anyone using a zwo asi 178 for dso

[iwols]

just wondered what anyones thought was on the asi 178 for dso on an ed80 thanks

[ChrisLX200]

I have an un-cooled ASI178MM which I use for planetary/lunar/AllSky purposes, but never tried it for DSO imaging. The camera is certainly sensitive enough for the job, and the small pixels would offer good resolution with the short focal length refractor, but I do think you need to differentiate between the cooled and un-cooled versions. For DSO imaging you're looking at multi-minute exposures (say, 1-5 minutes) so the un-cooled camera will suffer from additional noise compared to the cooled version. The longest exposure I've used with my 178MM is 30sec and combined with suitable dark frames produces good results on the very wide field night sky. It's not a cheap camera though - especially the cooled version - so there may be other options to consider..

ChrisH

[iwols]

Thanks do you have any images cheers

[ChrisLX200]

Personally, no - I haven't used it for DSOs, but look here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/ASI178MM/

ChrisH

[kz1bob]

There is a good video on YouTube on how to make a DIY cooling fan for a ZWO ASI120, but I am sure it could be adapted for the 178