Imaging is spoiling my enjoyment - Back to visual

[Macavity]

It ain't easy... All that bending, stretching and "weight lifting" (for me personally). <sigh>

But I hope to make things sufficiently easy, to restore the *pleasure*, via semi-automated VIDEO astronomy. Somehow I still keep at this... "observatory commissioning", and remain optimistic! <gasp> <wheeze> etc.

So, still sawing, soldering, screwing etc. <G> I've certainly yet to appreciate the "virtues" of Equatorial Mounts - The Devil's Device? LOL. The Ioptron (despite rumours) was FAR easier and nicer [iMO]. Tho' sadly a bit too fragile to carry my F4 Photo-Newt. Ah, if only...

[Stu]

I've always been a purely visual observer and am likely to stay that way. One thing which has got my interest though is the whole video piece. I like the idea of combining visual with an ability to see live images which go that bit deeper and allow you to see dso's properly

Stu

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[Macavity]

I've always been a purely visual observer and am likely to stay that way. One thing which has got my interest though is the whole video piece. I like the idea of combining visual with an ability to see live images which go that bit deeper and allow you to see dso's properly.

Well, I like to think of myself as "no slouch" technically or intellectually. LOL.

But I have to "hand it to" our skilled / dedicated etc., imaging friends.

There is indeed VIDEO Astronomy. More commensurate with my skill-set, patience... budget(?) etc.

[sulaco]

I've not even started imaging but have been reading up on it, bought a SPC900 and was going to add cooling to it. I'm now starting to feel if it's worth the huge effort as I really just enjoy visual work where you can chop and change your subject and not become obsessed with Flats,darks, exposure times etc..

At the end of the day I think I would rather look at the end product of someone who is very good at it or the proffessional output from observatories where you can compare what you see with your own eyes to that if the images.

[RobH]

I love imaging, and really enjoy the technical side to it, but originally got into astronomy as a visual observer, and still really enjoy that aspect of astronomy.

The most enjoyable night stargazing I've had for a long while was in February last year having the use of a 20 inch dob for the night. To actually see the spiral arms of M81 is a very special feeling

I often use Amanda's 12 inch dob when my imaging gear is doing it's thing, and one of the main reasons I've never got into planetary or lunar imaging is that, no matter how good the image, to me, nothing beats the visual view through a really good scope.

That said, from a light polluted site, DSO's in general are very dissapointing, and so this is where I concentrate my imaging time, and I'm particularly interested in interacting galaxies, a lot of which are very small and faint, and out of the question visually.

Cheers

Rob

[Astroscot2]

Its quite easy to get disappointed with Astrophotography when your waiting weeks for a clear sky and end up with little to show for an evenings imaging. Its a very frustrating pursuit but it does not have to be that way. Its easy to get bogged down on all the technical side with hardware and processing but taking simple wide field shots with wide angle lenses produce some fantastic images.

I too come from an observing background and saw some amazing views through big scopes and dark skies however I get a bigger thrill when the download bar gets to 100% and an image appears on the screen.

Dont bag imaging just simplify it and continue observing. Best of both worlds.

[JamesM]

Hi Ian and sorry to hear you've had a change of mind. The old adage that good imaging starts with the mount, to me feels like it should be changed to .."starts with an observatory!":D Imaging is something that I've always avoided not because I'm not a great fan because I am, no it's because I've noticed that great pictures don't come cheap and eventually involve certain gear, a certain setup and of course a lot of time be it with the collecting the data or the processing of it. Some time back I was into digital photography (especially air shows) and had a great time whilst at the event, but it was when I got back home, going through all the images that I had taken, sorting through them all, thinning some of them out and all the processing that came after, began to turn an interest, a joy, into an onerous experience.

I wouldn't sell your kit just yet, give it a while and see how you feel (or the weather!). Having something to show for an evenings activity is fine but it is more important to enjoy what you're doing. If you can do both that's a bonus but the joy has to come first and its what keeps us all going when the clouds keep coming out to play.

