Redcat51 + Filter + Altair Hypercam 183C Protec

[David_Scotland]

Hi,

Okay so heres the story, i currently have a Williams Optics Redcat51 and an Altair Hypercam 183C Protec on a HEQ5 mount, and was capturing some real good images with it but nebulas weren't as bright/clear as i wanted so i went and bought a Optolong L-enhance filter (dual narrowband), the first night using it was a bit cloudy and possibly some high level clouds, stars were dim. I use Sharpcap as my capturing tool, but was unable to perform a live stack, there were enough stars in the captures, also i encountered horizontal banding almost like a noise, my apologies for the poor quality of the image.

 

So i went onto Willaims Optics facebook page and was told that my filter was to far from my sensor (from a user, not a WO employee), even though it was in the place WO suggest, and also that my extension is too long, i use the 2" extension supplied with the camera and can achieve focus. Even tried Altair facebook page and from there got multiple different reasons, from field flattener to the price of cheese in India. One member from there (David Murren) advised i come here and get real information

So after pounding my head against a brick wall (and almost loosing the will to live), trying to get to the bottom of my issues decided to come here and see if anyone can help. Added an image to show what i am getting image wise before adding a filter. *Note* this has only been auto stretched in PixInsight, nothing else.

Cheers

Edited April 28, 2020 by David_Scotland