Framing the object woes

[kirkster501]

Hello, any tricks or tips for this please since I am a little confused. My alignment is spot on, can go to any star and it is bang on centre of FoV in a EP. But I then go to an object and soemtimes it is not central after an exposure. This is spoiling my pictures slightly.

Its tricky. Can't see a DSO on Liveview. OK, so take first exposure and say its off centre. How do you know what is North/South/West etc to centre it usign EQmod and CdC ?

Ideas and thoughst welcome please! Makign good progress as an AP beginner and got some good M26, M31 and M13's. But would like to master this framing malarkey.

Thanks Steve

[Shibby]

Well... I use EQMOD and Stellarium. After a short exposure, figure out where you'd like your centre of frame to be on your image, then match up the star patterns and move to that location using your software. Stellarium allows you to switch into an "equatorial" orientation, which helps a lot because the frame is the correct way up (at least, with my Newt). I can also then rotate the camera if I wish to obtain more pleasing framing on larger nebulae.

I've recently imported extra imagery into Stellarium which makes it even easier!

[Martin-Devon]

Steve, I usually do something like Shibby - I do some homework on my selected target often looking at prior images posted on SGL, then print a good one so that I have a nice representation of the star pattern that my DSO sits in. Then I slew to my target, and just like you, many times the target is off-centre or not perfect on the CCD chip - this is when I take short subs (3 seconds 2x binned) all in Luminance to rapidly orientate myself with the star pattern and how my DSO sits in relation to this. I then do tiny slews on the mount to get the target in the centre and then rotate the CCD to get exactly as I want it - then I switch to my narrowband filter (H-alpha usually), where the image is far less strong, but everything is framed properly - now I re-focus accurately and away you go taking 10 min subs 1x1 bin/guided now.

[kookoo_gr]

here is another trick

first place your mount facing east and center at a bright star, then with the speed set at 2x move your mount N,S,E,W this way you can see the direction of movement at your screen, after that i suggest placing a small sticker at each side of your screen and write the directions, at my pc left is N, right S, up W, down E. when you make a meridian flip the direction of E/W is reversed

for framing your target. go to the constelation where your target is and sync with three stars at perfect center (if your imaging software has crosshairs place the stars at the center) after that slew to your target and it will be alsmost dead center and you can make the appropriate adjustments. an important factor for accurate framing is also how good is your PA (this is the most important) and secondly how well is your mount tuned. in order to confirm your target i suggest a shot of 5-30 secs bin 2x2 accoridng to how dim is the target.

[Jessun]

Another vote for a sticker - plus a basic clue about what movement you can expect on the screen for say a one second press at the various slew speeds. It helps save time too. For pointing I usually sync to a bright star in the vicinity, and that helps in accuracy for that first check of the target position.

After a while it will be second nature - until you have a week or two of clouds...

I also store a 'Framing Sub' in a folder - a simple stretched sub from the first time I aimed at a target - as a jpeg and just keep that handy for pointing at the target on subsequent nights perhaps even a year later.

I never rotate the camera, I like to have north up. Whatever is big enough to fall out of that 'standard framing' is usually too weak in luminosity for me to even have a go at .

[kookoo_gr]

a small correction at my previous post, when i say for the mount to look east i mean for the scope to look east by slewing it to the east, also if you can't see the target after a 30 sec exposure, especilaly if the the taret is dim i usually stretch the image to to point where i can make out some faint characteristics, also it helps to have looked for an image of your target beforehand so you'll know what you're looking for.

[martin_h]

if you want to check which button moves the scope in relation to your screen, start a 3 min exposure and about 1/2 way through press and hold the North button, slew rate set at 2x, wait for the image to download and look to where the star trails are going....South will be in the opposite direction, do the same for the East button, West will be opposite.