|
I took a couple of images this week of the tarantula nebula. One with just an IR cut filter, and the other with a dual-narrowband filter  
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2023 10:28
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 28, 2024 17:03 |
|
|
Photographically the eclipse was kind of a bust, but I knew that going into it. The sun is still too bright to really do much cool with it. But I did get a good sequence of bailey's beads, being able to see shadows from peaks on a body 250 thousand miles away kinda blows my mind. This animation is pretty close to real time (as close as the animation tool in photoshop would let me get), from C3: https://i.imgur.com/aH1rZtN.mp4 (I got C2 as well, but to me this sequence looks cooler) xzzy fucked around with this message at 17:31 on Oct 27, 2023 |
|
#
?
Oct 27, 2023 17:28
|
|
|
Comrade Blyatlov posted:crossposting from cloudy nights The real way to test it is to find someone who does interferometric testing with lasers
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2023 00:57
|
|
|
I went and bought one of those little Seestar S50 smart telescopes Its pretty good for the price, and so easy to use No extra processing done, just the result seen off the phone. I have saved the subs used though, and might have a look at some point.    
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2023 05:37
|
|
|
That's actually way better than I would have expected
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2023 00:00
|
|
|
I just received notice today that my Seestar is on it's way. I might even get to use it before it gets too drat cold.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2023 03:31
|
|
|
Those pictures are magnificent and for $500 thats dang incredible
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2023 20:23
|
|
|
puncturewound78 posted:Those pictures are magnificent and for $500 thats dang incredible The Stellina was what, $2500 at its launch and $4k now? That $500 machine is showing what I've been watching the last couple of years: the available tech has easily lapped the commercial offerings. ZWO is willing to pack these ideas into a working product and make a little money off it, instead of shooting for Megabucks from a very small market place. I know there are severe disparities in workplace/supply-chain details between China and France, to pick on those two, but that's just crazy.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2023 21:54
|
|
|
Its saves the image it processed to your phone, and also saves the stacked images it uses as a FITS file on it's internal storage, so you can do your own processing. It also can save the individual subs so you also stack and process if you want. These are using the stacked images but using my own processing rather than the auto phone processing, so exactly the same data as the images above    It's nice to just plop something on the ground, do no calibrations or polar alignment or anything and just start getting an image with in a few minutes. Actutally you do need to level it though. Only thing needed is an autofocus, and wait a bit while does a platesolve. It must have some kind of internal compass as it seems to start off in the right general direction to start with.
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2023 02:40
|
|
|
I ventured into astronomy about 20 years ago but never got too far into it because of money constraints at the time. Now, however, I have two young nieces who I think would really enjoy seeing the moon and planets up close and learning about how to set things up and why things work the way they do, and all that good stuff. I was thinking a Newtonian on an equatorial mount would be the best way to show them the ropes, but I'd love to hear if another setup would be more appropriate. In either case, are there any recommendations for decent beginner scopes and mounts?
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2023 16:30
|
|
|
Admiral Snackbar posted:I ventured into astronomy about 20 years ago but never got too far into it because of money constraints at the time. Now, however, I have two young nieces who I think would really enjoy seeing the moon and planets up close and learning about how to set things up and why things work the way they do, and all that good stuff. I was thinking a Newtonian on an equatorial mount would be the best way to show them the ropes, but I'd love to hear if another setup would be more appropriate. In either case, are there any recommendations for decent beginner scopes and mounts? Depends on your budget and space. My first scope was a Celestron FirstScope and it was great for seeing the big bright stuff. I then made the jump to a very mediocre refractor with the StarSense Explorer and that was absolutely awesome (Starsense, not the scope). Eventually I got a Dobsonian and stuck the Starsense Explorer kit into the Dob and I love it and guests love it. The Starsense stuff is now on Dobsonians and for a first scope you can't go wrong. The Starsense kits with Refractors and Newtonians are not well regarded construction wise. Mine was very flimsy and the focuser had the smooth feel of crunchy peanut butter. The tabletop Dob w/ Starsense would be a great start, or even a big Dob w/ Starsense if you have the space and money. Just be aware that the whole 8" scope and base will weight nearly 50 lbs. Down the road you'd be able to upgrade the focuser and such on those Dobs too.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2023 17:09
|
|
|
