Відео

Hey Grant. I'm glad you enjoyed the video despite having no astro-images. Definitely a great experience for me! I plan to visit again, probably next summer for an extended time. I am "with you" on the imaging idea! My intentions next time are to bring along an adapter, imaging camera, ASIAIR and AD/DC converter. That is all I need to give it a try! Guiding would be impossible, but exposure times could be very short, I am sure. It's worth a try, just for fun! Cheers!

Do you live anywhere near California?

Oh, that is really cool! Please do "say hello"! More than likely you have already met him. Phil is a classic astronomer (old school). He does not do any astrophotography. But if you have access to a telescope like that at Fremont Peak, I can easily understand why!

@@jpastroguy This is actually funny because this coming Friday, I’ll be publishing a video about … Japan 😜 on my UA-cam channel (Dark Sky Geek) Anyway, great video, and I generally enjoy your content, so keep it up!

@@jlecomte0719 Thanks for watching and the nice comments. And I appreciate the tip about your upcoming video and channel. I am looking forward to it and others @ Dark Sky Geek!

Hi Julian, Wow! Small world. Hope to met you the the FPOA Star-B-Que next month! Phil

​@@jpastroguy I love visual observing. There is something about letting those photons tickle your retina (instead of being swallowed up by silicon) after coming so far for so long that appeals to me. A sense of oneness with the cosmos, I suppose. Anyway, I do occasionally take constellation or comet shots with a fast wide angle or telephoto lens on my DLSR mounted on a tripod, but haven't done much deep sky imaging since my grad student days at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy atop 14,000 ft Mauna Kea. There I would ride in the prime focus cage of the 144 inch Canada France Hawaii Telescope taking long exposure images of galaxies on Hypersensitized Kodak 4N plates the old fashioned way, by manually keeping a guide star on an illuminated reticle using a hand-held drive control paddle while staring into an eyepiece for hours. Things are so much easier now! You don't realize how good you got it! Isn't technology wonderful?

My pleasure. After now having it for many months, I love it more. It is great for Milky Way imaging and taking extreme widefield images of the sky (e.g. 35mm); especially under darker skies. Just last week I even picked up Uranus in Bortle class 4 skies. However, I do not use this camera for astrophotography (e.g. nebula, galaxies, etc.) I am not a camera expert. This is the first real SLR camera I ever owned, but I like it very much for general photography and low light photography. Best wishes and clear skies! PAUL

Thanks for watching and commenting. I am glad you found it useful. Unfortunately, I have no way to measure the threads and no information was provided with the scope. I suspect the only way to get this information is to contact Askar directly. Best wishes and clear skies!

Hi Cliff. Considering that poor seeing conditions are the norm here in Yokohama, I would conclude that your concerns are probably not warranted. But I have no data to support my suspicions. For me, there seems to be no real difference in guiding performance. I just like the Askar unit a little better, for other reasons. Thanks for watching Astrophotography Japan!

@@jpastroguy And I don't disagree about the quality of the ASKAR, which I have and the 52mm on the way.

I appreciate your kind comments, John. Thank you so much for watching! Clear skies and best wishes! PAUL

Hi Rogerio, that is great news! Thanks for watching and clear skies!

Not only do we have the same name, but I guess we think alike! Thanks for watching! PAUL

Indeed that is true. I hope to play around with it more! Thanks for watching Astrophotography Japan. Clear skies!

Thank you kindly for the compliment. You would also probably like Episode 32, I suspect. Best wishes and clear skies! PAUL

​@@jpastroguysure will see episode 32.

I am glad you found it helpful. Actually, I was a bit surprised that the mount could operate GoTo in both EQ and AZ modes with the ASIAIR. The AZ-GTi mount cannot do this in AZ mode for example. One thing I learned since this video, is that you do not need to pay such close attention to the initial NORTH directional alignment. Just level the tripod accurately; that is all. The star alignment process will automatically determine NORTH no matter which direction you initially point the mount toward. Other than that, all the other points are valid. I have used the ASIAIR for assisting in star hopping on manual ALT AZ mounts too. Episode 13 is a good example of that. Thanks for watching Astrophotography Japan! Clear skies! PAUL

Another thing, I really like all your ideas of how you connected the devices you use so that they sit on top while in alt az mode

@@808musicman808 Finding a ring set that fit and buying all the necessary clamps and accessories was a challenge. But I finally got my SV48P and 503 80ED set up exactly like I want it. The additional cost involved was not insignificant, but I think it was worth it. Best regards!

Thanks. When I learn something new in this hobby, I just feel compelled to share it. Even if nobody cares!

And thank you for watching, Matthias! Cheers!

