carastro

For your benefit the version with the zillions of stars:

OK, this is the new version with Gradient Exterminator and I did a little bit of sharpening to the Gecko itself and attempted to remove some of the background noise.

I'll see if I can post it up when I get onto my Desktop. Think it also needs some Gradient Exterminator having looked with fresh eyes. I did this target from home a few years ago, was hoping to combine the data, but the FOV looked different when I found an old sub.

Hi Adam. It was approx: Lum 1h 40m Ha 1h 40m RGB combined 1h 40m (binned)

Spent the last few days at an Astro camp in East Sussex with a few members of the local society and some are SGL members too. This is one of two images I got, (still struggling with the other one). As you probably know I live in Bortle 8, and so it is only opportunities like this that I can do Broadband. Samyang lens 135mm @ F2.8 Atik460EX - LumHaRGB - 4 hours 26mins I don't have all the fancy star removal tools that some use and the Samyang lens coupled with a lum filter yields zillions. Some moderate star reduction done with Straton. PLEASE NOTE THIS HAS BEEN REVISED - more than once (SEE FURTHER DOWN)

Precisely.

I like the second rendition the best, I think star removal is becoming a bit of a fad, they are part of the image. Carole

Yes some of the changes in booking due to new management also played a part in my decision. Years ago l was often still packing away until mid afternoon on the day of departure. Now l have to book and pay for an extra day simply to pack up and be off the pitch by 10.00am !!! My local camp is midday and they are happy if it takes longer to pack up your astro kit.

I decided not to come to Kelling this year as it is a long drive for me, costs a lot with hiring caravan and only got 1 1/2 hours imaging done in a whole week last year and wasn’t a lot better the two previous years. So re-sold my pitch. Going to a campsite in East Sussex with a few astro friends in a few days time instead - only 1 hours drive away. i have been going to Kelling since 2010 and have had a great time over the years - met lots of lovely people but decided to stay closer to home in future Carole

Excellent, well done.

Over a year ago now. Not even sure l would remember how to do it. Thanks for the offer though.

Oh yeah!!!!! I have had 3 people try to get plate solving working for me. 3 have failed. 2 attempts were with APT, one by a regjular user of APT and Platesolving in APT, just could not get it to work. The other was with Sharpcap. All the correct Catalogues entered, all connected, went to target, but would not solve, then got lots of connection issues. I have given up and gone back to doing it manually. Normally not a problem if I sync to a nearby bright star. Only had 2 occasions when I failed to find my target in 13 years.

Presume you are using plate solving. I don't use plate solving, but I know some-one who does, and he took the original captured image and plate solved the centre of the image and then used that to plate solve subsequent sessions. Non plate solving method, I take a previous image as an example, and when I GOTO for the second time, I just examine the stars around the edges and make sure everything is in the right place. Not too fussed if I have to take a tiny bit off the edge as I don;t dither, and use this as a "sort of" dither anyway. Not sure if either of these suggestions will help since I use different software to you.

I agree, I don't think it is possible to image both simultaneously, too much difference in brightness, maybe even needing different cameras.

Brilliant generosity and kindness.

That's very good for a first image. Much better than my first attempts.

It's not the ISS as that is more of an H shape. Too straight to be a bird and no flapping wings. Guess it is one of those 1000s of satellites up there.

Brilliant, what a stroke of luck.

Interesting to see the original poster has not been back on. I bet he posted just to wind every one up. You all seem to have had a good discussion though.

I don’t use PHD 2 but my gut reaction to reading this is l presume you have got your mount tracking in the Northern Hemisphere and or have done a guiding calibration before trying to guide? Also done a good PA.

Why not ask Steve of ENS Optics to drop the buyer a line.

A great result. carole

Very nice Graham

Lovely image but there is something not right with the colour.

I agree with Simon. I live in SE London Bortle 8 and can only do NB from here. Can you try speaking to the Haulage company.