Admiral Snackbar posted:I ventured into astronomy about 20 years ago but never got too far into it because of money constraints at the time. Now, however, I have two young nieces who I think would really enjoy seeing the moon and planets up close and learning about how to set things up and why things work the way they do, and all that good stuff. I was thinking a Newtonian on an equatorial mount would be the best way to show them the ropes, but I'd love to hear if another setup would be more appropriate. In either case, are there any recommendations for decent beginner scopes and mounts? I’ve been an amateur astronomy hanger-on for the past year, after being a pretty avid one as a kid, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but definitely get something with StarSense. It’s a real gamechanger vs older push-to/affordable go-to setups, especially for newbies and beginners. 100% worth it, IMO, based on the few times I’ve used it and the many times my friends have used it. Best bang for buck is probably the 10” StarSense Dobsonian, IMO. I believe it’s the second-most expensive model in the StarSense line now that there’s a new 12” model (how is that, btw, goons?), and it’s definitely pricey in the $1000-$1100 range, but unlike the much cheaper $300-400 Newtonian, you arguably won’t grow out of it any time soon/ever. The much less expensive 8” version is probably equally recommendable and probably what a lot of people will steer you to, but it has shorter “legs” vs its bigger sibling(s) in terms of its maximum viewing distance. A smaller scope is more portable, which is nice, but it will have issues seeing stuff at a distance (ie the really interesting poo poo, the gas giants, etc) so you’ll eventually either get bored and stop wanting to use it as much or you’ll feel the urge to upgrade. You’ll be able to peep the rings of Saturn with a smaller scope, but it won’t be nearly as spectacular or as similar to the photos you and your nieces grew up seeing. Buying a bigger scope now will give you more stuff to see now, more clearly, and it will arguably have more staying power if you decide to stay in the hobby, or even if you only bring it out once a season or year or whatever you’ll still get to see more cool poo poo with the StarSense app. An 8-12” Dob is like a “normal” hobbyist size of telescope, so a StarSense in that size could wind up being a “forever scope” for you that you only have to buy once/cry once. Alternatively, if you decide to quit the hobby or upgrade it’ll arguably be easier for you to sell an 8-12” scope to another hobbyist and get most of your money back than trying to sell a small Newtonian/5” Schmidt/tabletop scope that’s basically sold as a budget scope/for beginners. The StarSense tech is the same across the whole lineup (and as far as I know Celestron still ain’t selling it independently) so there’s a thriving scene of established guys buying the cheapest models in order to take off their StarSense docks/get a software license and then bolt them to their own more expensive scopes. An 8-12” Dobsonian with the tech onboard from the factory basically does that job for you if you don’t already have a good scope like that. Edit: FWIW, telescope educator Ed Ting says 8” is the sweet spot for most people. Your ability to move the telescope out at a moment’s notice, and/or keep it at the ready is going to have the biggest impact on how much it gets used, and in his experience once you get to 10”—which is quite a bit bigger and heavier than 8”—most people use them way less frequently. 8” is also a good “forever” size where you can keep it in your stable and get something bigger/weirder/made for photography down the road if you so choose. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 17:51 on Nov 15, 2023 |
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2023 17:10
|
|
|
These are really helpful answers - thank you both! I think I'll start off with an 8" StarSense Dob and see how things go from there. Thanks again!
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2023 18:58
|
|
|
Nth-ing the recommendations for the StarSense Explorer 8" dobsonian. Best beginner scope ever made. I retrofitted SSE to my existing dobs and it's a game changer. I've been finding things in the sky the old fashioned way for thirty years and having SSE is such a huge convenience. Also I've always recommended beginners start with an 8" dobsonian regardless of what other bells and whistles it may come with. I've often recommended that beginners steer clear of computerized scopes because they can represent a bigger pain in the rear end learning curve than just learning your way around the night sky. SSE is the exception that's gonna set the standard going forward. Not only does it remove all the barriers, it teaches the night sky by osmosis the way traditional computerized scopes CAN'T. It's just loving neat. Edited to add; I'm one of the guys who bought the cheapest Starsense scope they could and yanked the dock off of it. I got the 80mm ordered from Costco online. It's a cheaply built scope and the tripod is JUNK, but the optics are REALLY loving GOOD! I remounted it on an Orion Astroview equatorial, patched the holes in the tube and repainted it, and I plan on putting a GSO Crayford focuser on it soon. Bit by bit I'm turning it into a nice scope. AstroZamboni fucked around with this message at 00:34 on Nov 16, 2023 |
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 00:25
|
|
|
y'all are making me wanna sell my starsense newt for a dob lol who am i kidding, "sell" means "put in a travel bag for camping with my son"
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 00:52
|
|
|
Achmed Jones posted:y'all are making me wanna sell my starsense newt for a dob do it you want that big pipe experience Hell, I want that big pipe experience I was thinking all year about getting a 10” and then a bunch of big expenses kept me from doing it (most recently one of my rabbits broke her leg, setting me back $2k. But she’s made a full recovery and got the cast off earlier this month), but I might just pull the trigger on an 8” soon instead. If it’s easier to store and whip out I’d rather do that and it’s a fair bit cheaper than the 10. The new 12” seems dumb, I agree with Ting that if I want to get up to that size I’d rather go trussy.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 01:20
|
|
|
For the the StarSense Explorer 8" dobsonian what else do you need to take it out camping overnight ? Do you need a tripod
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 01:24
|
|
|
Looking into replacing my mount. Are there any equatorial goto mounts that just plain expect that you're going to be hooking them up to a computer? Like, I don't need a hand controller at all, and the ones I'm seeing have you either connect your PC to the mount itself over an RJ-45, or connect the hand controller to that port and let you connect your PC to a USB port on the hand controller. Are there any that just put a friggin' USB port on the mount and let you connect with a bog-standard USB cable without having to dick around with the hand controller or with usb to serial drivers?
