I read a lot about the horrendous amp glow on the ASI183. Good to know, indeed.

I'm a bit confused, the general consensus seems to be that a camera like the 183 is more adapter to short focal lengths (<400mm), which is my case. What would make the 1600 a better choice?

It does look like a great camera, pity that it doesn't come in mono... This being said, I don't mind a slightly smaller sensor, since I'm working with short focal lengths! Perhaps a 1" sensor is a good compromise?

I saved a bit of money and I'm thinking of upgrading my DSLR. After a lot of research on the zillion cameras and brands available, I figured the cooled ASI183MM was the best fit. But since it's quite an investment, I wanted to discuss it first with more advanced users! First, mono vs color. The M word sounds a bit scary for the beginner, but from my readings I understand that mono is easier to process in heavy light pollution (which is my case). And that you'd actually need more subs with a color camera to rival what a mono image can do, so the fact that you need to do 4 separate images (LRGB) isn't actually a disadvantage. I plan on using my camera with short focal lengths. My imaging rig includes a TS Optics 60mm f/6 refractor, as well as a Canon 200mm f/2.8 for wide field. I also have a lovely SW 130P-DS, but I use it for visual only. There's also my Samyang 135mm, which I love, but it's the mirrorless version and I can't adapt it to anything. According to the calculations I did on astronomy.tools (thanks FLO, very cool tool! ), I understand that I would need small pixels. So in the end, I came up with 2 sensors that might work: the IMX178 and IMX183. I saw very cool images done with the IMX178, but the IMX183's 20 megapixels can be cropped to give similar results. And it would allow me to do more wide field AP, with my Canon 200mm. And I can bin 2x2. So it appears that the ZWO ASI 183 is the best candidate I've considered the QHY as well, but I have found less reviews about this camera, so I figured ZWO was a safer choice. In terms of targets, I image from my balcony, which is facing east. So I have a ~120° view between NE and SE, with plenty of big nebulae in summer Also M42, the Rosette in winter, the Pleiades in Autumn, and some big galaxies like M31/M33. Which means I'll mainly do narrowband on rather big targets, and occasionally LRGB. I tested the ASI183 with my 60mm refractor and Canon 200mm on Stellarium, and it seems to have the right FOV for these targets. For smaller targets, I guess I can crop! My mount isn't very sophisticated, since my space is limited. I'm using a Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi in EQ mode, controlled and guided via Stellarmate. So a fairly lightweight setup, but that worked well so far with my DSLR. Do you think it's a good match, given the gear I'm already using and the targets I have in mind? 🤔 I also have a question for filters. Since they are quite expensive, I'm being careful. I already own a pair of 2" Ha and OIII filters, both in filter drawers from Baader. So I don't think I need a filter wheel for those, I'm fine with manually switching them. And they work with my DSLR too. For LRGB though, I'm a bit confused. There are 1.25" filters and 31mm unmounted filters. Does it make a difference when mounted in a filter wheel (like the one from ZWO)? Also, my Baader filter slider has a M48 mount on the camera side. Will I be able to mount it to an ASI183? I saw on their website that it comes with a T2/M48 adapter, but it's hard to tell with product pictures... Thank you for your feedback!

Thanks a lot guys! Oh that's cool, I didn't know that! Thanks

Yesterday evening, the sky finally cleared and I could see the Moon and Jupiter in a close danse This is a composite of 2 exposures with a Fujifilm X-T3 and XF 100-400mm lens, at 400mm: For the Moon: f/6.4 1/500 ISO400 For Jupiter and its moons: f/6.4 1/60 ISO400 I processed the Moon in Photoshop first. Jupiter was barely visible, but not its moons. So I processed another picture (I used exposure bracketing when imaging) in which the Moon was blown out, but Jupiter and its moons were visible. Then I merged both The view with my binoculars was just amazing! I would say, 50% due to the clouds, who were very brightly lit by the Moon, and created a gorgeous atmosphere.

Let's hope it won't ruing our hobby! Light pollution is already a pain, now if trains of satellites start photobombing our pictures... I wonder what the Flat Earth community will make of that. My bet goes to "Space chemtrails"!

