Clarkey

11 minutes ago, Bukko said:

am interested in where the forum is with regards proposing the use of a remote imaging site instead of purchasing hardware?

It's a fair point. For the amount I have spent on imaging kit I could have spent many hours photon collecting at a remote site. However, a large part of the enjoyment for me is the challenge. There is probably enough publicly available data without even the cost of imaging. But to me that's like watching sport. I could just watch, but I enjoy the challenge even if my personal results are of a dubious standard.

3 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Would love the SM90 as a grab’n’go scope but bank account says NOOOOOOO 😢

Get a new bank account?

2 minutes ago, Daf1983 said:

This alone makes me want to drop a grand on a dedicated camera

Sell a body part and do it. Dedicated astro camera's are a big step up in my opinion.

I can't comment on the GT81 but I have the SM 90mm and I can't fault it for the price (and probably more). Optically it is excellent with no false colour and with the flattener / reducer it can image at f4.8 which is great. Also, the focuser and other supplied kit is more than up to the job of astrophotography which is a nice change.

4 hours ago, Catanonia said:

But I cannot for the life of me get my EQ8-R mount to connect to my ASI Air Pro

Serves you right for the 6 months of cloud....🤣

Just kidding. Glad it is resolved.

6 hours ago, smr said:

wrt darks, how often do they need renewing?

Mine are at least 18 months old and still seem to calibrate pretty well. Probably should renew them though.

To be honest I have never seen much difference between long and dark flats on my ASI1600.

6 hours ago, vlaiv said:

I usually do it twice a year, there is summer and winter set of darks that I do at different temperature (I often can't cool camera down to -20°C in summer).

Summer, winter - same temperature here. Just more rain in the summer😁

7 hours ago, Daf1983 said:

noise/banding in my 600d.

Yes I know the problem.

Nice image though. I think it is pretty good for 3 hours with a DSLR.

3 minutes ago, tomato said:

SGL animation competition?

Definitely worth an entry. Very impressive.

I find it incredible that an asteroid can set off a security light😆

I don't really think there are any arguments here. At the end of the day the equipment required depends on what you want to image and how easily you want to do it. There are always grey areas and you can always push the boundaries with any kit, but you might put a lot of effort in for poor results.

I am in the category of starting with an HEQ5 - not because I was told to, but I did my own research and decided not to limit my options too early. The main reason I would say to go down this route (if finances allow) is for exactly that reason. You can put a camera and lens on an HEQ5 or you can use scope capable of galaxy imaging. You can't do both with a tracker.

Having said all this, I have an HEQ6, AZ-EQ6 and I would still like to get a lightweight mobile set-up at some point. However, I will be fully aware of it's limitations.

From what I understand it is the slower cooling that is more critical. To be honest due to hardware and software problems I have had to turn of my camera on regular occasions. So far it does not seem to have caused any issues.

Looking at the positions of the halos relative to the stars, the stars do not even appear to be centred. This suggests something other than standard internal reflections. Do they appear on all the subs?

Another thing to try is to rotate the filter (or camera) to see if they move. If they do, it suggests a filter issue.

Definitely an odd one though.🤔

Obviously at this time of year Orion is close to the full moon. I would try to target nearer the circumpolar regions as this is further away and will give a better image due to less atmosphere. This was taken around a full moon in rgb so it can be done.

13 hours ago, 900SL said:

What are you guys doing for a front dew shield/hood? Anything out there that works with a 2" filter installed in the front thread

I removed the ring holding the filter (l-extreme) and screwed in a 48mm extension ring. This holds the filter in place and acts as a dew shield as well. Also has the advantage of being able to screw the lens cap into it.

25 minutes ago, Adam J said:

Only if I see a change in HFR or I change a filter. Or I don't like the focus curve I got. 

Same here.

57 minutes ago, Jonny_H said:

In my case a bucket wasn't big enough, so I upgraded to a keg! 

I sold the kids body parts. Good money for kidneys😂

I'm not quite sure what you mean. There is some vignetting and there are quite a few dust motes (the donuts), but I cannot see the secondary.

Get a bucket and write "Astrophotography" on it. Then open your wallet and start tipping money in! Welcome to the world of AP.

FWIW I live in bottle 6 and I have never used lift pollution filters. Personally I do not like the colouring they give -although it can be processed out. If it was me, I would get the small scope and at a later date consider something like an L-extreme to give narrowband options.

I think the Witch's head is pretty faint. I tried it from my house in bortle 6 skies and got very little. Definitely one for dark skies. (Having said this, I did try the spaghetti nebula with a DSLR - probably better taking advice from others🤣)

You could put the eyepieces in you pocket to keep warm -no dew problem,

I am not an electrical expert but I think you need to clarify a 'few hours' - is this 3 or 8? Big difference. Also, how fussy is the mini pc power requirement? Some are happy with higher voltages but some will not run above 12v.

I would agree that the first image is the nicer. However, unless the seeing was exceptional the larger pixel scale should not show much difference. This suggests the processing is the difference. (Not trying to be confrontational, just my thoughts).

19 hours ago, Newforestgimp said:

will try without cloth

You should be fine without it. The other option is a few sheets of white A3 paper if you need to dim slightly.

6 hours ago, Stuu said:

Can you recommend any other free software that would do the job or will that suffice?

NINA is another option. My personal choice but APT is also good.

At F5 I don't think there will be a huge difference. The skywatcher may be marginally better as it specific for the SW scopes. Have a look here.

The top flat explains the banding on the final image.

For my RC8 I use an A4 LCD panel for the flats. It is a fraction small but works fine.