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Orion's Belt and Nebula Lens - Samyang 135mm stopped down to f/4 Camera - Sony A7III ISO 1000 Mount - iOptron Skyguider Pro Software - DeepSkyStacker, GIMP Integration - 6.5 Hours 30 second subs Bortle Scale - 4-5 Pleiades  Lens - Samyang 135mm stopped down to f/4 Camera - Sony A7III ISO 1000 Mount - iOptron Skyguider Pro Software - DeepSkyStacker, GIMP Integration - 4 Hours 30 second subs Bortle Scale - 4-5 Orion Nebula  Lens - William Optics Gran Turismo 71 APO Camera - Sony A7III ISO 800 Mount - iOptron Skyguider Pro Software - DeepSkyStacker, GIMP Integration - 2 Hours 30 second subs Bortle Scale - 4-5 Dmitri-9 fucked around with this message at 21:32 on Dec 31, 2022 |
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Dec 31, 2022 19:36
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Dmitri-9 posted:Orion's Belt and Nebula Some nice images there. Hope you don't mind but I had a quick play with pleiades to see if there was any more in it. Even from the jpg there is still more dust/nebula that can be extracted out of it. 
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Dec 31, 2022 23:08
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Raikyn posted:Some nice images there. Hope you don't mind but I had a quick play with pleiades to see if there was any more in it. Thank you so much, the bottom picture is my best so far, journey of a thousand miles etc. I'm having a lot of trouble with image processing, color temperature and vignetting. Part of my problem is I'm too lazy to collect flats, I am calibrating with darks and biases. The youtube experts have videos showing 30 second exposures of the Maia Nebula better than my 2 hours. The fact that you did better with a jpeg than I did with a tif speaks volumes. I know how to manipulate the levels and curves to some degree to bring our structure but I might need more powerful image software.
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Dec 31, 2022 23:24
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I got a little tracing board last year to do flats-and I'm still too lazy. Partly because the cheap one I bought only turns on/off 25% of the time and just annoys me, and its usb power cable is very very short.
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Dec 31, 2022 23:29
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Dmitri-9 posted:Thank you so much, the bottom picture is my best so far, journey of a thousand miles etc. I'm having a lot of trouble with image processing, color temperature and vignetting. Part of my problem is I'm too lazy to collect flats, I am calibrating with darks and biases. The youtube experts have videos showing 30 second exposures of the Maia Nebula better than my 2 hours. The fact that you did better with a jpeg than I did with a tif speaks volumes. I know how to manipulate the levels and curves to some degree to bring our structure but I might need more powerful image software. Of the free options it looks like SIRIL might be the best as a purpose astro processing thing. There will be a bit of a learning curve but I've seen heaps of great images from people using it. I haven't used it myself though. From the images you posted there should be lots of good data there. Just by looking at your settings and integration I was thinking there must be a lot more in those images. If you want you could post up the unedited tiff somewhere and I could have a look, I'm just learning myself though.
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Dec 31, 2022 23:47
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A recent image. ASI294MC + Canon 100mm macro lens set to f5 40 x 180sec Vela Supernova Remnant 
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Jan 1, 2023 00:10
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where is the baader sale that was mentioned? i found a couple places that seemed like it might have been the intended shop, but it wasn't obvious to me e: oh a site linked previously has the sale - agenaastro.com i think im gonna order one or two and see how they compare to SVBONY Achmed Jones fucked around with this message at 01:20 on Jan 1, 2023 |
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Jan 1, 2023 01:05
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Apropos of nothing: I notice that I see way more Celestron SCTs out there than Meade. Is that because Celestrons just tend to be less expensive? Does it reflect some past market segmentation or brand difference where Celestron just happened to corner that particular market? A dealer/distributor thing? Am I just seeing something that isn’t there because the orange tubes are so immediately recognizable? trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 20:56 on Jan 1, 2023 |
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Jan 1, 2023 20:53
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SIRIL was a good lead. I will post some new photos so I don't spam the thread with reprocessed images. Andromeda Galaxy  Lens - Canon 300mm Zoom lens Camera - Canon 7D MkII ISO 800 Mount - iOptron Skyguider Pro Software - DeepSkyStacker, SIRIL, GIMP Integration - 2 Hours 30 second subs Bortle Scale - 4-5 Triangulum Galaxy  Lens - Canon 300mm Zoom lens Camera - Canon 7D MkII ISO 800 Mount - iOptron Skyguider Pro Software - DeepSkyStacker, SIRIL, GIMP Integration - 2 Hours 30 second subs Bortle Scale - 4-5 Reprocessed Orion's Belt and Nebula  Lens - Samyang 135mm stopped down to f/4 Camera - Sony A7III ISO 1000 Mount - iOptron Skyguider Pro Software - DeepSkyStacker, SIRIL, GIMP Integration - 6.5 Hours 30 second subs Bortle Scale - 4-5
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Jan 2, 2023 00:14
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i have a t mount for my camera and telescope but i cant figure out how to actually get the focus and stuff right. i also remember being afraidi was gonna break things with how far the eyepiece was going into the camera. any guides for idiots out there?
