carastro

I have a proper camping observatory not as expensive as the Kendrick tents but was about £180.  Not sure howveasy it is to find them now though.  I use it ar astro camps.  Originally bought from Astrograph. 

It has a removable roof and built in floor  

Getting to the stage where you don't need to process images, just press a button and use some-one else's skills.

But it is a great reprocess Gorann.

Carole 

Thanks Peter, and thanks for inspiring me to do better.  

I recently posted up an image of this - just the 2023 data and tbh was a bit underwhelmed with it.  

So decided to try to combine with data I took in 2018.  

2023 4h 450mins using a dual rig ED80/Atik460EX and ED72/Atik460EX

2018 8h 5mins Using Atik314L/WOZS71 & Atik460EX/Ed80 

Total imaging time 12h 45mins.

If you are used to doing things really basically why not try this - which is what l do. 
 

Yes a computer outside needs a box to keep the dew off. 
 

I simply set everything up and running outside and then retreat indoors and watch the subs and guiding from indoors on a second laptop via Teamviewer using Wifi.    This does mean getting a second laptop but l buy very cheap reconditioned ones off Ebay.  This will free up your work laptop which can be the indoor one.  
 

I can control the software from indoors and watch the guiding and change things as needed 
 

HTH

Amazing work Nigella.  The Sun does seem to be very active.  

I use both those scopes on a dual rig.

Work well.

Agree with Vlaiv, an Acromat won't cut it, horrible chromatic aberration.  Needs to be an Apo. 

Depends on what sort of results you want really.  

I started out with a second hand CG5 GT mount and WO scope at £700 for both.  Plus a second hand DSLR around £320 l think it was plus an ST80 guide scope. Total £1100. 
 

More basic mounts don’t really guide that well and can’t do long enough exposures to get decent results.
 
The above kit served  me well for the first couple of years  

l can certainly recommend the Samyang 135mm camera lens.  
 

Carole

I have always used doublets, apart from a few months when I bought a triplet.  To be honest I didn't see any difference, but then I do image from LP skies and do a lot of narrowband.  Perhaps the Triplet wins on broadband.  Anyway, since I found no difference and it was very heavy and didn't allow for dual rig on my mount, I re-sold it.

You may or may not like the images I produce, but I think my website is in my signature.

Carole  

I couldn't do any better, there should be Ha signal in the outer halo, but I don't think there is enough signal in the Ha.

Can you post the stacks in tiff format as well, l would  like to have a go in photoshop.
 

Carole 

Excellent detail and colour. 
 

Carole

Agree with Adam about needing longer Flats due to shutter shadow.  You just have to dim the light to compensate. 

Carole 

14 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

That’s a lovely image, @carastro.  Why did you use two scopes? And were the images difficult to merge? 

I always use a dual rig if I can if using my telescopes (can't with my Samyang lens), as you can get twice as much data at a time.  In particular I can get Ha only on one scope and concentrate more on Oiii and Sii on the other.

I have been doing this for quite a few years and register the two different images in Registar, which I also use to re-size the Oiii and Sii which I bin x 2 (also saves time).  I never bin Lum or Ha as you need the detail in those filters. 

Merging the Ha from two different scopes, once registered in Registar, I blend them together in layers in Photoshop.  I am sure there will be a routine in Pixinsight which will do the same.   

HTH

Carole 

It is here;

Wow, some fabulous fine detail there.   Excellent.

Carole 

Agree with Budgie.  
 

I have been wanting to image this again, after imaging it in 2018 in HOO, but wanted to do it in full Hubble palette this time.

Dual rig from SE London Bortle 8

ED80 & Atik460EX
ED72 & Atik460EX
HEQ5
Ha 36 x 600
Oiii & Sii 14 x 300 binned each
SHO

Total imaging time 8h 20mins

Image edited, wrong colour caliubration due to using a different laptop!!!!

Awesome

Captured on 7th July from SE London

4hours 40mins SHO 

Dual Rig, ED80 and ED72 both with an Atik469EX

NGC6820 (processing now tweaked)

Been meaning to image this again since l imaged it back in 2018 in HOO. 
This time done in Hubble Palette from home   

Dual Rig
ED80 and Atik460EX 
ED72 and Atik 460EX
HEQ5
Ha 20 x 600secs 
Oiii 8 x 300secs binned
Sii 8 x 300secs binned 
Total 4 hours 40mins

SE London Bortle 8 

There is a faint PN Lan 21 top left, which is just starting to appear.

I have been using a dual rig for years.  You can capture twice as much data so really speeds up imaging time. 
 

As Olly says l use Registar to re-size and orientate the data and then combine in photoshop or your chosen software.  
 

Mine are not matching FOV’s as try as l might l rarely manage to get them exactly rotated the same so one having a slightly larger FOV allows the edges to be cropped off the larger FOV. 
 

Carole

I’m in the middle.  I have an obsy which needs opening manually and rotating manually and sometimes needing unclipping and rolling off and back onto the walls if the target is high. (SkyPOD). I use the handset so stay with the rig until it is all up and running.  Only then do l retreat inside and watch all the subs come in on Teamviewer.  I can control the software from indoors.  
 

Since l live in Bortle 8 there is not a lot to see up there anyway.  
 

Carole

Really nice collection there.  Well done and for getting your kit out there and finding the best place.  Also great to get some targets we can't get from home.

My only holiday in Fuerteventura, was pretty negative from the Astronomy point of view, but I didn't have a car and so I could not see much at all from the hotel.  I can remember that awful wind which pretty much spoilt the first half of the holiday.  Should have translated the name of the island before I booked - Duh!!!

Carole