Imaging under Light Polluted Skies with an ED80

[mystarrymessengr]

Hi fellow stargazers. 

Are there any fellow ED80 Imagers out there shooting under light polluted skies? I am based in Solihull, in the west midlands and currently shooting through an ED80 using a canon 6D and sometimes a 70d, tracking on a HEQ5 mount. 

Currently looking at adding a guide-scope and possibly modding my 70d in the new year. 

I wanted to see if there are any fellow short tube refractor city based imagers on here who may wish to share some advice, favourite imaging targets.

I would love to improve my post editing workflow from when I've acquired my sub frames, where do most short tube imagers go from there? Photoshop / camera raw / pix insight? 

Ben 

[wxsatuser]

Get a decent LP filter if you have'nt got one, this will allow longer exposures.

A guiding setup is really useful as it will allow longer exposures as well.

PixInsight is possibly the best bang per buck on the dedicated astro software front.

PS CC on a monthly subscription is excellent value for money, you get Lightroom, PS and ACR.
Your allowed to install on two computers and it is updated regularly.

[Bizibilder]

If most of the local street lights are yellow sodium lamps (many are!) then a cheap Skywatcher light filter will do wonders for getting rid of the background light.

[Petergoodhew]

my tips:

- get a good LP filter (I use IDAS)

- choose targets near the zenith so that you are imaging through the least amount of atmosphere

- image after midnight when the light pollution will be reduced to some degree

- once you have the camera modded, and a can guide, think about getting an Ha clip filter and your light pollution will become invisible

Peter

[mystarrymessengr]

Thanks All 

 

Some great advice. Looks like ill be investing in a good LP pollution filter. 

 

Would you say there was much of a difference from the cheap skywatcher screw in LP filters to the clip in IDAS ones?

[Steve Ward]

The IDAS is a better filter on paper , but as Roger said before this applies only if your light-pollution is Sodium or Mercury vapor based.

If you have LP from the newer "white" LED lamps that are sweeping the globe then the much larger outlay on an IDAS will be money down the pan ... 

[mystarrymessengr]

Steve 

We are in the process of having our street lamps replaced by the new LED ones. Would you therefore suggest that I didn't purchase a clip in filter? and went for one of the screw in LP filters instead?

Im also looking at getting my Canon 70d modded in the new year, and i believe there are two different kinds of clip in filters. One for a modded camera and one for a non modded one?  

[Steve Ward]

I mean that you can't filter out "whitelight" LED lighting like you can with narrowband lighting.

If you filtered out the broad spectrum LED light you would also filter out everything you were trying to image ...