James

[MikeWilson]

Lots of talk about observatories here is making me feel a little... inadequate

Ok, so it's frustrating setting up. So what I've done is for the past three weeks my HEQ5 PRO has been left in the garden, sitting on it's Celestron anti vibration pads which in turn sit atop the lawn. Since it's aligned, I throw a scope cover over the whole lot (it's a glorified BBQ cover). The scope cover performed brilliantly in the rain, keeping everything dry. Under the cover are all the cables (lots of cables), dew heaters & controller, USB hub, etc. Occasionally I even leave the scopes out under the cover.

It's not an observatory and it's not a pier and it's definitely not permanent, but it saves time setting up and it means packing away takes < 5 minutes on the night and can always be done the next day.

Although when I image from a HantsAstro site, I have the hour drive, the hour and a half setup and then half an hour to pack down and an hour to drive back home = 4 hours logistical time. The skies and the company are worth it though, but it's not something I can see myself doing (imaging) all the time.

Sometimes it's just nice to bring out the binoculars and scan the heavens looking for brighter nebulae, coloured stars and beautiful star clusters and fields. M45 is gorgeous through binoculars and M42 unbelievable the first time you see it.

But at the end of the day it's a hobby, get what you can out of it and enjoy it - but don't think you have to have a pier or obsy, get yourself a decent scope cover and leave it outside

All the best,

Mike

[Ags]

Mike which scope cover did you buy?

[Moonshane]

Your description of how you feel would be me if I ever tried imaging and hence I never have, seriously anyway!

I love normal photography and am a decent natural history macro photographer but whenever I have briefly tried even the most basic AP (connecting a point and press camera to the eyepiece and with decent results), I missed observing and felt like the camera was hogging the scope.

Plus, and to use a food analogy, I hate messing about with food and therefore rarely eat fish (unless in a can) with its fiddly, bone-filled messing about. Wires, laptops, cameras, guidescopes, heavy mounts, processing etc etc are just the same to me (although you generally smell less after using them). Give me a altaz/dob and Televue eyepieces anyday

I can totally understand why people do AP though and the results are fantastic but I'll enjoy their fruits while I see things with my own eyes through the scope thanks

[MikeWilson]

Mike which scope cover did you buy?

This one, and I highly recommend it:

Cases, Bags and Covers for Telescopes and Other Optics

It covers my HEQ5 all the way down to the ground with plenty of space to spare. If I have a 6" Newtonian with a 3" refractor on it with the QHY5 guide camera sticking out the back, then it covers both scopes (easily) and drapes down the HEQ5 legs just a few inches above the ground.

It's totally waterproof (I had both scopes out under this cover during some pretty heavy rain last week) as well as being breathable (via vents like a tent).

It's very good and I would highly recommend it.

Mike

[great_bear]

I hate messing about with food and therefore rarely eat fish with its fiddly, bone-filled messing about.

?

I think fish technology may have come on a bit since you last tried...

[Neilius]

I quite before I even started!lol! Glad I only spent £20 or so in this venture; on a spc900nc + eyepiece attachment - only to find out that I needed a degree in electronics to 'flash' the camera - whatever that means. And then neither of my PC's will accept the blumming camera no matter what software I download. There is no better enjoyment to be found in astronomy than seeing the object through the eyepiece with your own eyes in my opinion.

Although the images people are taking are fantastic, I find that that side of the hobby is for the more financially secure amongst us.

[sgazer]

I dunno, personally I couldn't get along with visual, especially non-goto. Most things were just another fuzzy grey smudge and finding them was a nightmare. I just love imaging as even with the shortest exposures on the simplest of set-ups (like a DSLR on a camera tripod), you can capture way more than you can see with the biggest dob. Saying that, it took a lot of time (and money) to get an imaging setup that was quick to setup. It now takes 30mins to setup, find the target and start guiding and imaging (if it goes well!!) and that's with a completely mobile setup.

[Stu]

Time is one of the biggest reasons I stick to visual. I get few enough opportunities to put the scope out, and if I spent all that time setting up for imaging, I really wouldn't get anything done, or seen. I've got a flashed 880 somewhere and have played around with it a bit but don't want to spend the time learning how to do it, or putting in the hours of processing. I know I could never get near the results of the guys and gals on here so I cheat and just enjoy their pictures, whilst also enjoying visual observing.

