Stickey

On 06/04/2024 at 09:01, Gfamily said:

As is mentioned upthread, the easiest way to switch off the automatic dark frame exposure is to use the autobracket mode BRK C 0.3ev, when using Bulb. 

The camera then thinks the image you're taking is the first of three and doesn't do the dark frame.  

Very easy. 

This is the trick I've used from the beginning. It's very simple and works. No complicated technical hacks. It was shared with the astro-photographers in our society by Ian Morison of AstronomyDigest website and several books book fame.

The only thing to watch out for is when you want to take flats, you've got to switch it off. Otherwise you get 3 times as many flats as you intended and they're at different exposures 😳.

Then of course, don't forget to switch it back on again for the next imaging run. 

Would you say an upgrade from Affinity v1 to Affinity v2 is worthwhile?

I pondered the same question for a good while and in the end, I decided to upgrade when one of the regular deals was on. TBH, I've not really had the chance to test it out properly but my rationale was that the James Ritson astrophotography macros are now being developed for V2 only. 

it's not too expensive compared with alternatives. There's always GIMP, Images Plus etc

I've sometimes had trouble ensuring the sensor cover of my Sony A5000 stayed clean. The aforementioned swabs really help but sometimes the dirt stays put. I've used a set of jewellers loupes (held in place by winking slightly, like a monacle). I tilt the sensor so the bright daylight reflects on the sensor surface and the tiniest bit of dirt shows up. If one wipe with the swab doesn't shift it, I also use the famous Baader Wonder Fluid and cloth and then wipe with the swab again. 

That usually shifted the stubborn stuff. 

I assumed you've checked out the seller. There have been examples in the past of scammers posting fake pictures of telescopes to try to steal money. 

Isn't this the Field of View (FoV), or should I say Angle of View (AoV), trap for the unwary, like me😳?

Each telescope/lens and camera combination will have a fixed AoV. That parameter can only be altered by using a focal reducer or by changing either or both of the telescope/lens or camera components.

I've fallen over this trap a few times until I learned to check the angular size of my targets when planning my observing session. 

Now I chose my setup for the targets I'm after, or I change the target list to suit the setup.

6 hours ago, RT65CB-SWL said:

I think you can also use rice.

It has been reported that the Apple company now advise against using rice to dry out their mobile phones if they get wet. They fear that microscopic dust may get inside the device. Look into the details before trying out the rice idea

I use a number of yearbooks when preparing a monthly newsletter that I produce.

I find a paper version easier both to use and to quickly absorb a broad range of information. 

They also help with broad brush planning when I see a possible clear night in the offing

If you're using a SW EQ/3 Pro then It won't carry the weight of equipment necessary for the sort of Astrophotography that requires "great" guiding.

Having said that, I use a basic 50mm finder/ guider with an ASI120MM as a guide camera but I actually use it with my ASIAir Pro for finding objects and tracking them. It also enables me to use the Polar Alignment feature and if I get it good enough, the mount will track quite well without needing guiding.

If the finder/guider are properly aligned, then the Goto feature will put the target object slap bang in the centre of view in the main telescope. I can spend all night observing to my heart's content, sketch or use a DSLR to image the target. 

So, I'd suggest a finder/guider scope rather than a pure guide scope. 

Good luck in whatever you decide to do. 

Mike

Hi Kalin,

Welcome to SGL and I hope you have lots of clear skies with which to enjoy your new scope. 

The simple answer is that your 10mm e/p will let you see something, but it won't be quite good enough to really see detail on a planet. 

Generally speaking you should be looking for magnification of x150 - x200 and the maximum you'll get with the 10mm e/p will be x65. You'll need to double or triple the magnification by either using a x2 or x3 barlow or get a 5mm or a 3.2mm e/p. 

Good quality models of such e/ps are expensive but  give it a go with what you've got and then decide whether it's worth spending more money. 

Good luck. 

Hello from Cheshire, UK 

I use an Asiair, which uses plate solving to assist Polar Alignment. Depending on how patient I'm feeling, I can get it <10 arc-secs.

Great start 👍

"Do people meet up and take their own telescopes? Thanks"

The big issue in the UK, especially the NW, is the extremely changeable weather. Most of the active Observers set up at home for ad-hoc sessions; some even have permanent mount set-ups so they can be observing quite quickly. It can be a PITB to load up your car and transport your gear to a site, only for the weather to make it a pointless exercise. 

Having said that, our society has an active Observers Group and we use WhatsApp to quickly coordinate group observing sessions. We usually use a country park near Macclesfield for these events. It's not dark sky but it's better than urban light pollution.

If the forecast is looking good, the call goes out on WA and whoever is available turns up with their kit for whatever their observing plan is for that night. 

We get quite a variety of telescopes and someone recently brought a beautiful SL 10" Dob. It gave excellent views. 

