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Luneshot posted:I tend to do deep sky more than planetary, but a couple brief thoughts: Having done quite a bit of planetary astrophotography - seconding all of these. The window thing is not only air currents, but the optics of the window glass will affect things. Just looking out a window with binoculars at Jupiter, I get internal reflections from the window glass. Zooming in with a telescope is just going to make the aberrations worse. Lucky imaging (high speed video astrophotography) is definitely the way to go. You capture a bunch of frames however you can (usually the video mode of DSLRs, or high-speed captures from dedicated astrocams) then process them by selecting the clearest/least distorted frames and stacking them. My workflow, which is fairly standard, is usually: - Use Sharpcap/Firecapture (dedicated cam) or BackyardEOS (Canon DSLR) to capture frames. - You don't need a lot, if you're getting a lot of FPS. A few minutes is usually enough. Plus with Jupiter you don't want to go over 2 min or so because Jupiter actually rotates fast enough that you will see smearing. (see this for more info. You can use a program called WinJupos to correct for it) - Use PIPP to align/rename/pre-process the images - Use Autostakkert to select frames and stack (it does it semi-automatically) - Use Registax to do wavelet-based sharpening - Use Photoshop or similar to do further touching up if desired but I usually don't I'd be curious about smartphone video because usually with these methods you get a stack of TIFFs or an uncompressed AVI as you want lossless images. But if you can open an mp4 in PIPP you'd be fine for starting out. With the popular software packages I mentioned you have full control over exposure, and I'd guess a smartphone is going to autoexpose unless you're using a 3rd party app. Not saying it's impossible, just not something I've heard of doing.
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Jun 15, 2020 18:11
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| # ? May 28, 2024 02:35 |
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My diagonal, focuser, and lens came in today. Holy poo poo, talk about a huge jump up.  That focuser is silky smooth, machining wise I'm really impressed, that thing is really nice. The diagonal is super sweet, it's so crisp compared to the stock one. I also got a 32mm lens, 2" diameter. It's like the size of a beer can. Supposed to be super clear tonight and tomorrow, can't wait to get it out.
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Jun 16, 2020 21:28
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Yooper posted:My diagonal, focuser, and lens came in today. Holy poo poo, talk about a huge jump up. That looks like the focuser that came on my Dob, it's very smooth.
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Jun 16, 2020 21:45
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Excellent upgrades!
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Jun 16, 2020 21:45
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How much of a difference do the really expensive diagonals make? I see a 1/20th wave quartz diagonal for like $800. Is it that much better than my $100 diagonal?
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Jun 16, 2020 21:49
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Yooper posted:How much of a difference do the really expensive diagonals make? I see a 1/20th wave quartz diagonal for like $800. Is it that much better than my $100 diagonal? $800 diagonals are cork-sniffer bullshit.
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Jun 17, 2020 00:17
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AstroZamboni posted:$800 diagonals are cork-sniffer bullshit. So there's a subset of this hobby that is retirees living in dark sky gated communities that is one upping each other with expensive poo poo? I'm pumped to take out the beer can sized eyepiece. This thing is beautiful.
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Jun 17, 2020 03:19
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Yooper posted:So there's a subset of this hobby that is retirees living in dark sky gated communities that is one upping each other with expensive poo poo? Let me just say this; there was a company (one dude with a machine shop in the woods about ten miles from me) called Van Slyke engineering that made $5K focusers. Just focusers, with so many idiotic, pointless bells and whistles that they were utterly ridiculous and over-engineered to the point of abject absurdity. The guy managed to keep going through the 90's and 2000's with his bullshit and only stopped when his entire workshop was destroyed in a huge wildfire and he didn't have insurance. I still consider his equipment the biggest waste of money in the history of the hobby. If the Astro-Physics MaxBrite 2 diagonal (what I would consider the absolute best on the market, no question) is $320, then anybody trying to sell a diagonal for $800 probably also has a really good bridge for you at a bargain price.
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Jun 17, 2020 16:01
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Yooper posted:So there's a subset of this hobby that is retirees living in dark sky gated communities that is one upping each other with expensive poo poo? Definitely, it's similar to the situation with audiophiles and high end sound. It takes some work to cut through the cruft and find out if stuff is good or not.
