Darks... yes or no?

[Ags]

I use an uncooled ASI485MC in scopes with focal ratios ranging from 4 to 6. When imaging DSOs I shoot LOTS of short subs up to about 10 seconds long. I also shoot darks, but should I?

[knobby]

General wisdom says darks should match temperature of lights so with an uncooled camera might not be that effective.

But give it a go and process with and without to see what you think maybe.

[Ags]

Actually, I remember I did try that and darks were absolutely essential to subtract amp glow.

It's been a while since I imaged DSOs, I had completely forgotten my prior experiment!

[vlaiv]

Depends on few factors:

1. Do you need proper calibration of your data? Like for photometry or getting the accurate color? Then yes

2. Do you have amp glow that you want to remove? Then yes

3. Do you also perform flat calibration? Then yes

Otherwise - you don't have to.

[ollypenrice]

As a pragmatist I always try both options till I know the gear.

Olly