Spongey

Presumably ZWO will follow up with a mono version of the ASI2600, which is the chip being used in the QHY268

Considering the naming of the ASI 2600 it almost seems like ZWO knew that this sensor would become the 'successor' to the ASI 1600. It will definitely be on my wishlist and I'll be keeping a close eye on it when it finally arrives!

Fantastic news! And just what our community has been waiting for 😁 Launch in October 2020... Not too far away at all! How do you find the ASI 2600MC @Allinthehead? Would you imagine that a mono version of the same sensor would give good results? Presumably there are no microlensing artefacts or other issues with the colour version? I had a play with your M42 data from that camera and it was a joy to work with! Cheers

Hi Mark, I've just had a look at mine and the rotating eyepiece is quite stiff / damped and holds it's position okay. If yours is new I'd consider getting in touch with the retailer for a replacement polar scope. Otherwise a piece of tape could potentially hold the eyepiece in place and prevent it from rotating? I've not heard of anyone having this issue before. Cheers

I own a SkyGuider Pro and have had no issues with the internal polar scope. Have you tried removing the polar scope and tightening the various points on it? If it is the same polar scope (which it appears to be) as the SkyTracker pro then it is quite adjustable with a locking ring etc. Cheers

Martin Pugh, rather generously, recently released some data of NGC253 to the public as a way to show what the setups he manages are capable of. The data can be downloaded by anyone wishing to have a play here: http://www.mrpugh55.cba-sierras.com/NGC253HaLRGB.zip The setup used for this shot is a Planewave 17" CDK f6.8 on a Paramount ME, located in Chile. Camera is an SBIG STXL11002 with AOX, and Astrodon LRGB Gen II, 3nm Ha. This is 1 Hour of Lum and RGB each in 20 min subs, and 90 mins of Ha in 30 min subs. For this short integration time it is truly fantastic data. I would be very interested to see how others end up processing it should you get the chance. This is my first attempt at processing it, a couple of hours worth and I think there are still some improvements to be made; if anyone has any constructive criticism I would greatly appreciate it! Cheers

I had a play with some ASI 2600MC data that was kindly uploaded by @Allinthehead a few weeks back and I can say without a doubt that it seems to be a great camera. Not cheap, but is anything in this hobby? 😅

This does seem to be true, with the 1600 on it's 4th(?) iteration they seem to have finally got it right. I do think though that their experience over the years, and particularly with the 1600, has helped in some of their newer cams; I haven't heard of any hardware issues with the ASI6200 or 2600 etc.

Thanks Tomato! I will be running it from a laptop yes, I use NINA and PHD2 already with my SkyGuider Pro with no issues. I'm looking forward to getting a little more in depth with platesolving etc. to make the most of the software! Thanks again

A mono APS-C I think would be a very hot seller. It seems like, as Space Oddities has mentioned, the most sought after camera by us hobbyists for a long while. Even if the camera is a 4/3" mono 'replacement' of the ASI1600, I think it could do very well considering the relative shortcomings of the panasonic chip compared to the latest crop of Sony BSI sensors (e.g. microlensing, QE etc.)

Hi all! I am looking to build my first 'proper' deep sky rig and was wondering if someone more experienced than myself could look over my wishlist and let me know if I have missed anything vital / if some things aren't compatible etc. Currently I use my DSLR and lens combo on a SkyGuider Pro and have had some great results, but I've always wanted to move into something a little more serious. I would mostly be imaging from my backyard (Bortle 4/5), so broadband is possible but ideally (when I have the funds), I'd love to get into narrowband with a dedicated astro-cam. Scope: Esprit 100 + field flattener Imaging camera: Canon 6D (non-modified), with the intention of upgrading to a mono CMOS camera in the future. Mount: CEM40 (non-EC) with 1.75" tripod Guiding: SW 9x50 finder-guider with ASI224 (I have this already and use it on my SkyGuider Pro with good results) Accessories: - Nevada PS-08 Linear Voltage Regulator PSU (I will also get a deep cycle 12V marine battery for when I travel with the setup too) - Bahtinov mask (with an eventual upgrade to a motorised focuser) - Dew controller + straps (will likely get these when this becomes a problem later in the year) This was pretty much everything I could think of in terms of gear, everything comes with the correct cables etc. so that (hopefully) shouldn't be an issue. I'm leaning towards the CEM40 over the EQ6-R pro due to the weight of the mount, built in iPolar and cable management options. Are there any glaring items missing? Thank you to those who take the time to help Cheers

Considering the age of the post this may be old news but does anyone have any ideas what this new mono camera could be? A Sony-based IMX successor to the ASI1600MM would be right up my alley. In fact, partially because of this post, I've decided to delay buying the ASI1600MM and instead put the funds towards my first 'proper' scope and mount (currently use my DSLR and SkyGuider Pro). All speculation at the moment I suppose but thought it might spark an interesting discussion! Cheers

Hi all, I am looking to build my first (proper) deep sky rig and was wondering if anyone on the forum has experience with this mount? There are a few reports online but as the mount is only ~1 year old there isn't a great deal out there. Considering the cable routing options, built in iPolar, and weight of this mount I am leaning towards it more than the well established EQ6-R pro. My scope will be an Esprit 100, starting with my Canon 6D DSLR, before upgrading to a dedicated mono astro-cam in the future. I don't intend on upgrading to a much bigger scope any time in the next 5-10 years so the CEM70 is a tad overkill. Cheers

The second version is probably my personal favourite! How do you find the Esprit 120 on the EQ6-R? You must almost be at the limit of the mounts capability

Great promise! That Epsilon really is a photon hoover!