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Jan 2, 2023 00:50
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Ok Comboomer posted:Apropos of nothing: I notice that I see way more Celestron SCTs out there than Meade. Is that because Celestrons just tend to be less expensive? Does it reflect some past market segmentation or brand difference where Celestron just happened to corner that particular market? A dealer/distributor thing? Meade has had issues - bankruptcies, lawsuits, series of questionable and lovely products. Consumer confidence in them isn't solid like in the good ole days. Orion now owns them and trying to bring manufacturing back from China. We'll just have to wait to see what's in store for them in the future.
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Jan 2, 2023 01:35
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Achmed Jones posted:i have a t mount for my camera and telescope but i cant figure out how to actually get the focus and stuff right. i also remember being afraidi was gonna break things with how far the eyepiece was going into the camera. any guides for idiots out there? What kind of telescope do you have? Focus is generally achieved when stars are reduced to the smallest size. Look into Bahtinov masks to make things simple. If you can't get sharp focus at all you might need to get a barlow lens or a low profile focuser for a newtonian.
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Jan 2, 2023 03:06
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yeah it's a newtonian - celestron starsense explorer 130az. this is the t-ring adapter i have: https://a.co/d/9SIHsXZ i'll look into those masks, thank you! i was just kind of jamming eyepieces in there to try to get something; without an eyepiece at all i could only get pictures of the mirror (lol) thanks!
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Jan 2, 2023 03:23
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Achmed Jones posted:yeah it's a newtonian - celestron starsense explorer 130az. this is the t-ring adapter i have: https://a.co/d/9SIHsXZ You shouldn't be using the eyepiece at all, with mine I just take the piece that holds the eyepiece off, then screw the adapter straight to that. Depending on the scope you may or may not need extenders  
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Jan 2, 2023 04:49
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New rig is built... and nothing but clouds and -20C temps the last two weeks, and full moon coming up when the weather clears this week. So, I'll share the rig instead of an astro pic: ZWO ASI6200MM, 5x2" EFW (LRGB lenses), and OAG are the new bits. The Redcat51, guide camera ASI120mm, and ASIAIR I've had for a while. I'm really, REALLY looking forward to getting out more in 2023 and hope I can work out the kinks in my processing workflow.
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Jan 2, 2023 05:18
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Raikyn posted:You shouldn't be using the eyepiece at all, with mine I just take the piece that holds the eyepiece off, then screw the adapter straight to that. Depending on the scope you may or may not need extenders hmm, that's what i tried the first time and I wasn't able to get a picture of anything other than mirror itself. maybe i need to futz around with extenders and such more
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Jan 2, 2023 05:26
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Achmed Jones posted:hmm, that's what i tried the first time and I wasn't able to get a picture of anything other than mirror itself. maybe i need to futz around with extenders and such more Having a look around it seems you need to get closer to the mirror. Or if you have a barlow you can use that but the FOV will be quite a bit smaller https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/808497-difficulty-focusing-with-nikon-d7500-and-celestron-starsense-explorer-130az-used-as-prime-lens/
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Jan 2, 2023 05:52
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Achmed Jones posted:hmm, that's what i tried the first time and I wasn't able to get a picture of anything other than mirror itself. maybe i need to futz around with extenders and such more You're right, you can't do prime focus photography with that scope without modifying it. You need to use eyepiece projection unless you want to modify it and move the mirror cell.
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Jan 2, 2023 06:08
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thanks so much to the both of you! that thread gave me a thing to try (skipping the 1.25" adapter), some links for cameras/scopes that might make photography possible with either my existing scope or camera depending, and i feel less stupid about my previous failures. i got a pile of filters and some vibration suppression pads for christmas, and ordered a couple Baadar lenses yesterdays so i have a lot of playing to do when it clears up thanks again! Achmed Jones fucked around with this message at 07:05 on Jan 2, 2023 |
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Jan 2, 2023 06:49
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Dmitri-9 posted:SIRIL was a good lead. I will post some new photos so I don't spam the thread with reprocessed images. Those look a bit better  It's a good start, looks like you now have a bit of work to do reprocessing images haha
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Jan 2, 2023 12:14
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I'm wondering about solar viewing/photography. I have an astromaster 130eq, looks like I might need a Herschel wedge? I see solar filters are pretty readily available but I'm very hesitant to just buy something off Google and call it good - I value my eyesight. Wondered if anyone had any advice or knowledge to share?
