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Pitch Black Skies

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Everything posted by Pitch Black Skies

  1. Pitch Black Skies
    Great picture and with zero calibration frames, simply amazing.
  2. Pitch Black Skies
    I think non-cooled astro cams are only intended for planetary imaging. Cooled varieties for long exposures. Although you can try a technique called 'Lucky Imaging'. A Canon 800D and an intervalometer worked great for me. Just set it up and let it do it's thing while you head back indoors to the cosy warmth. Head back out when the sequence is finished, end of. Here is an example of M31 with mine. Edit: I'd like to introduce you to this thread too BTW, it's for 130P-DS owners. Plenty of info there to see what others are using.
  3. Pitch Black Skies
    What thread are you referring to? I'd like to have a look.
  4. Pitch Black Skies
    Apart from the sensor size and shape. I think the next main difference is that the 533 has zero amp glow, although that could be easily calibrated out with darks on the 294. Here is an example of 2 hours work from my 533. I didn't use any darks, flats, dark flats etc. I think you will be pleased with either camera. It's personal preference really. Best of luck.
  5. Pitch Black Skies
    M42 from a couple of nights ago. This time with a UV/IR cut filter.
  6. Pitch Black Skies
    Welcome to SGL Razz
  7. Pitch Black Skies
    Taken last night, 5th January 2022 180×60s lights No calibration frames Processed in Startools HEQ5, ASI533MC, 130P-DS, ZWO UV/IR cut filter, Skywatcher Aplanatic coma corrector M42 (Orion Nebula)
  8. Pitch Black Skies
    M51 (Whirlpool Galaxy) Its spiral arms were first discovered in 1845 by astronomer William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse. Lord Rosse used his Leviathan telescope which still resides today at Birr Castle, Co. Offaly, Republic of Ireland.
  9. Pitch Black Skies
    I don't think your mount is tracking at all. Check the tracking rate in the handsets menu's. Sidereal should be highlighted.
  10. Pitch Black Skies
    Looks great Jim, well done mate.
  11. Pitch Black Skies
    In that case, my answer is yes. A baffle that just covers the mirrors edge with the clips removed would be the ideal solution. That would completely prevent the mirror from being stopped down.
  12. Pitch Black Skies
    @rotatux "I already understand the enough repeated principle of the primary baffle." Are you sure? You intend to mask just the clips with half circles of cardboard... That will still leave the bevelled edges exposed and then you would have 3 new shadows, of 3 semi circle cardboard masks... Maybe I'm misunderstanding what it is you are trying to describe. A quick sketch/diagram might help to explain what you want to do better. I can't see how masking just the clips is going to help in anyway.
  13. Pitch Black Skies
    Good question, it's worth trying mate.
  14. Pitch Black Skies
    The thickness of the baffle doesn't really matter, it's more about the size of it's inner diameter. With the clips removed, you could manufacturer a baffle to just cover the bevel on the mirror edge but I'm not sure how you're going to fix it in place. I wouldn't worry too much about the aperture being stopped down. A few of us here use the baffle specifically designed for the 130pds and see no significant difference in light gathering. Alternatively, you could just decide to not use a baffle and go with the silicone method only. It will only become obvious that you aren't using the aperture mask if there is really bright stars in your pictures. You will see slight diffraction spikes and halo's but you will have to go looking for them, and even then, they will look okay.
  15. Pitch Black Skies
    Hi mate, That wouldn't work. The idea of the primary baffle is not really to mask the clips but rather the area between them, along with the clips. Check out this post, it explains it well. Now you could make your own primary baffle and fit it but for the sake of a few £, you can get a robust one specifically made for it. Truth be told, it only pushes the focal ratio from F5 to F5.3ish. As alacant has mentioned, you could try the silicone method which might negate the need for a baffle altogether, depending on how the mirrors edge behaves.
  16. Pitch Black Skies
    Absolutely, I really like the idea of the silicone method though. Not only does it prevent lateral movement from the mirror and might eliminate the need for buying a baffle, but it also leaves the focal ratio intact and maximises light gathering.
  17. Pitch Black Skies
    Maybe, I'm not sure. Do you use an older model yourself or newer bevelled? I'm pretty sure my one has a bevelled edge. I've never tested it without the baffle though, just assumed they were all the same. What irregularities are noticeable with the aperture mask? Cheers
  18. Pitch Black Skies
    The primary mirrors edge will show slight diffraction spikes if the primary baffle is removed. It's not as extreme if the 3 clips are removed but it's noticeable none the less. See the thread here. Just my 2c.
  19. Pitch Black Skies
    Hi Jim, I think you're almost there. All of the latest modifications you have done are narrowing the problem down, plus they should help keep problems away going forward 😊. A star test using a high powered eyepiece would be interesting. My guess is that you're primary clips were overtightened when fitting the baffle. This happened to me before. The triangular shaped stars correspond to the location of mirror clips. There should be slight gap between the clip and mirror face. It's worth popping the rear cell off for a quick look. It would only take a few minutes, just be sure to re-collimate before use. Tapping the compression ring with a third thumbscrew helps to keep the camera or eyepiece more centered and is something I think you should definitely consider getting done down the line. It will also give a tighter grip on your expensive camera, cc, filters, etc. Best of luck Jim Hope you get it sorted soon
  20. Pitch Black Skies
    Crikey! It didn't dawn on me that you were the author. Great work Lee! And cool website btw 😀
  21. Pitch Black Skies
    Awesome, thanks guys. I'm using a cooled 533 @Lee_P. So what got me interested in this is actually a very interesting project you were involved in here. @vlaiv
  22. Pitch Black Skies
    How do I plan a long integration image? Something in the region of 16-24 hours. Do I calibrate my lights at the end of each night? Do I then stack each calibrated night to produce my final image? How do I ensure my framing is the same each night? I'm using an ASIair Pro. Thanks!
  23. Pitch Black Skies
    Welcome to SGL. Sounds like a good set up to begin with. I had an 800D unmodified and found it very good. The tripod and short focal length lenses would be great for wide field shots, especially of the Milky Way and constellations. Longer focal length lenses will be more restricted due to more noticeable star trailing. A star tracker would be a great addition, and maybe an intervalometer if you haven't already gotten one. HTH Enjoy!
  24. Pitch Black Skies
    Thanks vlaiv and apologies, was referring to CCD-Freaks first pic. It's probably somehow connected his fast focal ratio? Probably nothing to worry about at F4/F5? Edit: just seeing your above post now. That is very interesting and we'll spotted.
  25. Pitch Black Skies
    Thanks, just curious for myself too as I am in the process of ordering one. I have the 533MC and luckily a 1.25" filter completely covers it's small sensor.
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