Imaging with the 130pds

[Russe]

Yep - that's definitely my problem as well!

[JimFR]

So the clouds parted tonight at about 11pm so i thought i would have another go with my new scope, it was pretty horrendous out with it being almost day light thanks to the moon, i did however want to try and have a go at the Leo Triplet (a bit daft as i was effectively shooting into the moonlight). I did get this though, its 25 lights various exposures stacked in DSS, no Darks, battery of both the camera and me were running low. Quite chuffed with how they turned out, cant wait to get a shot at them on a dark night though !!

Awesome, especially considering the moon!

[tingting44]

just thinking mostly on setup at the moment, mainly where i have no mount, no guide cam and no guide scope so just thinking for when i do get all my new gear soon (all i do have now is the 130-pds lol) about the balancing issue on the dec people are having, i hear that a few people have added weights to the rear of the 130-pds, wouldnt just getting the longest dovetail plate here sort out this solution? its not a bank breaker either?...

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/skywatcher-dovetail-mounting-plates.html

[sidelight]

It would be good if it did, but the scope ring is already nearly against the focuser. I could move the rings to the other side but that's a little too close to the edge for me to be happy when balancing the scope. It would also potentially interfer with dew shields and things.

Cheers

Ross

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[tingting44]

something like these weight belts might be a good idea then...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weight-Lifting-Belts-Strength-Training-Equipment/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A671764011

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TurnerMAX-Lifting-Support-Building-Fitness/dp/B001DMEZH8/ref=sr_1_21?s=fitness&ie=UTF8&qid=1397942035&sr=1-21

Edited April 19, 2014 by tingting44

[Uranium235]

Apologies for the gap since last posting, but here is a fresh crop for the 130 imaging thread:

Original thread here: http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/214713-galaxy-hunting-with-the-130pds-bonus-cygnus/

 

 

 

[sidelight]

Been ages since I was able to get the scope out on one of the rare clear nights we've had. M5 40 * 200 seconds @ 400 ISO ...

Cheers

Ross

[Russe]

Me too - I've only got a few Jupiter videos on my hard drive. Need to find time to see what I can do with them.

Tried again with a Barlow - result: atrocious. Again. Seem to be unable to Barlow anything AND get a sharp video...

[Uranium235]

More testing with the 130:

The field is now 97% useable, just a wee tweak needed to bring one corner back after i adjusted another.
 

[tingting44]

my 1st guided sub from M13 last night, couldnt really bang out the long subs as still limited to 1min from my garden due to light pollution, but will be heading out to the dark site next weekend, thats where the fun will start

M13

M13 Globular cluster - MY 1'st EVER guided image and cluster! by tingting44, on Flickr

nothing compared to the totally awsome pics in here, but its my 1st and its all mine

p.s the image above mine is mind blowing!

[Uranium235]

Looking clear for tonight, so I think a little more Cygnus action is in order. Need to download the latest version of Artemis before going out, as there are some funky new features i'd like to check out.

[LouisJB]

Some great pictures here, impressive. Even more so for the cost of this tube.

I started with a 130P (non-pds) which I thought was pin-sharp image wise, then jumped to a 200 (GSO) - while I love it and visually it's great, for imaging it can be a bit of a lump sometimes.

I'm thinking to compliment it with a smaller PDS for imaging, that will also be able to use all my existing accessories, the mpcc etc

My question is, 130PDS or 150PDS, probably it makes sense to go 130PDS and go wider, to compliment the 200. Right?

[JimFR]

Might as well post these, Mars and Saturn from last weekend:

[rosen447]

Several pictures with sky-wachter 130PDS. I'm still learning. 

M51

Mount: SW NEQ6 PRO
Camera: Canon 600D
ISO1600
Light 14X120s. + 11X180s.
Dark 4X120s. + 3X180s.

M101

Mount: SW NEQ6 PRO
Camera: Canon 600D
ISO1600
Light: 3X180s.
Dark: 3X180s.

M63

Mount: SW NEQ6 PRO.
Camera: Canon 600D
ISO1600
Light: 15X180s.
Dark: 3X180s.

M13

Mount: Sky-Watcher NEQ6 PRO
Camera: Nikon D7000
ISO 1600
Light: 3X180s + 3X60s, Dark: 3X180s + 3X60s, Bias: 3

Leo Triplet (NGC3628, NGC3627, NGC3623)

Mount: Sky-Watcher NEQ6 PRO
Camera: Nikon D7000
ISO 1600
Light: 15X180s, Dark: 10X180s, Bias: 10  

[tingting44]

Several pictures with sky-wachter 130PDS. I'm still learning. 

M51

Mount: SW NEQ6 PRO

Camera: Canon 600D

ISO1600

Light 14X120s. + 11X180s.