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Jun 17, 2020 22:37
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That being said, there is plenty of stuff that is very, very expensive because it is very, very good. Astrophotography is one of those hobbies with no upper limit on price, and the really high-end amateur setups will easily run into (or past) “new car” territory.
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Jun 18, 2020 03:48
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Spent a short amount of time with the new setup tonight. Really blown away at how much crisper everything is. I was easily able to pick out a bunch of clusters. With the previous set up they were like a hint of something. This time it was absolutely visible even with the 32mm eyepiece. Was really cool to be able to separate some of the binaries. Thanks goons! Had hoped to get out the camera rig but work calls too early, so it'll be another night.
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Jun 18, 2020 04:27
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As a machinist, this makes me wonder if theres money to be made making artisan focusers or some poo poo.
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Jun 19, 2020 18:34
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Just pulled the trigger on a triplet refactor. Dipping my toes before I spend $4000 I shouldn't to try astrophotography.
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Jun 20, 2020 23:16
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Dmitri-9 posted:Just pulled the trigger on a triplet refactor. Dipping my toes before I spend $4000 I shouldn't to try astrophotography. Which one did you get? I'm still up in the air about the next step too. Once the weather clears and the nights get longer I'll give my Takumar some more time.
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Jun 21, 2020 01:04
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Yooper posted:Which one did you get? I'm still up in the air about the next step too. Once the weather clears and the nights get longer I'll give my Takumar some more time. https://explorescientificusa.com/products/ed127-essential-series-air-spaced-triplet-refractor I got it used.
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Jun 21, 2020 03:01
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A Proper Uppercut posted:As a machinist, this makes me wonder if theres money to be made making artisan focusers or some poo poo. Oh yeah.  MoonLite focusers really rock that machine shop æsthetic.  AstroSystems focusers look pretty funny with their belt drive, but I’ve used one (on one occasion) and it was better than mine, so I guess I shouldn’t knock it. Fakeedit: In looking them up just now, I found they they’ve discontinued their production and now just sell MoonLites. I’d sooner spend money on something I can actually feel the difference in, rather than some optical component where an A/B comparison can’t do better than chance. I’m one to talk because my finderscope’s focuser is a deplorable cast zinc monstrosity like the one Yooper replaced. I took a hacksaw to its draw tube so that it wouldn’t vignette, but I took a little too much off so sometimes the rack doesn’t engage the pinion and I have to nudge it into place with my other hand.  “Whatever, I only have to adjust focus once per night at most”, I say.
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Jun 21, 2020 06:19
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Both Moonlite and Starlight Feathertouch have the premium focuser market pretty well locked down. There are also some options from Baader and JMI that are well thought of. I used to be in the Longmont Astronomical Society with the AstroSystems folks, and they discontinued their focuser and a lot of their other in-house stuff that required metal machining to make production on the Telekits a bit easier. It was pretty much a two-person operation between Randy Cunningham and his metal machinist Alan Poppenhagen, and Alan was killed in a motorcycle accident a few years ago so it's just Randy making everything at this point and he's sorta getting up in years. I hope I'll be able to afford a 16" Telekit to build before he stops. I've used a few Telekit dobs and I think they put Obsessions to shame. They're just superb. They also make the BEST Telrad dew shield on the planet. The only one I'll use.
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Jun 21, 2020 16:32
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Call for a DIY IK https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3930843
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Jun 30, 2020 15:55
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Can someone recommend a moon filter for me? I have the following eyepieces: - Celestron 93317 Omni Series 1.25" (6mm) - Celestron 93320 Omni Series 1.25" (15mm) Thanks!
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Jul 6, 2020 15:34
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Tortilla Maker posted:Can someone recommend a moon filter for me? If you want the cheapest, most cost-effective Jack-of-all-trades moon filter, you want a basic 13% transmission neutral density filter. You can't go wrong with the GSO filters from Agena. Around ~ $11 https://agenaastro.com/gso-1-25-neutral-density-filter-nd96-13-transmission.html On the other hand... Variable polarizers are good if you want finer control because they act like a dimmer switch. You can adjust the dimming based on moon phase, and are also really useful for splitting some double stars (among numerous other uses). IMHO, they're very much worth the added cost because it's an accessory that'll help you grow in the hobby to a greater extent than the ND13. ~ $30 https://www.telescope.com/mobileProduct/Accessories/Telescope-Eyepiece-Filters/125-Orion-Variable-Polarizing-Filter/pc/3/c/48/5560.uts One nice thing is that if you're using a telescope with a diagonal, you can separate the two polarizers, thread one into the eyepiece and the other into the diagonal, and just rotate the eyepiece in the holder to act as a dimmer. If you're using a Newtonian you can accomplish the same thing by using a Barlow and threading one polarizer into it and the other into the eyepiece.
