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I agree! I took a stab at the Iris nebula across two nights with a 94% moon and 88% moon I believe. Just over 4 hours of 30 second subs, OSC from a modified Canon 600D with a WO Z73 III on a Sky Guider Pro. I was amazed at how well it actually turned out, all things considered (gear used, moon etc) Credit to @ONIKKINEN for walking me through handling the data, had to follow a literal step by step process to get it looking like this

I wouldn't worry about it all that much, worst case scenario is you will interrupt a single exposure in someones AP I'd imagine happens to me alot, I travel to a nice dark sky and set up in car parks, people come and go sometimes, il stop an exposure halfway through or will pause the sequence if I see headlights appearing in the distance. 'Costs me' a couple of minutes, if that. No big deal and I obviously have no right to complain, the space is to be enjoyed by all. Most people are very polite and understanding too, and will make every effort to go dark ASAP when they see the set up. Had a guy and his partner trying out nightscapes next to my telescope a while ago, on their way out, he said "I'll try not to put my lights on until I have left the car park" which is a kind gesture, but I insisted he didn't as we were on a mountain road with sheer drops in the pitch black, I am happy to wait a minute if it means no body drives off the mountain

I suspect you hit the nail on the head yourself Ray, you are for sure zoomed in on the ASI...possibly to the top left corner... (that's not far off what Andromed would look like in a full FOV of my 430mm Z73 III) we live and learn! And you still got a fantastic image, even with the slight hiccup! Congrats, it looks great!

My first proper mount arrived today! About 6 months in to AP, spent the first 6 months with a WO Z73 III and Sky Guider Pro... My first night out in AP, about 6 months ago... Earlier this afternoon, about 3 hours before my Condensed matter exam was due in, the new toy arrived! Guiding system/ASIair plus + Cooled Astro camera next, but this purchase broke the bank already, so will have a few months getting used to Go-To before I need to worry about guiding. I was going to go for the HEQ5 + full guiding system + Power tank now, which came to around the same price as the EQ6-R + Celestron Power Tank, but I decided to double down on the mount at the last minute and get EQ6-R and to be patient for guiding ...That counter weight is almost purely cosmetic, I do not think the EQ6-R knows the APO + DSLR is even there Sitting at about 3.8KG/20KG payload capacity

I agree @Astro Noodles! I tried the Orion Nebula about a week a go, using my Sky Guider Pro and WO Z73, that was a nightmare. It struggles with objects low in the sky due to being both at the upper weight limit of imaging and not balanced well, I also spent about 2-3 hours out in the cold for 26 minutes of out of focus and drifted data, I know exactly how you feel mate

I am in the exact same predicament, need to power my setup out in the sticks as I always travel to a dark sky. I am not DIY capable either and would probably be a danger to myself, my equipment, and anyone within a 100 m radius if I tried so from what I gather, I need to go the expensive route. I have ordered this: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/batteries-powerpacks/celestron-lithium-lifepo4-powertank-pro.html to go with my new EQ6-R Pro mount. Not yet sure if this will be exclusively enough for my full set up down the road to reliably get a night of imaging done, I am pretty sure I will need a smaller version too (Sky-watcher company video recommends running the EQ6-R Pro from a separate bank to the rest of your gear anyway). I will work out which draws the most, the mount on its own or the combination of cameras/ASIair pro and split stuff accordingly so each battery is running smooth and reliably. It is expensive compared to DIY methods/other methods, but at this point, that is a drop in the ocean in this hobby! And if it means I have a safe (for me + my gear) and reliable way to power everything then it is worth it to me. I will let you know how the battery performs out in the cold soon with the mount.

