Відео

Thanks for the tip on Astro-Photography Tool... For my SCT's, I'm now using a Tri-Bahtinov Mask that works well... Same principle basically...

Funny what you think of when your in a bind... A Dispersion Corrector wasn't even on the radar until I happened to see it sitting in the unused section of my Astro stuff... I'm very familar with that DayStar Film and know a few individuals that have tried to use it without much success. Not sure if it is them or the film? Not worth it for me as I can make flats by looking for a quite part of the sun and going way out of focus. Then use SharpCaps Capture Flats option and I have a Master Flat that works very well. The Quark isn't show a full disk with my rig so it is an easy fix...

Looks like my dyslexia kicked in at the wrong time... Thanks for the heads up...

Thnaks for the info... Rock Mallin the maker of Mallincam cameras has a couple of SolarCams that he says fixed the Newton Rings issue and from those that have his cameras, seems they work very well. I didn't feel like spending the cash just for a Soalr Camera as I like the ones I have now and the Dispersion Corrector saved my bacon... ;-)

I think the Newton rings are just caused by the Fabry-Perot etalon inside the Daystar Quark, and not by the window of the camera. Actually the rings are visible in cameras with and without window

@@jmm3194 I know a few people that have purchased a SolarCam and they say the camera helped with their Newton Ring issue. They also have Quarks similar to my set up and Lunt Solar Scopes... I didn't feel like spending the cash for another camera when I'm very happy with what I already have. Not sure what this means as this is way above my paygrade... ;-)

Hope they can help you also...

Hello, at 4:00 into the video I show the landscape.ini file that I used to tweak for my skies. The area you need to look for is the maptex_top & maptex_bottom. Changing these numbers will align the pano up and down to get that final look for your skies. To align the pano left or right you use the angle_ratatez number. Hope this helps...

@@jeffrh do you even need the bottom?

@@OnceShy_TwiceBitten Using the top and bottom you can fine ture how high and how low the image fits to match your location from where the mount is located. I would set the top first to get that looking right and if the image is looking a little funky after that. You can use the bottom to srink or stretch the height as needed...

Aggreed, but in the end I had to try something and this is what I came up with...

Glad it helped...

3:25 I'm turning the 3mm allen to start taking backlash out. 5:04 I'm adjusting the 2mm allen to limit the housing movement to 2 to 3 mm total... Hope that helps...

I assume you have a refractor or a scope with spiders... Spiders can give spikes with a little extra punch if you are using longer exposers... like anything over 3 minutes. This can make StarNet++ work a little harder and it will sometimes fail. This is what it is sounding like from here. If you are using a refractor, you will need at a minimum a UV/IR Cut filter. That will help with star halos. Gobs are the hardest thing to fix using these tools. There can be too many stars too close together for the routines to work correctly and thus it will fail. Hope this helps and Clear Skies... which I haven't had since October of last year. 😞

@@jeffrh Just got notified of your comment Jeff. 4 weeks it took! I was using an SCT for M3 while I also have a refractor. The star spikes though, happen with my Samyang 85mm lens. Great lens but the spikes are produced by the blades. Anyhow, just the way it is. I'll work with it.

@@earthling8635 UA-cam can be like that... ;-) The spikes you see in this image are from the brightness of the stars. The C14 which made this image usually doesn't have spikes unless there is something bright in the FOV. I don't mind them very much and if I really wanted to spend the time. I could easily remove them. The colimation was off a tiny bit so that might contribute to some of the length to one side... The Samyang 85 might be more susessable to spkies when it is wide open. Try going a stop or two up and see if that helps the cause... if anything it should help the edges of the image...

