Basically any material works if you can cut the right holes in it. I personally don't like materials that can break. A friend of mine 3D printed my previous mask, so that was made of a thicker, more solid plastic but it broke in my bags while I was traveling, that's why I personally prefer this soft but sturdy plastic :)
I do it according to the same principle and with similar materials, only I do not use cardboard. I do not know about your frost in winter, but I began to make more loose dressing of the mask on the telescope
Not a bad idea! Fortunately I don't have a lot of problems with frost where I live, but moisture in the air did impact the cardboard over time so I had to "repair" it once since I made it
You must be so ignorant ....it is logic that not everyone has acces to a 3d printer and this guy knows that, so that is why he made this video, this is the point of the video, a home made bahtinov mask....
Well done! Colin Dane, Thank you so much. And thanks to Mr Bahtinov for this gift to the world of amateur astronomers. Further proof that still today the average backyard amateur astronomer can make significant contributions to the field of Astronomy.
I can't understand what is the Inner Diameter, Outer Diameter and Focal Length of my binoc. on the surface, it's written that "30x - 380x300". what does that mean?
To be honest, I'm not sure what those number mean either. I think the first two represent a zoom range of 30x-380x, and the final number should be the size of the lens, but no way that's 300mm. but binoculars with 380x zoom is not something I've heard of before so I think I'm misinterpreting the numbers. I think your best bet is to measure the inner diameter and outer diameter with a ruler. The inner diameter is just the front lens element and the outer diameter is the front lens element including the casing. The focal length can usually be measured by measuring the distance between the eyepiece lens and the front lens, but I'm not 100% sure if this is also the case for your binoculars. The focal length is not super important for a functioning mask though.
hi! I want to build a mask for a dslr lens (100-400mm). the diameter of the lens hood is 113mm (front element is 77mm) and i only found some templates for 100mm and 127mm masks. can i use the 100mm template and put some larger outer margins? thanks!
Hello, that's possible, the most important thing is that the biggest portion of the front element of your glass is covered by the grid of the mask. Because of your comment I decided to check if the AstroJargon website is up again, and good news, it is up and running! The only difference is that the creator converted his generator into a downloadable executable for Windows. I've updated my description with this info, and added an alternative generator if you don't own Windows.
Astrojargon has indeed been down for a while, I have linked a site in the description which has a bunch of commonly used templates, but I sadly don’t know another generator :( I hope this helps!
Yes that is correct, I am not sure why it’s slightly “banana shaped”, but this is only with the luminance filter, all other filters show a nice straight pattern, like in the thumbnail. My other filters at the time were narrowband, which are harder to show in real time thats why I used the luminance one, despite the “bananas”. Thanks for watching!
Wow This is really good work. I just started astrophotography and have very basic equipments and was going to get my bahtinov mask 3D printed but you saved me from there. Thanks a lot. Only question I have is I want to use it for my canon DSLR can I use the diameter of my lens hood or is it going to be the lens diameter.
Use the diameter of the lens hood so the mask can easily slide over. The small difference this will make in the spacing will not be that critical. Some people simply use 1 bar in each direction, so you get a Y-mask instead of the grids, which works as well but I personally like this more.
@@ColinDane Thanks for the info. unfortunately astrojargon is down from past 1 month. I am not sure how I can generate this. There is another site but not that effective.
@@subhankardey9870 Thanks for letting me know, I was unaware the site gone offline! It's been my go to place for quite a while. I don't have an alternative at the moment but I will try and look around and update the video when I found something.
@@lepetitbaigneur9073 hello, I can’t post links, but if you use Google Image Search, and look for “Y Mask astrophotography” there are a few examples. It works the same, but it will only have a single bar in each direction, shaped like the letter Y. Hope this helps :)
Never need them. I just well over expose my source then focus till it becomes sharp, when it does drop your expose then its in focus. Never used one and the over exposed method has worked everytime
The Bahtinov mask requires a point source of light, so you can use a bright planet to get into focus as well. If you mean for planetary imaging at longer focal lengths; the features on the surface of a planet cannot be counted as point sources of light, so in that case you will need to find a star to get into focus before imaging a planet. The same Bahtinov mask should work fine both with and without a barlow lens i your optical train. Hope this helps!
