First images with guiding

[Peter Reader]

Have spent a few weeks acquiring all the gear (and learning) needed for guiding and DSO imaging. Thanks to everyone on here who has helped me!

These are my first attempts using Canon1000D and IDAS LPS D2 filter (thanks @scitmon) with the skywatcher 0.9x coma corrector.

Orion: 5 x 3 min lights and 3 x 3 min darks at ISO 800

Rosette: 26 x 3 min lights and 3 x 3 min darks at ISO 800

Stacked in DSS and then levels and curves adjusted repeatedly in Photoshop. I don't think I'm doing a great job of the processing as the single sub previews in NINA look almost better than my processed stacks... any tips?

Edited January 5, 2022 by Peter Reader

[The Lazy Astronomer]

These are really nice for such short integration times 👍

Processing is a skill, and like all skills, you improve the more practice you get. There are plenty of tutorials out there to read/watch and learn from, or, feel free to post up a raw stack and ask the kind people of this forum to show you what can be done with your data. ☺ 

[scitmon]

Fantastic results IMO, especially with the noise reduction, i'd love to know how you managed to get a clean image like that as I always struggled with it.  

[Alex E]

that's a superb result for first images, well done

[Peter Reader]

17 hours ago, The Lazy Astronomer said:

These are really nice for such short integration times 👍

Processing is a skill, and like all skills, you improve the more practice you get. There are plenty of tutorials out there to read/watch and learn from, or, feel free to post up a raw stack and ask the kind people of this forum to show you what can be done with your data. ☺ 

Thanks very much! What's the best way to share the raw images online? Im really happy with the results of the session as I was quite perturbed by the previous evening: 

I also re-collimated the telescope and spent a while with Bahtinov mask to get focus correct but will check out NINA's star analysis next time for sure. This was my first evening with the coma corrector and that also seems to be doing a great job compared to before...

 

8 hours ago, scitmon said:

Fantastic results IMO, especially with the noise reduction, i'd love to know how you managed to get a clean image like that as I always struggled with it.  

The camera and filter have definitely improved the amount of signal / noise I am experiencing - when I tried the Rosette with the same settings the evening before I could barely make out any nebulosity with 3 min subs. I am imaging across Oxford so the light glow isn't ideal and the filter is doing wonders. 

Out of curiosity, did you play around with ISO and exposure length at all with the Canon 1000D? I tried 1, 2, 3 and 4 min exposures and guiding was fine but I'm aware that >20 images in the stack is important for noise and I can't stay up too late on work nights so ~20 x 3 min is a nice 1 hour time frame to get a target...

I actually had to stop with Orion because EQMOD threw an error - something about not rotating the mount beyond the position it was at... anyone know about this?

Edited January 6, 2022 by Peter Reader

[ONIKKINEN]

3 minutes ago, Peter Reader said:

I also re-collimated the telescope and spent a while with Bahtinov mask to get focus correct but will check out NINA's star analysis next time for sure. This was my first evening with the coma corrector and that also seems to be doing a great job compared to before...

Coma corrector is doing great 👍, very nice images for such short integrations. Actually just nice looking images even without considering the integration.

I focused with a bahtinov mask for a few dozen sessions but then switched to just using NINA HFR readings. Takes maybe a bit more time (not always) but i am guaranteed good focus. It can be difficult to tell by eye whether the bahtinov mask diffraction pattern is truly centered or not, and changing seeing can make this difficult. I found that i could reach what i thought was good focus with a bahtinov mask but still improve it after taking the mask off and doing tiny adjustments with my 1:10 reducer gear in the focuser. Your mileage may vary, but i dont trust my bahtinov mask anymore.

[The Lazy Astronomer]

10 minutes ago, Peter Reader said:

Thanks very much! What's the best way to share the raw images online?

If you're sharing to this forum, just attach the unprocessed stacked FITS file to your post. 

13 minutes ago, Peter Reader said:

I actually had to stop with Orion because EQMOD threw an error - something about not rotating the mount beyond the position it was at... anyone know about this?

Meridian limit reached would be my guess - EQMOD has a safety setting to prevent expensive things clattering into tripod legs, but by default I think NINA continues for some minutes past the meridian before initiating a meridian flip. The EQMOD meridian limit can be changed, or indeed disabled (not recommended), to prevent conflict between the two softwares.

9 minutes ago, ONIKKINEN said:

I focused with a bahtinov mask for a few dozen sessions but then switched to just using NINA HFR readings.

Beat me to it - I was going to suggest that too! Much better than a B. mask.

[scitmon]

14 hours ago, Peter Reader said:

Out of curiosity, did you play around with ISO and exposure length at all with the Canon 1000D? 

 

No, I read that 800 is pretty much the best setting from research and stuck with that.