Quick LodestarLive session - this time with a Lodestar X2

[James]

Got a chance a couple of nights ago to get the scope setup despite the short nights and this time got a chance to try out the new Lodestar X2. I've used a colour Lodestar recently so was expecting an improvement in sensitivity from now using mono as well as the more sensitive sensor.

Below are a few screenshots from a selection of objects. I found that the increased sensitivity allowed me to get similar or better results than the Lodestar Colour with briefer exposures. Most of the images below are either 15-20 seconds as opposed to 30 needed previously. On the flip side however, it seems easier with some objects to burn them out in an effort to get some of the fainter detail...

Having the view as mono rather than colour is different. It's closer to how things are seen through an eyepiece and I appreciated that but at the same time having an object appear in colour (however slight) is quite something!

Some screenshots all through an 8" SW Quattro (F/4):

Crescent Neb (20 secs)

Dumbbell (M27) (20 secs)

NGC7331 (10 secs I think...)

and last... NGC4244 (apparently also known as the Silver Needle) - I've never looked at this side on galaxy before (10 secs):

I say this every time I use Lodestarlive but I cannot wait for Paul81 to sort out stacking - the views straight out are good enough for outreach already but I can imaging putting an object on, letting people have a look then talking top them about it... when they next look back the view should be even better...

James

[Helen]

That looks fun James    Do they do a colour Lodestar x2?

Helen

[nytecam]

Well done James - really excellent results from such brief exposures with the Lx2 :-) I suspect you have dark skies !

[James]

That looks fun James    Do they do a colour Lodestar x2?

Not that we're aware off...

Well done James - really excellent results from such brief exposures with the Lx2 :-) I suspect you have dark skies !

Not at this time of year of course, but they are considerably darker than your London skies I reckon I've got a mag 5.5 sky, my kids say mag 6 but they've got youth on their side...

James

[Martin Meredith]

Nice work!

This makes me wonder whether by taking a leaf out of the imager's book it would be feasible to combine (in near real-time) luminance from the extra-sensitive x2 with colour from the Lodestar-C. Even for different FL scopes this ought to be possible and by interpolation once image registration has been done. Mono is always going to go deeper regardless of whether SX bring out a colour x2. Having 2 cams also enables simpler approaches to dark pixel removal, I imagine.

Anyway, the future is rosy! Or maybe rose-tinted.

Martin

[Paul81]

Nice session James, the Quattro looks to be working very well for video astronomy.

Incase you were not aware, you can export your current live view to a PNG file (which can also be automatically annotated) by pressing the save button on the Image Export tab - saves taking a screenshot of the desktop. 

So for some good news... I fixed the minor issue I was having with the undo function in live stacking so I now have version 0.9 ready for release! 

BUT... bad news is I am going away on business tomorrow for a week where I will have no internet access, and I have not yet had chance to write some notes on using live stacking. I do not really want to post the new version and then disappear for a week given no doubt issues and questions will crop up, plus it would be better if people were armed with some notes (it is simple to use I promise, but the user needs to be aware of what some of the options do).

So with that in mind, I will be able to write my notes whilst away and will post the new version next Sunday / Monday! 

A dual colour and mono set-up sounds like it could be pretty powerful. I have wondered what the effect would be using a binoviewer to allow a mono and colour camera to capture at the same time?

[HiloDon]

Nice session James, the Quattro looks to be working very well for video astronomy.

Incase you were not aware, you can export your current live view to a PNG file (which can also be automatically annotated) by pressing the save button on the Image Export tab - saves taking a screenshot of the desktop. 

So for some good news... I fixed the minor issue I was having with the undo function in live stacking so I now have version 0.9 ready for release! 

BUT... bad news is I am going away on business tomorrow for a week where I will have no internet access, and I have not yet had chance to write some notes on using live stacking. I do not really want to post the new version and then disappear for a week given no doubt issues and questions will crop up, plus it would be better if people were armed with some notes (it is simple to use I promise, but the user needs to be aware of what some of the options do).

So with that in mind, I will be able to write my notes whilst away and will post the new version next Sunday / Monday! 

A dual colour and mono set-up sounds like it could be pretty powerful. I have wondered what the effect would be using a binoviewer to allow a mono and colour camera to capture at the same time?

Great news, Paul. Thanks for all your work on LL. Have a safe and pleasant trip.

[James]

Incase you were not aware, you can export your current live view to a PNG file (which can also be automatically annotated) by pressing the save button on the Image Export tab - saves taking a screenshot of the desktop. 

So for some good news... I fixed the minor issue I was having with the undo function in live stacking so I now have version 0.9 ready for release! 

I do the screenshots to avoid any doubt that whats on here is what I actually see

Great news on the stacking... it's going to be a long week...

James

[RobertI]

That looks fun James    Do they do a colour Lodestar x2?

Helen

I emailed Starlight Xpress with the same question and apparently there will be a colour Lodestar X2 within a few months.    Get in the queue, I was first!