You can now download an application from the website which can help you generate the template, I just checked and the download link is still active :) Hope this helps!
There is a reticle in the polar scope, which shows a ring with markers. You have to place polaris on a certain position on this ring depending on the time and date, I use an app called “PS align” to check what the exact position should be. Hope this helps :)
The Bahtinov mask made imaging so much easier for me!
If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
- Colin
I was looking for a tutorial on making a Bahtinov Mask. Instead I found the absolute nicest and simplest explanation of how they work. Very well done!
Thanks, I'm glad it was useful!
By the way, You think balsa instead of plastic would work or it beeing a fragile material I should better search the house for sth plastic-like?
Basically any material works if you can cut the right holes in it. I personally don't like materials that can break. A friend of mine 3D printed my previous mask, so that was made of a thicker, more solid plastic but it broke in my bags while I was traveling, that's why I personally prefer this soft but sturdy plastic :)
I do it according to the same principle and with similar materials, only I do not use cardboard. I do not know about your frost in winter, but I began to make more loose dressing of the mask on the telescope
Not a bad idea! Fortunately I don't have a lot of problems with frost where I live, but moisture in the air did impact the cardboard over time so I had to "repair" it once since I made it
There is a machine called a 3D printer.
Not everyone has one though, me included :)
Valid remark though, if you have access to one then it's a good solution
You must be so ignorant ....it is logic that not everyone has acces to a 3d printer and this guy knows that, so that is why he made this video, this is the point of the video, a home made bahtinov mask....
How you did all of that w/o using duct tape is beyond me. : ) Just trying to be funny. That was a lot of work! Thanks for showing us how to make one!
Haha, Duct tape is the solution for everything :p
Colin, I put the following parameters in and only get one big black circle when I open it in Internet Explorer.
Focal 400
Aperture 5
Edge 10
I think your aperture is incorrect, if that is 5 inches you have to convert them to mm first :) which is around 127mm, hope this solves your issue!
Thank you for posting this, as it is hard to get perfect focus. Subscribed to your channel
No problem! I’m glad it was helpful :)
I was just looking at buying one earlier. Pfft, not anymore I'm making my own now.
Well done! Colin Dane, Thank you so much. And thanks to Mr Bahtinov for this gift to the world of amateur astronomers. Further proof that still today the average backyard amateur astronomer can make significant contributions to the field of Astronomy.
I can't understand what is the Inner Diameter, Outer Diameter and Focal Length of my binoc. on the surface, it's written that "30x - 380x300". what does that mean?
To be honest, I'm not sure what those number mean either. I think the first two represent a zoom range of 30x-380x, and the final number should be the size of the lens, but no way that's 300mm. but binoculars with 380x zoom is not something I've heard of before so I think I'm misinterpreting the numbers.
I think your best bet is to measure the inner diameter and outer diameter with a ruler. The inner diameter is just the front lens element and the outer diameter is the front lens element including the casing. The focal length can usually be measured by measuring the distance between the eyepiece lens and the front lens, but I'm not 100% sure if this is also the case for your binoculars. The focal length is not super important for a functioning mask though.
My dad 3D printed one for me.. have yet to test it out
hi! I want to build a mask for a dslr lens (100-400mm). the diameter of the lens hood is 113mm (front element is 77mm) and i only found some templates for 100mm and 127mm masks. can i use the 100mm template and put some larger outer margins? thanks!
Hello, that's possible, the most important thing is that the biggest portion of the front element of your glass is covered by the grid of the mask.
Because of your comment I decided to check if the AstroJargon website is up again, and good news, it is up and running!
The only difference is that the creator converted his generator into a downloadable executable for Windows.
I've updated my description with this info, and added an alternative generator if you don't own Windows.
I thought about spending the $20 on a mask, but after watching your video? Probably will make my own as well! Excellent video and thank you!
Thanks Paul! Glad it was helpful :)
Great tutorial
Thanks, I’m glad it helped 👍
Nice DIY project! Cutting those thin strips with some precision is a challenge for some, however it works even with some imperfections.