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Jan 3, 2023 19:02
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Comrade Blyatlov posted:I'm wondering about solar viewing/photography. I have an astromaster 130eq, looks like I might need a Herschel wedge? You don't need a Herschel Wedge. Skip that. For your scope you just something like a filter that securely fits over the front of your scope. Astrozap sells them and they use the recommend Baader Solar Film. https://astrozap.com/collections/solar-filters/products/baader-solar-filter Just measure the outside diameter of the front end of your scope and pick the one that fits in the range. They'll have three screws to fit tight on your scope for safely. Check the filter before each use so you don't laser out an eyeball. As for expectations, you'll be able to see the sun's disk and varying sunspots that come and go. You will not see solar flares, kernelization, corona, filaments and the like. That takes either a specialized solar telescope with certain filters or adaptations to a scope like Quarks and other parks that are ungodly expensive. Better off just getting a solar scope from Lunt or Coronado if you want to go in that direction.
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Jan 3, 2023 21:07
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Comrade Blyatlov posted:I'm wondering about solar viewing/photography. I have an astromaster 130eq, looks like I might need a Herschel wedge? Don't buy a Herschel wedge because a Herschel wedge can ONLY be used with a refractor. Just get a front aperture solar filter.
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Jan 3, 2023 23:28
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I guess just the thought of not getting the right thing makes me nervous as gently caress haha
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Jan 3, 2023 23:36
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I got my hyperion eyepieces today and they seem great - I can't wait until it clears up enough to test them out, along with my filters and vibration pads from Christmas I can't figure out how to connect the 1.25" filters to the Hyperion eyepieces. The manual says that it connects on the 1.25" barrel, and I see the threads where you take the 1.25" adapter off the 2" eyepiece, but I can't get them to accept the filters. The filters are SVBONY brand. The filters fit just fine into the Celestron eyepieces that came with my telescope. Any tips?
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Jan 5, 2023 19:51
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Achmed Jones posted:I got my hyperion eyepieces today and they seem great - I can't wait until it clears up enough to test them out, along with my filters and vibration pads from Christmas Which Hyperions do you have? Is this the 31mm or 36mm? I have the 8mm, 13mm, 17mm and 21mm. I use mostly 2" filter in the 2" to 1.25" adapter, but I tried a few 1.25" filters. Filters from Astromania, Baader and Celestron work just fine without issues. Check the threads on both the eyepiece and filters to see if they are machined right.
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Jan 5, 2023 23:38
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Liquid Chicken posted:Which Hyperions do you have? Is this the 31mm or 36mm? 17mm and 5mm. I've only tried the 17mm though. Thanks for trying! I wonder if maybe the threads on the filter aren't long enough or something, since they work in the Celestron eyepieces
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Jan 6, 2023 02:09
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Achmed Jones posted:17mm and 5mm. I've only tried the 17mm though. Thanks for trying! I wonder if maybe the threads on the filter aren't long enough or something, since they work in the Celestron eyepieces It's possible that the threads on the filters are too short. SvBony's service is good and they are economical, but their history of quality control isn't the greatest. Baader quality is very precise and might not be so tolerant. Which SvBony filters did you get?
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Jan 6, 2023 13:46
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Liquid Chicken posted:It's possible that the threads on the filters are too short. SvBony's service is good and they are economical, but their history of quality control isn't the greatest. Baader quality is very precise and might not be so tolerant. This set plus a UHC filter
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Jan 6, 2023 23:22
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Achmed Jones posted:This set plus a UHC filter Weird there's no #80A med. blue in that set. It's one of the better ones for viewing Jupiter.