Thanks, Timothy The parts I 3D printed were for my IDAS RASA 11 Adaptor. If you have the same adaptor, then yes, I can print you the 2 parts I made for that adaptor. If you are using the supplied Celestron camera adaptor(s). Then these will not work with those parts. You can find the Flock or Felt here: www.amazon.com/YaoHui-Adhesive-Sheets-Backing-Backed/dp/B0BYM5LQQZ/ref=sr_1_5?adgrpid=1337006702007014&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.52NBUdKtJpTk0uY7VmZIubJx7xV_w5gM3rqNa0Xvxu6EUmF6pQ8fqebdFDAe1ZsW2GsgiXRk0x6vyelUCE8bQa6T8jqY5fp6FB3tzOQ02CuQzuuVCjHt-5Gjt67SJAGYUX9DAyuCylxbZMXKZVa9Gp5tdq_A8lkhwmnnKg0g20hCl7PyC_qzcFeZsd9LBcWlwNFVfeLDpF-yN5m3LzqD00B5XI7BsHrkuNXaiFmX1XsZzjx-IO8UxYz3yUJlGWVJqs2glHuGGKQzE9EecxB06nHFvhhve-Xxfgwb6jCSnvY.rWamqYosX3VodDLoCcVbLkrMfIEmK1nJIUceGhqnPxU&dib_tag=se&hvadid=83562989670986&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=104790&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=p&hvtargid=kwd-83563259039727%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=5300_10448130&keywords=sticky%2Bbacked%2Bfelt&qid=1708356603&sr=8-5&th=1 Sorry for the long link...

Thanks, Tim I do dither every 5ish minutes or so. I don't like to do it much more than that as I only shoot any target for 90 minutes. For the image used in this video. It was supplied by a friend. It was a Live Stack made in Mallincamsky and that program can't dither. He does a lot of outreach and will save the final stack to an image he can start working on. The walking noise unfortunately is one of the side effects of the way he captures the data... I used this image as the stars were very bad and it worked well for this video.

Paul I just check my version and it was updated recently. I also checked the Play Store and saw the message saying it isn't compatible with my device. I can assure you that the version on my phone is working. So something has happened in the year since I made this to make this app something that the Dioptra devs no longer wish to have on people's phones... I do know there are other programs of this type in the Play store. Try doing a search for Dioptra and see what pops up... Good Luck...

Paul, I did find this link dioptra-a-camera-tool.en.softonic.com/android Maybe you can sideload the program to your phone... Use at your own risk as sideloading apps is not recommended by Google.

Paul Did you check any of the other links in the Description below the video? For instance GeoCam is web based and is loaded via your browser. I have used that and it worked well. Give it a shot...

I decided to use my system camera on a tripod. Don't need Dioptra, or any other app anymore :) Thanks for all your thoughts

Glad it helped you out...

And Hello to you also... Hope you found the video useful.

Math wasn't one of my better subject in school as you could tell... ;-) I never would have gotten that from the spelling alone. Glad you enjoyed the video.

asinh = latin: arcus sinus hyperbolicus - pronouncing acronyms like a real word sounds often ... funny :)

Glad you found it useful and now you can fix up your backlash...

All done. I found play between the gears and very little to no movement with the body. After backing off the larger screw until I had no backlash I found I had 1mm play return to the body. A test run powered up proved no binding or loud gear noise.. if anything it sounds better. Excited for my next session! Thanks again for the down to earth instructions.@@jeffrh

@@saskgrass Excellant, glad everything worked out. If you are to tight for some reason. Just back off on that 3 mm allen. I found that in assembly from the factory they didn't use anything like blue Loctite and my screws would back out over time. Just keep an eye on things. I only need to set the backlash in the spring before starting my season. This has been good enough for a full season of use. Enjoy your new found guiding bliss... ;-)

Take your time and learn the tools and what they and you like... Have fun!

Thanks Dave I can't stress enough that using PLA might get you in trouble. If you make the Sol 'Ex version of this for solar work. You will need a sun shade to keep the direct sun off the unit. As I mentioned, PET-G is a higher temp fliament and will stand up better to solar heating. I have 2 printers, one setup for PLA and one for PET-G. That makes life easier as I don't need to mess with the different settings you need in the slicers. It was a fun project that took about 3 short days to print everything. Good luck if you decide to print one for yourself... Happy New Year!