Dark 4X120s. + 3X180s.

M101

Mount: SW NEQ6 PRO

Camera: Canon 600D

ISO1600

Light: 3X180s.

Dark: 3X180s.

M63

Mount: SW NEQ6 PRO.

Camera: Canon 600D

ISO1600

Light: 15X180s.

Dark: 3X180s.

M13

Mount: Sky-Watcher NEQ6 PRO

Camera: Nikon D7000

ISO 1600

Light: 3X180s + 3X60s, Dark: 3X180s + 3X60s, Bias: 3

Leo Triplet (NGC3628, NGC3627, NGC3623)

Mount: Sky-Watcher NEQ6 PRO

Camera: Nikon D7000

ISO 1600

Light: 15X180s, Dark: 10X180s, Bias: 10  

wow some really amazing pics there buddy!!! really love your M51,M13 and leo triplet, they are my faves and also the detail in M63 is lovely !! well done

[Uranium235]

A work in progress from the 130:

 

[JimFR]

Another Saturn, from last night.

I took out the Neodym filter (too many surfaces for the light to pass through) but stuck with the stacked barlows (1.6x in the filter thread, and a push fit 2x both two element) to give 3.2x, and an effective focal length of 2080mm. I also lengthened the duration of the clip to 2 min and the frame rate to 20 fps.

I then pushed the AVI through PIPP, and that through Registax 5.1 followed by the legendary Wavelets processing to produce this:

I think that's Titan, at the 5 o'clock position!

[tingting44]

Here is my take on Saturn and Mars, 1st time imaging with my new QHY5L-ii

Having a play with my new QHY5L-ii (mono), 1st time i have tried imaging with it, seeing was not the greatest. took around 15'000 images (5 min), which i took the best 7'500 into the stack.

The programs i used for processing were PIPP, Registax 6, Photoshop

and i used firecapture to capture the data which i really like

Saturn 

Saturn 25-04-14 by tingting44, on Flickr

Saturn
FPS (avg.)=40
Shutter=6.682ms
Gain=560

Mars

Mars 25-04-14 by tingting44, on Flickr

Mars
FPS (avg.)=41
Shutter=3.861ms
Gain=82

[Uranium235]

A complete Ha layer from the 130, corners look ok and managed to get plenty of contrast. Not bad for a bargain basement telescope!

 

[Geuse]

Uranium, i feel distinctly inadequate every time you post a picture in this thread 

[JimFR]

@tingting

Wow thats fantastic! is that all the QHY, or do you have any techniques up your sleeve?

@Uranium235

Wow thats fantastic!

@Geuse

I always feel a little bit inadequate on here!

[Uranium235]

Geuse, on 28 May 2014 - 8:49 PM, said:

Uranium, i feel distinctly inadequate every time you post a picture in this thread 

Dont be

It takes time to get this far down the road (in my 4th season), as the years pass by you will accumulate gear, find your niche and have a settled imaging routine. By that time you know all the little foibles your gear has, and how to counter them.

But with this telescope for me its been more of a case of "make it work, or I'll blow your brains out!"....lol. My astro spending has been severely curtailed for time being, so I've been given little option but to get the most out of it!

[Geuse]

You really do seem to have mastered it however. 

I would love to hear any tips or pointers you might have for a novice like myself??

[Uranium235]

Geuse, on 28 May 2014 - 11:03 PM, said:

You really do seem to have mastered it however. 

I would love to hear any tips or pointers you might have for a novice like myself??

With this particular telescope?

Well, the main challenge is the focuser - and getting your coma corrector to sit squarely in the drawtube. Simplest solution to that is to drill and tap a third hole for another thumbscrew - theyre M4 threaded, so thats a tap size you can pick up from B&Q (they do an M4, M5 and M6 kit for a tenner). Next you might have to tweak the tension of the focuser (especially if you have a heavy camera), as long as you can get it to focus against the action of gravity (ie: with the camera pointing straight up) then thats good enough. The 2" EP holder just screws off the drawtube, so its easy enough to remove and work on.

If, after youve done the above (and collimated it to death) and youre still getting a dodgy corner/side - then you have to tackle the job of squaring the focuser. But I would leave that as a last resort becuase thats where things get really fiddly.

Edit: Dont use a laser for collimation either, a sight tube/cheshire EP is all you need - the main thing is that you need to eliminate rotation of the secondary mirror.

[tingting44]

@tingting

Wow thats fantastic! is that all the QHY, or do you have any techniques up your sleeve?

Thanks buddy, no techniques as such lol, only my 1st time using it for imaging, i was pleasantly surprised as seeing was not the greatest but im happy for now, just need to get myself some color filters and a filter wheel some time soon the QHY is an EPIC camera tho, im in love with it