Imaging with a Star Adventurer

[smr]

2 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

Ignore the instructions, rotate so 6 is at the bottom, use a PA app to see where Polaris should be and adjust the bolts to put it there, you may have to move the tripod legs if there isn't enough adjustment in the bolts.

If the polar scope isn't blocked by your imaging rig you can have the occasional peek through it during imaging and tweak it back in the circle if it's drifting.

You can use Stellarium to see where Polaris should be just put it diametrically opposite to where it is in Stellarium  because as you say the polar scope turns everything upside down and back to front

Dave

Thanks Dave, that's a great help. So as I have an app showing me where polaris should be do I still put it diametrically opposite when aligning the scope ?

[Davey-T]

4 hours ago, smr said:

Thanks Dave, that's a great help. So as I have an app showing me where polaris should be do I still put it diametrically opposite when aligning the scope ?

No the app should show it in the right place but if you use Stellarium you have to reverse it.

Dave

[Randalloverby]

I am getting a Star Adventurer next week and have found a lot of useful information here on this topic.

[SteveNickolls]

On 12/9/2017 at 01:12, Randalloverby said:

I am getting a Star Adventurer next week and have found a lot of useful information here on this topic.

I'm sure you will find it a splendid little mount, it has its quirks but it is a quality piece of equipment.

Best Regards,
Steve

[serbiadarksky]

On 9.12.2017. at 02:12, Randalloverby said:

I am getting a Star Adventurer next week and have found a lot of useful information here on this topic.

As Steve said, you will enjoy it

But..dont have unreal expectatons

Dont imagine that you will be able to do hubble quality images.

You can get decent images of like orion pleiades etc...maybe if you add guiding you can get some really really high quality images

[Randalloverby]

6 hours ago, SteveNickolls said:

I'm sure you will find it a splendid little mount, it has its quirks but it is a quality piece of equipment.

Best Regards,
Steve

Thank you Steve, I hope to have it for next weekend if the weather permits.

[Randalloverby]

6 hours ago, serbiadarksky said:

As Steve said, you will enjoy it

But..dont have unreal expectatons

Dont imagine that you will be able to do hubble quality images.

You can get decent images of like orion pleiades etc...maybe if you add guiding you can get some really really high quality images

Thanks. I'm looking for something more portable than the setup I have now for imaging the Milky Way, time lapse and targets like you describe. I would love to get into guiding down the road with my AVX as well if my wallet ever allows it.

[serbiadarksky]

23 minutes ago, Randalloverby said:

Thanks. I'm looking for something more portable than the setup I have now for imaging the Milky Way, time lapse and targets like you describe. I would love to get into guiding down the road with my AVX as well if my wallet ever allows it.

Have you got a laptop?

If yes there are some pretty good guiding systems for 180£(camera) and 50£(scope)

If you have no laptop, than a standalone guider like the Synguider(200£) and small scope 50£

[smr]

Which guider and scope would you recommend and do you use?

 

I have a question about sensors - if, for example, doing 60 second exposures for an hour and leaving 5 second delay between each exposure, can this damage a DSLR sensor? I only have one DSLR which I use everyday so I don't want to damage the sensor. Would it heat up too much?

[serbiadarksky]

1 minute ago, smr said:

Which guider and scope would you recommend and do you use?

 

I have a question about sensors - if, for example, doing 60 second exposures for an hour and leaving 5 second delay between each exposure, can this damage a DSLR sensor? I only have one DSLR which I use everyday so I don't want to damage the sensor. Would it heat up too much?

I use 8 minute exposures and no damage, okay outside it is -10°C

Well, I use the orion mini guider with a 50mm scope images here:

I sold the 6d and got a modded 600D

[smr]

Why didn't you mod the 6D instead? 

[M Astronomy]

1 minute ago, serbiadarksky said:

I use 8 minute exposures and no damage, okay outside it is -10°C

Well, I use the orion mini guider with a 50mm scope images here:

I sold the 6d and got a modded 600D

Is the Orion Mini Guider a stand alone guider then with no need for laptop? After a while getting good with my Star Adventurer I think I'll want to try guiding, but I really don't fancy taking a laptop around with me, as the whole point of the setup I'm trying to build is portability. How good is non-laptop guiding?

[serbiadarksky]

2 minutes ago, M Astronomy said:

Is the Orion Mini Guider a stand alone guider then with no need for laptop? After a while getting good with my Star Adventurer I think I'll want to try guiding, but I really don't fancy taking a laptop around with me, as the whole point of the setup I'm trying to build is portability. How good is non-laptop guiding?

Best standalone guider for the price is Synguider and its a good guider

[serbiadarksky]

6 minutes ago, smr said:

Why didn't you mod the 6D instead? 

The service in serbia dont take the risk for it, I sold it for 400€ so pretty good deal and got the 600D already moded for 300€

[geordie85]

2 minutes ago, serbiadarksky said:

The service in serbia dont take the risk for it, I sold it for 400€ so pretty good deal and got the 600D already moded for 300€

You sold your canon 6d for only €400? Maybe I need to search the Serbian 2nd hand market for one. They go for more than double that here. 

