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carastro

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Everything posted by carastro

  1. carastro
    Didn't do a huge number of images this year, these are probably the 5 best ones: IC410 Tadpole Nebula (Taken from SE London) Dual rig, ED80/Atik460EX & WOZS71/Atik314L Pacman Nebula NGC281 (taken at an astro camp) Dual rig (but put cameras on wrong scopes as was a bit out of practice):Atik460 & WOZS71 Atik 314 & ED80 The Bubble Nebula NGC7635 (Taken at Kelling) ED120 & Atik314L Melotte 15 (taken from SE London) First Light with SW150P & Atik314L M45 Pleiades Cluster First Light with SW130PDS & Atik460EX Carole
  2. carastro

    Hi Peter,

    You replied about me wanting a Canon DSLR offering me a 1000D.

    A few questions:

    a) Does this have live view?

    B ) Is it Astro modified and if so does it have glass/baader replacement filter?

    c) How many shutter counts.

    D) Does it come with battery and charger (in case mine don't fit).

    E) How much are you wanting for it?

    Thanks

    Carole

    1. carastro

      carastro

      I have a CLS filter but might be interested in the Ha filter.

      Carole

    2. Petergoodhew

      Petergoodhew

      Hi Carole,

      A) Yes it has live view

      C) The shutter count is 5390

      D)  Yes it comes with battery and charger.  It also comes with a mains-powered battery replacement power unit, and a 64GB SD memory card.

      E) It cost me £300 in total.  I would accept offers around £140 plus postage.

      The Astronomik EOS Ha Clip filter cost me £147.  I would accept offers of £110.

      Peter

       

       

       

       

       

       

    3. carastro

      carastro

      I have found one now thanks Peter.  Not quite sure where I put this post as it didn't seem to come up in messages.