FYI, both Jodrell Bank and Cheshire East rangers hold family stargazing nights,  there's one this coming w/e, but it's probably full.

These events are usually supported by local clubs which bring along a variety of telescopes that the public can look through and the clubs are always keen to provide advice to new starters and help them choose the most suitable telescope for their needs. 

Hope that's helped. 

Mike

Great image 👍

That's a very inspiring report,  Richard. Thank you

Hi Terry and welcome to SGL. You'll find loads of advice on here and your question is a fairly typical one for someone just starting out. 

Equally typical are the counter questions trying to find out what you're hoping to observe with your family through whatever scope  you decide to get. 

There's no perfect scope, no one scope to rule then all, just many horses for courses and of course the no. 1 query is your budget. From your  initial note, you seem to be in the £100 - £150 range and are willing to consider 2nd hand.

That is good. If you go 2nd hand, use SGL Classifieds or AstroBuySell UK, you should be able to find something useful. 

The next question is whether you're keen to see planets or are happy with stars and some bright deep sky objects?

To keep it simple, for the former, you'd be better with a decent starter refractor with a decent focal length. For the latter, a starter reflector.

Others have commented on the Celestron 127Eq - like they said, I wouldn't bother with it,  but the table-top dobsonian can give very nice views and fits into the decent reflector category. 

For planets, you could try one of the starter refractors, like the Celestron AstroMaster 70. The ability to use your mobile phone to help you find targets is a real benefit to keep beginners interested.

And ideally, find a local astronomy club and join it. You'll get so much help there too. 

Regards, 

Mike

Hello Mark and welcome to SGL. A binocular is a great way to start to explore the Heavens, I hope you enjoy the journey. 

Regards, 

Mike

I fell into the angle of view trap a couple of years ago trying to capture Mars with an APS-C camera. It was a "learning opportunity" and I now use a dedicated astronomy planetary camera. 

When I tried to take a photographof Mars, it was a handful of pixels in size at most, a "pale pink dot", to paraphrase the famous saying. The scope was 750mm focal length. 

Even with a x3 Barlow, you'll maybe get an image 50-100 pixels in size with an APS-C sensor and you'll need exposure lengths 2^3 as long as without the Barlow, so the mount needs to track well. 

Bigger planets like Jupiter and Saturn fare better, but still not great.

 To avoid optical aberrations, the Barlow will need to be a good one, and therefore expensive. Have a look to at an astronomy planetary camera. 

Hope you find a solution. 

Mike

Another idea is to pick up one of the monthly astronomy magazines.  They usually list interesting objects to observe AND how to find them. 

I agree with Bosun21 - the 150PDS will be a better fit with the EQ5. If you're really keen on the 200PDS, you really need to consider a HEQ5  mount, especially when you add the weight of a camera and maybe a guide scope and guide camera. 

I started with a 150 f/5 and really enjoyed it. I used an EQ3/2 mount and added motor drives. But when I got a 200PDS, I also got a HEQ5  and trust me, with the 200 fully loaded with my Sony A5000 camera and 50mm guide scope with ASI120MM  guide camera,  the HEQ5 is right at its limit for astrophotography. 

I wish you good luck with whichever score you choose. 

Mike

If the dust bunny doesn't change positron when you rotates the camera, it's on the sensor window. It can be really hard to see and also hard to shift, even with a cleaning fluid. 

I've had similar issues. I had to get myself some jewellers loupes or watch glasses and hold the camera so I could see the light from a window reflected back to me.

I needed to look really really closely, turning the camera so I could see into the edges and corners.

I eventuality spotted the microscopic spec and I had to use Baader WonderFluid on a cloth and a sensor cleaning wand to push the cloth over the window surface to finally shift it.

Now I'm obsessive about avoiding dust but I also take flats. You never know when another dust bunny is going to creep in. 

Good luck. 

Mike

Just saw the images. The blobs are quite strange to me. Could they be dew drops on the sensor window,  or on something optical close to the sensor, with a little bit of light leakage coming from the side?

As regards a white T-shirt dropping lint onto the lens, that should be far enough away from the sensor to be unfocused and not visible. 

Just some thoughts. 

Hope you find the cause soon. 

Regards, 

Mike

Welcome to SGL. You've got a nice scope there, the adventure begins. 

I feel foul of this when I 1st tried videoing a planet. There's a way to reduce the exposure time per frame, independently of the f.p.s. figure. Unfortunately, I can't remember the exact procedure,  but your photo looks like over-exposure to me. 

Mike

Puzzling. Possibilities are: mount got knocked during an exposure,  or mount is sticking occasionally, or the guiding is having a problem,  or there's a reflection sometimes happening within the optical train,  although not sure why only sometimes.

Mike