jacko61

5 minutes ago, PeterCPC said:

It may be 85mm - see my post.

I can't see an earlier post from you Peter (or is there a link missing? )

Graeme

Just wanted to point out that backfocus for the .63 reducer on a celestron 8 inch reflector is 105mm so you might have to invest in some extension tubes too. 

Graeme 

I'm constantly astonished at how fine you get your stars. My last M13 attempt with my Altair 150EDF the stars look quite blobby in the subs. Is this something you've achieved in Startools or are you simply better at focusing than me?  (I image with APT and use a bahtinov mask for focusing - I'll get round to using the APT focus tools one of these days). Attaching my attempt just to show how bad it can get...

Graeme 

2" l-Enhance arrived this morning from FLO. Usual great 1 day service. The box states Clear Skies Guaranteed.  I wonder how we claim on that guarantee. 

Graeme

I've been using the 533 with both my ZS73 and altair 150edf.  It's great for objects that would fit into a circle - galaxies, rosette nebula and so on. What it's not so good for is big nebulae like M42 as the square format doesn't really suit. Most of the time I'm wishing I'd saved a bit more for the ASI2600MC pro. 

Graeme

I park my scope flat (well slightly pointing down), Unplug the laptop, pull the roof back into place and go to bed. 

Graeme

2 hours ago, SteveNickolls said:

Thanks Graeme for this, makes me wonder if it's a camera fault, compatibility issue or a software glitch. Did you buy a replacement iPolar or go for an alternative solution?

Cheers,
Steve

I ended up getting a used Polemaster and it works perfectly. Strangely it has a software 'glitch' on windows 10 where I have to be running something else in the background for the PM software to refresh quickly enough to be useful. I just start Stellarium up first but some responses on google suggest running a youtube video in the background. They believe the issue is something in the graphics card software. 

Graeme

An update on my comment of 13th Dec - my iPolar was still in warranty so RVO gave a full refund once they had the camera back and tested. 

Graeme

Thanks. Even on my laptop the Legacy version looks much more natural.  I may redo the whole process anyway. 

Graeme

Odd thing here. If I look at this image on my laptop the colours feel right but looking now on my work surface pro there's a heavy cerise cast across the whole galaxy. I'd be interested to know what other folk are seeing?

Graeme

M81, Bodes galaxy taken during the unusual run of clear nights last weekend.  Altair 150EDF with 0.8 reducer. ZWO ASI533MC pro. Skywatcher EQ8R pro.  3 hours of 240 second subs plus darks and flats. Processed in Startools with a final sharpen in GIMP.

Graeme

FLO sent me a TS optics 2.5" 1.0x field flattener for my Altair 150edf. Unfortunately they sent the wrong camera side adapter so I can't use it yet. Luckily we're due clouds for the next 7 days 🙄

Graeme 

I accidentally left my explore scientific UHC filter on instead of my UV/IR cut when I imaged NGC2903 in LEO the other night and I was very disappointed with the results.  For whatever reason, there seemed to be an overwhelming yellow/orange cast that no amount of fiddling in Startools would remove. On the other hand, Wednesday night's M51 using the UV/IR has turned out exactly as I'd hoped with minimal colour adjustments. 

Graeme

20 hours ago, saac said:

Skateboarding on way home from work as the better weather arrives  

Jim

Back foot slipped off pushing off on Saturday at Livi skatepark. Board and front foot shot off into the distance resulting in an incredibly painful pulled hamstring and a bruise from behind my knee up to my left 'cheek'. Skateboarding stopped being fun for a few hours.  

Graeme

I remember a week of good weather back in the 80's. Beach parties, surfing, top down motoring. Oh how I yearn for those halcyon times. 

Graeme

I was going to comment on your vixen plate but Alacant beat me to it. - despite being a single 'edge', having only one of the clamp bolts holding the plate will mean an unstable and loose connection.   It's well known that the zs73 focus lock bolt gets in the way of the vixen sliding further back so the easiest thing would be to turn the scope upside down in the cradle so the focuser is at the top. Then you have plenty of room to move the vixen plate back so it's gripped by both of the eq6 clamp bolts - not only will you get a more secure clamp but you will be able to slide the scope further forwards to aid balance.

