Astrophotography Shootout £6k vs £600

[Chris]

On 08/05/2020 at 08:46, rorymultistorey said:

I got in touch with Dr Stuart Clarke and it turns out we have something in common. We don't like where physics is heading at the moment. We think dark matter and dark energy are follies and I think that  we're missing something fundemantal about the way the Universe works. I'd like to meet the rogue scientists who are trying to find out what that thing is. 

I think the comment section would light up for that subject, go for it! It would defo get the views. Although, aren't dark matter and energy just labels to explain our observations e.g. why do galaxies hold together when spinning so quickly when the centripetal force should outweigh gravity? Would you be suggesting that it may not be either matter or energy? Anyway, I would like to see your video on that, you've absolutely next levelled all the vids I've watched so far! I guess you've learnt a lot working in the television industry.  

Edited May 13, 2020 by Lockie

[Knight of Clear Skies]

2 hours ago, rorymultistorey said:

Over the last 20 years a lot of money and experiments been pumped into dark matter.

You're conflating two separate things I'm afraid. For measured criticism of the state of fundamental physics I'd recommend reading Sabine Hossenfelder. She talks here about the problems in the physics community, and has some suggestions on what problems should be investigated. But Dark Matter is a very strong theory without any direct detection of particles, in much the same way the Higg's Field was before the Higg's Bosun was detected. Similarly, neutrinos were first proposed in 1930 but not detected until 1956. String theory and super-symmetry may well turn out to be follies but Dark Matter is a fully scientific theory. (It's actual nature could be quite different from the weakly-interacting particles we imagine, but its effects a large scales are well understood.)

2 hours ago, rorymultistorey said:

I don't know about draco dwarf galaxies but the MONDS team have mud to sling at the Dark matter crew too

It's not mud slinging, it's a observation that MOND theories struggle to explain. Why would gravity work radically differently in a nearby dwarf galaxy compared to others?

[Paul M]

Back to the lighter matter of the OP (see what I did there?  ), that video came up in my Youtube recommended content also. Not a bad assumption on the 'tubes part. I've watched the boxed set of "AstroBackyard", a great resource created by a young man who's content is aimed directly at where I am; in the foothills of imaging.

So I very much enjoyed the lighthearted imaging challenge put together by @rorymultistorey. It got me thinking about my own equipment and it turns out my recent efforts cost me about £2k and I'm no kit junkie! And mores the point, there is more spending to do!

Anyway, Mr Biscuit, I'm disappointed that you don't have a huge back catalogue too. Gotta get those priorities right

[Whistlin Bob]

Another big upvote from me for the video- been a fan of these for a while: highly recommended! 👍😁

[vineyard]

That is a brilliant video - v funnily put together too.  And I'm really happy where it ends b/c I also recently picked up a belted HEQ5Pro from a fellow SGLer!  And am absolutely loving it for AP.  Have got it humming (by my newbie standards that is!) with a little 72ED - have figured out via tips from other SGLers I need a different camera for the 4" (sampling).  And if lockdown ever ends and the ATM classes begin again, am working on a little 6" reflector

If only I could get my old DSLR to work while connected to a laptop now...

Brilliant video @rorymultistorey& thanks @Stufor sharing that!

[jiberjaber]

On 08/05/2020 at 19:17, vineyard said:

That is a brilliant video - v funnily put together too.  And I'm really happy where it ends b/c I also recently picked up a belted HEQ5Pro from a fellow SGLer!  And am absolutely loving it for AP.  Have got it humming (by my newbie standards that is!) with a little 72ED - have figured out via tips from other SGLers I need a different camera for the 4" (sampling).  And if lockdown ever ends and the ATM classes begin again, am working on a little 6" reflector

If only I could get my old DSLR to work while connected to a laptop now...

Brilliant video @rorymultistorey& thanks @Stufor sharing that!

Not sure which DSLR you have but have you looked at the Indi stack running under linux? (Astroberry is a good starting point on a Raspberry Pi as an example, or even on a linux distro second booted on your laptop?)

 

[vineyard]

22 minutes ago, jiberjaber said:

Not sure which DSLR you have but have you looked at the Indi stack running under linux? (Astroberry is a good starting point on a Raspberry Pi as an example, or even on a linux distro second booted on your laptop?)

