TerryMcK

Wim APP is faster at all processing than PI. I have a very fast xeon processor based machine (with loads of RAM and fast SSD’s) that I use for processing images and PI takes noticeably longer times. However there are some who say PI does a better job. I’ve yet to see that difference.

A great shot Rik from our poor Bortle skies in Manchester. I agree with using Noel Carboni’s action set and “make stars smaller” would get good results on your image. Well worth buying.

I have paid for the live tuition and demos from Warren and Ron Belcher in their MastersOfPixinsight.com courses. They are $35 per session in the PixInsight for Newbies course. The sessions are recorded for access later and you get download access to the files. Those recorded sessions can be bought subsequently if you want to join in. I have found it invaluable and the next live session is in January. They run a session at 7PM GMT and another at 7PM EST usually on a Tuesday.

I have the IDAS D2 too and it is the only one on the market to my knowledge that works with LEDs. No doubt other manufacturers will come up with similar spectrum blocking filters soon.

As you know I have joined the fun but no first light on my Herschel wedge yet. If I can get images 1/100th of the quality of yours Nigella I will be happy.

What camera are you using in it Nigella? I've got either a ZWO ASI120MM mini or a ZWO ASI183MM and MC. I'm mounting it on either my ZS73 or ZS103 WO scopes.

I have just received an Altair-Astro Herschel Solar wedge for the sunny days. It comes in a smart little aluminium flight case (not that I would stuff it into an aircraft hold) and some Haribo's. It looks very well made but it is in anodised gold. I wish they did it in William Optics red to go with my red WO scopes 😃 but never mind. I've just got to wait for a bit of sun now!

Yes it was with advice from Steve's website that I bought this one. I had first light with it and my Helios Stellar-II 20 x 80's the other night looking at Saturn and Jupiter. The grip makes it so much easier and the binocs are awesome. 🖖

http://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/

You may be better with the 130PDS or even the 150pds as the bigger scope 200PDS is like a sail in the wind. Fine for visual on the HEQ5Pro if you don't mind the odd angles the eyepiece gets to but for astrophotography you will struggle even in the slightest breeze. A better option if your budget can stretch a little further is the NEQ6 or EQ6-R Pro. Both of these will work well with the boat sail. The smaller scopes have less wind capturing area and are proven to be well for AP in conjunction with the HEQ5-Pro. One thing you will need to factor in if you are intending to take images of DSOs is a coma corrector. If you are only doing planets and the moon then you will be ok without. I see the camera you have chosen is the 120MM which is fine for planets and the moon. However beware that the planets will still be very small. Jupiter shown below with the 200P and ASI120MM And the moon below with the same combo

What ISO are you set at? What is the telescope?

IDAS D2 works wih LED street lights as well as tungsten, sodium and mercury vapour. I have one for my OSC and it works well. As far as I am aware this is the only one on the market at the moment.

Run it through Stellarium as that will show you the apparent FOV with your target.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksutov/skywatcher-skymax-127-synscan-az-goto.html This one is within your budget and will show planets and the moon. DSO are not really feasible visually as they are so faint. No telescope is ultra portable in the specification you have given but this will fit in a car easily. I don’t think I would take something like this on an aircraft though. Good luck.

Best to get a DSLR astro modded if you want to take advantage of Ha filtering. All of Trevors cameras that he uses for Astrophotography are modded or are made specifically for the task including his latest mirrorless Canon.

+1 on the ASI 183MM. I have one and it suits the shorter focal length scopes like yours very well.

To save people looking the developers notes for the PHD2 implementation show this: “Multi-Star Guiding Some guiding configurations can benefit from guiding on multiple stars rather than just one. This results in using a weighted average centroid position of multiple stars rather than just the centroid of a single star. Multi-star guiding is enabled using a check-box on the Guiding Tab of the Advanced Settings dialog. When this option is enabled, the Auto-select function will identify up to 12 stars in the field of view that have adequate SNR. No more than 9 of these will be used at any one time, but the remainder will be used to replace secondary stars that are lost or rejected for some reason. The "primary" star is the single best candidate, the same one that will be selected if multi-star guiding is disabled. As guiding proceeds, some of the secondary stars may be rejected because they are too dim or have drifted outside the field of view. This is of no concern, the multi-star guiding algorithm handles the secondary list automatically. When multi-star guiding is active, the PHD2 image display will show the usual rectangle around the primary star and circles around the secondary stars. All other UI features associated with a guide star - brightness properties, SNR, FWHM, etc - relate to the primary star, not the entire list. Multi-star guiding can be enabled or disabled while guiding is active. However, enabling the feature will force another 'auto-select' procedure. The multi-star algorithm uses the secondary stars to refine the centroid position and reduce its volatilty, so there is essentially no way for it to degrade guiding performance. Whether it produces a material benefit to your overall guiding will depend on many factors including image scale, star and background sky brightness, star size, focus, and camera noise. Because of the way the algorithm is implemented, your best option will be to try it and decide for yourself.”

A DynaSun WT011H Professional Tripod Head Grip for use when using binoculars. First impressions are it is absolutely astonishing - why didn't I buy one of these years ago for use with my cameras too.

A new pair of binocs that I got in FLOs Black Friday sale. Hellios Stellar-2 20x80 WP. Only had a quick glance at and through them as it is daytime. Wow fantastic instrument and a bit of an upgrade from my 10x50 Carl Zeiss Jena 1979 model which are still going strong.

Great processing Graham

+1 with Malc-c comment. 13.8 volts is a nominal output of a regulated power supply like the ham radio ones you have. In fact I use one outside but have it inside a plastic lidded 42 litre storage box https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001O3PG6A along with a few more electrical devices to keep dew free. The minimal amount of heat generated inside the box keeps it dry and does not overheat. I drilled a couple of holes in mine to let cables in and out. In use I bung up the holes with some bubble wrap to stop creatures getting in. So reuse your old amateur gear and you will be fine.

Thanks Steve

Just started watching it as I missed it live

A Dobsonian like this would be a great starter scope within your budget https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html

Digic 5 is faster than Digic 4. The 650D also has a touch screen. I have a 650D for everyday use (not astro) and it is fantastic.