Slight change of plan I have ordered the EQ6-R Pro & the Celestron Lithium 13.2 Ah LiFePO4 Powertank Pro from FLO I have been trying to convince myself for the last week that the HEQ5 was sufficient, which it would have undoubtedly been for the most part. But the big payload difference, and spec differences just make too much sense for the sake of ~£400 all things considered. Completely future proof. The mount is the most important part of the setup, so I do not think I will regret my decision. Made the 'mistake' of settling for a Sky Guider pro with a 430mm APO as my first rig, taught me a lot of things and had a heck of a lot of fun, but it has serious/obvious limitations. Reserved for nightscapes now. Will be a couple of months before I look at purchasing guiding etc (Will test and reassess power situation then) as this broke the bank on an already student budget, Merry New Year to me

That is much better, but still not ideal. You could probably crop that and use the "eye dropper tool" in levels in PS to even out the background well enough. Perhaps try without any flats at all, might give you a better start to work with. Also, Im not a pro with the background extraction in Siril, but I do find it can be very harsh I think..The default is set to 4 and that will do all kinds of weird to my images usually, try 1-2, these tend to be a bit more subtle if I remember correctly. Good luck

Assuming between 2 ah and 3 ah draw, that battery should last between 4 - 6 hours if I am not mistaken? (with the full kit, including cooled camera) Any other advice/input welcome. Looking to order everything soon

I found somebody else noting their findings when testing similar equipment to what I am planning on getting; ASIair Plus draws 0.2 - 0.4 amp alone The ASIair + HEQ5 + ASI guide camera + ASI MM camera draws just over 1 amp imaging and 1.5 amp while slewing. Seems much more reasonable. I know the cooled cameras draw a bit more, so a rough estimate could be 1.5 -2.0 amp for my setup perhaps? Unless it's a massive difference

Yeah I think I misinterpreted the figures a bit! I will take another look soon and have another go soon, thank you for the help

If I am understanding this right, and it is almost certain I am mistaken; Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro - 12v 2 amps ZWO ASIair plus - 12v 6 amps ASI120MM-Mini guide camera - 12v 3 amps ZWO ASI 183MM-PRO USB 3.0 Cooled Mono Camera (Future camera) - 12v 5 amps I tried to find max power draw on each item to factor in for less than ideal circumstances. And the power bank above apparently is 13.22 Ah at 12v So with the introduction of the ZWO ASI 183MM-PRO USB 3.0 Cooled Mono Camera in a few months, I would require more power I believe? That and the power bank has a telescope power port 12v at 5000 mA and a Car battery adapter port 12v at 10A (plus 2 5v outlets)

Good morning guys & gals, I am looking at upgrading my equipment would love some input from you all to ensure I am on the right path in terms of the upgrades I am planning. My current set up is as follows; - Sky guider pro mount - William Optics wedge for Sky guider pro - William Optics Z73 III APO (430mm refractor) weighing about 2.83 KG - William Optics Adjustable Flattener + M48 Ring adapter - Modified Canon 600D - Sky-watcher 3/8" steel tripod - Intervalometer/USB Dew heater/Red dot finder scope I am looking to make the jump to a more suitable GoTo mount capable of tracking to take the next step in my deep sky AP, while the above equipment will then be reserved for nightscape/Milkyway imaging with my Samyang 14mm f/2.8 My current basket on the FLO (of course!) website is as follows; - Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro - ZWO ASIair plus, ASI120MM-Mini and Mini guide scope bundle (The guide scope being a 30mm f4 I believe) - Celestron Lithium 13.2 Ah LiFePO4 Powertank Pro I plan to upgrade the main imaging camera in a few months, once I am settled with guiding etc. If I am not mistaken, the ASIair plus kit will work with my Canon DSLR until then. I was going to try really stretch my budget to go for the EQR-R6 Pro for the large weight capacity, but I am not convinced it will actually pay dividends for a long time (no plans to upgrade my scope or go heavy anytime soon, and even then I should still have wiggle room) and money is tight as a student. My questions; Do you think the Celestron Lithium 13.2 Ah LiFePO4 Powertank Pro is appropriate to power my set up for a reasonable amount of time? I do not have a backyard to image from, so I only ever travel out to remote dark sky locations to image. It would ideally power the full rig (- minus the dew heater and tablet used for ASIair, no laptop involved) I feel dumb for asking this one...The ASIair plus doesn't need an actual internet connection does it? Just to be within range of the tablet/phone commanding it? As I plan on being out in the sticks under a nice dark sky. Thank you guys, I am not that technically minded and have no experience with this equipment, so I appreciate the guidance.