Richard, this is truly fantastic data, thank you kindly I've had a go at your M42 as it was taken with the scope I am looking to buy at some point soon hopefully! I know you have now sold on your Esprit 100 but did you find it a good scope to work with? Thanks again!

Hi everyone! After researching and reading up on all things astro for the last 12 months, I have finally taken the plunge and upgraded my modest setup from a Skytracker Pro to a SkyGuider Pro! Portability is key for me at this time in my life and that's why I've gone down this route rather than jumping in with an HEQ5 or EQ6-R and a larger scope. I will be able to fit this all in a backpack when it's dismantled, and take it on holidays via aircraft. After playing with the setup for many hours (plus a few trips to screwfix), I have finally figured out a way to mount both my main 'scope' and guide scope at the same time, whilst maintaining balance. The finder-guider is connected to a 200mm arca-swiss plate via a lightweight ballhead, and the main camera is mounted using a rubber-lined pipe clip, as I don't have the tripod collar for this lens, and attaching it straight to the camera has induced some tilt in the past. Both of these sit on a fluid panorama head, which I bought as I have heard about a lot of people have difficulties when using the included declination bracket with this mount. In order to find balance, I have attached a spare ballhead that I had lying around (~350g) to the end of the counterweight shaft, as the shaft is just too short to get balanced without it. In total, the camera end of the setup weighs 3.16kg, which is well under the rated load of 5kg for this mount, so I am hopeful that the results will be good! Of course, since I got all the gear on Monday it has been cloudy every night, but I am eager to get out under the stars to give the new setup a whirl! Any tips for a first time guided astrophotography run would be much appreciated Main specs are: Mount - iOptron SkyGuider Pro Main imaging camera - Canon 6D Main lens / 'scope' - Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Guide scope - Skywatcher 9x50 finder scope Guide camera - ASI 224MC

Thanks for the tip, I'll check them out With difficulty! A lot of the edge data had to be cropped as a result but I'm still pleased with the framing

Thanks for the kind comments How would you suggest getting a shot like this printed? I have had a similar photo printed before on metallic paper and frankly, it looks far too dark in a normal room to fully appreciate! All the detail is there, it just looks very bland under regular light...

This is easily the biggest project I've ever undertaken in my few years of (very) amateur astrophotography! This image is a 10 panel panorama of the Rho Ophiuchi region taken from ~2/3rds of the way up Mauna Loa Observatory road, Hawaii. I carried all my gear around the whole world with me but it was definitely worth it! Aquisition: Canon 6D (unmodified) on an iOptron Skytracker Pro Tamron 100-400mm @ 135mm f/4.5 125x 90s light frames - 3 hours and 7.5 minutes integration time 26x bias frames 30x 90s dark frames 25x flat frames Preprocessing (Pixinsight): Stack bias frames + superbias Calibrate + stack dark frames Calibrate + stack flat frames Calibrate light frames Cosmetic correction Register light frames Subframe Selector Stack light frames Preprocessing (AstroPixelProcessor): Mosaic registration and integration (this took a long time) Processing (Pixinsight): DBE (x2) Background neutralisation Colour calibration SCNR - green Multiscale Linear Transform - Luminance Multiscale Linear Transform - Chrominance Histogram transformation based on a modified STF to go non-linear Morphological Transformation for star reduction Multiple iterations of masked curves transformation Processing (Lightroom): Final touches - mainly local contrast and saturation adjustments Export @50% resolution for web posting This image is definitely my favourite that I have ever done, and I'm pretty impressed at what is achievable with such a small star tracker, DSLR and lens combo! Can't wait to see what I can do with a proper mount and telescope in the years to come (although maybe not under such good skies)! As always, constructive criticism is appreciated

Hi Simon, I am a total noob at narrowband; this is literally the first NB image I have attempted to process! Thanks so much for posting your data, I am looking to get into narrowband at some point in the future so it is great to have some data to play with until I can capture my own! Here is my rendition of your crescent nebula I am interested to know how @GiorgioF has managed to get such clear structure out of the shell, perhaps this comes from adding Ha as a luminance layer? My processing flow was as follows (PixInsight): Crop of clipped edges DBE x2 on each channel Masked MLT noise reduction on each channel Histogram transformation to stretch to non-linear on each channel LHE + curves transform on Ha Linear fit of OIII and SII to Ha Pixelmath R = Ha, B = 0.7*OIII + 0.3*SII, G = OIII Background neutralisation Curves transform to adjust colour palette SCNR green Star reduction using starmask and Morphological Transformation Some masked curves transformations to work on background + nebulosity separately Exported as 16 bit TIFF Imported into Lightroom and adjusted saturation and local contrast adjustments Any feedback is very welcome, as I said this is my first narrowband processing attempt so I'm sure there are plenty of ways to improve! Thanks again for the great data, Spongey