Anything other than planetary, lunar or brighter dso's from my garden is pretty pointless so at some point a big dob will be mine, bit hard to hide though so needs full management approval from SWMBO :-)

Stu

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[jimness]

I think if I didn't have a permanent setup I'd never have got close to imaging...not that it's the most advanced obsy in the world, being a run-down shed with the roof crudely hacked off, sliding onto a rickety construction of curtain rails and leftover fence posts. Anyway I find when it's all too much to bother with, there's still great pleasure to be had doing it ye olde way, with nothing but a pair of contact lenses and perhaps a star map. Something we must all do once in a while to keep that constellation knowledge fresh...nothing more embarrassing than when your non-astro mate asks you what constellation that is and the response is 'er...looks a bit lizardy doesn't it'...

[great_bear]

nothing more embarrassing than when your non-astro mate asks you what constellation that is and the response is 'er...looks a bit lizardy doesn't it'...

You mean you haven't learnt to style-it-out yet by laughing gently and confidently and saying, "My dear friend, don't you realise that there are so many constellations, that no mere mortal can memorise them all?"

- and then hope no-one else chimes in with "that's Ursa Major"...

[jimness]

You mean you haven't learnt to style-it-out yet by laughing gently and confidently and saying, "My dear friend, don't you realise that there are so many constellations, that no mere mortal can memorise them all?"

- and then hope no-one else chimes in with "that's Ursa Major"...

heh heh, I'll remember that; may be obliged to don my flat cap and pipe the first time I try it...

[Dave]

I'm thinking of getting an easy to set up Dob to complement the imaging rig...

That's what I have done. I've got the kit in the observatoy taking images and a 10" Dob to do visual stuff while the camera is busy.

Best of both worlds.

[Cloudwatcher]

Way to go!

SkyTee 2 with a couple of complementary scopes installed......... no need to polar align,no tangle of wires,laptops,power supply etc.

Just enjoy the view.......... weather permitting.........

[RikM]

That's what I have done. I've got the kit in the observatoy taking images and a 10" Dob to do visual stuff while the camera is busy.

Best of both worlds.

Me too. No obsy yet, but having the subs rolling in, while scanning the heavens through large aperture (well 10") is just great.

[rawhead]

To add to the chorus I also find DSO imaging an almighty faff.

I always have the 80ED and the ST80 on standby for when ever I get the urge (Only ever had two urges )

Have you thought of planetary imaging? Much less hassle. Equally rewarding (for me anyway)

Cheers

[rawhead]

This one, and I highly recommend it:

Cases, Bags and Covers for Telescopes and Other Optics

It covers my HEQ5 all the way down to the ground with plenty of space to spare. If I have a 6" Newtonian with a 3" refractor on it with the QHY5 guide camera sticking out the back, then it covers both scopes (easily) and drapes down the HEQ5 legs just a few inches above the ground.

It's totally waterproof (I had both scopes out under this cover during some pretty heavy rain last week) as well as being breathable (via vents like a tent).

It's very good and I would highly recommend it.

Mike

I'll 2nd that recommendation.

[ollypenrice]

Plus, and to use a food analogy, I hate messing about with food and therefore rarely eat fish (unless in a can) with its fiddly, bone-filled messing about. Wires, laptops, cameras, guidescopes, heavy mounts, processing etc etc are just the same to me (although you generally smell less after using them). Give me a altaz/dob and Televue eyepieces anyday

This is an outstandingly witty anaolgy! Big smile on face!! NIce one.

However, when it comes to delicacy of flavour, texture and exotic nuances of delight... fish beats meat ten times over.

Just for fun I'd like to persue this. In Japan there is an ancient tradition of eating Fugu fish. Very tasty... but the ovaries of an ovulating female are 500X more deadly than potassium cyanide per unit mass. A 13th century Haiku poet wrote,

Yesterday evening I ate Fugu fish.

Nothing has happened

yet.

May I suggest that the parallel with astrophotography is remarkably apposite?

Olly

[Moonshane]

please don't use expressions like that on a family forum Olly.