Sabalias

Hi All, I was hoping someone might be able to educate me as to what I have done wrong with regard to the attached image and the huge spikes coming off the stars. I'm still trying to get my head around using a dedicated camera (its a QHY 8L-C) and I've been through the calibration for gain and offset settings (12 and 125 or thereabouts) but I am assuming I have made a mistake.....or is it something far more simple (like lens smear or something)? There was no dew on the scope (Evostar 80ED) etc and the camera was set to -15. I tried various exposures (the attached is 2 mins) but they didn't seem to make a blind bit of difference. Many thanks in advance, Stu

In my case the handset failed after less than a year so I bought a cable to connect direct from RPi to the mount's RJ45 port - works like a dream. By the way - kudos to Skywatcher for replacing the handset very quickly. Stu

Thanks Dave. I thought it might be but I'm shocked at the number across the frame given that I don't think I saw any when I used my DSLR. Stu

Hi All, I hope someone can help; I've recently bought a QHY 8L second hand from another SGLer (thanks Nish) and last night was my first try. I managed to get it working and captured some trial images. The problem I found was that there were (what appears to be) dust spots all over the image so I did some testing today by taking some pseudo-flats. Camera on it's own - no blobs Camera with Reducer/Flattener - blobs So I took everything apart and gave the R/F a careful clean and tried again. I got exactly the same results: Can anyone advise me what these are please? I can't see any obvious dust one the R/F anymore and the camera looks clean too. Are they reflections? Many thanks, Stu

Thanks all for your excellent insights and help. Before I finally shell out I thought I’d bung a few images on here from my 600D - not massively long exposure times and I think there is a bit of a problem with the image train but wondering what kind of improvement I might expect? Thanks again, Stu

On the event horizon and about to be sucked into the black hole 🤣

Fantastic image there!

Thanks Lee, really nice pics there. It sounds like I might be better off saving up longer and getting a newer CMOS camera though? Stu

Again - really helpful, thanks. Given that the framing for my EOS600D is I very similar to the 8L I imagine that the only real advantage to buying it would be better quality images - is that a safe assumption? Sorry about all the questions, just want to make sure I'm not making a mistake. Stu

I was also thinking of the 294 but found a second hand 8L so thought it was worth checking with the experts 😉 Stu

Thanks Vlaiv. Very helpful as always! The CCD suitability tool seems to indicate that I'll be looking at considerable under-sampling with this combination (which is why I was suggesting the combination would not be optimal). Cheers, Stu

Hi all, Just a quick question. I currently use a DSLR with my 80ED as my default rig and I'm thinking about getting a dedicated astrophotography camera. I realise that there are a number of cameras out there that will work well with the scope but I could purchase a second hand QHY 8L; however, I have looked at the Astronomy Tools website and it seems that the camera/scope combination are not at all optimal. Does anyone have any experience of this combination before I decide on whether to make an offer or not? Many thanks, Stu

Hi Steve, I Have the SW Evostar 80 ED and it's extremely good for the price so I would imagine the same could be said for the 72. What sort of camera are you using? I ask because (if you are using a DSLR) you may find an excellent alternative for your mount could be a good telephoto camera lens. All the best, Stu

I flocked my 150 PDS a few months ago. I took off all the fittings so that I was left with an empty tube and unrolled the material around the inside of the tube in two sections (not lengthwise down the tube). It's a bit of a faff and I have a small section that I missed between lengths but overall I'm quite pleased with the result. I found that the best way to prepare was to unroll with the backing still attached so that I could get the measurements right and then, when I applied the material I pealed off the backing as I stuck the material down (a bit like covering a book in clear plastic). Hope it goes well for you. Stu

The IDAS is mounted in the camera body, between the mirror and the FF/Reducer on it's camera mount. Stu

Hi everyone, Thanks for the responses so far. This is the full frame. Regards, Stu

Yes, it's the whole image. I was wondering if the filter might be causing the red colouring or, perhaps light refraction caused by dew......

Yep, I have a mask and the focus was fine-tuned but it's possible that I knocked the focus off before I started imaging. I'm not really familiar with refractor telescopes so was a bit confused; if it is focus then it's user error and an easy fix 😄

Hi All, Last night was the first clear night in weeks and my second chance to use my ED80. I'd previously set marks for my tripod (using a proper compass instead of my phone) and I was delighted when I came to polar aligning and found Polaris sitting almost in the middle of my polar scope - saved so much time 🙂. I realised that I would have problems with dew (I have yet to purchase a dew heater but I have one on my Christmas list) but I thought I'd try a bit a imaging to keep my hand in and see what came up. Anyway, can anyone give me an idea of what is going on with the image below please (cropped from the centre of an original)? I'm wondering if it's one of the following: Recently installed an IDAS LPS-D3 filter Dew Focus (I thought it was all good but I guess I may have knocked it out) Bad guiding I'm really hoping there's nothing wrong with the scope and field flattener which performed fine a month or so ago. Many thanks, Stu

Hi everyone, We’re away for the weekend and brought the telescope with us just in case. Unfortunately, and stupidly, I forgot to pack the tripod (I thought at the time everything went in a bit easier than expected). Anyway, I just thought I’d ask if there are any SGL members on the Isle of Wight with a tripod for an HEQ5 who might be willing to loan it to me for tomorrow night (9 October 2021). It’s a long shot but just thought I’d ask. Many thanks, Stu

Hi Simon, I was in a similar boat to you a little while ago but couldn't bring myself to spend the kind of money required for a PS license; instead I plumped for Affinity. Now, I'm still pretty new to Affinity Photo but I've been able to use it relatively successfully by following some YouTube tutorials done by James Ritson (their in-house product expert). Cheers, Stu

Very nice. What’s your set up? Stu

Hi all, I (re)started my astronomy journey in Feb 2021 and quickly decided that I wanted to take some photos of what I was looking at. Over the period of 6 and a bit months I’ve only been able to do some imaging on a few nights in my bortle 5 zone - good old cloudy nights and summer skies 😂. Generally each session has been only for an hour or so because of needing to be up for work the following morning. Equipment-wise I started with an Explorer 150PDS, EQ5 Pro and a Panasonic lumix. Then I moved on to an astro-modded EOS 600D, ZWO guiding solution, HEQ5 Pro, and (lately) an Evostar 80 ED DS pro. With the exception of the HEQ5, all of the equipment is second hand (it’s the only way I could get the purchases past my dear wife 😁. Anyway, we’re now heading into autumn skies so I thought I’d ‘publish’ some of my first half a year’s worth of images. Cheers, Stu

Hi All, This may be a pretty 'out there' question. I keep my 150PDS in a cricket bag surrounded by foam but I will need to transport it in October and I’m looking for a more reliable packing solution. I can get a block of foam to fit the bag with the dimensions of the scope hollowed out inside so it would be a very snug and secure fit. The cost of the foam would be about £60. Does this sound like a viable and cost-effective solution? Thanks, and please excuse the naivety of the question, Stu

Thanks Craig - I'll follow that to the 'T'. Stu