Summer nights, hopeless for imaging

[lensman57]

Yep AG that sensor needs a clean !

I usually start imaging in late twilight but then my exposures are brief and stacked. But then I'm used to LP and twilight is another version. Must be nightmare on a long run and very frustrating for some :-/

It is only one week old, I dont even dare unscrew the protective glass bit. Not good at all.

Regards,

A.G

[Gina]

I think those dust bunnies are too big to be on the sensor - I would favour the camera front window. I take it you've eliminated the filters. I think you'll find dust on the front window of the camera if you unscrew it.

[Gina]

It was clear last night for a change and I got several hours good data on the Bubble Nebula though I haven't checked every sub as yet. I started the imaging run at around 11pm and the Ha subws wer OK up to 4am or so.

[Daddystu]

I managed to grab a bunch of 10 min M51 subs last night. The data looks quite good but my 10 min darks look 'very' noisy with exif temps of 28 degrees they would do! Its all good practice for the autumn/winter but it isn't so good when you have to do the morning school run!

[nytecam]

I think those dust bunnies are too big to be on the sensor - I would favour the camera front window. I take it you've eliminated the filters. I think you'll find dust on the front window of the camera if you unscrew it.

Agreed and dust bunnies from a frac ! Go very easy and carefully with any cleaning of optics. I'd sooner have dust bunnies solved by flats than a scratched sensor window!!

I cap or cover the cam when not in use OR aim the sensor dowwards when moving it around before attaching to scope etc. I'd never walk down the garden to obsy carrying the exposed sensor facing up!!!!

[lensman57]

Agreed and dust bunnies from a frac ! Go very easy and carefully with any cleaning of optics. I'd sooner have dust bunnies solved by flats than a scratched sensor window!!

I cap or cover the cam when not in use OR aim the sensor dowwards when moving it around before attaching to scope etc. I'd never walk down the garden to obsy carrying the exposed sensor facing up!!!!

Hi,

I have cleaned the filter and the glass protecting the sensor with a lens cloth, the camera front is either covered or it resides in the draw tube I hope these nasty things go away. I dontfancy sending the camera back to FLO if it could be avoided. Last night I tried to do an OIII the M27 as a first test, had problem with the focusand some halos around the stars, it will have to wait for a really clear night as last night was very hazy and humid. Tonight I just took the mount outside andn tried to align it, it got coudy af10 minutes, hence my posting. I had set myself targets of either the NGC 7000 or M31 as a first try, I guess that I don't hto worry about polar alignment tonight. the mount is still ouside in hope that the clouds go away.

Regards,

A.G

[laser_jock99]

Interesting comments about the high haze over the country this week. I didn't appreciate how poor it was until I looked at these photos taken at the weekend in Wales.

Looking south east at Sagittarius the band of haze over England is clearly visible in this 60 second, 50mm lens shot. The haze is illuminated by distant towns with nice clear air above

Looking higher up at Altair the air was very clear indeed.

I guess I was always on an uphill struggle trying to image M20 through all that muck?

[Psychobilly]

I had the same thing last weekend which meant I didn't hand around for the shot I was really after....after spending 5 hours on the cliff tops...

This was looking SW from worms head on the end of Gower and has the same "muck" on the horizon and a few spread contrails as well....

Bad Light Stops Play 1933 by psmithuk, on Flickr

Peter...

[Gina]

Nice photos folks

If the fog isn't in the atmosphere, it's in my head!!! I got set up nice and early last night and was imaging by 10:30 - the sky looked clear. After an overnight imaging run, I shut down this morning and checked the subs - they were all covered in dozens or hundreds of pinpoints of white and the cooling was OFF on my camera - seems I had forgotten to turn it on! The heat is getting to me and I was clearly more tired than I thought last night. I guess I should give up AP for a while.

[ollypenrice]

A week at Lat 44 ...

OK, you hate me! But latitude does matter. Truth is, we have had a ludicrous number of walloping thunderstorms (poor dog has ben sitting on my knee half the day!!) but, even so, there is imaging time to be had.

Olly

[Gina]

Very nice Olly

[laser_jock99]

Nice Coat Hanger Olly.

[kirkster501]

I saw those thunderstorms on the TdF yesterday. They looked whoppers....

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[andyman]

Too hot to sleep

got to find something to do

[Russe]

Yep AG that sensor needs a clean !

I usually start imaging in late twilight but then my exposures are brief and stacked. But then I'm used to LP and twilight is another version. Must be nightmare on a long run and very frustrating for some :-/

How do you clean a sensor? Not with a toothbrush I suppose?!

[ncjunk]

How do you clean a sensor? Not with a toothbrush I suppose?!

Well AG has dust somewhere but not on the sensor. In his case it is in a filter or the front window to the camera.

If its on the sensor it'll block a lot more light and look black.

First try a rocket air blower and only if that doesnt work try the next.

To clean the sensor you can get some wipes off of ebay which are on a plastic stick and some cleaning fluid. The wipes need to be of a certain type that dont shed any fibres, no use making things worse, and the fluid i cant remember off hand what was best (something about 95% surgical alcohol rings a bell or baader cleaning fluid...or was i drinking it...)

Carefully put a bit on the wipe and gently wipe across the ccd.

You will usually just end up moving dust around the sensor until you find a position thats acceptable.

Dont open a new camera as the dust probably isnt on the sensor. Check everything else first.

Its never as bad as you think

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[lensman57]

Well AG has dust somewhere but not on the sensor. In his case it is in a filter or the front window to the camera.

If its on the sensor it'll block a lot more light and look black.

First try a rocket air blower and only if that doesnt work try the next.

To clean the sensor you can get some wipes off of ebay which are on a plastic stick and some cleaning fluid. The wipes need to be of a certain type that dont shed any fibres, no use making things worse, and the fluid i cant remember off hand what was best (something about 95% surgical alcohol rings a bell or baader cleaning fluid...or was i drinking it...)

Carefully put a bit on the wipe and gently wipe across the ccd.

You will usually just end up moving dust around the sensor until you find a position thats acceptable.

Dont open a new camera as the dust probably isnt on the sensor. Check everything else first.

Its never as bad as you think

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Tapatalk 2

Thanks Neil,

I had figured as much that wahtever it was , it was not on the sensor as they are too large and the focus is not 100%. What is puzzling me is why the stacking software has not managed to get rid of them as I took the flats with the filter in place, unless the cheap SW focuser shifted during taking of the flats in which case it must have moved a lot.

Regards,

A.G