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Jul 6, 2020 21:41
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GET UP EARLY TOMORROW AND LOOK AT COMET NEOWISE BECAUSE HOLY gently caress Best northern hemisphere comet since Hale-Bopp. I'll get photos posted later.
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Jul 8, 2020 12:42
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I tried to this morning at about 5:30, but that might have been too late. I'll have to try again tomorrow when I go in at 4 am and look again at about 4:30.
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Jul 9, 2020 15:50
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I went out Wed morning to get some pics of it. Unfortunately, I live in a bit of a valley so it's impossible to see very near the horizon, so I packed up my camera gear and walked about a mile to a nearby park with a hill. The location was great, I got everything set up... And, of course, the high cloud cover rolled in. I could barely see Venus, let alone the comet.  Oh well. I'm going to try again tomorrow morning.
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Jul 9, 2020 16:46
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Here's my comet photos, taken yesterday morning with my phone on a tripod. https://imgur.com/gallery/RvbgT4j AstroZamboni fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Jul 9, 2020 |
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Jul 9, 2020 23:16
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I'm jealous of your (hemisphere's) views of the comet, I didn't care much about astronomy in 2007 when we had McNaught and I'm not sure I ever even saw it (obstacles in the way IIRC and I never bothered to travel). I took my tabletop telescope over to parents' house recently, since their backyard is better than my apartment balcony, and got to show off Jupiter and Saturn and the moon. I kind of did everything "wrong" (full moon at the time, didn't wait that long after sunset or let the thing acclimate or whatever) but it's still cool to see planetary detail. I did try some photos with a smartphone adapter, but also did plenty "wrong" there... well, the output is amazing to me, and it was good practice for adjusting and focusing everything, but no photos worth sharing. Q's: This is perhaps a niche within a niche but does anyone here have opinions on good online shops in Australia for accessories? uvar fucked around with this message at 10:14 on Jul 10, 2020 |
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Jul 10, 2020 10:10
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I got out again this morning, made the ~1.5 mile trek with my gear, and, of course, it was cloudy. This time, thankfully, the clouds broke just in time.   That was truly breathtaking to see with the naked eye. I haven't seen anything like it since I saw Hale-Bopp when I was 9 years old.
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Jul 10, 2020 11:24
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Dammit, I didn't find out about this comet until Friday night. Why isn't a naked-eye comet front page news on every website? At my location (Austin) it's been too hazy to see it Saturday morning and this morning. (It will be perfectly clear overnight until 4 am and then a #$%& hazy scud layer forms.) It seems like the prospects for morning viewing are just getting worse. I hope it puts on a good show after sunset. Why do these things always have to be right on the $%&# horizon though, the transparency of the air here is awful in summer. Viewing from southern latitudes also doesn't help because the thing is so low on the horizon at sunset/sunrise. Number_6 fucked around with this message at 12:11 on Jul 12, 2020 |
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Jul 12, 2020 12:01
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First bit of astronomy I've done in a long time, but I didn't want to miss the comet and hope this'll get me back into it again. Biked out with a friend and we could easily see it as we left the city, and it was awesome. Got a few quick phone pics but the clouds rolled in before we could get a proper camera set up. Hopefully the weather plays nice tomorrow night, but the forecast says a storm's a-brewin'. The B&L Criterion 4000 I brought doesn't seem to be the greatest but it packs up nicely in a bicycle pannier which is super convenient.  