[serbiadarksky]

15 minutes ago, geordie85 said:

You sold your canon 6d for only €400? Maybe I need to search the Serbian 2nd hand market for one. They go for more than double that here. 

Auto focus doesnt worked, the baterry died fast, the body had dog bittes (huskies what can i say...) so 400€ was a good deal

[Randalloverby]

2 hours ago, serbiadarksky said:

Have you got a laptop?

If yes there are some pretty good guiding systems for 180£(camera) and 50£(scope)

If you have no laptop, than a standalone guider like the Synguider(200£) and small scope 50£

Yes, I do have a laptop and currently run BYEOS with my telescope. Thanks, I will check into it.

[serbiadarksky]

8 minutes ago, Randalloverby said:

Yes, I do have a laptop and currently run BYEOS with my telescope. Thanks, I will check into it.

I should suggest to take a look on this
https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p8915_Altair-GPCAM2-AR0130-Mono-Guide-Imaging-Kamera--1-2-Megapixel---Komplettset.html

[SteveNickolls]

On the evenings of the 8th and 11th of December I was able using the SA mount, Canon 600D DSLR and 85mm lens to image the Flaming Star Nebula region in Auriga and was able to marry the sets of images in DSS and subsequently process in StarTools. The following image results from just over 6 hours of light frames (a record for me). In total there were 21 x240s light frames taken plus 22 x300s, 15 x420s and 4 x480s light frames at ISO 200 f/2. Longer exposures were able to be taken as the object rose in the sky. Additionally 20 x240s dark frames plus 40 x300s, 17 x420s and 16 x480s dark frames plus x50 flat and bias frames were also stacked. DSS was used to stack the frames and StarTools to process the resulting image. 

The two larger open clusters are M36 and M38. To the lower left corner are three patches of nebulosity (Sharpless 2-232 and 231 and 233). The lighter belt around 2-232 can be seen running from the 7 to 1 o'clock position.

Weather permitting I hope to have another go this time using my Samyang 135mm lens.

Cheers,
Steve

[serbiadarksky]

49 minutes ago, SteveNickolls said:

On the evenings of the 8th and 11th of December I was able using the SA mount, Canon 600D DSLR and 85mm lens to image the Flaming Star Nebula region in Auriga and was able to marry the sets of images in DSS and subsequently process in StarTools. The following image results from just over 6 hours of light frames (a record for me). In total there were 21 x240s light frames taken plus 22 x300s, 15 x420s and 4 x480s light frames at ISO 200 f/2. Longer exposures were able to be taken as the object rose in the sky. Additionally 20 x240s dark frames plus 40 x300s, 17 x420s and 16 x480s dark frames plus x50 flat and bias frames were also stacked. DSS was used to stack the frames and StarTools to process the resulting image. 

The two larger open clusters are M36 and M38. To the lower left corner are three patches of nebulosity (Sharpless 2-232 and 231 and 233). The lighter belt around 2-232 can be seen running from the 7 to 1 o'clock position.

Weather permitting I hope to have another go this time using my Samyang 135mm lens.

Cheers,
Steve

Steve,

Its a nice image with a lot of redish nebulosity and i like it

Maybe try to captire the spagheti nebula with thr 135mm it can go up to 4-5min subs and that contains a lot of details!

[happy-kat]

Well done.

My testing yesterday using DSS and the trick to get groups to work directly was still not using the right calibration files with the right group.

[SteveNickolls]

12 hours ago, serbiadarksky said:

Maybe try to captire the spagheti nebula with thr 135mm it can go up to 4-5min subs and that contains a lot of details!

Thanks, I've just looked it up and it sounds quite a size, 3 degrees or so. I need to check it is visible for long enough from where I image from as I have houses and a tree  that can block my view.

Thanks again for the heads up.

Cheers,
Steve

P.S. Can't see it on Stellarium but found it on the Internet. how can something so large be missing... :-)

Edited December 14, 2017 by SteveNickolls

[wsg]

Hello all.  Steve I took your advise and posted again.  I managed to get my exposure time with the Star Adventurer up to 120 seconds and shot 160 images of M42.  This is the result.

stock Canon 7D;  160 @80seconds  ISO 1600;  No flats, darks etc..

William Optics Zenith 61;  Star Adventurer

DSS Adobe Camera Raw; Photoshop CC

I think I pushed the brightness up a bit too much and added some noise.   But it was worth it for the nebulosity detail!!   One question I  have is what is everyone's experience in max exposure time with the Star Adventurer and a 200mm-400mm lens like mine?

 

 

 

 

 

[Shelster1973]

Slight hijack, but will hopefullyhelp others..... does anyone have any diy solutions to being able to view the polarscope without contortions?

Am finding it a reet pain to do the kneeling/squating thing

Great pic too wsg. I plan on hitting this target when I get the opportunity

[Alien 13]

2 minutes ago, Shelster1973 said:

Slight hijack, but will hopefullyhelp others..... does anyone have any diy solutions to being able to view the polarscope without contortions?

Am finding it a reet pain to do the kneeling/squating thing

Great pic too wsg. I plan on hitting this target when I get the opportunity

Get one of these, just hold against the polarscope...

Its a RA camera viewfinder, you could make a DIY fitting for it if you wanted but I dont bother.

Alan