Which version of CPWI are you using? Would you also be using the Celestron WiFi dongle? If so, that dongle is low power and starts to fail after 30ish feet or so. I stopped using my Celestron WiFi dongle 4 years ago because it was so flaky. Another thing that my interfear with the WiFi is the location. If you have a dense population around the gear. There isn't enough WiFi channels to spread out the bandwidth. You could also try using another channel which might help the cause. I have computer(s) at the mounts now and I use the PC port on the mount to connect to the computer. I'm using a wired CAT5e cable to connect to the PC. No WiFi drop-outs with a wire. You can go uo to 300 feet with a CAT5e cable before you would need to boost the signal with something like a switch and you can go another 300 feet... Then I will use Remote Desktop to connect to the mount computer(s) Works very well for my semi-remote setups.

@@jeffrh I have installed CPWI v2.5.2. The telescope is CELESTRON NextStar Evolution 9.25". It has a build-in WIFI module. Anyway CPWI works pretty well via WiFi till it loses connection, usually within 20-30 mins. I tried the wired link via Hand Control USB too. Of course the wired connection is much more stable, and nevertheless it fails sometimes. there is also an unpleasant side effect, that all Hand Control Buttons are locked while you use its USB port. To use two PCs and Remote Desktop is quite bulky in my opinion. In actual fact, it is CPWI software issue, the step "pointing at North" is not necessary at all. The telescope still holds the alignment even after a disconnection. The only thing you should do, to reconnect CPWI and sync it with the sky object still staying in the field of view. As a rule I set my telescope on my balcony and maintenance it from my PC in the warm room. There is only 3 meters distance between. Anyway I have to go outside quite often - in order to adjust focus or point OTA more accurately using the finderscope, if the sky object has not appeared on PC screen.

@@natty55555 If you haven't updated the firmware for the hand controller and mount. That should be your next little project. Then try the WiFi again. Celestron did some work to try and help the WiFi with that mount. Again, these are low power devices and aren't made for long distance runs. 30 feet max is about all one would get in a crowded WiFI area. You should also look at changing the channel the that the mount is using to connect. Most consumer WiFi devices will use the lower channels which are very crowded and will hurt connections. Best I can do for you...

@@jeffrh Thank you. It would be great to get some contact with CPWI development team. In fact WiFi connection is always not stable, but any software is usually adapted to this fact. You do not lose content you have typed in MS Word or information on a site does not disappear suddenly when the Internet fails. I am a developer myself, if there was a public API for the mount maintenance I would probably write my own software. Anyway I see it as the software quality issue. Usually these who write new software they hardly use it themselves, unfortunately.

@@natty55555 You can join Team Celestron. This is where Celestron put out beta software for they gear. You can find it here: teamcelestron.com/index.php You would need to join and get approval first to post. Clear skies.

Thanks, Jools I enjoy little projects like this and when they work, even better...

Glad it helped...

I think I say that I do this to enforce the colors of the stars. Then after stretching in the GHS, I also use the color saturation to bring the colors up. Hope this helps...

Doing Great Dan, I sent you an email...

Thanks, I've heard it said the way I try to pronounce it... not saying it's right or wrong... ;-) I have never tried Pix and from what I've seen of it. It has much more than I'll ever use which is one of the reason I went with Siril. Siril is a better fit for my workflow which includes Photoshop. I also don't like paying for the same tools twice. I also love GraXpert. Both Siril and Pix backround extraction tools don't compare to GraXpert in my book... I also like the way Siril handle large Deep Sky Lucky Imaging runs. I flys through the data pretty quick. It would be hard giving up the cost you already paid for using Pix... Siril is Open Source and free. They have been updating it fairly quickly of late. another reason I like Siril...

Remember, this video is for non-linear images. If you have linear data. Watch this video: ua-cam.com/video/ecnALupPH_A/v-deo.html

Astro_Shed, I get collimation and tilt mixed every now and then... With Matt's RASA 8. He has a stuck collimation screw and I'm pretty sure that would be the culprit...

@@jeffrh it was the first image you showed in the video I was referring to, I should have said, it looked very much like a backspace issue from a flattener…

@@Astro_Shed That image was made with his C8 and a Starzonia reducer. I think the backfocus was off on that image which would give those stars pointing towards the center... Just a guess

@@jeffrh Also, You can clearly see that image is out off focus - black holes inside the stars.