Thanks! It is some precision work indeed.
Brilliant! Great explanation
very nice vid
Thanks! I’m glad you liked it!
thanks for the video, AstroJargon site doesn't seem to work, do you have an alternative?
Astrojargon has indeed been down for a while, I have linked a site in the description which has a bunch of commonly used templates, but I sadly don’t know another generator :(
I hope this helps!
Thanks a lot
i 3d printed my mask 😍
You spent most of the time doing the template but I could not understand the final propose !, should I see the pattern well defined ???
Yes that is correct, I am not sure why it’s slightly “banana shaped”, but this is only with the luminance filter, all other filters show a nice straight pattern, like in the thumbnail. My other filters at the time were narrowband, which are harder to show in real time thats why I used the luminance one, despite the “bananas”. Thanks for watching!
Great video. I just bought an evoguide 50mm guide scope and this is exactly what I need for it.
Thanks Paul, I'm glad it was helpful!
Thank you a lot for this great tutorial!! Now I can’t wait to build my Bahtinov mask
You’re welcome!
I’m glad it was helpful! :)
The neighbours arguing had me creased 😂😂😂😂 I’m so gonna try making one tomorrow
Haha, sadly it’s not a rare occurance so I didn’t feel like waiting until they were done or try again on a different night :p
I really like your setup, every thing Skywatcher, just wanted to know if thes setup would support the weight of evostar90?
Great video man, thanks a lot!
Thanks! I’m glad it helped!
Well done 👍
Thanks for that!
Wow This is really good work. I just started astrophotography and have very basic equipments and was going to get my bahtinov mask 3D printed but you saved me from there. Thanks a lot.
Only question I have is I want to use it for my canon DSLR can I use the diameter of my lens hood or is it going to be the lens diameter.
Use the diameter of the lens hood so the mask can easily slide over. The small difference this will make in the spacing will not be that critical. Some people simply use 1 bar in each direction, so you get a Y-mask instead of the grids, which works as well but I personally like this more.
@@ColinDane Thanks for the info. unfortunately astrojargon is down from past 1 month. I am not sure how I can generate this. There is another site but not that effective.
@@subhankardey9870 Thanks for letting me know, I was unaware the site gone offline! It's been my go to place for quite a while. I don't have an alternative at the moment but I will try and look around and update the video when I found something.
@@ColinDane what do you mean by y mask? Could you show an example?
@@lepetitbaigneur9073 hello, I can’t post links, but if you use Google Image Search, and look for “Y Mask astrophotography” there are a few examples.
It works the same, but it will only have a single bar in each direction, shaped like the letter Y.
Hope this helps :)
Never need them. I just well over expose my source then focus till it becomes sharp, when it does drop your expose then its in focus. Never used one and the over exposed method has worked everytime
Will my smartphone work without it well or no?
This is very useful brother 😃
Thanks a lot for the video ❤️🙏👍
Does this work with planets?
The Bahtinov mask requires a point source of light, so you can use a bright planet to get into focus as well.
If you mean for planetary imaging at longer focal lengths; the features on the surface of a planet cannot be counted as point sources of light, so in that case you will need to find a star to get into focus before imaging a planet. The same Bahtinov mask should work fine both with and without a barlow lens i your optical train.
Hope this helps!
@@ColinDane ohh thank you !
I will hopefully make a video on making one😀
Once again thanks for this video ❤️
The theory was good. But the build........
Thanks! What remarks do you have about the build? If you got any suggestions on how to improve then I’m eager to hear them :)
Im going to build one myself. Just printed off the mask template so the hard work is ahead :(
It’s a lot easier for bigger telescopes, good luck on your build!
What to do astrojagrroan is down
You can now download an application from the website which can help you generate the template, I just checked and the download link is still active :) Hope this helps!
@@ColinDane error problem any other option 😭
@@AwismitRana I can't think of any at the moment, there's an alternative website in the description which might help you
How are you polar aligning your star adventurer?
There is a reticle in the polar scope, which shows a ring with markers. You have to place polaris on a certain position on this ring depending on the time and date, I use an app called “PS align” to check what the exact position should be. Hope this helps :)