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Hanging out with the robot


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There are just times when you want to sit outside and let the machine do all the work while you enjoy a fine double bourbon.  Go get em little girl.

IMG_20220610_222136058.jpg

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No it doesn't talk and the pictures are pretty decent.  Unfortunately 14 minutes into the session the clouds rolled in and that was the end of it.  I will leave a couple pics of things it has photoed.  These are untouched images, strictly as taken.  

IMG_20220530_144620.jpg

IMG_20220604_153831.jpg

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5 hours ago, StarryEyed said:

Might be depressing I cant work out if its looking at the sky or starring at the ground, looks a bit of a Marvin. 

 

R.jpeg.763d02bd35f27884294a57ced26483e5.jpeg

It's looking up

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Wow, I am going to look that up. I had seen advert for a Unistella EV ??? Might be wrong with the mame. 
However after looking at how it worked and ignoring the price I said out loud ‘this is probably the future of AP’

I have to say that the area it is in looks like a landing pad with the red lights. 
Just to be sure.. no one came out and said Gort Marengay?

Marv

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16 hours ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

Wow, I am going to look that up. I had seen advert for a Unistella EV ??? Might be wrong with the mame. 
However after looking at how it worked and ignoring the price I said out loud ‘this is probably the future of AP’

I have to say that the area it is in looks like a landing pad with the red lights. 
Just to be sure.. no one came out and said Gort Marengay?

Marv

I do think that this is the future, but I think of it as the future of amateur visual astronomy rather then AP.  With that said I do understand exactly why you say that.  

The big issue with this unit is...you guessed it....the price.  You get 4 grand in the unit alone.  My wife and I also invested in a 12 inch tablet that is dedicated only to it.  So we are up to 5k with this system.  

The images are good, will they compete with full on AP rigs and the dedication that people spend processing the pictures taken?  Not at this point. Will it catch up in the future..... possibly.  

This unit truly is plug and play.  Charge the battery and have the app ready to go, it is really just that easy.  

If you can afford Stellina or one of the other robotic telescopes by all means go for it.  

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17 hours ago, Marvin Jenkins said:


Just to be sure.. no one came out and said Gort Marengay?

Marv

Gort: baringa

or are you thinking of this? : https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwie9qyvgKj4AhUaH-wKHQJgCfgQwqsBegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DuFWUn8k4PNg&usg=AOvVaw084DV7XdDjOIRmAp6qb8Pg 

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1 hour ago, iapa said:

It sure never sounded like your spelling!😂 Thankfully I never saw the remake with Reeves. I like the old school black and white version as it was much more Gort Lemon Merangai. Maybe I just like my cakes too much.

Marv

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2 hours ago, Mike Q said:

I do think that this is the future, but I think of it as the future of amateur visual astronomy rather then AP.  With that said I do understand exactly why you say that.  

The big issue with this unit is...you guessed it....the price.  You get 4 grand in the unit alone.  My wife and I also invested in a 12 inch tablet that is dedicated only to it.  So we are up to 5k with this system.  

The images are good, will they compete with full on AP rigs and the dedication that people spend processing the pictures taken?  Not at this point. Will it catch up in the future..... possibly.  

This unit truly is plug and play.  Charge the battery and have the app ready to go, it is really just that easy.  

If you can afford Stellina or one of the other robotic telescopes by all means go for it.  

Very interesting bit of kit. What you say you have spent is not a huge amount in Astro terms. Five grand gets you in the door of AP and no further. A decent cooled camera is over a grand so well done for making the jump into the future.

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I've been a big fan of Unistellar and laterally Stelina since their respective launches but I think it's been widely recognised that these scopes are not really aimed at the conventional AP market.  We should really be careful making direct comparisons here.  Any rudimentary analysis of capability and cost would quickly rule them out as worthy considerations in terms of producing quality astro photography.  There are quite a few examples now to show how an alternative robotic imaging rig could be put together using the likes of an SWEvoGuide 50ED, a raspberry pi/ASiAir and a modest camera for a fraction of the cost, delivering superior images.  Where these rigs do have a market however is in their plug and play capability. Most of us in the AP community enjoy AP beyond production of the image. For us, there is a lot of enjoyment in equipment/software integration, image planning, acquisition and processing.  For others, the ability to image with minimal setup is exactly what they want.  For public outreach in particular, Stellina and Uninstellar, would be excellent. I can see myself considering one in the future, maybe for retirement, but only after a significant reduction in price. 

Jim  

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10 minutes ago, saac said:

I've been a big fan of Unistellar and laterally Stelina since their respective launches but I think it's been widely recognised that these scopes are not really aimed at the conventional AP market.  We should really be careful making direct comparisons here.  Any rudimentary analysis of capability and cost would quickly rule them out as worthy considerations in terms of producing quality astro photography.  There are quite a few examples now to show how an alternative robotic imaging rig could be put together using the likes of an SWEvoGuide 50ED, a raspberry pi/ASiAir and a modest camera for a fraction of the cost, delivering superior images.  Where these rigs do have a market however is in their plug and play capability. Most of us in the AP community enjoy AP beyond production of the image. For us, there is a lot of enjoyment in equipment/software integration, image planning, acquisition and processing.  For others, the ability to image with minimal setup is exactly what they want.  For public outreach in particular, Stellina and Uninstellar, would be excellent. I can see myself considering one in the future, maybe for retirement, but only after a significant reduction in price. 