Graeme

11 hours ago, wimvb said:

it's a novel bent tube design.

All the better to capture the effects of gravitational lensing

Here's M101 from last night. Near full moon so far from ideal imaging conditions but it was the first chance to use my new Altair 150EDF since it arrived nearly 2 weeks ago and I wasn't about to let the opportunity slip by.

Altair Astro 150EDF apochromatic doublet refractor, ZWO ASI533MC pro, Skywatcher EQ8RPRO.  60mm Svbony Guidescope / Zwo ASi290MM Mini

30 x 240 second lights, 20 darks, 15 flats. processed very roughly n Startools.

Graeme

Yesterday was the first clear night up here since I got my Altair Astro 150EDF apo so despite the near full moon I was out at 9pm having a play.  Didn't expect very good results due to the moonlight and that's exactly what I got but at least I could see how well the Skywatcher EQ8R pro handled the length and weight of the near 150cm load.  No wind and guiding (with an Svbony 60mm guidescope) was as good as I've seen with my ZS73.  Taken through the window of my warm room into the scope room. (plus a gratuitous M101 - 2 hours of 4 minute subs processed in startools - grainy and lacking detail I expect due to the moonlight)

Graeme

You don't have a custom 'Park' position set by any chance?  In EQmod I've set my own park position to have the scope horizontal so I can shut the roof. When I start up the mount (eq8r-pro) the handset asks if I want to slew to home - this is the standard 'near polaris' position and sometimes if I forget to synchronise this in eqmod, a slew will end up around 90 degrees out. 

Graeme

My Skywatcher EQ8R-pro on an Altai astro 8inch pier.  Solid as a rock.  I'll need to update the pic soon as I've replaced the c8 with an Altair 150EDF APO refractor.

Graeme

11 hours ago, bluesilver said:

Instead of installing a crayford focuser,  wouldn't you be better of installing a ZWO electronic focuser?

 

Celestron make their own focuser which I have fitted to my C8. It works very well once calibrated and has very fine adjustment.  I did have a 10-1 rack and pinion fitted (similar to a crayford but with less slip IMO) but couldn't get on with it. The Celestron motor focus has solved a lot of issues. 

Graeme

My first attempt at imaging the Heart Nebula (in fact the first time I'd pointed a telscope in that direction!). Late Sunday night.

William optics ZS73 with 0.8 reducer, ZWO ASI533MC pro. UHC filter.  Skywatcher EQ8rpro.  2 hours of 5 minute subs. Initially processed in GIMP but I've downloaded the Pixinsight trial so I'll have another go at it later.

Graeme

I've been looking at 150mm Refractors for a while and had settled on either the APM 152 1200 APO  or the Altair Astro 150 EDF. On Spec, there didn't seem to be much to choose between them so, as the Altair was £100 cheaper I contacted Ian at Altair Astro last Wednesday to see if the 150EDF was in stock. I received an email within a couple of hours to say it was and also to advise on stock of the Reducer I wanted and advice on whether or not a ZWO EAF motor would fit.  As it happened, I was working late Wednesday so while I was online I placed my order (around 10pm).  I was very surprised to receive a huge box on Friday afternoon - I'd expected it to arrive after the weekend but Ian must have packed it and had it on a van by Thursday lunchtime.  The parcel also contained a nice Altair beanie and a pack of Haribo Star mix - a really thoughtful gesture.  Unfortunately, the scope had been fitted with a vixen plate rather than the Losmandy I ordered so I emailed and left Ian a message straightaway - around 3pm Friday when most folk are thinking of packing up for the day . Needless to say, Ian got the replacement plate in the post and it arrived today (with another pack of starmix!).  I count this as first class service and will happily continue to buy from Altair astro as long as they stock what I'm after.

Graeme

7 hours ago, PatrickO said:

Why do you prefer the Baader? 

To my eyes it seems to reduce colour fringing better. 

Graeme