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 02:09
|
|
|
euphronius posted:For the the StarSense Explorer 8" dobsonian what else do you need to take it out camping overnight ? Do you need a tripod a vehicle a tarp and maybe some kind of flat base to stabilize it on the dobsonian has its own base. You’ll want to figure out how to get/put that where you want to go
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 02:16
|
|
|
Phanatic posted:Looking into replacing my mount. Newer ones do. Skywatcher star adventurer gti is similar size to a star tracker, but has goto and is usb/wifi Newer EQ6-Rs have a USB port for connection The ZWO AM3/5 mounts are designed with computer control in mind. Their hand controllers are just a little joystick
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 03:16
|
|
|
Raikyn posted:Newer ones do. What I'm seeing is that the EQ6-R has a USB port on the hand controller, not on the mount: https://agenaastro.com/sky-watcher-eq6-r-pro-computerized-goto-telescope-mount-s30300.html "The hand controller can also connect to a computer using the supplied USB-B cable, enabling computer control with most astronomy programs." quote:The ZWO AM3/5 mounts are designed with computer control in mind. Their hand controllers are just a little joystick Thanks, will take a look.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 03:25
|
|
|
Phanatic posted:Looking into replacing my mount. Hi friend. I have an Explore Scientific iEXOS-100, the older version of this, the iEXOS-100-2, and it's surprisingly simple. It's been months since i've done the setup, but you can run it via WiFi or USB using the PMC8 configuration manager and ASCOM drivers. My setup last time I messed with it was just my laptop, iEXOS, Canon T2i, and then two USB cables to connect to the camera and mount with NINA driving everything. You still have to have the drivers but otherwise it's relatively painless! I think you can also control it using an Android tablet but I don't have access to one of those to tell you how well that works. Downside: polar alignment sucks pretty hard out of the box because you just get a goofy boresight and it's a real pain to use if you're like me and have awful eyesight. You can remedy this with NINA after you get roughly aligned but it's worth noting. Also, the default base doesn't have any fine azimuth adjustment, that's a $100 extra adapter. No, I am not joking. I still need to pick one up.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 03:26
|
|
|
Phanatic posted:What I'm seeing is that the EQ6-R has a USB port on the hand controller, not on the mount: I think for the last couple of years there has been a USB on the EQ6-R. Most places still have old pics? though? I guess they may have stopped it again though  I've an older EQ6-R, so just use a USB interface cable which does the same thing. In both cases you still need a EQMOD driver https://www.bintel.com.au/product/shoestring-usb2-eq5-interface/
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 07:35
|
|
|
Ok Comboomer posted:a vehicle Does the table i put it on need to be level ? Or just mostly flat do it doesn’t fall over
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 16:37
|
|
|
euphronius posted:Does the table i put it on need to be level ? Or just mostly flat do it doesn’t fall over The tube is like 4 ft long, if anything you'll need a step stool.  edit : Youtuber for scale
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 17:26
|
|
|
Ok. Ty. It’s a chonker. Probably going to get one and take it out to some dark rear end parts of Pennsylvania
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 17:44
|
|
|
euphronius posted:dark rear end parts of Pennsylvania Cherry Springs is a real good dark skies park. Try not to worry about it being in one of the most racist parts of PA, though. First time I got up there was for the twice yearly star party, and I got pissed when this luminous cloud drifted in and just set up shop from horizon to horizon. Turns it out was the Milky Way. It was bright enough to look like clouds illuminated from city arc sodium street lights.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 21:57
|
|
|
I'm told you can see the the light dome from Buffalo in Cherry Springs.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 22:00
|
|
|
I've gone for a slight upgrade to my camera and purchased a • ASI2600MC • Holder ring https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/product/new-holder-ring-for-asi-cooled-cameras-90mm-diameter/ Couple of hundred off the normal price so thought....why not? It also means I could have 2 projects on the go since I'll now have 2 cameras (ASI2600MC,ASI294MC) and 2 mounts (EQ6-R, AM5) + numerous camera lenses
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2023 03:31
|
|
|
A bunch of ZWO stuff is 10%ish off right now, at least at Agena. Did you try out the duo for the built-in OAG camera? Curious about that thing although I got a 2600MM earlier this year already.