Thanks Alex. I am happy to hear that you "connect" with my video style and content. I personally like these scattered travel videos the best; although, they get less views than pure astrophotography or simple product reviews. SeeStar is tempting. I am sure you will make the best decision based on your experience and motivations. Clear skies!

@@jpastroguy shame about the views ... I enjoy your style of travel and astro with a hefty dose of nerdism coupled with a healthy mix of science the thing about the virtuoso is that I can also work it with my 135 F2 or 70-200 2.8 with my r7 ... so it leaves plenty of choice even if only alt az ... ah well ... I could also save up for a Umi lite ...

Thanks Arvid, it is satisfying to know that people like you "get it". I love pursuing some beautiful deep sky images too, but this hobby has a lot more to offer besides that..... There are a lot of curiosities up there that are worthwhile investigating and learning about. And I don`t need to spend a fortune on high-end gear to do that.. Also, enjoying this hobby/pursuit in exotic & beautiful natural settings is tremendously fun and satisfying for me at this time in my life. I am happy to share these travel adventures! Thanks for your interest and support. Best wishes and clear skies!

Thanks Paul. I am glad you found it interesting. I think most astrophotographers just think of satellites as a nuisance. They are, of course. But fascinating, never-the-less! Clear skies!

@@jpastroguy Hi Paul, At this moment the weather is more troubling than satellites :). Spring was very wet and cloudy in the Netherlands. Almost no clear skies. Have a nice day (and of course a clear night)

Saya biasa menggunakan ponsel untuk mengambil foto ketika pertama kali memulai astrofotografi sekitar 3 tahun yang lalu. Tetapi sekarang, saya secara eksklusif menggunakan kamera khusus astro dan mengambil semua foto dan video dengan kamera tersebut.

Thanks Matthais. I don't expect this one to be a "popular" video for the general crowd who like pretty pictures. But, I find even these small observations and the science behind them to be amazing..... Clear skies!

@@jpastroguy No worries! It was interesting to watch, and you should make stories that interest you. If you are interested, others may be interested as well. Have a great weekend!

Hi John. The SV48P set-up at the beginning of this video weighs about 3500 grams. But if you watch one of my early episodes, like #2 - you will see that I am using the SV503 80ED scope with multiple accessories (ASIAIR, Guidescope, camera) on the AZ-GTi mount. This OTA set-up is close to 5 kg. To my surprise, I was able to do a lot of nice imaging on the AZ-GTi mount with that scope. In retrospect (now that I own the AM5), with that weight, the AZ-GTi mount is highly sensitive to wind and I would often discard 20 to 30% of the images due to mis-shapen stars or trails. So tracking and guiding works at close to 5kg, but I have never really exceeded 5 kg. With the AM5 mount, I now almost never discard a single photo based on tracking artifacts. I hope those comments help. Thanks for watching Astrophotography Japan!

@@jpastroguy Thank you for the detailed response. This is really helpful information and exactly what I needed to know! Cheers!

Hey John, thanks for your kind comment. I try hard to be thorough. BTW, I just noticed that Askar released a 50mm version of their guidescope! Looks great! But I do not really have a use for it. Thanks for watching Astrophotography Japan!

My pleasure. Glad it was helpful!

Yea, it doesn`t create H-alpha images like Lands, etc., but it does provide nice views of sunspot activity. It is a good value. Thanks for the comments and watching!

OK. Your math is correct. However, if there is another point embedded in there; I missed it. Thanks for watching Astrophotography Japan! Paul

Hey Don, nice to hear from you! There is definitely a sense of anticipation building in the astrophotography community about this nova. I am keeping my eye on www.aavso.org (T CrB) everyday to see when the magnitude spikes! Let's hope for clear skies! Best, PAUL

I watch the information on www.aavso.org every day to see if it has happened yet. Then I will jump all over it! Clear skies!

Thanks Fabio! I try hard to be comprehensive, fair and honest! Clear skies!

Hi Paul, I learned about the AAVSO some time after releasing this video and I now monitor it almost daily. I am looking forward to the nova event and hoping for some clear nights! Good luck wishes to you too! Thanks for watching Astrophotography Japan!

Hi Muru, I think the SVBony SV225 would securely handle the AstroTech 115EDT. That should be no problem. As for the Explore Scientific Twilight mount, you are correct they look very similar. The SVBony has an additional vixen-bar-locking screw (total of 3), a different design regarding the attachment of the base plate to the arm, and a handle-bar for pointing and manipulating the scope. Personally, I like the SVBony assembly design that has only one big screw and a secure no-slip fitted connection to the base plate. Because it has only one screw, I can rapidly disassemble and store the mount head compactly. I need to be mobile and compact, and hence the Twilight system does not look good for me. However, if you do not mind the long two-section Twilight tripod design, I think it looks exceptionally wide and stable. My recommendation is the following; if you want mobility, light weight and compactness, you should mirror my set-up with the SVBony SV225 mount and Geehope CF tripod. But if weight, compactness and mobility is not a priority for you, I recommend the Twilight design - mainly for its stable-looking tripod (you have a big scope). The mount heads look very similar with only slight advantages going to the SVBony (no big deal).