      Carole

  3. carastro
    I got my 2nd light with my SW130PDS last night. I am planning to get a 2nd night on both of these images if we get another clear night soon. I did Melotte 15 while I was waiting for M45 to rise above the houses. Both images from the Suburbs of London. Carole Mapped HOS Ha 8 x 900 + 1 x 600 Oiii 6 x 300 Sii 5 x 300 WIP SW130PDS, NEQ6, Atik460 followed by: M45 The Pleiades cluster M45 with SW130PDS, NEQ6 & Atik460 Baader CC Lum 8 x 600secs RGB 6 x 300secs binned x 2 each
  4. carastro
    Very interesting topic, am following this with interest. I am not that technical so can't offer any thoughts except for tilt - if the camera is being locked into the draw tube by only two screws. Then if there is slight tilt on one side of the meridian, then the tilt would be the opposite way after a flip, doubling the error. I am probably completely wrong and probably doesn't apply to scopes which don't use the 2 screw method at the draw tube, but just thought I'd throw that into the ring. Carole
  5. carastro
    To be honest I have never thought about it, so I am not sure what order I do it in. Processing mono images is quite a different kettle of fish to DSLR images as if the noise is in the Oiii and Sii, I quite often take the finished image and blur it to reduce the noise (dust and scratches) and then paste over the the Ha image for a 2nd time and blend it as luminosity. This will sometimes wash out the colour so I slightly adjust the colour layer in curves or match colour, and then slightly adjust the Ha layer also in curves until the colour gets put back. I think I found that on an on-line tutorial, think it was Starizona. It's probably at this stage I do some selective sharpening which I usually do by taking a copy of the image then do a High pass filter and then paste back the copy on top and then erase the bits I where I want the sharpening to show through, this normally prevents the stars from being sharpened. I know you can select the stars and exclude them from the HP filter, but this tends to select only the brighter stars so the small ones still get High Passed so I find this method works better, does mean you have to avoid the stars when doing the erasing. HTH Carole
  6. carastro
    Thanks Al. I have now brightened and sharpened it a bit and tried to reduce the noise:
  7. carastro
    Finally got first light with my SW130PDS Not the greatest result as I live in the suburbs of London and I had problems with guiding over 500secs. It wasn't until after I packed up I realised that Dec was not properly balanced, so wasted a lot of time trying to find out why it was trailing and trying out shorter subs. Since I wanted a result to se how the SW130PDS performed and we get so few clear nights I decided to cheat a little and made up two Ha images one with 15min subs with trailing and 1 with 500sec subs without trailing. Erased the stars on the 15 minute image using Straton and overlaid the 500sec image over the top to replace the stars. As a consequence of all the messing around trying to find out why I was trailing and trying different lengths I did not get as much data as I would have liked. I think I really need a dark location for the Oiii, and Sii. Anyway - enough rabbit - taken on 5/11/2016 - yes bonfire night - I hoped that narrowband would be OK with fireworks. First light for my SW130PDS, Atik460EX, NEQ6, PZT Ha 5 x 15mins + 2 x 500secs Oiii 3 x 150secs binned Sii 4 x 150secs binned Looks better if you don't zoom in (ha ha) but just glad to get a first light with this new scope. Carole
  8. carastro
    Thanks Sagramore. Going to clean that coma corrector before the next imaging attempt. I only bought it that evening and went from SE london to SW London to get it as I wanted to be sure it would all fit. When I got home it was around 11pm, and it was a clear sky. I was too impatient to see where focus would be and how far the focusser would encroach into the OTA to stop and clean the CC first. Not had a clear night since, so would have still been waiting and wondering if I hadn't gone out then. Just need a clear night now without that pesky Moon. Carole
  9. carastro
    I think what you can see (and I am amazed you can see it as I had to stretch the image a lot to see it), is the effect of gradient exterminator, as this was taken right near the full Moon. I am going to clean the coma corrector before I next use it and see if anything remains. Carole
  10. carastro
    It was 11 subs, and the fuzzy bit does seems to be on all the subs. I'll give the coma corrector a clean as there was a mark on it (2nd hand), and see if that makes any difference. I did do flats, but if it was a light smudge would flats remove it? Carole
  11. carastro
    Got myself a coma corrector, Spacing sorted, collimated - First test shot: Fingers crossed this is going in the right direction, shame it's full Moon as it's a clear night tonight, eager to try a first image with it. TEST SHOT, M45 Next to a full Moon, but just to check collimation and stars: (Not sure what that hazy bit is top right of image), any thoughts? Had to do a gradient exterminator on this as you can imagine, but the hazy bit was noticeable when doing the subs, which are a batch of 5mins luminance. Carole
  12. carastro
    Thanks Wim, no I have not resolved it yet. I tried the freezer and Marigold gloves method, but that didn't work. I've tried a couple of sets of pliers (ouch), but nothing will budge it. It's annoying. Carole
  13. carastro
    Hi Richy, was that link supposed to open, and is it a step by step of "how to" move the primary up? If so, I'd perhaps feel braver if I could see how to do it. I can't open the link. Yours in anticipation. Carole
  14. carastro
    Moving the mirror IMHO is easier and it's reversible! I was pretty apprehensive before I did it but it really was simple to do. On the few occasions I have attempted to modify/repair anything I have messed it up. I tried to do what I thought was something simple in the car once and ended up breaking down with a more costly repair. I need a "man wot does" to do anything like this. Plus I don't have suitable tools. Carole
  15. carastro
    Some-one requested a photo, so here it is with my ED120 finderguider sitting on it. Just about managed to fit it into the FOV by standing with my back against the obsy and the camera up against my face. Lol. Focusser is in that position due to collimating.
  16. carastro
    Something weird has happened to the reply box, thus my quote in the previous post, but would not let me add a comment. I'll give that a try, even if it's just to prove it is the adapter I need. I'd love to be able to screw directly to the focusser like Rob does, I just bought a click lock adapter for my refractors as all that expensive equipment on the end of two small screws which were starting to not tighten properly, plus sometimes my EFW and Camera would rotate when taking the cover off at Star parties (even being careful). So then subsequent data wouldn't match up. I've actually asked the buyer (who bought my previous SW150P and coma corrector if he'd like to swap CC as he uses a DSLr and might be better for him anyway. Waiting to hear back but I think he's travelling today. Carole
  17. carastro
  18. carastro
    Feeling a bit peed off now as I just sold a non reducing coma corrector with the 150P which fitted my Atik camera/EFW, and ordered a SW coma corrector that reduces, now I find it causes a problem as above and additionally I can't fit the coma corrector to the EFW as the threads are wrong. To add to my frustration, I possibly have the adapter I need M48 to T2 (I think), but it is very thin and stuck on another adapter and I can't even get a grip on it because it is thin to get it off. Carole
  19. carastro
    Thanks Rob, I'll see if it affects the stars which it did on my 150P image. I won't be moving the mirror up that's for sure, beyond my capabilities, but I know some-one who might take a bit of the focusser tube should it be necessary. Fitted the 2ndry replacement bolts today, the 2ndry needed a slight tweak afterwards, and oh my goodness they were so much easier than fiddling around with Hex keys, especially as my hex keys are all fitted to one gadget in a swiss army knife style. So thanks for that tip Louise. Just sorting out the coma corrector connections now, as usual none of the threads fit. Carole
  20. carastro
    Thanks Rob, yes I tried to mask off the 2ndry with card (as per Astrobaby's tutorial), but I had difficulty in getting it to stand up and the 130PDS is a bit small to get your hands in to try to lift the card. I think I need a stiffer and larger bit of card, so I can bend it at the perimeter, this should help wedge it in the tube better. Not having tried the Atik cameras in the scope yet, I don't know where the point of focus will be, I see you have an Atik383 Rob, do you have any problems with the focusser protruding into the light path? I only have Mono Atik cameras now my DSLR having died at Kelling a couple of weeks ago. I had a 15-P until a few days ago, but wanted a bigger FOV, and my stars were flattened one side because of the focusser. Carole
  21. carastro
    OK folks, well Louise's post kicked me up the backside and I made one more effort to try to find my own Hex keys, and bingo I found them in the cutlery drawer of my campervan (I looked there before but it's a deep drawer and they were right at the back buried under other stuff and it was semi dark when I looked before). I guess things get bumped around when I am driving it, including the cutlery - lol. So I had a go at collimating the 2ndry. First time I have done the 2ndry and all I can say is I hope I won't need to do it again as it was a bit of a mare - I am sure the replacement bolts would have been easier, but now I don't want to have to take the hex bolts out to put the replacement ones in unless the 2ndry needs re-collimating. I think it is all OK now just need to do a star test to confirm. Fingers crossed. thanks for all your help every-one. Carole
  22. carastro
    You mean I have to remove the ones that are inside those long holes? Great, I just thought they fitted inside the ones that are there. OMG Carole
  23. carastro
    The secondary is definitely out on my new 130PDS, I tried all my hubbies hex keys today (removed from their springs) and none of them fitted. I also tried to bring the primary into collimation, but it just won't work with the 2ndry out. Am stuck until I receive those little bolts Louise recommended. Carole
  24. carastro
    Thanks Rob, that's put my mind at rest about the central screw. Carole
  25. carastro
    Thanks Louise, I have ordered the ones you suggested from 365 Astronomy, I thought it was slightly cheaper, and possibly quicker than ordering from Spain, plus the heads being smaller might be better for a smaller scope. Carole
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