StuartT

apologies. Not sure how that happened, the link works now.

In case it's of interest https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/courses-and-students/NHM_Masterclass/exploring_the_solar_system.html

I'm def going to use the Barlow next time to get up to f/20 and see how I get on. In Autostakkert!3 I am selecting only the frames with quality of 90 or over. This means I generally only get around 30 or 40 frames to stack out of a video of 3000. Am I being too picky? Would it be better to lower my quality threshold a little and stack more frames? As for sharpening, I have taken your previous advice and been a little less aggressive than I used to be, but perhaps they are now too soft! I'll tweak my Registax settings.

Thanks. So this may explain why my images are not very sharp. I've been imaging at about double this image scale.

Still trying to perfect my technique. These were taken with my Edge HD 9.25" at native f/10 on an Apollo M mini (4.5um pixels). Baader IR pass 685nm filter. Exposure time 2ms, gain 150, 67 fps, image scale 0.37 "/px. Best 50 frames of 3000. Moon altitude 58° Advice welcome!

yes, it was pretty high. Up at 60 deg or so. Problem is, my view is limited to the region NE round to S, so I can't image at first quarter and imaging at last quarter means being up in the small hours, so I am tired all day at work! Imaging at full moon is a) not high enough and b) full moon is rather boring from a light/shadow point of view By the way, what is a good image scale for the moon? I mostly shoot DSOs and there an image scale of about 0.8-2 arcsec/px is best (depending on seeing). But what about lunar? I read somewhere that your focal ratio for lunar should be 5x pixel size. I am using 4.5um pixels in my camera which suggests that my f/10 (native Edge HD) is significantly undersampling. Should I be using a Barlow then?

Outstanding work Neil, as always. I'm trying to put your tips into practice but so far can't get near this quality.

update to this. Askar has now launched an equivalent filter which passes Oiii and Sii at 6nm bandpass width. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/narrowband/askar-colour-magic-2-6nm-oiiisii-duo-band-d2-filter.html I've ordered one, so I'll report back!

oh no! That's alarming. I have a Telegizmo on my rig all the time. Over a year now. But it's relatively close to the house, so maybe a bit more protected from wind. I must admit I have never even thought of the possibility of wind blowing it off! I hope it all dries out ok

This is all interesting. I have been toying with upgrading my L Extreme to the L Ultimate. The former has given me some very nice results, but the halos are annoying. It would be nice to have a tighter bandpass. BUT I had exactly the same thoughts as @Adam J - we know Optolong don't have the best quality control there is, but with a 7nm filter you can afford more margin for error. But at 3nm, I'd be very concerned that my filter might miss one (or heaven forbid both) centre lines completely! It would be great to seem some spectroscopy tests, I guess, before parting with this much cash

I hope they remembered the clouds

Ok, I am embarrassed to admit that updating to ASCOM 6.6SP1 and the latest ZWO drivers seems to have fixed the problem! Both cameras are now showing up correctly named in both NINA and PHD2 and they don't seem to mind how they are connected up! I am amazed that having drivers a few months old could possibly cause this problem. But it seems to have been the culprit. Thanks everyone!

So I just tried connecting the 174 separately (i.e. not connecting to the 2600) and now PHD2 sees two 2600s!! I'll try updating the drivers. But surely if Windows device manager can see them both, there shouldn't be a problem should there? This is really driving me crazy!

I tried connecting with the ASCOM driver in NINA, but ASCOM also seems to think I have two 174s!!

I have the 2600 plugged in and the 174 plugged into the USB out on the 2600. But only the 174 is showing in NINA and PHD2 sees two 174s !!

yes, it looks like it

NINA and PHD2

I have a ASI2600MC as my main imaging camera and I have a ASI174MM mini attached to the OAG. But they always seem to clash. I can connect the imaging camera when the guidecam is not plugged in, and vice versa. But whenever I try to connect them both it won't work. Either the software won't see the second camera or it connects it and disconnects the other one. This seems to happen whether I connect the guidecam direct to the imaging cam (via a short lead) or whether I connect them both separately to my Pegasus UPBv2. Does anyone else have this problem? Maybe it's not possible to use two cameras of the same make at the same time as they are both trying to use the same driver?

Because I need a motor focuser to be able to do astrophotography. That connects to the shaft of the Steeltrack's focuser. I'm not sure I understand this point. The Edge manual says the backfocus is 146mm. The Steeltrack is about 110mm long (I forgot I added the Baader clicklock in this photo which adds another 20mm or so. I shall remove that). So surely the focus will still be about 36mm behind (i.e. outside) the end of the focuser?

I generally try to put focusers at about half way when I have a motor focuser attached to give it leeway either side. You don't want a focuser trying to push up against a limit (Sometimes in this hobby I feel such a dunce)

According to the manual, the Edge HD 9.25" needs 146mm of back focus. I have a Diamond Steeltrack focuser attached to mine and that measures 130mm. My ASI2600MC has a sensor 17.5mm behind the front plate, and my OAG is 37mm thick so is this going to work? (I find backfocus very confusing for some reason)

Ok, problem solved! It turns out that the hub on the mount works just fine!

I agree. I have never had data issues with my long, 15m powered USB cable. My problem is snagging. There are two cables going from the ground to the UPBv2 - a power cable to my PSU and a USB cable. Those tend to get snagged when the scope slews. But in addition to that, I have a USB connection from the UPBv2 to the mount and also one to the camera (which is a long way back). Although the camera one obviously moves in tandem with the scope (and thus UPBv2), the mount one doesn't (because the scope moves relative to the mount base where the USB input is). So I have to have that long enough to give the scope freedom to move. Initial indications are that the mount hub can indeed manage a USB3 connection. My ASI2600MC is managing to send images to the laptop. I had to buy some additional cables to go from the mount power output (which is a DC5525 plug to an XT60 plug on the UPBv2 - not easy to find!). So I am optimistic that I may be able to manage the mount hub solution after all. Thanks Olly. I'd not thought of this Y-shaped configuration, but I can see that might help

Thanks everyone. I have bought a bunch of Lindy cables and today, I am going to re-cable everything. I think I'm also going to try out the through hub on the mount. I've not heard good reports, so I've never actually tried to use it. But I'm going to see if it might actually work ok after all (because that would reduce my trailing and snagging possibilities)

I ordered the IDAS NB3 filter to supplement the data I get on emission nebulae with my L Extreme (which doesn't pass Sii). But I've just been informed that IDAS have discontinued this filter. If anyone has one to sell, let me know. Or if there is another Sii/Oiii filter perhaps you could suggest one? Thanks