Happy New Year and starting over

[TareqPhoto]

Hi all,

Happy New Year!!!

Now over 1 year is passed since i started this astronomy and i am now trying to put things at best or right so i can have better results, my plan to buy more or a lot isn't changed, but this time i will try to go out more regardless i have enough gear or good or low end or high, i am trying to manage my plans or even time, my life situations and even my mood is different than others, but i try to ask always and see what i can do or follow or even decide,

I ended the last year yesterday to our time imaging a target and it kept imaging until new day/year started already, i tried with certain settings, i started a bit late, so that i couldn't make for much longer settings, but i will see if it is good, now one question is, if i take same target exposures later but somehow the view isn't very exact and maybe the orientation is't perfect matching, but the target is still there, can it be combined later of both data and process that? i am not yet good with plate solving, i will try to learn how to do that in a time that i am not having plan for doing a target really or let's say if i have no mood to do new target so i can still get more data of old target i did but not enough data.

I started to add flat frames, i am not sure if they are good or not, and here is my second question regarding the flat, is the flat frames really reliable for solving imperfections accurately? i mean how do i know that my exposures will have vignetting for sure? i bought slightly larger filters and the sensor is small to avoid vignetting, so why having a flat if i suppose to have no vignetting exposures anyway? just good to have to be sure that is fine. Also, how do i know that the dust on those filters didn't move while the mount is slewing around if i do two targets or i need to correct something that forcing me to slew the mount for correction [parking, testing, or Re-polar aligning,..etc], or if from the filter wheel movement/rotation? And what is your best reliable method for flats? i started by T-shirt method, but i don't know what should be the settings or exposure for flats, another suggestion or guidance here please.

Do you change settings if you use different cameras and different scopes/optics even for same target under same condition and same filters or no? what make you to change if applicable or say if the results from previous session was good enough?

Last question for now, i will try to record my settings by writing or printing notes, i know maybe some don't bother, or some do it in different way, i just like to have ready details to use for posting or whatever, sometimes the exposure files doesn't carry the whole all details needed, and by the time passing i may forget what equipment i used or the settings and whatever, so do you do that or not necessary? What is your method or way for recording things? I included a file or a doc for a table i created for myself to start doing by myself this year, i will try to minimize mistakes too, i can't say i will have amazing mind blowing results so quick, still learning, but what do you expect to have if you are still in your first years of imaging? do you care to get targets no matter how the results are or you only care about great successful nice results every night you are out? and what is the degree of satisfaction of the results you will accept or reject? You can revise/edit that file to how you like/think you prefer and please show me your edit then if possible.

Happy new year again and i hope to learn more this year and keep learning and produce nice and nicer results, i need patience, but i also need people understanding and respecting my decisions and ways too and bearing with me, thank you very much.

Astronomy targets 2019 table[sample].docx

Astronomy targets 2019 table.pdf

[Cleetus]

And happy new year to you. I cannot answer any of your questions because I know nothing of imaging- perhaps you should post it in the Imaging section. Are you affected by the light pollution in Dubai city?

[steppenwolf]

On 02/01/2019 at 00:12, TareqPhoto said:

if i take same target exposures later but somehow the view isn't very exact and maybe the orientation is't perfect matching, but the target is still there, can it be combined later of both data and process that? i am not yet good with plate solving, i will try to learn how to do that in a time that i am not having plan for doing a target really or let's say if i have no mood to do new target so i can still get more data of old target i did but not enough data.

You can use images like this from different sessions as your alignment software when you stack the images will correct for this BUT you will have to crop the edges where the images have not coincided well and a margin is visible.

On 02/01/2019 at 00:12, TareqPhoto said:

is the flat frames really reliable for solving imperfections accurately? i mean how do i know that my exposures will have vignetting for sure? i bought slightly larger filters and the sensor is small to avoid vignetting, so why having a flat if i suppose to have no vignetting exposures anyway? just good to have to be sure that is fine.

Flat frames are always worth taking as they and applying to your images as they do more than just correct for vignetting - AND you almost certainly will have some light fall of towards the edge of the field of view unless your sensor is tiny.

On 02/01/2019 at 00:12, TareqPhoto said:

Also, how do i know that the dust on those filters didn't move while the mount is slewing around if i do two targets or i need to correct something that forcing me to slew the mount for correction [parking, testing, or Re-polar aligning,..etc], or if from the filter wheel movement/rotation?

You don't know - but well worth the risk!

On 02/01/2019 at 00:12, TareqPhoto said:

And what is your best reliable method for flats? i started by T-shirt method, but i don't know what should be the settings or exposure for flats, another suggestion or guidance here please.

I use an electroluminescent panel fitted over the front of the telescope.

On 02/01/2019 at 00:12, TareqPhoto said:

Last question for now, i will try to record my settings by writing or printing notes, i know maybe some don't bother, or some do it in different way, i just like to have ready details to use for posting or whatever, sometimes the exposure files doesn't carry the whole all details needed, and by the time passing i may forget what equipment i used or the settings and whatever, so do you do that or not necessary?

I don't record any settings other than labelling my save directory with something meaningful like 030119_M42_1800_Ha_150 which gives date, object, exposure length, filter, telescope aperture. My FITS data files contain all the information that I need to know about the exposures that I take.

[TareqPhoto]

19 hours ago, Cleetus said:

And happy new year to you. I cannot answer any of your questions because I know nothing of imaging- perhaps you should post it in the Imaging section. Are you affected by the light pollution in Dubai city?

Thanks!

