Imaging with a Star Adventurer

[Thalestris24]

37 minutes ago, 8472 said:

Another 600mm mirror lens image - M33 Triangulum Galaxy, this time.

That's pretty good! How many subs/length? How do you balance?

Louise

[8472]

Thanks, Louise.

152x 60s lights (down from my previous 120, thanks to a timewasting Polemaster PA attempt)

51 Darks

60 Flats

120 Bias

As for balance, my lens has a collar, and I chose to make an extension for it to clear my mount, when my dslr is rotated away from landscape orientation.

[Thalestris24]

I could do with something like that for my Samyang 500mm though I don't think there's anything commercially available and I don't have the means to make one. In any case, the collar on mine (such that it is) is only about 4mm wide. Had I realised before I bought it (several years ago), I'd probably have sought out a different brand. Oh well. Maybe I'll get another, one day.

Louise

[8472]

Ah right, mine is a Sigma which came with one. You may get lucky with a generic aftermarket one, but I wouldn't throw too much money at it. Mirror lenses aren't really best suited for astro use and the only reason my pictures look OK-ish is because of heavy PP (thank you, Startools!).

Certainly usable images, if you're prepared to put in the PP time and effort, though.

[Thalestris24]

45 minutes ago, 8472 said:

Ah right, mine is a Sigma which came with one. You may get lucky with a generic aftermarket one, but I wouldn't throw too much money at it. Mirror lenses aren't really best suited for astro use and the only reason my pictures look OK-ish is because of heavy PP (thank you, Startools!).

Certainly usable images, if you're prepared to put in the PP time and effort, though.

I bought a Samyang 500mm f6.3 which I tried a few years ago and found ok. It was to potentially use on the SA but balancing was problematic and also the SA tracking was terrible at the time... I still have the lens - it lives in a box in the bedroom ha ha. If I could figure out a way to mount it maybe I could resurrect it to use with the improved SA, but it's not a priority. I suppose I might get more out of it with daytime use or maybe even solar with Baader film. I have the 2x converter which might make it better for solar with a dslr. Mind you, with the near permacloud up here, it's just a dream at the moment!

Louise

[serbiadarksky]

Anyone here knows what is causing my images to shift? I have all tighten up, so this shifting is creating hard walking noise...

[GuLinux]

Usually bad polar alignment.. happens to me all the time.

Often after you polar align, everything you touch, from pointing the telescope to even tightening all the equatorial wedge screws can lead to a shift from the polar axis.

You just have to learn being very, very delicate (and I'm still learning ?)

[8472]

Well I've only opened Pandora's Box and jumped into guiding...

 

Can someone please explain to me what the numbers below mean, as I have ham-fisted my way through it and really don't know what I'm doing.

 

Cheers,

 

Kev

[Davey-T]

Never tried guiding mine so no idea what a good SWSA guide graph should be like, it looks like it's over correcting but may just be a mechanical limitation.

Dave

Edited September 15, 2018 by Davey-T

[agthomson]

Evening all!

I too tried guiding, and just got a bunch of errors after selecting a guide star and letting it go, so gave up and turned it off. Will work on it next clear night. Anyway, finally got a first light with the ASI294MC Pro. No flats, darks or bias (need to work out what is and isn't needed for that camera). Stacked in SharpCap (live stacked), and minimal processing in Photoshop (levels, black point, curves, exposure).

M31 Andromeda - cooled to -5 degrees, Gain 120, exposure 60s x 45

M45 Pliades - Not cooled, taken at 3 degrees (forgot to switch on cooling), Gain 270, exposure 20s x 116

My spacing was off. I forgot to account for my LP filter properly, so i'm out by at least 5mm which has caused the elongated stars from all edges. The M31 has red artefacts, but I think that's a problem with my combining of the RGB layers in photoshop. In the M45, there's halos around the brighter of the 7 sisters, so need to work on that. I'm also missing a chunk of nebulosity. Not too bad given the moon was out and about. 

Not a bad 1st light by all accounts!

Edited September 16, 2018 by agthomson

[Andywilliams]

I sometimes struggle with framing an object with my dslr on my star adventurer.

I am liking the look of the red dot finder mounted on the dslr hotshoe.

can anyone please give me a link to a reasonably priced purchase of this gear?

Do I need just the red dot finder or is there an added mount piece that I need to mount it on my dslr as you guys have done.

Cheers,

Andy

[8472]

6 hours ago, Andywilliams said:

I sometimes struggle with framing an object with my dslr on my star adventurer.

I am liking the look of the red dot finder mounted on the dslr hotshoe.

can anyone please give me a link to a reasonably priced purchase of this gear?

Do I need just the red dot finder or is there an added mount piece that I need to mount it on my dslr as you guys have done.

Cheers,

Andy

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F162856656458

You will need to fabricate or purchase your own hotshoe mounting bracket, though.

[agthomson]

https://www.365astronomy.com/Blitz-Hotshoe-dSLR-Camera-Adapter-and-Red-Dot-Finder-COMBO.html

When I used my A6000 this is what I used. Works well. Need to get a bracket so I can attach it to my current setup. 

[geordie85]

Search astroboot for one. 

[happy-kat]

I got mine from Astroboot, and I've seen just the shoe plate to use on eBay before if already have suitable red dot finder.

[kendg]

If you know someone with a 3d printer, this works great.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:241592

I've made an few of them for others. It works a charm.

[Andywilliams]

Thanks for all of these great and helpful replies.......cheers, Andy

[Andywilliams]

On 18/09/2018 at 02:17, kendg said:

If you know someone with a 3d printer, this works great.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:241592

I've made an few of them for others. It works a charm.

Thanks Ken,

My workmate with a 3d printer knocked a couple of these out for me ? brilliant.

So this fits the red dot finder only....yes? 

Cheers, Andy 

[kendg]

I'm pretty sure that they only fit the RDF only.

 

Edited September 24, 2018 by kendg
typo

[8472]

M27 with my QHY5L-II colour, unguided.

22 minutes total integration time, under last night's bright moon.

 

Didn't think that was too bad, considering the conditions and focal length.

Kev

[geordie85]

1 hour ago, 8472 said:

M27 with my QHY5L-II colour, unguided.

22 minutes total integration time, under last night's bright moon.

 

Didn't think that was too bad, considering the conditions and focal length.

Kev

I'd be very happy with that considering you imaged with a guide camera. 

[8472]

1 hour ago, geordie85 said:

I'd be very happy with that considering you imaged with a guide camera. 

Yeah thanks. With better seeing and preparation, I'm sure there's room for improvement. 

At this moment in time, I'm still figuring out the ins and outs of Firecapture.

[serbiadarksky]

Off topic

SkyWatcher and I worked on new firmware, loader and software

From today, you can dither with the in-built Dithering with new firmware

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jzx51l7bp241oj4/StarAdventurerSet.rar?dl=0

Good luck!

[SteveNickolls]

5 hours ago, serbiadarksky said:

Off topic

SkyWatcher and I worked on new firmware, loader and software

From today, you can dither with the in-built Dithering with new firmware

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jzx51l7bp241oj4/StarAdventurerSet.rar?dl=0

Good luck!

Hi and greatful thanks for posting this. Am I right thinking this means one would then have to use the SA to control an imaging run rather than work through software such as BYEOS. Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Steve

[serbiadarksky]

1 hour ago, SteveNickolls said:

Hi and greatful thanks for posting this. Am I right thinking this means one would then have to use the SA to control an imaging run rather than work through software such as BYEOS. Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Steve

Yes as I rewrited the firmware, now the SA controls your session so it knows when the exposure is done to be able to dither