Hi Paul, that was good comparison info. I will keep that in mind. Thanks for taking the time to provide such a detailed reply!

Thanks Arvid, you fully recognized the main theme of this channel! Clear skies!

It is a good scope for viewing and imaging the planets, double stars, globular clusters and for very high power daytime viewing. This is a supplemental specialty scope and not a general purpose scope. Of course, it is not good for deep sky object imaging due to its high F-ratio. Overall, for the price, it is an excellent deal.

To my knowledge, filters will have no impact on polar alignment. I use a UV.IR cut filter frequently during polar alignment.

@@jpastroguycheers

Thank you. Now that I have used the AM5 mount for over a year, I can say that I do not always see that kind of star trail pattern. Most of the time it is a normal smooth line. But I still have no explanation for what causes it. My experience with the mount is nothing but positive! I am even thinking to buy the AM3 mount, as well. The severe Northern latitudes have unique issues with regard to darkness and the Northern Lights. It must be a real challenge for astrophotographers like you! Thanks for watching astrophotography japan.

Narrow band imaging versus UV.IR cut filters are very different and used for different targets. Personally, I do not think a comparison is particularly useful. It is easy to anticipate the results.

Hey Bernd, it's nice to hear from you. The TC40 tripod has a mounting platform that is unique for use with the ZWO AM5 mount. It is not designed to be universally compatible with various other AZ or EQ mounts. But even irregardless of that, I think the GeeHope B560C will be an excellent choice for visual astronomy-use with your telescope. Thanks for watching Astrophotography Japan!

@@jpastroguy Thank you very much! Your assessment is very helpful for me. I'm looking for a stable base for the SV225 mount, which I bought after watching your video. I thought the TC40 would be suitable for it.....

Greetings, at 16:02, you can glimpse my OTA set-up. So you don't actually need a field-flattener to use the camera. And frankly, there is no custom field-flattener or reducer-flattener which is designed for this telescope. Only higher-end ED-glass scopes that have optics designed for Astrophotography typically have FF/RF lenses. You could try another brand FF/RF, but it is not worth buying anything for this scope. With the IMX533 sensor, on the SV48P, you will not see much edge distortion; only a little . The sensor is fairly small. So, all you need to do is attach a a 2 inch nosepiece/ M42 adapter to the 11mm extension ring on the front of the 533MC camera. Thanks it! You can then draw-back the focus tube until you see sharp stars on your Preview-mode photos. The only reason I put extra rings and a filter drawer between my camera and optical tube was so that I did not have to extend my focus tube too far. Less is more stable and strong. Since you are not using any FF/RF, there is no back-focus distance requirement. Just find the focus point like you do with visual observations and you are good-to-go! I hope this explanation helps. Clear skies!

BTW, the nosepiece adapter is called a M42 T2 camera adapter.

@@jpastroguy They give a 1.25" T2 adapter with the camera so I must be fine ?. Or do I really need a 2" T2 ??

If you can connect the T2 adapter to the M42 threads on your ASI533MC camera, you are fine. However, if you use a camera with a larger sensor, like a APS-C size sensor, you might get some image vignetting. The IMX533 sensor will work with the 1.25 inch nosepiece, however.

@@jpastroguy Nice, I guessed correctly. Thank you

Sure. To a beginner, it is not obvious. Dithering is a process where the mount moves the image frame only a few pixels in one random direction. I usually dither 5 pixels every 3 or 5 images. Because guiding is so accurate, if you do not dither, any camera sensor hot pixels (obviously bad), will continuously reinforce hot pixels areas. But, if you dither, those hot pixels now seem to move around in the image frames, obviously following the dithering pattern. The fact that these hot pixels are not consistently located in one position (after dithering) relative to the deep sky object, tells the stacking software that the hot pixels are background noise. This is sometimes called "walking noise" because the hot pixels seem to "walk around" the photos. So, later, in processing, the stacking software eliminates those randomly moving hot pixels colors from the final image. As a result, the final photos look cleaner and more beautiful and more accurate. Dithering is a process that helps stacking do a better job at background elimination.

