Clarkey
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Posts posted by Clarkey
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On 14/12/2021 at 09:57, powerlord said:
Focuser a lot higher quality
I got the F4 photon with the 'better quality' monorail focuser. I was awful and within a couple of weeks I had replaced it. The F5 I believe has a standard Crayford which may be better.
On 14/12/2021 at 09:57, powerlord said:might not need a coma corrector
As Vlaiv states - don't count on it. However, you will get away with something like a Baader MPCC or similar. I needed to buy the Aplanatic corrector for the F4 despite being told that the MPCC 'should' be OK. I guess it depends how picky you are about round stars.
On 14/12/2021 at 09:57, powerlord said:this will mean I have 5 OTAs.. which is far too many
Pah. There are never TOO many. Just more than you can use at once😁
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I would add that the veil is particularly difficult to reduce the stars using starnet+. I processed by reducing the star luminosity rather than removal as it gave a cleaner result. Many other subjects are easier.
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I had a quick look at your data but it is a bit strange. There are some strange shapes on the TIF and I could not get anything to show up when the data was stretched. Might just be something odd with the file download.
Tried again with different software and managed to open. I did a very quick process in Startools - which I don't normally use for nebulae - the result is below. To be honest I do not think it is that different to your picture above. I have not done any star reduction - just a bog standard process.
You could easily add more colour, but I think the more 'natural' subdued colours are nicer.
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3 hours ago, powerlord said:
primary mirror open on both surely ?
Probably not explained very well. There is quite a big gap at the back of the mirror and round the mirror holder on the TS which will let the light in. Not the end of the world but a thought.
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It's always worth looking at re-furbished laptops. There are quite a few around with a decent warranty.
Personally I would go for the extra RAM rather than SSD storage if you are on a tight budget. You can always add a normal HDD cheaply and use the SSD as 'working memory'.
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It is true that CMOS is done in software (or hardware), but you do still get the S/N benefits. I'm not sure how much benefit there would be from buying a camera with much larger pixels other than more cost. I use an RC8 with 2x or 3x binning which is fine. Similarly I use an FMA180 at around 5px/" but there is no serious loss of resolution unless pixel peeping.
I think the binned 2600 would be absolutely fine.
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I have the TS F4 which is OK, but I suspect for the F5 version the 150 PDS would probably be a better option. The dual speed focuser is better on the SW and the primary mirror on the TS is open and needs covering for AP.
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Are you planning to just capture the data with it or do the image processing after with it too? For the basic image capture you won't need anything particularly fast. I use a basic pentium with SSD and it is absolutely fine. (I can process with it, but it is quite slow). For image processing I would get something slightly more powerful - particularly if using PI.
WRT AMD, I do not feel there is a problem with them. I have an AMD Rysen processor in my main image processing desktop as it was the best value for money.
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What about a smaller F5 150mm newtonian? Much smaller than the 200p but in the right FL range (and cheapish).
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14 minutes ago, Space Explorer said:
Thanks Clarkey, yeah I can't seem to find a mak,
Maksutov | First Light Optics - the 127 is a good all rounder.
Yes a Dob is a great choice providing you want to learn the sky. It is certainly the most bang for your buck. Most people would recommend a 200 or 250mm. You just need to be realistic of what you can see. There is a good thread on here in the getting started with observing section.
At the end of the day there is no perfect 'do it all scope' but if you are OK with learning the sky a Dob is a great choice.
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9 hours ago, Space Explorer said:
Which of these would best suit or have you had any experiences with them
The main difference with these scopes is the focal length. The SLT is a newtonian which is a much more wide field view than the other two. The SCT is a much longer FL so smaller field of view - but good for lunar and planets. The 250 is a pretty large dobsonian - very good for viewing most things, but they are BIG. SO I hope your helper is happy to move a big scope. I notice that there is no Mak on your list.
I think the main choice you need to make is whether you want a goto and/or tracking mount. Once you have done this think about the FL and aperture within your budget.
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Welcome to SGL.
I would agree with Elp - a maksutov is a good compact scope and ideal for lunar and planets. It is also relatively compact end needs virtually zero maintenance. A larger newtonian reflector will allow you to see slightly more but will need collimating and is much bigger. The other consideration is the mount. For planets and the moon a simple alt-az mount will be fine. If you want to find fainter objects you might want to consider a goto mount.
It will also depend on where you live. If you live in a fairly a built up area you will limited in what you can see anyway. In this case a Mak for the moon and planets is a good choice. If you are somewhere dark, then the extra aperture of an 6-8" reflector maybe worth the extra effort to move about. There are lots of 'first scope' threads on here - have a good read and make a choice. At the end of the day, the best scope is one you will actually use and get pleasure from.