Happy new year guys, Finally managed to grab some data on Orion, a massive....26 minutes worth to be exact! Tried the last two nights, but I have been betrayed by weather reports. Started snowing last night as I was setting focus...and tonight the clouds rolled in about 2 hours earlier than predicted. Still, first time actually imaging something in about a month, so I was happy to start collecting data for my Orion project. Or so i thought, but I think this data needs to be chucked out. The stars are drifting and the focus is out by a lot for sure, even though I was confident the focus on the b mask was looking good, I could tell something was off as the stars looked bloated in single exposures. So I will start again next time. My rig is not balanced properly either, so anything too low in the sky gives issue, even with proper PA, think that is what has happened here with the drift. Typically works fine near the zenith. Not a problem I am going to correct as I will be ordering a new mount/ASIair/Guiding setup in the coming weeks (I will shortly post my shopping list in the equipment section for advice soon :D) 52 x 30 second subs, ISO 800 with a modded 600D. Single 30 second sub at ISO 3200 on a different night for comparison

If I remember correctly, in your case, it would be 500/1000 x 1.6 = 0.8 second exposures as an approximation to avoid star trail (assuming 1000 mm fl and crop sensor) I could be wrong though, pulling from memory, so maybe wait for other input. A tracking mount would help a lot and drastically improve possible exposure time, even unguided, but I have no experience with 1000 mm focal lengths or larger scopes so I'm not really in a position to give advice about mount options.

It looks like wobble to me, most likely from touching the camera to take the shot, as you said. An intervolemeter is a must if your camera does not have a built in timer function so you can let the rig settle after handling it before it starts imaging. Get the wobble under control and you should be good to go...or at least able to identify other issues that may be at play (incorrect polar alignment etc) what equipment are you using?

There are so many variables that go into making a deep sky image that, in my opinion, it is rather unfair to compare two images at all really, especially those that are taken at different times, under different conditions and with different equipment. So many things have the potential to change the 'quality' of the outcome, and it is not necessarily indicative of better/worse equipment. Not to mention processing. The same image processed differently can look like two VERY different images in my experience. And we all have slightly different ideals about how each image should be presented. If you spend enough time with anything, regardless of how impressive it is, it will soon become the norm too. And that is when you start to not appreciate your own work, but it doesn't mean it is any less of an achievement. I am still in the honeymoon phase where I think it is remarkable that I can take such amazing quality images with simple equipment (DSLR + refractor + Sky guider pro). And I often find myself looking through the forums and marveling at other peoples work, as they are considerably cleaner and sharper images again! I took my first ever image of the Orion nebula the other night at the end of a session on the California nebula, I have been waiting for it to get higher in the sky. 45 second sub at ISO 1600, and the image appeared on the back of the Cannon 600D's screen and the nerd in me said 'Wow, look at that, remarkable how clear and detailed a single image is!' while the astrophotographer in me said 'Wow, how the hell am I going to control that crazy bright core in processing..' I have weekly meetings with project supervisor/lecturer about my undergraduate final year thesis, topic is the motion of stars around a supermassive black hole (Sgr A*), and we probably spend about 5-10 minutes actually talking about the current lit review I am doing, or having more of an introduction to the mathematics of general relativity, and after the work is out of the way, the remaining 20-25 mins is me sending my latest astro images over the Teams chat and discussing the process of image acquisition Everyone I have ever met is amazed by it. Anyway, your images seem remarkably clean and well gathered rno, a solid foundation to enjoy exploring the night sky. Maybe try some new projects, targets you have never imaged before. I quite enjoy trawling through the night sky on stellarium and checking FOV against telescopious for new targets to explore!