 

Hi Jason, thanks for this.  I've got a v old Pentax (*istD) but can also borrow a newer Pentax K-something.  The manuals for both of those say that the camera cannot be operated while connected to a computer (which would be a problem for platesolving & image framing via EKOS) but maybe the Indi stacks get around that.  The wrinkle I found when I last looked at this was that the Indi code for Pentax doesn't seem to be in good shape based on some forum discussions (and I really don't want to take the risk of running non-stable code on my EKOS/SMate & destabilising everything else!).  Will keep an eye on it b/c it would be great (and much cheaper) to be able to use the Pentax APS-C chips!

Cheers & stay safe,

Vin

Edited May 11, 2020 by vineyard
added link to indilib forum discussion

[rorymultistorey]

On 05/05/2020 at 20:57, ollypenrice said:

I think it's time for the imaging snobs to fight back! I'm terrific looking (no really, I just checked) and have a great sense of humour (seriously) and you can't fault me for the fortune I've sunk in imaging gear. I just need a good director and video editor to help me reassert the virtues of intemperate spending. Sponsors, anyone? Roll up, roll up...

😁lly

Funny. Thx for watching Olly. I've been reading and learning from your posts for some time. Lets do an astro fight off! Obviously you'll get extra points for being so goddam handsome 😉 

[rorymultistorey]

On 08/05/2020 at 12:57, Knight of Clear Skies said:

You're conflating two separate things I'm afraid. For measured criticism of the state of fundamental physics I'd recommend reading Sabine Hossenfelder. She talks here about the problems in the physics community, and has some suggestions on what problems should be investigated. But Dark Matter is a very strong theory without any direct detection of particles, in much the same way the Higg's Field was before the Higg's Bosun was detected. Similarly, neutrinos were first proposed in 1930 but not detected until 1956. String theory and super-symmetry may well turn out to be follies but Dark Matter is a fully scientific theory. (It's actual nature could be quite different from the weakly-interacting particles we imagine, but its effects a large scales are well understood.)

It's not mud slinging, it's a observation that MOND theories struggle to explain. Why would gravity work radically differently in a nearby dwarf galaxy compared to others?

Hey Knight of Clear Skies. Thx for that. Very useful. I will be reading with interest. I'm not going to say anymore  bc I don't want to go off the topic of the thread. 

[ollypenrice]

9 hours ago, rorymultistorey said:

Funny. Thx for watching Olly. I've been reading and learning from your posts for some time. Lets do an astro fight off! Obviously you'll get extra points for being so goddam handsome 😉 

🤣  I'd be up for it but for one thing: that damned bunny is a natural in front of the camera...

Olly

Edited May 12, 2020 by ollypenrice

[RT65CB-SWL]

11 hours ago, rorymultistorey said:

Funny. Thx for watching Olly. I've been reading and learning from your posts for some time. Lets do an astro fight off! Obviously you'll get extra points for being so goddam handsome 😉 

 

1 hour ago, ollypenrice said:

🤣  I'd be up for it but for one thing: that damned bunny is a natural in front of the camera...

Olly

Bring it on guys... it's gonna be awsome! 

Edited May 12, 2020 by Philip R

[ollypenrice]

Just now, Philip R said:

 

Bring it on guys... it's gonna be awesome! 

You know what Hollywood actors say: Never work with children or animals!

That bunny could sell bat-burgers in Alabama...

Olly

[Knight of Clear Skies]

On 08/05/2020 at 08:46, rorymultistorey said:

astrophotography with your mobile phone etc

Think that could be a great subject, I suspect smartphones have a lot more to give when it comes to AP. Came across this image of Jupiter with the GRS in reddit-land (capture details and author in link).

But what could a cheap smartphone do on the Milky Way? Got my Mum a smartphone with a triple camera on the back for £80 the other day. Can they be pushed past 30 second exposures so they can be used with trackers (including barn door trackers)? If not, has anyone tried stacking smartphone images?

[rorymultistorey]

Yeh a lot of people have been experimenting with smart phones including me, I've bought some orthoscopic eyepieces which I think will work well with phones ... I did do a very cheesy video about shooting jupiter with a phone and a beanbag! I found recording the video of Jupiter with a relatively  low compression  "cinema 4k "app was essential.  Also I'm tempted to try and take the lens out of my knackered HTC phone and use the lensless phone  directly on the end of a telescope - no eyepiece required.  As always many plans  but no time...

here is the CHEESY video. (FYI I did take the optics out of the newt before chucking it around - I was trying to get more views with this little stunt but it didn't work!)

 

[barkis]

I'd award astrobiscuit an Oscar for that video, and certainly one for his star role.👍
Ron.