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2023 05:40
|
|
|
I had a nice clear weekend on a lakeside with a full view of the sky... from horizon to meridian, where the trees started basically overhead. I made up for that by testing out my rig's ability to take care of itself and shot two targets each night, with the scope finding the second target, plate solving/guiding/focusing/filter changing/shooting all on its own while I was asleep. It went extremely well! The first night I shot Bode's Galaxy but misjudged its distance from polar north while choosing a spot for my scope and lost it to the neighbor's shore station/boat house after an hour.  RGB 3x180sec each, L 10x180sec. Lost the rest to obstructuions. Not too upset about that, though, as over both night I got ~10 hours on IC405 - The Flaming Star Nebula  RGB 30x180sec each, L 100x180sec. I'd love to add some Ha to this one if I can. Both images on the same rig: Eprit80ED @400mm ASI6200MM GAIN100 -20C ZWO ASIAIR/EFW/EAF/Guide Camera EQ6R-Pro Mount I'm still working out my mono process in Pixinsight, there's just so much to learn.
|
|
#
?
Nov 20, 2023 20:11
|
|
|
I spent the last couple days learning and figuring out some more Pixinsight processing techniques, and took another stab at IC405 with a focus on drawing the stars back and letting the nebula come out. Also spent a ton of time understanding pixel rejection algorithms with the goal of eliminating satellite trails. And by "understanding," I mean looking at the mathematical formulas and nodding my head like I know what they mean, but the data in general seems to come out a bit clearer.
|
|
#
?
Nov 21, 2023 20:32
|
|
|
love it
|
|
#
?
Nov 21, 2023 22:36
|
|
|
https://youtu.be/snz7JJlSZvw?si=Wh5S-nGF5FCedNuy
|
|
#
?
Nov 23, 2023 00:42
|
|
|
I just bought a telescope and I want to use it during winter. How does cold affect telescopes? Is there a temperature where mirrors and lens break or anything?
|
|
#
?
Nov 24, 2023 15:12
|
|
|
Mukulu posted:I just bought a telescope and I want to use it during winter. How does cold affect telescopes? Is there a temperature where mirrors and lens break or anything? Which telescope did you buy? I wouldn't worry about breakage as much. I've been out below freezing with SCTs and dobsonians without issue. Depending on your scope type you want want a heated dew shield along with a dew heating strip to wrap around whichever eyepiece you're using. The worse thing is you can get frost buildup over the scope. When you bring your equipment inside just let it all air dry as much as possible before putting them away in a case or other storage. Same goes for eyepieces, etc. The worst thing that has happened to me in the cold was I had my hand freeze to an eyepiece. I just took my hand out of the glove to remove and eyepiece from the focuser. I must have built up some moisture around my hand while in the glove and drat it froze to the cold metal eyepiece pretty much instantly. I could watch the ice crystals grow. That hurt, but no damage was done to the eyepiece nor my hand in the long run. Now I use heating strips like those photographers use around their camera lens.
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2023 03:14
|
|
|
Liquid Chicken posted:Which telescope did you buy? I bought an Orion StarBlast 4.5 Reflector Telescope. All my basic rear end Googling kept leading back to it as an affordable starting point.
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2023 14:46
|
|
|
Mukulu posted:I bought an Orion StarBlast 4.5 Reflector Telescope. All my basic rear end Googling kept leading back to it as an affordable starting point. That's a nice scope, my first was also an Orion reflector and they're great for starting out. They collect an absolute ton of light and are relatively cheap. e - don't listen to me, I'm dumb Golden-i fucked around with this message at 23:40 on Nov 26, 2023 |
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2023 17:09
|
|
|
Collimation adjustments should NEVER put deforming pressure on the mirrors. If your mirror cell CHANGES THE SHAPE OF THE MIRROR you should destroy it immediately. That's what's called "pinched optics" and it's a serious defect. Mirror adjustment screws only adjust the tilt of the mirrors to dial in alignment, like tuning a musical instrument. That avoidance of deforming pressure is why mirror clips need a tiny air gap to prevent actually holding down the mirror itself. In fact, surface deformations aren't the MAIN reason for temperature acclimation; the main purpose is to eliminate warm air currents coming off the mirror and ruining the image. All other effects are subtle at best.
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2023 20:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 28, 2024 17:03 |
|
|
Sorry, I definitely meant ANGLE and not shape. Don't change the shape of your mirrors, that's bad.
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2023 23:39
|
|