carastro

Welcome to SGL Kay, it sounds as though you have landed on your feet with dark skies. Enoy them and your kit and your time here. Carole

I found some very old Luminance data that I took at High Halden in 2014 with my previous Atik383L - no idea what scope it was but I suspect it was the WOZS71. Been trying ever since to finish this target.So I added it to the luminance I recently acquired with my camera lens in Spain, and whilst it only covers about 1/4 of the area, it has neatened up area around Antares, also NGC6121 and NGC6133 are better, also the nebulosity around Al Niyat. Definitely worth keeping old data.Still don't like the blobby stars, but seem to be stuck with them.

Welcome to SGL. I'm from Kent too, but some years ago they decided to extend London, so I am now Kent by Address but live in Greater London!!!! We are Bortle 8 here!!!! Probably too far for you, but there is the Orpington astronomical Society. We observe in Otford, and travel to East Sussex for Astro camps and meetings are in Petts Wood. Carole

Excellent work, I love this unusual galaxy, only tried it once and it's really too small for my kit. Well done. Lovely star colour too. Carole

What website was that because the ones I have looked at are showing some rain? I didn't know that, was thinking of using my camping fan heater, and an electric radiator if necessary, but if you could give me a hint of where I could hire heaters from - just in case. Carole

Is Suffolk Coast too far? I have never been there but I am told this is good: http://www.hawwoodfarm.co.uk/finding-us/ and this one. https://suffolkcamping.webs.com/ Carole

Thanks you seem to have better conditions than me. I was Bortle 5 (could not see the MW) and I was using an unguided Ioptron Skytracker. Never the less your image is excellent. Carole

I normally look up the new price and then charge 2/3s of that. If it is a friend you might want to reduce it a bit more. Carole

I am watching the weather forecast intensely as we have a Garden Party planned on the 23rd June for our Golden Wedding Anniversary. We have 60 guests coming and will have to get a Marquee if the weather is not good though our garden will only accommodate a small one, as we can't get them all in the house at the same time. Still not purchased the Marquee but will have to decide in the next few days. Just hope it will be warm enough in a Marquee. When we did the same thing 10 years ago for our Ruby Anniversary the weather was brilliant. Just shows how bad and unreliable the weather currently is. Carole

Isn't the idea of stacking that each image will be minutely different from asmospherics/seeing etc etc and the stacking of minutely different images makes for a smoother image. At least that's how I understand it. Otherwise what would be the point of doing hours and hours of data. Stacking identical data won't do the same. Carole

Excellent certainly knocks spots off mine. What length were your subs and what mount were you using? Carole

It would not be my first choice for imaging, but as a simple mount for taking on a plane it serves its purpose. The Skywatcher star adventurer possibly is better but more bits to it. I like the simplicity of the Ioptron mount. I generally only use it for travelling abroad, though I think I used it once at camp to do the milky way on one occasion while my main rig was busy doing other imaging targets. I am not sure whether I am likely to have much further use for it as I got the two main targets I wanted on this trip, and anything else I might want to image is too small for my camera lenses. So unless I suddenly decide to travel to the Southern hemisphere - which is unlikely as I have already done that, I am not sure I will use it again, so will probably be selling it. Carole

Actually you are quite right. I got confused with another image I was doing the night before, where I used the Nifty 50. The Milky Way image was indeed done with an 18-55mm zoom lens but at the lowest setting (18mm). I should correct Laurin Dave. Sorry Laurin, please read my previous sentence. Carole

Thanks Dave. Yes 50mm

Now that I am home I have reprocessed this. This is also a stack of both sets of data (3mins and 2mins) which for some reason i could not seem to successfully combine in Spain. I think this is smoother and less noisy and I cropped out some of the edge where there was a small gradient from what I think was a nearby palm tree and the effects of the local LP:No flats were used for this image as despite being taken they completely messed up the image giving is swirling gradients all over. Left them out and all I had to deal with was a couple of dust bunnies. Milky Way taken with Canon 1100D and stock lens @ F4.530 x 3mins + 16 x 2mins Unguided on ioptron skytracker

GE is not expensive in AP terms, I could not manage without it, I have to use it pretty regularly. Carole

Glad you got it sorted and have the skills to do so. If it happened to me I would just have to replace the mount unless I happened to encounter some-one clever enough and kind enough to repair it for me, I have no electronics skills at all. Carole

I have never read the book as I got into astrophotography long before I heard about it and as is usual with me I tend to dive in at the deep end, make lots of mistakes but learn by them and this includes having bought the wrong equipment in the first place, but that was before I decided to start imaging. I have heard it recommended many many times so it looks like in your case it will save you the expense and the long learning curve. Speaking personally I enjoy the processing, and find planetary imaging more difficult than deep sky imaging so I gave it up, but every-one is different so don't be put off by me. There is also great satisfaction once you have managed to produce something decent. Carole

The pvc tubing seems to have done the trick as an extension tube but it won’t have a small clamping bolt on it so ne careful you eyepiece doesn’t fall out snd smash. Maybe you can find a way of securing it. Happy viewing. Start with the Moon. Carole

No problem processing. Carole

I am not great with camera lens imaging, but this target is too big for my scopes anyway, too low in the UK so no choice but to do it with a camera lens on holiday in Spain.I imaged this 2 years ago from the same location with my DSLR, but this time I took my Atik460EX to capture it in luminance to add to the colour from the DSLR image.This is the original DSLR image from 2017https://www.astrobin.com/full/300756/D/Using only an ioptron Skytracker and having Bortle 5 skies and a nifty 50 lens this is probably the best I can do with my kit and skills.Taken over 2 different holidays in Spain:DSLR in 2017Atik460EX Luminance only 2019and combined Nifty 50 lens @ F3.5DSLR approx 4 hours using Nifty 50 & Zoom lensLum 30 x 3mins + 16 x 2 mins combinedNot happy with the nebulosity around and below Antares itself but I think I need to be somewhere with a telescope (and Mosaic) rather than a camera lens to do this any better, but I will probably reprocess it when I get back home where I have a bit more time and a larger screen. this is my revised image from further down in the thread. I have moved it up because I think it is being missed with members looking and liking the first one.

Staying with friends who are right on the coast 7 miles south of Estepona, we can see Gibraltar from their terrace.It's Bortle 5 here and there are bright lights along the beach front which I had to mask out with a large board. I re-superimposed the Palm Tree from single shot over a trailed bit of their trellis.I have never been much good at camera lens imaging but needs must:Milky Way taken with Canon 1100D and stock lens @ F4.547 x 2mins with Ioptron SkytrackerA bit of thin cloud around invisible to naked eye This is an edit I did further down the thread, I think new viewers are missing it and just looking at this top one: For the edit I managed to add a bit more data taken earlier in the evening but with a number of land objects in the way, so mainly it has extended the image on the Right and enabled me to move the re-superimposed palm tree further to the right.

Sounds like a fire ball. Larger than a meteor and not related to a meteor shower. Carole

Cloud?

Very nice result, and there is nothing wrong with the original either. Carole