@@jpastroguy Thank you for the thorough explanation :) That leads me to a new question... During the stacking process, doesn't the software do some aligning of the photos? Since the hot pixels do a walk around, so should the stars :)

Unfortunately, your question indicates that you still do not fully understand the concept. So let me describe the dithering phenomenon from the reverse perspective. The relationship of the stars to nebula (special proximity) never changes in the individual frames. The sensor is recording a true image. But with dithering, that true image is slightly shifted in random directions on the dithered photos. Hot pixels never never move, however. If the hot pixel is a bright green background pixel at position x186:y642 (for example), that hot background pixel never shifts during the dithering event. It is always at x186:y642 on the sensor because it is a property of the sensor, not related to the image. But all the other image patterns, including the stars DO shift. Stacking aligns the image patterns only, including the stars. Hot pixels did not move. But relative to the DSO images, it "appears" they move and are hence interpreted as noise. It is easy to demonstrate this with actual images, but hard to describe verbally or in writing. Sorry if I am confusing you!

@@jpastroguy ah yes, of course! Now I understand. Of course the hot pixels do not move in relation to the image frame. Thank you for your effort 👍🏼😃

I think you got it, now! Clear skies!

Hi Mike. There certainly is a theoretical ideal relationship between guidescope specifications, guide cameras, and the OTA set-up. I have seen a video or two explaining aspects of this relationship. But this is not in the realm of my expertise. I suggest you post a question like this on some forum or even a FACEBOOK page to get some feedback. I do not want to speculate and potentially lead you astray. As for using color cameras for guiding, you are correct; it is non-ideal, but it works. The Bayer matrix simply wastes photons that otherwise could have been used for better star images / star shapes. Guiding software can theoretically work better with monochrome data. But when "in a pinch", a color sensor works fine. Frankly, I could not really notice any difference in guiding performance with my ASI678MC planetary camera......but that is a gut-impression assessment..........I have no capability to measure or do any kind of guide-data / guide-camera comparison in a controlled experiment.

Hi Massimo, good to hear from you! I have noticed your solar images on Telescopius. It is quite interesting, but I have not tried much of it, yet. It seems like this year has been a difficult one for many night sky astrophotographers. Unfortunately, here, the clouds and rain have been extra plentiful, too. I hope you have settled into your new home, comfortably. Best wishes, PAUL

You got that right! Perhaps this video should have been rated PG for swearing, nudity and alcohol? Hah!

@@jpastroguy I'm totally sympathetic. Artificial lights are a serious bane and can be a nasty surprise when visiting a place for the first time, like the cottages in Hanno. Remember?

Hey Kwasi, thanks so much for the nice comments! It means a lot! If you need any advice, help or suggestions for your planned upcoming trip to Japan, please contact me at my email address (jpastroguy@gmail.com). If you guys want a guide for a day-trip around Hakone, I would be happy to volunteer. It is a great place to view autumn foliage. Clear skies! PAUL

Hello Robin.Thanks for watching Astrophotography Japan! My answer would be influenced by your home and accessibility to the sky and what interests you most (viewing or photography)?. If you have some property and easy access to it (and the sky above), then I think the hobby is manageable. But if it will require some lifting and distant transporting of equipment, then it's difficult. Frankly, my astrophotography (AP) hobby is actually a motivating factor for me to hit the fitness club several times per week! I am getting older (now 65) and hence want to keep up my strength for this hobby when I travel or venture to the park. But, starting small is always a good option, and actually advisable. I started with viewing, with a small telescopes (60mm) that led me to AP. Now-a-days, it is even easy to dive right in with SmartTelescopes and such. For instance, the ZWO SEESTAR S50 or DWARF 2 from DwarfLabs are two inexpensive and good options to immediately start in AP. And they are very light and transportable, too! Of course, their capabilities are limited, but amazing none-the-less. We can discuss more by email if you like. Contact me at jpastroguy@gmail.com. PAUL

Maybe you want to join me on the pier overnight in the summer? Think about it! Thanks for always watching, Matthias!

Sounds great!@@jpastroguy

Yea, I think maybe I lucked out that night. But I took care to level the tripod and I triple checked the PA. I used the ASIAIR with the FMA135 OTA on the North Celestial Pole. I do not do anything special, so I do not think another PA video would be very valuable. But thank you for the suggestion and for watching Astrophotography Japan! Clear skies (in the South Bronx?)!!!

Hi Paul2 - Life is an adventure; just trying to cease it! And share it with anyone interested! I got just the right buzz from that bottle of sake that night. It put me in the right mood for the onsen, too! The studio to which you refer is the Ad Astra room at my place of part-time employment - Laurus International School of Science (a private - English based - international school in Tokyo). I have decked out that teaching room and bought a bunch of astronomy gear for the school.......I help with curriculum development and astro-related subjects and activities, working mostly with middle schoolers..... It's a fun retirement gig! Cheers!

I appreciate the invite, but that is a bit unlikely. However, you are welcome to join me here! Clear skies

Fun trip!

Thanks Yervant!