 

[rorymultistorey]

40 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

You know what Hollywood actors say: Never work with children or animals!

That bunny could sell bat-burgers in Alabama...

Olly

Maybe I shoot from London and you shoot from your gorgeous pad. Ha target PLEASE!!!! 

[ollypenrice]

1 minute ago, rorymultistorey said:

Maybe I shoot from London and you shoot from your gorgeous pad. Ha target PLEASE!!!! 

If it's taking an astrophoto you're talking about then fine: it's taking you on in a video-making contest that I'm smart enough not to risk! For one thing I don't have a video camera, which might be a disadvantage... 😁 Of course Ha targets tend to be widefield ones, less dependent on ridiculously precise mounts... but I'll negotiate. Ha with RGB stars. How about that?

If you accept, the first item in my posh kit armoury will be this:

Oh yes! Any serious astrophotographic endeavour begins with a blank cheque made out to those good people at FLO. 

And my suggested target? The double cluster in Perseus. Ha with RGB stars... 👹

Olly

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rob]

Fun videos as always!.. keep em coming please. Great work indeed

[Knight of Clear Skies]

8 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

And my suggested target? The double cluster in Perseus. Ha with RGB stars... 👹

I'm detecting evil here (even before I get to the smiley) as the Ha around the Double Cluster is exceedingly faint.  The honourable course would be something bright like the NA nebula or Sadr region.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Knight of Clear Skies

[Ags]

brilliant video

[ollypenrice]

 

1 hour ago, Knight of Clear Skies said:

I'm detecting evil here (even before I get to the smiley) as the Ha around the Double Cluster is exceedingly faint.  The honourable course would be something bright like the NA nebula or Sadr region.

Honorable???

😆lly

Edited May 12, 2020 by ollypenrice

[gorann]

On 08/05/2020 at 16:24, Paul M said:

Back to the lighter matter of the OP (see what I did there?  ), that video came up in my Youtube recommended content also. Not a bad assumption on the 'tubes part. I've watched the boxed set of "AstroBackyard", a great resource created by a young man who's content is aimed directly at where I am; in the foothills of imaging.

So I very much enjoyed the lighthearted imaging challenge put together by @rorymultistorey. It got me thinking about my own equipment and it turns out my recent efforts cost me about £2k and I'm no kit junkie! And mores the point, there is more spending to do!

Anyway, Mr Biscuit, I'm disappointed that you don't have a huge back catalogue too. Gotta get those priorities right

Maybe you should take the AstroBackyard guy with a grain of salt. He often seems to be selling products sent to him and he loves them all. Some of the episodes really reveals a lack of knowledge, like the three episodes where he starts imaging with a Celestron EdgeHD 11". For SCTs and especially for that rather big one you really need off-axis guiding and he was using a finderguider, the most inadequate guiding equipment you can use for that scope. Not surprising, the stars in his final image were far from round and it all looked very fuzzy. In the middle of one of the EdgeHD episodes, he suddenly shows the new Canon EOS Ra that has nothing to do with anything else there. In a later episode he reveals that it was sent to him from Canon, so not purchased by him (he did not reveal if he got to keep it).

[RT65CB-SWL]

Starlight starfight at the SGL...! 

[rorymultistorey]

  

14 minutes ago, gorann said:

Maybe you should take the AstroBackyard guy with a grain of salt. He often seems to be selling products sent to him and he loves them all. Some of the episodes really reveals a lack of knowledge, like the three episodes where he starts imaging with a Celestron EdgeHD 11". For SCTs and especially for that rather big one you really need off-axis guiding and he was using a finderguider, the most inadequate guiding equipment you can use for that scope. Not surprising, the stars in his final image were far from round and it all looked very fuzzy. In the middle of one of the EdgeHD episodes, he suddenly shows the new Canon EOS Ra that has nothing to do with anything else there. In a later episode he reveals that it was sent to him from Canon, so not purchased by him (he did not reveal if he got to keep it).

Yeh i hear you but i think even astrobackyard admits he's not a pro. I'm not a pro either. I think mr backyard is good at processing but in all honesty i haven't watch that many of his vids. In general   i have sympathy with anyone trying to make a living out of astro youtube videos. Im actually going take some more time off work to make some more.  Currently im earning $25 a day from adds.  Enough to feed me but not the rest of the family and certainly not enough to pay the London mortgage.  

[happy-kat]

If that's $25 dollars a day that's enough to feed more than one person