Thanks for your answers! I'll definitely give my eyepieces another try, and see where it gets me. It's difficult, however, to know what other eyepieces could deliver without trying them first, since I've never looked into any other eyepieces... But perhaps a trip to the local telescope store could be helpful Ed, I'm sadly limited right now to lightweight mounts. I'm using primarily a Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi, which is really a pleasure to use, I find the GoTo and the tracking quite accurate. I've already observed several times the Moon, the Sun and a couple planets with a 4" Maksutov, and the mount behave very well given the quick alignment I used

Hello Stargazers! I have a 60mm f/6 refractor from TS Optics, which I use for imaging. I really like this scope, and given its small size, I'd love to use it for observing as well. But I don't really have any experience in this field, so I have a couple questions: What kind of target could I expect to see with this kind of scope (I live in a Bortle 6/7 area) ? What kind of eyepiece would you recommend for this kind of scope? FYI, I already own 2 cheap 1.25" Plössl (10mm and 25mm), that I got with my 4" Maksutov telescope. I have to admit that I haven't really tried them with the 60mm refractor yet. Thanks for your input!

So a few days ago, I went to the loo during the night. On my way back, I checked the sky outside for some reason, and I saw Jupiter, between a tree and a crane. It was 2 am, but of course I had to take a picture, since clear skies were so rare last winter. So I got my gear out and started imaging from my open window. Some people were still getting drunk in the bar below my apartment I used the Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi, with a 102mm Maksutov from the same brand, a Celestron 2x barlow, and a ZWO ASI224-MC camera. I did a quick 1 star alignment on Jupiter (my window happens to be perfectly parallel to the north, so that's convenient!) and Jupiter was easy to find The seeing didn't seem very good that night, and I had a lot of trouble focusing correctly... Also, I didn't really know what settings I should use. I just knew Jupiter was quite fast, so I just tried different combinaisons. In the end, I had 4 files, and one of them seemed to have a better quality graph in Autostakkert. After processing 40% of the frames, I sharpened everything in Registax (trial and error) and finished in Photoshop, where I'm definitely more comfortable! Here is the result For a first, I'm really happy! And I also took 5 minutes to watch the planet and its moons with my cheap eyepieces, also a first time, and what a wonderful view! Conclusion: I'm glad I went to the loo!! Acquisition with ASICAP, preparation with PIPP (what an awesome software!), stacking with AutoStakkert 3, sharpening with Registax, and final contrast/color adjustments with Photoshop.

The wedge from the SA could work well, indeed! And much easier to polar align. My Sirui head does a fair enough job, it's very smooth. Not as good as a dedicated wedge, but well, the point of this mount is precisely that you don't need very precise polar alignment (the polar scope being a straw...)

Oh yes, the one between the Minitrack and the tripod isn't really a ball head, it's a tilt head I find it easier to use than a ball head for polar alignment

Here's a picture of my setup, to give you an idea. I'm not sure it's bigger than the Polarie, globally speaking, but that's one less battery to take care of When travelling or hiking, that's a plus!

I'm afraid the Minitrack also needs 2 ballheads to work. I'm not sure it will be an upgrade, unless you're specifically looking for something that doesn't require any battery ?

Actually, they released recently an adapter that can hold a polar scope or a laser The new version (LX3) also includes a polar scope Looks like they're listening to their customer! There's a pretty active Facebook group where people share their ideas.

Sorry, I meant student, in the sense of ex-student/alumna!

Apparently, this also started a bit of a rather unhealthy discussion on the Internet. The MIT shared the pictures of this PhD student, and they went viral, as you know. Sadly though, she was pushed to the front seat by most medias as the person without which nothing would have happened, at the expense of the other project members (and there were quite a few!). There were some complaints on social networks, saying her work was as important as other people. Apparently, the MIT simply wanted to promote the work of one of their brilliant students, but also because she's a young woman. It's sad to see that achieving this amazing result also triggers this kind of discussions... Though I can also understand the anonymous project members, who were certainly as worthy as Katie Bouman. But nobody can be blamed because a picture went viral on the Internet. At least, the positive side is indeed that it may inspire younger people to work for "space stuff". There is so much left to discover, and the recent progress we made in computer science is going to open new doors. The next decades will be fascinating!

Interesting article from WD, who provided the HDD for this project. Apparently, they used an innovative special helium filled hard drives to image the black hole, due to the harsh conditions some of the observatories are facing. It seems that traditional HDD seem to fail as air rarifies: I just learned something today!

Still looks like a donut on fire as observed by a nearsighted person!

Amazing picture! I also have Johnny Cash playing in my head now... More information on the official website of the EHT: https://eventhorizontelescope.org/

The Minitrack LX3 has been presented at NEAF. It's basically the same as the LX2, but now supports 3 kg of payload. Some images from the official Facebook group:

Amazing images, guys! And very inspiring Here are a few pictures I took with this lens. Great to see that even if I upgrade to an astro camera, I'll still be able to use the lens with excellent results! All pics were taken with the iOptron SkyGuider Pro (except Orion, I only had a tripod) and a Fujifilm X-T1 camera.

According to their website, it's the QSI 583 WSG-5 with a Nikon adapter