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Jan 7, 2023 03:59
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PerniciousKnid posted:I found this essay helpful, it seems to encapsulate most of the common beginner advice. Thanks so much, took me a second to wrap my mind around this, but now it makes sense. Just to pay it forward, I found this to be a good resource and helped me go from raw numbers to choosing an actual product (some Tele Vue Plossls): https://telescopenights.com/best-te...ear%20by%20GSO. Separately, does anyone have any good beginner's resources beyond the concatenation of websites that people have mentioned previously and in the OP? I'm trying to assemble a bit of a syllabus for myself to learn some fundamentals about visual astronomy, optics, the history of astronomy, the nature of certain celestial bodies, celestial motion etc. Is there a general-purpose textbook(s) for people getting into the hobby? Paging between an endless regress of websites and youtube videos works somewhat well but certainly doesn't seem very efficient, and you have to put some faith in the sources you're using, which are sometimes unclear or contradictory. I'm not sure if joining a local club is practical for me at the moment, so it's going to be a matter of self-teaching for a while. Lastly, I haven't seen any chatter in this thread about the upcoming comet in late Jan/early Feb. Am I correct to assume that viewing and tracking any object of that approximate size within the solar system will follow the same basic heuristics of viewing the planets/moons? Just want to make sure I don't miss a unique opportunity while I'm still getting the rudiments down
Jewmanji fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Jan 9, 2023 |
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Jan 9, 2023 01:10
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Jewmanji posted:Thanks so much, took me a second to wrap my mind around this, but now it makes sense. Just to pay it forward, I found this to be a good resource and helped me go from raw numbers to choosing an actual product (some Tele Vue Plossls): https://telescopenights.com/best-te...ear%20by%20GSO. One of the best and comprehensive information about eyepiece optics can be found here and this is only part I. the links for the other parts is at the bottom: https://www.handprint.com/ASTRO/ae1.html?fbclid=IwAR05kK1R87DGjhlIQ8MSIpwvKHhH5t2Hws97HN-AxXu26f7hsqil8M7JSVg The main website: https://www.handprint.com/ASTRO/ As for printed books, "Turn Left at Orion" and "Nightwatch" are the two most commonly suggested for new folks. The former includes star maps. I only have that one. I've read a few other not worth mentioning as they either out of date and/or they have a really strong bias towards one type of telescope or type of astronomy. You'll find out quick that there's many paths to the same goal along with many facets to the hobby. As a result there's really no one book that covers it all. The Internet is really the largest depository of information and more up to date when it comes to the tech. Forums like Cloudy Nights usually can answer most questions with preexisting threads or just drop a question there and you'll get you answer soon enough. Starman1 (Don Pensack), Jon Issacs, Ernst (Russian dude) and a few other are the eyepiece experts.
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Jan 9, 2023 13:57
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Don't think anyone is going to be taking images with this visible anytime soon, but I thought this was pretty neat. It should be called the Andromeda Nebula just to make the circle complete https://twitter.com/astrofalls/status/1612419792178380800?s=20
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Jan 9, 2023 18:16
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One of the more interesting advancements in astronomy over the past 10-20 years has been this 'low surface brightness' imaging- wide-field astrophotography with fast telescopes, very long exposure times and strict control of stray light, revealing a lot of large, faint nebulosity that hadn't previously been known. It's particularly interesting how much of it has been done with 'off-the-shelf' high-end amateur astro gear. Most large research telescopes have pretty restricted fields of view, so very large, faint nebulosity covering the entire field of view would often just be written off as sky background. There's been an increased interest in low-surface-brightness stuff over the past decade or so in professional fields; probably the most visible example is the Dragonfly Telephoto Array. Can't say I ever expected to see such a discovery around M31, though!
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Jan 9, 2023 18:43
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quote:Optically the telescope functions as the equivalent of a 1.0 m diameter refractor with a focal ratio of f/0.4 Holy Crap.
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Jan 9, 2023 19:06
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duodenum posted:Holy Crap. Holy gently caress it's the "what if we duct taped..." thought experiment and it *made a significant discovery* in Andromeda
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Jan 9, 2023 19:26
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the dragonfly array is really cool. they have made some great discoveries of really faint and diffuse dwarf galaxies (which orbit around Andromeda if I remember correctly) as well as stellar streams which orbit around the milky way. the stellar streams are the leftovers of ancient dwarf galaxies which have been ripped apart by gravitational tidal forces
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Jan 9, 2023 19:53
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Potato Salad posted:Holy gently caress it's the "what if we duct taped..." thought experiment To be clear, Dragonfly did not discover this particular object- it was a different team, using a single 106mm refractor. Here’s the discovery paper.
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Jan 9, 2023 20:51
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Does anyone use Topaz as part of their processing routine? Seems popular on reddit. Looks pretty great but don't know if it makes much of a difference at the resolution I typically view pictures. Not really ready to print out a giant poster to see if it improves that either.
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Jan 13, 2023 03:40
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Anyone got any comet experience to talk about? There's that new one, C2022 E3, that is passing by for the next few weeks. I understand there's still a lot of unknowns about it so I'm curious about generalities. It will be at its brightest (maybe not to us on earth) when closest to the sun correct? So how does one estimate observing quality as it nears earth? Basically I'm trying to get an idea for the best nights to go try and capture a shot between now and the first week of February since I don't have the luxury of getting to dark skies every night (3-4 hours from bortle 2).
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Jan 15, 2023 01:19
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