Thank you guys, il be sure to add more data! Though, it looks as though our recent stretch of clear night's has come to an end, might be a while before I can get back to work on it! I will for sure try stacking in Siril, I was too lazy to convert files and make space etc so I chucked it into DSS just to see if the DIY flats were going to help

Yeah Siril is great because along with its great stacking capabilities (bit of a learning curve though) it has autostretch and colour calibration tools available, simple as clicking a few buttons. The stretch can be a bit rough and tumble, but it is a great tool to get you started and to see what data is in the image.

Been reading up on walking noise and some people suggest that adding more data should help dilute the data set and decrease the walking noise? If I were to try add 2 more hours data and dithered a bit more aggressively, do you think it will help break up the walking noise? Or is it just ingrained now from the first half of the data? Cheers guys

Hello darkness my old friend... WO Z73, Modded Canon 600D + Sky guider pro Captured ~2 hours on the California nebula last night (x251 30 second subs), manually dithering between 90%-95% of the subs which has worked great the last few times, but not so much this time apparently. I was using the bright star at the top of the image and keeping it aligned to image info on my 600D's screen while dithering to ensure I did not move too much and make stacking harder, but I do not think I was moving enough this time. I thought I did a great job, not bouncing the target around the FOV all night.. I tighten/loosen the dec screw and give the RA axis buttons a push on my Sky guider pro between images to dither between each frames, usually I move around a lot over the hours, makes stacking a little more complicated as I need to crop more, but the dithering really works. Lesson learned. I also realised my uniform white light I use for flats was not so uniform anymore AFTER i took my flats, disassembled my setup and stacked my images. Big old gradient appeared, I checked the tracing pad and sure enough, one edge of the pad is dim. Had to commit the ultimate astro sin and reassemble my gear, guestimate my focus and camera orientation to take some flats and hope they worked, which I think they did luckily! Walking noise aside, this is where I am at with 2 hours...Was going to shoot for 4 hours, but not sure I will now with all that noise. Shame.

Yeah its the result of a dodgy/accidental blend when I was playing with masks in PS while trying to clean everything up - to your eyes, that know what they are looking, it is very much ruined. To the lamens eyes, it's a pretty image I will try following ONI's steps again to see if I can get the stars back in without introducing the speckle/casts.

Can not decide if I accidently ruined the image or made it better here..? Much less speckle and cast, but stars look..bleak?

My secret weapon!

This is my attempt at it having recombined stars/starless; Not particularly happy with it to be honest. The 'Starless' image (I do agree and see the irony, Vlaiv :D) or just galaxy image looks nice, the 'Stars' image without the galaxy looks nice...But add them together and the whole thing falls apart! Noise and speckles of feint stars (That seemingly do not appear in either image separately) pop up and detract from the image quite a bit I think. The imaging was done very close to Elan valley, Wales. It is a Bortle 2-3 (Elan is 3, but where I go, 20 minutes further in is 2 apparently). M31 is perfectly placed up near the zenith, meridian flip both nights, and my imaging is done before the ~40% moon rises at about 23:30 too, which I think is important. Edit: I should mention I do not use any light pollution filters, especially as I have access to some of the Darkest Skies in the UK with a 25 minute drive Amazed my cheap USB Power bank and dew heater held its own over the last few outings. Lows of -2 degrees, puddles frozen solid under foot. That and my Duracell camera battery is a tank! manages 3-4 hours of life in those conditions, compared to my old Canon battery that came with the camera surviving maybe 40 minutes Forgot to post this last night, but here is the raw combined data from the two nights. Il add the original FITS file from Siril stacking + the converted TIF I take to PS, couldn't get Siril to play ball to my tastes or do Photometric Calibration so I did everything in PS : result.tif result.fit