Horsehead and flame QHY8 ED80. Not proud of this ...but.

[earlybird]

After sorting out the guiding last night and imaging the rosette in HA with the ATIK 16HR, I thought I would try the QHY8 again.

By now the moon was up and the skies were not great.

I thought i would try the ED80 at prime focus as I have been having blooming problems at the centre of the picture with the QHY8.

Mr Tom's drivers had run out of the free evaluation period, so I tried capturing in Nebulosity. This saves images as FITS.

If anyone has used Nebulosity to capture with the QHY8, I would be gratefull for any advice on the gain / offset settings.

So 10 x 10 min subs ED80 QHY8 CLS filter Guided by WOZS66 DSI pro on EQ6Pro PHD and all in VISTA.

I have a lot to learn with getting the best out of this camera and next time may try capturing in maxim.

I also have a lot to learn on the processing side with it.

Anyway may be better next time with better weather conditions.

At least I can recognize it.

John

[CELESCOPE]

Errr where is it John

Rog ????

Ah got it now , well its pretty good start John ,just needs some longer exposures i guess, prob have to push those exposures to 20 mins at least . processing looks ok to me .

Rog

[earlybird]

Errr where is it John

Rog ????

Sorry Rog. Was so busy writing my life story, that I forgot to attach the piccie LOL.

[mpeniak]

Great pic mate! Was it a dew that caused blurring on the right side of the image?

[Vega]

Not proud of it ? Hey, I can see a horsie and a lovely flame looking thingy... thats enough to impress me! I've not attempted this neb yet with my humble Canon DSLR... maybe I'm too scared

Matt

[anthony]

Looks quite good to me thb.

I'd guess that you've clipped the black a bit to try and get rid of the noisey stuff but had to keep in the hot spot that surrounds the horsey and flame. Is this time for some flats?

Lovely field of view and the tracking looks to be on the button.

Anthony

[barkis]

You have no need to fear the camera, that's for sure. That model is a wonderful bit of kit from the images I have seen produced with it.

Your picture is more than OK, It's the first of along list of great stuff you will capture with it. Processing artistry is a another ball game, and that too has to be mastered. It takes time, the experts will tell you that.

Ron.

[SteveL]

Nothing to be ashamed of there. Next time out, take a set of flats to use during stacking, and that central bright spot will disappear and all the faint whisy stuff will jump out at you.

[Eddie]

Looking pretty good to me John, nice to see some images from the QHY8 . Like Steve said takes some flats and you will be amazed!

Eddie

[earlybird]

Many thanks for all your comments.

I will use Maxim next time and do a complete sequence of darks, flats etc using QHY's Maxim driver.

I have been fiddling with the VC200L tonight and have managed to connect the QHY to it via the Vixen 6.4 FR.

I have the WOZS66 on top of it, so will play with that setup .

John

[MartinB]

I've not used my QHY8 in anger yet but have noticed how easily it starts to ice up. A few seconds changing a filter will do it. I wonder if there was some dew or ice affecting it

[SteveL]

I had icing problems too for a while. Now I store my QHY8 in a pelicase with a couple of bags of silica gel, keep the IR/UV filter nosepiece attached at all times, and it never ices up at all.

[Eddie]

I've not used my QHY8 in anger yet but have noticed how easily it starts to ice up. A few seconds changing a filter will do it. I wonder if there was some dew or ice affecting it

Due to the nature of the way the cooling works in the QHY8, you must keep the sensor away from the air when it is switched on. You have to bear in mind the sensor is being cooled down to -20 below ambient and when you change the front filter its like your scope misting up when you bring it in the house. Like steve said just keep a UV/IR filter on it at all times.

Eddie

[earlybird]

I've not used my QHY8 in anger yet but have noticed how easily it starts to ice up. A few seconds changing a filter will do it. I wonder if there was some dew or ice affecting it

Bern mentioned to me a while ago that some people run it at about 8 volts, rather than 12 and this helps. I have been runnng at 12.

Have you got a VC200L on order Martin ?

Thought I read somewhere you have. If so, are you goung to be using the Vixen 6.4 focal reducer ?

Not sure of the age of mine, or if I was given all the bits that came with it new, but it is easy to couple to a DSLR and less easy to

couple to a CCD camera with a T thread. I got a step down ring that enable me to put a 2 inch filter inside the Direct Wide adapter

that comes with the FR.

New models may come with a 2 inch visual back that the FR scresw in to and all that is then needed is a 2 inch to t thread.

My 2 inch visual back has no internal thread for the FR.

John

[MartinB]

I decided to go for a 10" LX200R in the end John. My problem with the QHY8 is that I'm planning on using it in different configurations but mainly with my SXV AO unit. The unit screws directly into the T thread and any filters are supposed to fit into a recess in front of this (although I'm having some problems with that). I'm hoping that I can get away with changing the set up with the camera switched off isn't going to stuff me up through the icing problem.