Andromeda - sort of!!!

[scotty365]

This is my first shot at Andromeda with Synscan and 300D - Ive got alot to learn yet and the results prove it!!

Ive never had goto before and never used the Canon 300D either - Ive done alot of reading up on things and found 2 mojors things 1. getting a good alignment/tracking setuo and 2. light pollution near the house is terrible for long exposures.

Scotty

[Greg]

Scotty,

Considering the alignment is off and you say you have a problem with light polution, that's cracker a quick fiddle with PS and it's one for the gallery....

Nice pic..

[scotty365]

I wouldnt know what to do with it in PS, especially with the trailing. I wanted to get out in the sticks tonight but other commitments came first. Hopefully I'll get chance soon but first I need to learn how to align properly - a few practises in the garden methinks

Scotty

[Kain]

Hey Scotty

Had a little play, but I'm abit of a PS novice, so others will probably get it better

Kain

[moondog]

Scotty

That's quite a good first attempt - Andromeda isn't easy.

You need to align the scope properly as the tracking is off (double stars)

Andromeda seems to require several stacked images with about 45 secs exposure per image at 800 ISO.

I assume that the Canon is connected at prime focus i.e. the lens removed and a T thread adaptor fitted ?

I dont think your image is fixable as it stands I'm afraid.

Keep trying, my first Andromeda with the Canon was far from brilliant!

8)

MD

[CELESCOPE]

Hi Scotty ,

ok , you must get that polar alignment done , have you been through and set the Orientation up first , if so then ,the polar alignment is pretty easy to set up, i trust you have the manual for it , take time out to do this , mark a spot on the ground where your tripod legs go ,

then get the polar alignment done , even a rough polar alignment will get you 30 45 secs of imaging without trailing, provided your Orientation has been done good .once you have it done nicely , its just a matter of plonking it down in those spots every time , but even so just give a quick check each time , its fairly easy once you have done all this , worth all the time and effort getting the set up sorted first before ever trying imaging , but a good start , you have set the bench mark .

Cheers

Rog

[scotty365]

Hi Scotty ,

ok , you must get that polar alignment done , have you been through and set the Orientation up first , if so then ,the polar alignment is pretty easy to set up, i trust you have the manual for it , take time out to do this , mark a spot on the ground where your tripod legs go ,

then get the polar alignment done , even a rough polar alignment will get you 30 45 secs of imaging without trailing, provided your Orientation has been done good .once you have it done nicely , its just a matter of plonking it down in those spots every time , but even so just give a quick check each time , its fairly easy once you have done all this , worth all the time and effort getting the set up sorted first before ever trying imaging , but a good start , you have set the bench mark .

Cheers

Rog

By orientation do you mean 3 star alignment?

Scotty

[scotty365]

Scotty

That's quite a good first attempt - Andromeda isn't easy.

You need to align the scope properly as the tracking is off (double stars)

Andromeda seems to require several stacked images with about 45 secs exposure per image at 800 ISO.

I assume that the Canon is connected at prime focus i.e. the lens removed and a T thread adaptor fitted ?

I dont think your image is fixable as it stands I'm afraid.

Keep trying, my first Andromeda with the Canon was far from brilliant!

8)

MD

ISO was set at 200 but I'll try that setting. How does ISO work? is higher more sensitive or am I missing something? (my understanding is that its to do with making the CCD more senitive to incoming light). It is at prime focus but cant use any filters till my adapter comes.

Also how do I stack long exposure images as Ive only done it with AVI's from the Toucam

Scotty

[scotty365]

One other thing is how do I subtract a darkframe from the image? I presume that I make a image with no light getting in the camera at the same exposure length then use software to subtract the noise.

Scotty

[Andrew*]

you know, that image is exactly how andromeda looks through my scope. You've obviously progressed from seeing a fuzzy blob to capturing a fuzzy blob. My heartiest congratulations! M31 will be one of my first targets (after M42) once I get my driven EQ5 (can't wait for those 1.5" steel legs! - sexy!)

no honestly - well done! My first shots are going to be plain laughable.

Andrew

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

By orientation do you mean 3 star alignment?

Scotty

The trailing is due to your polar alignment being a long way off. Have you gone through the setup procedure in the manual and got Polaris in the little circle through your polar scope? If you have then the polar scope could need aligning or you have the tracking turned off.

HTH

Captain Chaos

[scotty365]

By orientation do you mean 3 star alignment?

Scotty

The trailing is due to your polar alignment being a long way off. Have you gone through the setup procedure in the manual and got Polaris in the little circle through your polar scope? If you have then the polar scope could need aligning or you have the tracking turned off.

HTH

Captain Chaos

I was look at Google earth satalite images of our house today and realised that the house end faces virtually north but the garden is at a 10' or so angle thats not noticeable wen standing in it.

Ive made an assumption that it would be somwhere close with the mount set at 53' but It was way out for imaging - I could kick myself for being so stupid. I couldnt align on Polaris as the red LED I put in as part of the Synscan upgrade was too bright, this is disconnected for now until I can figure a way to dim it down. I've read the manual and over looked this crucial part of setting up - next time I go out I'll spend some time doing it all properly, im guessing it will work as the tracking was on and okay for visual work, it makes sence why I had the problem now.

Thanks to Google and everyone on SGL and especially CC who takes time out to answer my many questions in so much detail.

Scotty

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Well just polar align before powering u pthe thing, that way the LED doesn't come on. BTW I've not had a problem with it being too bright. Ever!

Is the LED in the little spider I seem to remember it sits in? Oh and before you get there, make sure that the counterweight shaft is extended and the Dec. axis is in the right spot, otheriwse you can't see through the polar 'scopoe anyway.

Captain Chaos

[scotty365]

Well just polar align before powering u pthe thing, that way the LED doesn't come on. BTW I've not had a problem with it being too bright. Ever!

Is the LED in the little spider I seem to remember it sits in? Oh and before you get there, make sure that the counterweight shaft is extended and the Dec. axis is in the right spot, otheriwse you can't see through the polar 'scopoe anyway.

Captain Chaos

The LED came part of the Synscan upgrade and is in a plasic sleeve that fits into the "port" inside the cover of the mount behind the motors and infront of the motor board. It is of bad design from what I am experiencing as it is in the center of the FOV looking through it. the "front" of the LED is open while there is a plastic surround to hold it in place/reduce brightness around the sides. The whole thing is rediculous to look at as its basically a LED infront of the star that saturates the FOV in red - utterly hopeless no matter where i position it, either high or low.

Scotty

[CELESCOPE]

Hi Scotty , i have two eq6 pro , the second one is to bright for me as well , and there is no way of dimming it as far as i know so i do what CC done turn it off, but hold a torch across the top of the hole just to give enough light, , this will then show pole nicely , works a treat mate ,

cheers

Rog