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Jul 12, 2020 12:21
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Number_6 posted:Dammit, I didn't find out about this comet until Friday night. Why isn't a naked-eye comet front page news on every website? At my location (Austin) it's been too hazy to see it Saturday morning and this morning. (It will be perfectly clear overnight until 4 am and then a #$%& hazy scud layer forms.) Unless it's Halley's Comet or a comet like Hale-Bopp, no one gives a poo poo. It needs to be visible at night and up high for people to notice or care. McNaught went mostly unnoticed in the northern hemisphere and Lovejoy was too far south. Most naked eye comets are only visiblemduring sunrise or sunset and human settlements block so much of the horizon that you have to get out to see it. Even in my dumpster town in Wyomin there are so many trees in people's yards that I have to get out into the country to see the horizon. McNaught was apparently visible in daylight even in northern latitudes and I still beat myself up for missing it. I even read about it while it was visible too. Star Man fucked around with this message at 18:30 on Jul 12, 2020 |
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Jul 12, 2020 17:14
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I got out this morning around 5 and managed to peek at the comet in between trees through my neighbor's yard.  I could see a smudge with the naked eye and a bit of the tail with binoculars. It rises higher in the evening sky later this week so here's hoping it stays as visible.
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Jul 12, 2020 20:06
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As we round third quarter moon, I'm officially on clear sky preparedness alert status Omega with my station wagon packed and ready to roll to Bortle 2 skies. I haven't been under dark skies in so long that I'm starting to get extra cranky. At least now I'm getting an idea of just how much scope equipment I can cram into my station wagon. Also, my living room looks like I've been robbed. https://imgur.com/gallery/C2PCniA
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Jul 14, 2020 18:33
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Which augmented reality Star Gazing apps are recommended? Star Walk, Star Chart, Star Tracker, etc., are all very similar. (I'm on Android)
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Jul 15, 2020 02:32
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I like Star Walk 2 but I mostly just sit on the porch and drink wine or beer in the dark until bed time. e: I don’t know if the others do it or how well but the AR on Star Walk 2 is nice, lets me know I still don’t get to see the comet tonight.  e: And here’s one where I turned on the fancy 3D constellation models and took a picture with some house in the way. The AR masks the sky display with the nearby structure (if you want), cool for looking out windows and such:  Also has all the info you need to find what you’re looking for, and is pretty well supported imo. But like I said, I’m doing more porch-sitting and less astronomizing. Bad Munki fucked around with this message at 03:17 on Jul 15, 2020 |
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Jul 15, 2020 03:05
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I've just been moved from working regular office hours to shift-work and just thought of one positive side-effect - If I take up astronomy again it won't have to be just a Winter hobby. Every week I'll have a couple of opportunities (weather permitting) to do a little observing over a 2am 'lunch' when its dark even in Summer and effectively get paid to do it  I was a little peeved about the shifts but its given me some lemonade from those lemons.
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Jul 15, 2020 13:22
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I haven't done any astronomy in a long time but I remember Hale-Bopp and knew I couldn't miss this. I live in bad light conditions and last night with naked eye only was a fail, picked up some 7x35 binocs and today I located it in literally a second. The tail is slightly visible to the naked eye once I knew where it was.
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Jul 17, 2020 05:01
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Bad Munki posted:I like Star Walk 2 but I mostly just sit on the porch and drink wine or beer in the dark until bed time. Anything free to find it? It costs $6 on star walk 2 to find it
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Jul 17, 2020 05:15
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 Lizard Orion keeping me company while I do some work on Telescope Orion. I've had issues with the collimation on this thing since I got it (180mm Mak-Cass) and wanted to tweak things, but before I could even start I found that something's wrong with the focuser, I can't get any response out of it. Time to take the whole drat thing apart and see if I can figure out how to fix it... and I was looking forward to some planetary shots this weekend.
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Jul 17, 2020 18:54
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Harry Potter on Ice posted:Anything free to find it? It costs $6 on star walk 2 to find it This might help, it shouldn't be too hard to find.  I have yet to get off my lazy rear end to see this guy, but I intend to tonight (with the kids). We have to drive out of the neighborhood at least, but it shouldn't be too hard to find a spot with a clear horizon.
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Jul 18, 2020 13:30
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Rolabi Wizenard posted:This might help, it shouldn't be too hard to find. Very helpful thank you. The trees were blocking it!!
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Jul 18, 2020 15:47
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| # ? May 28, 2024 02:35 |
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I went out last night was foiled by a combo of clouds and hills. I'm going to try again tonight
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Jul 18, 2020 18:53
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