CCD-Freak

I want to get one of those but I have not found any dealers in the US. I wonder what TS Optics would charge to send one here? John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

Normally the knurled ring next to the counterweight unscrews a bit to release a collet that locks the weight. If it is frozen then soaking it with penetrating oil and applying heat may help break it loose. My TAL 2 mount fortunately has not been left outside. Let us know how this comes out. John CCD-Freak WD5IKX

B150 The Sea Horse. 300 x 60 seconds (5 hours total taken over 3 nights) ASI-533MCP through a Sharpstar 150 mm F 2.8 Hyper Newt. Captured and processed with Astro Art7. In hind sight I should have used a UV-IR filter to help with the color and microlens artifacts due to IR leakage but I am pretty happy with it anyway. I decided I like playing in the dust. (^8 John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

I think this is my oldest piece of astro gear. It is older than I am and it still puts up a good image. I also have a Celestron C8 from 1979. and some eyepieces that date back to the 50s. John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

Here is another image from the New Mexico trip. B150 The Sea Horse 300 x 60 seconds (5 hours shot over three nights) with the ASI-533MCP through a SS 150mm F2.8 Hyper Newt (420mm FL) I am not quite ready to "stick a fork in it and call it done" as I am still trying different processing in Astro Art. John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

That is one of the most pleasing shots of M31 I have ever seen. The ASI-533MCP is a "keeper". John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

I second the vote for Astro Art 7. I have been using it since v2 and it just keeps getting better. I control the scope, plate solve, focus, guide and camera control. Then I use it for pre-processing and post processing. Not many use it over on this side of the pond but I sing it's praises whenever I can. This image was done completely with AA7. I processed OSC data like it was mono and was amazed at what I could pull out. 60 x 120 seconds. No filters 150mm F2.8 Hyper Newt astrograph. John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

If you search on "walking noise astrophotography" you will find much information and discussion about it. There have been many threads here and on Cloudy Nights. I think at some point we have all suffered from this affliction. John CCD-Freak WD5IKX

It is called "walking noise" there are several possible reasons for it such as differential flexure, focuser flexure or polar alignment which causes a slow creep in the guiding. This is a fairly common issue....now the fun part....figuring out what is causing it. 🤪 Dithering your guiding typically helps with it too. John CCD-Freak WD5IKX

I found out the hard way that your red computer screens may be fine for your eyes but they can reek havoc with your images. While imaging under Bortle 1 sky with a new scope I inadvertently allowed some of that red light into my scope resulting in serious red gradients in some of my images. Be sure your screens are shielded from you scope. It pains me to think of the images I compromised after drive 850 miles to image under Bortle 1 sky. Fortunately not all of my images were affected and Astro Art 7 gradient removal routines do a nice job repairing them. John CCD-Freak WD5IKX

I got this idea from a buddy on Cloudy Nights. 🤪 Happy Halloween !!! John CCD-Freak WD5IKX

It is possible to get good OSC images under Bortle 8 sky but it requires much more total integration time than my image and filters can help too. I have seen very impressive OSC images taken under heavy light pollution....I fortunately can get to Bortle 2 sky in about 3 hours. It still doesn't change the fact the ASI-533MCP is a great camera. If I lived undet Bortle 8+ sky I would probably go mono and shoot narrow band. John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

The ASI-533MCP is a great camera with very good specs which should be able produce good images with the right techniques under Bortle 8 sky or Bortle 1 where my image was shot. Most of my imaging is done portable under Bortle 2 to 4 sky. I just wanted to show what it is capable of. John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

Great catch !!!!! 😀

I went with the ASI-533MCP and have not regretted it. Low noise, No amp glow, deep well depth etc...what's not to like. I even like the square sensor because it frames most objects without a lot wasted real estate. The attached M42 image is only 60 x 1 minute. John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

I am getting the SS15028HNT dialed in and I am having fun with it. I want to try a larger sensor next time I get some clear sky. 120 x 1 minutes Processed as Lum. ASI-533MCP John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

I went with the ASI-533MCP and have not regretted it. I like the square sensor, the no amp glow, 14 bit ADC and good well depth. It produces clean data which is usually easy to process. This is one of my favorite images I have made with it so far. The Horse Head and Flame Nebula complex 60 x 60 seconds (1 hour total) taken with a Sharpstar 150mm F2.8 Hyperbolic Imaging Newt. John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

I am starting to process the 20+ GB pile of image data so here is another image from the Rodeo,NM trip. IC1396 Elephant Trunk Nebula. 150 x 120 seconds (5 hours total) captured over several nights This is a tough object and I am still working on this on this one to see what I can pull out. I want to try to capture some Ha data to add to it. Edit: A buddy of mine pointed out what looks like a horse to the right of the Elephant Trunk. (^8 John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

I have the solid tube 10" RC and here is how it is configured. With a heavy cam like the QSI I push the tube forward to get balance. John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

I just got back from New Mexico today. I captured over 20 Gigs of image data over six nights so now I start the careful image processing. Here is another quick stack of NGC2264 I don't have my notes handy but I think this was 75 x 120 seconds. Much more to follow. John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

We stayed for a week and had 6 good nights. I captured over 20 gigs of mage data so I will be busy for a while processing all that. I will post more images as I work through the pile. We plan to go again around May for another week. Having a caravan makes it very comfortable. I call mine the "Moonlight Manor" John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

I had to drive 850 miles to get to it but it has been worth the trip. I can only get out here a couple times a year. I torture myself the rest of the year as I suffer with light pollution and crappy weather so I feel your pain. 🤪 Getting to sky like this is always a treat. I have become a "Dark sky junkie". John CCD-Freak WD5IKX

Out in the "boot heel" of New Mexico doing some imaging this week. Here is the Sharpstar 150mm F2.8 Hyper Newt riding on an AP900GTO mount under the Bortle-1 DARK sky doing it's thing. "Life is good" !!! John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

Here is another SS15028HNT / ASI-533MCP image from New Mexico. I just did a quick process of the B33 Group (B33, IC434, NGC2024, NGC2023, IC431, IC432 and IC435) 60 x 60seconds (1 hour total) I am looking forward to adding more subs and doing a more careful process. John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX

Another image from New Mexico. IC5070 Pelican Nebula. 80 x 60 seconds (80 minutes total) I plan to add some more subs tonight before I reprocess with all the calibration files. Gotta love Bortle 1 sky !!! 😀 John Love CCD-Freak WD5IKX