I don't live in Dubai city, i live in another city, which is not much different than light pollution in Dubai but it is less, but my area is less LP anyway, my yard isn't that so much bad heavy LP.

[TareqPhoto]

17 hours ago, steppenwolf said:

You can use images like this from different sessions as your alignment software when you stack the images will correct for this BUT you will have to crop the edges where the images have not coincided well and a margin is visible.

Flat frames are always worth taking as they and applying to your images as they do more than just correct for vignetting - AND you almost certainly will have some light fall of towards the edge of the field of view unless your sensor is tiny.

You don't know - but well worth the risk!

I use an electroluminescent panel fitted over the front of the telescope.

I don't record any settings other than labelling my save directory with something meaningful like 030119_M42_1800_Ha_150 which gives date, object, exposure length, filter, telescope aperture. My FITS data files contain all the information that I need to know about the exposures that I take.

I will see about different images later.

I will try to take flat frames anyway, i started already this year, so i hope i can keep that way, but still not sure how good is the flat, i red some had issues with their flats, so i don't want to take flat frames and end up having issues more than without it, and about dust, it sounds i have to accept whatever i can have.

I was thinking about those king of light panels, but then i need an idea or a way to place those panels in front of the scopes or lenses correctly and not having problems.

Are you sure that the FITS contains everything needed such as gain and offset and temp and even exposure length or which filter used and brand and which camera and which telescope and which filter wheel and which guiding? Those what i am talking about, the whole setup details, i tried to find Gain and offset from the FIT file and i didn't find that, so that i was thinking either the software i use for having exposures doesn't record everything or i used wrong FIT software to get details from, or i don't know how to get details out of FIT so simple.

[steppenwolf]

2 hours ago, TareqPhoto said:

Are you sure that the FITS contains everything needed such as gain and offset and temp and even exposure length or which filter used and brand and which camera and which telescope and which filter wheel and which guiding? Those what i am talking about, the whole setup details, i tried to find Gain and offset

Apparently not gain and offset which is bizarre! Here is one of my FITS headers showing all the data that is collected using a typical CMOS sensor, in this case the ZWO ASI 1600. Of course, this is using MaxIm DL for the capture - other software may not be so generous!

ASI 1600 Fits Header.pdf

[TareqPhoto]

5 hours ago, steppenwolf said:

Apparently not gain and offset which is bizarre! Here is one of my FITS headers showing all the data that is collected using a typical CMOS sensor, in this case the ZWO ASI 1600. Of course, this is using MaxIm DL for the capture - other software may not be so generous!

ASI 1600 Fits Header.pdf

And looking at that kind of details it will be like trying to pass a "Programming" code test, so i don't want to rely on that, after all if i will post an image on sites and then provide details i won't post all of those and it will be hard time for me to get what is needed, and as yo can see, it is still missing few more details needed.

I included 2 Docs files but sounds no body care to look at it or give a review about it or to tell for any changing to make it better if any.

[kens]

When I image I always use a gain 76 for L, gain 139 for RGB and gain 200 for NB on the ASI1600. And offset is always 50. That way I just need to record the filter used to determine the gain and offset. Plus I usually take 30s for LRGB and 300s for NB. Temperature setting is always -10C in summer and -15C in winter. With those things standardised, darks and flats are easy to match up.

I save the target name, filter and exposure in the file name and the folder has the date and target name. I don't rely on FITS headings. I normally use just one scope but if I had several I would probably record that in the folder name. Worst case is that the setup can be determined by plate solving a sub to get pixel scale.

The targets I want to image are in a spreadsheet that shows me when they are visible and I record when each target is imaged.

What you might want to think about is how you record the post-processing since that is a big art of the result.

[TareqPhoto]

10 hours ago, kens said:

When I image I always use a gain 76 for L, gain 139 for RGB and gain 200 for NB on the ASI1600. And offset is always 50. That way I just need to record the filter used to determine the gain and offset. Plus I usually take 30s for LRGB and 300s for NB. Temperature setting is always -10C in summer and -15C in winter. With those things standardised, darks and flats are easy to match up.

I save the target name, filter and exposure in the file name and the folder has the date and target name. I don't rely on FITS headings. I normally use just one scope but if I had several I would probably record that in the folder name. Worst case is that the setup can be determined by plate solving a sub to get pixel scale.

The targets I want to image are in a spreadsheet that shows me when they are visible and I record when each target is imaged.

What you might want to think about is how you record the post-processing since that is a big art of the result.

Great method.

Well, i really wish or hope if i can find a software or even the one i use that can automatically change the Gain and Offset for each filter i use without i do that manually, and even if i do that manually i feel like doing DSO is like every second you have to check all the issues and errors and settings, that is why when i do planetary it was like i drink water, while with DSO imaging it is like it is a heart operation and the risk is about 80-90% there, but i can't stop now.

I will try to record details in sheet or "Word" document table, i will see for how long that will last, i write down the main things in that table, while the number of frames and exposure time are already intact on the files names when i open them, SGP add the time length already and the filters names are already selected, and i can see the numbers of frames from the numbers of files for each filter simply, so i can add that later to the table once the processing is done, so i know how many frames are being used in the processing, or do you prefer that i mention all of them even those i remove/toss due to imperfections?

Processing is essential, i started to use PixInsight last year i think nearly by November or October, so i am trying now to catch up or continue from where i stopped, learn few things one by one through the time, but i really need to have good data first for that, and i really like to have my own data to play with, but if that will take long time then maybe i am forced to use others data good ones so i can learn PI until i can have that good data myself.