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On 07/12/2021 at 15:08, Hogarth said:
So I suspect my focuser may be slipping, due to the Sesto Senso 2 not holding it
Just out of interest, why do you think it the focus motor slipping and not the focuser itself? I have two if these focusers and there are both rock solid. The only slippage I have seen is the focuser slipping. What focuser are you using?
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Hi and welcome to a fellow Cumbrian.
(Technically I am not Cumbrian as I believe the standard for acceptance is 3 generations🤣)
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I think my personal choice would be number 3. Nice images though. If you like me you end up doing multiple different versions - but still think you can do better!
I tried PI for a while and although it was quite good, I just did not have the time to learn it well enough to do it justice. I'll be sticking to APP, Affinity and Startools for now.
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16 hours ago, rnobleeddy said:
periodically part with the stuff you don't use!
I seem to be struggling with this bit.🤣
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21 hours ago, Ouroboros said:
Your rain app sounds good. Is it just on your phone or wherever or does it involve using a widget outside detecting the rain?
I use an app called 'rain alarm' which uses rain radar info. I think it is about £2 per year. I also have a rain sensor based on one of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Moisture-Regulator-Detector-Automatic-Irrigation/dp/B07JNNP4GN/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Rain+sensor+12v&qid=1638895170&sr=8-3. You can buy ready made ones for about £25. Mine just sets off a buzzer.
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10 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:
Kit has an almost infinite capacity to invent some new way of playing up. Now maybe that’s because I set up from scratch each time. It’s like building a house of cards. You carefully set it all up and hope it stays up and running for the several hours necessary to get some good data
True - but I find it normally does this at the beginning. The only other time is at meridian flip. But if it a choice of staying up all night or missing a flip - I'll take my chances. No sleep is not an option!
13 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:rain will set in
I use a rain alarm app and I now have a rain sensor that sets off a buzzer if it rains. I am currently re-making it but it is £20 well spent. (You can actually buy a 12v rain sensor on line for £25 - if I had known I would have just brought it).
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On 05/12/2021 at 01:01, rnobleeddy said:
Been at this for about 18 months now. Enjoying it, but trying to work out what to focus on in the longer term. A recent observation is that it gets harder and harder to make improvements, and so I wondered what others take on this is?
I think once you have the data collection largely sorted it is all about the processing. I can now pretty reliably set up my kit for a night of imaging (when the sky is clear), go to bed and get up to a good few hours data. Other than clouds I need to throw away very few subs. So, other than improving the kit - in particular the scopes, the only way to get a major improvement is what you do with the data. Ultimately it is diminishing returns but it is how far you want to improve. My aim is to 'compete' with the quality of the best imagers on the forums. I'll never quite get there as my sky quality is not so good and I have 'budget' equipment - but I will enjoy the challenge of trying.
I'm also a nerd and enjoy learning the intricacies of imaging and processing.
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1 hour ago, slaine said:
To be clear, are you saying I can ignore my issues with PA and soley rely on the ASI120 and guiding for solving my current 3 minute sub barrier?
I wouldn't say 'ignore' - get it as good as you can, but a little bit out will be compensated by guiding. I don't know you mount well enough to comment on why you are struggling to get good PA. Maybe you need some advice from CEM26 owners.
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On 03/12/2021 at 19:40, ollypenrice said:
If software encourages us to 'disengage brain' then this cannot be a good thing.
For some of us, this is a positive benefit🤣
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33 minutes ago, slaine said:
Once I crack this, I am sure increasing the number of subs (total integration time) will improve things.
You can always get more subs even without perfect PA, but manually I can get the alignment as good as with the ipolar. I personally would prioritise guiding over an ipolar - the cost would be about the same if you already have a laptop. Small 30mm guide scope and ASI120mm would be fine with a 72ed. Or, if you have the original SW guide scope you can convert with an adaptor from FLO.
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28 minutes ago, slaine said:
Do you mean longer subs or the number of subs?
More total time. More subs if your stars aren't so good with longer exposures. More to time will really help the signal to noise.
Just to add, I would never image more than one subject per night.
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These are a great start. Get your integration times up a bit and your on a winner. 👍
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options of a new 700-900ish OTA for imaging
in Getting Started With Imaging
Posted
Good luck with it. It's surprising how much smaller a 150 is compared with a 200.
I'd be interested to see what the focuser is like. The monorail 'bounced' with small adjustments using the electronic focuser which is why I needed to change it. It would be fine for manual use but it would not work properly using an auto focus routine. I had to bodge a Steeltrack onto the 6" tube. Still better than a sloppy focuser though.