PST Sun, 23rd August 2014. Quite pleased!

[lukebl]

Hi all.

Heres a series of images of the sun from this morning, simply using my unmodded PST and QHY5-ii camera. What I really like about the camera is its eyepiece size, so that it fits into the PST eyepiece holder with none of the usual PST focusing problems. The chip is also large enough for you to get a full frame. Maybe you don't get the resolution of the PST mod, but it's a lot less hassle for a quick capture between clouds! The capture was 1000 frames at 30fps unguided. Allowing the image to drift across the sensor reduces the problems of vignetting and hot-spots.

[David Smith]

Nice set. New QHY5 is pretty much perfect for PST imaging isn't it. Was a toss up between that and the ASI for me but the ability to sit the QHY down inside the focuser tube won it.

[Luke]

Nice work, Luke, the camnera is performing very nicely.

[Bizibilder]

Nice images Luke.

[lukebl]

Cheers folks. It's my birthday on Monday, and those nice folk on the ISS have arranged a solar transit visible from my location that day, which I was hoping to capture. Unfortunately the weather doesn't look too promising.

[mariosi]

Nice shots!

                 Marios

[Notty]

Hey lovely capture, and you've better skills than me for managing to deal with the quirks of that camera!

[Davey-T]

Nicely done Luke, had obs'y roof open all day waiting for a big enough gap in the clouds to attempt another mosaic but pretty much given up now, hope the weather holds up for Monday, forecasts have been known to be wrong 

Dave

[Montana]

Great images :)

Alexandra

[JamesF]

Very nice images

I have to say I'm surprised you can get the entire image with a single frame.  Even given that we're still relatively close to the point where we're as distant from the Sun as we get, by my calculations the image should still be about 3.68mm from the sensor whereas the sensor itself is only 3.6mm high.  There must be an assumption somewhere that is wrong.

James

[lukebl]

.....I have to say I'm surprised you can get the entire image with a single frame.  Even given that we're still relatively close to the point where we're as distant from the Sun as we get, by my calculations the image should still be about 3.68mm from the sensor whereas the sensor itself is only 3.6mm high.  There must be an assumption somewhere that is wrong.

James

It definitely fits. Here's a screen grab of a complete single frame. You must be thinking of the QHY5L-ii. The QHY5-ii has a sensor 5.3mm high. Bigger pixels though, so the resolution isn't so good.

[JamesF]

Ah, yes, of course.  You're absolutely right.  Wrong camera

James

[Pete Presland]

brilliant images, a full disc in one exposure, that certainly makes that camera very diserable for solar imaging

[Notty]

I agree. Why oh why did I buy the QHY5L-ii not your one! Very crisp shots though, lovely presentation too.

[lukebl]

Of course, you only get the full disc with the basic PST, and the resolution is therefore not all that great. With my Stage 1 mod (which causes me immense frustration!), you'd still need to do a mosaic. I do like the speed and simplicity of a quick capture with the QHY5-ii and basic unmodded PST.

[DrRobin]

Very nice Luke. Letting the sun drift around to even the field is certainly a very good way of dealing with the sweetspot issue. Hope you see/did see the ISS. I noticed last night it was getting very close, but don't think it is a transit from up here.

Robin