@@adampedzimaz9164 Yes, I agree... only on one side are they like that... The right side. Something in the optical train is off to account for something like that.

Glad you liked it...

ortizma I think what you might have is a reflection between the filter and the sensor. If you can, try putting the filter in a different spot in the optical train. Sometimes that will help...

Hi Rick I don't use Cartes but if it has an area where you can select the CPWI ASCOM driver for the mount... Then yes you can pretty much do the same thing...

Here you go... www.prodigitalsoftware.com/AstroFlatPro1_News.html

This workflow is for non-linear images only. I'll be making another video that will show my linear workflow for fixing stars with Siril... Stay tuned.

Glad you liked the video. One of the reasons I purchased the Astro HuTech RASA 11 Adapter was to get a bigger hole to help with the vignette I had from my full-frames sensor I'm using with my RASA 11. You will always get some vignette with faster scopes just because of their design. You get a hot spot that falls off fast to the outer edges. What also helped me was making my flats a little hotter. I use NINA's Flat Wizard and use an extra 10% for the mean. This helps to even out the hot spot to the edges. Good luck with your rings... They can be hard to handle... CLear skies.

Jayson, when you try this. You want to just take the backlash out and not go past that point. You can over tighten and this will bind the worm against the larger gear. Not enough room for the worm to float. I do both my CGX and CGX-L before I start my season in the spring. I get wonderful guiding and using predictive pec in PHD2 and multi-star keep the RMS error under .5 for the CGX and .7 for the CGX-L. Another thing that helps to set the backlash is to move whatever axis you are working while making the adjustments. This helps you know when the backlash is gone. Clear skies...

Glad I could help... The data out of the RASA is wonderfully rich now and as you saw, the gradients are easier to handle even with my light-polluted skies... You can't beat the speed of this fast scope and with my full-frames sensor. The FOV is breathtaking! I hope things go well with your decission to purchase one. You can't go wrong and with this fix, the data is the best I have gotten out of mine at the moment...

Glad youenjoyed the video...

At my age, that is called a brain fart... Thanks for the tip. ;-)

Thanks, Dave Welcome to my new home. As you know this video came from a different era... and yes I would make the video more SharpCap focused... Might be a good one for when things slow down. Thanks again and Clear skies.

Your Welcome!

KB, Just been having too much smoke to try M51 again. Seems like all of western Canada is on fire and has been since April of this year... Jetstream pulls the smoke right over me. All I have to put up with is the smell and I still have a home. Some aren't quite as lucky as I am and have lost everything. My hope is that as it gets cooler out. The fires will die down and I can get back to doing some good Astro work with the gear. Seems like its been over a year since I've seen cloud and smoke free skies. It will turn my way... eventually. ;-) Your reflections might be between the reducer and the sensor. I have seem that happen before... Good luck with your fixes... Clear skies.

Thanks, Luke Slowly but surely you get those pesky ring(s)... Clear skies!

If you believe your calibration frames are the problem. Try stacking the lights only and see what happens. After having meesed with this for the better part of 2 years. I tried many things. Faster scopes need a hotter flat. I have been making mine with the mean at around 40,000. Anything lower and the flats don't work as well with my setup. Dark flats (bais) and darks I make with the sensor cover on the camera. I don't see how a dark or dark flat will have a ring unless your have a bad sensor. Then I had a friend that teaches Astronomy tell me that this is a problem that the larger observatories have with thier large fast scope. They needed to use a special black paint and apply it to anything near the light cone to keep the reflection to a minimum. When you have an image that has been pre & post processed. Then stacked, as you do things like a background extraction and what ever else one would do. This is when you start to see the ring appear. I have seen some RASA setups that have the ring without even doing a thing to the data. When I went to a full frame sensor with my RASA 11. I had to get larger adapters to help fight vignette. This helped with the reflections to a point. they were still there but as you saw in the video. They were still present and hard to deal with. I believe you have a reflection issue that needs addressing. Clear skies...

Thank you. I will try that and let you know.@@jeffrh