Jim  

I don't think I made any direct comparison to AP, at least that wasn't my intent.  Like I said I see this as the future of visual astronomy not AP.  In the course of time the price on these will do two things, either come down or stay the same as better insides will eventually be put in them as new tech comes along.  I am told that there will be software upgrades along the way, so in a year from now I could have a better unit then we have started with.  

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9 minutes ago, Mike Q said:

I don't think I made any direct comparison to AP, at least that wasn't my intent.  Like I said I see this as the future of visual astronomy not AP.  In the course of time the price on these will do two things, either come down or stay the same as better insides will eventually be put in them as new tech comes along.  I am told that there will be software upgrades along the way, so in a year from now I could have a better unit then we have started with.  

Yep, I was agreeing with you Mike.  Like I said I have been a big fan of these units since they started out as crowd funding projects. Only wish I had subbed them back then.  They will surely come down in price as volume of units shipped increases otherwise they will never penetrate their full potential market.  They will serve a particular sector in the astro community and I personally think they are ideally pitched at outreach.  I would love to have one for use at school that would be ideal.  Definitely a nice thing to compliment serious AP rig. 

Jim 

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It's funny, but home-brewing went through a similar thing recently.  Used to be that building everything, the boiler, the mashtun, the fermentation chamber, etc was part of it, and a lot of people still do.  At some point in the decade since I stopped all-in-one systems became popular.  Initially they were very expensive, but quickly the price dropped and now I think the majority just buy an off the shelf setup.  Also the quality of the ready made kits (just add water) has gotten really good.  I recently got an all in one gifted to me, but tried a kit and now do both (Woodfordes Wherry is heavenly ambrosia) kits for a quick pint, all grain for a more full flavour behaviour.

I guess I'm saying there are parallels with the development of these setups, there will be people who will only be interested in the photons hitting their eyeball, there will be people who want to get the perfect image and tease out the last detail and bit of data and there will be people who will love just setting a robot up and having wonderful images develop before their eyes.

Magnificent times!

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29 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

It's funny, but home-brewing went through a similar thing recently.  Used to be that building everything, the boiler, the mashtun, the fermentation chamber, etc was part of it, and a lot of people still do.  At some point in the decade since I stopped all-in-one systems became popular.  Initially they were very expensive, but quickly the price dropped and now I think the majority just buy an off the shelf setup.  Also the quality of the ready made kits (just add water) has gotten really good.  I recently got an all in one gifted to me, but tried a kit and now do both (Woodfordes Wherry is heavenly ambrosia) kits for a quick pint, all grain for a more full flavour behaviour.

I guess I'm saying there are parallels with the development of these setups, there will be people who will only be interested in the photons hitting their eyeball, there will be people who want to get the perfect image and tease out the last detail and bit of data and there will be people who will love just setting a robot up and having wonderful images develop before their eyes.

Magnificent times!

Indeed, as the old saying goes "there is a tool for every job". Just don't go using an adjustable spanner and not expect to round your nuts :) 

Jim 

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3 hours ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

It sure never sounded like your spelling!😂 Thankfully I never saw the remake with Reeves. I like the old school black and white version as it was much more Gort Lemon Merangai. Maybe I just like my cakes too much.

Marv

I prefer the original too. In fact I intend to watch tonight - just to get that phrase :)

The other phrase was Klaatu barada nikto

 

OK, 54 minutes in is where the phrase is uttered. Definitely "Gort Barenga"

Edited by iapa
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32 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

It's funny, but home-brewing went through a similar thing recently.  Used to be that building everything, the boiler, the mashtun, the fermentation chamber, etc was part of it, and a lot of people still do.  At some point in the decade since I stopped all-in-one systems became popular.  Initially they were very expensive, but quickly the price dropped and now I think the majority just buy an off the shelf setup.  Also the quality of the ready made kits (just add water) has gotten really good.  I recently got an all in one gifted to me, but tried a kit and now do both (Woodfordes Wherry is heavenly ambrosia) kits for a quick pint, all grain for a more full flavour behaviour.

I guess I'm saying there are parallels with the development of these setups, there will be people who will only be interested in the photons hitting their eyeball, there will be people who want to get the perfect image and tease out the last detail and bit of data and there will be people who will love just setting a robot up and having wonderful images develop before their eyes.

Magnificent times!

A very good comparison.

 

 

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18 hours ago, Olli said:

Have always been curious about this robot. The pictures seem quite good.

There is a slot you can put a SD card and save the raw data and play around with it on the PC and make them better.  I don't do anything like that.  I might press the enhance button and bring it up a little bit, but that is about it.  Here are a couple that have had that done.  

IMG_20220507_223748985~2.jpg

IMG_20220604_153822~2.jpg

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The ease of putting it outside then letting it do it's stuff is certainly appealing. Like a robot I can setup my ap rig from scratch in around 25 mins so there's quite a difference there. It's a setback though when clouds roll in and you've spent that time just to dismantle it again. These all in one units will appeal for those spur of the moment sessions and more as well as opening the hobby to more people.

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