5 replies to this topic

[MrPink201]

ok here goes...

 

first love this site! it has helped me jump several hurdles in the short time ive found it.

 

so ill get right to it....

 

Am I on the right track?

 

this was taken with a celestron 8SE and motor focuser

WITHOUT a focal reducer

a nikon D7000 

with 113 light frames

20 darks

20 bias

NO Flats

@ 10 seconds @ ISO 3200

using BackYardNikon and CPWI

then stacked with DSS

and about 10 minutes of processing with GIMP

 

 

about a year and a half ago i got this crappy little meade to play around with and now I realize I've been sucked into this amazing black hole that is astrophotography!! wasnt expecting to learn how to use a DSLR or GIMP or histograms or plate solving or any of this stuff, just wanted to show my people all the cool things i was seeing when everyone else was sleeping! but here I am. and I've got to admit that the post processing software has really got me stuck! 

anyways please let me hear what ya'll think of my first really real attempt at some real ****.

AM I ON THE RIGHT TRACK??

 

thanks - MrPink

 

PS

I know ---

i need more lights and flats

and longer exposures, but im still working on the tracking with the 8SE - start getting trails after 15 seconds or so

 

GEEZ!!....

1 1/2 years later and i got way more questions than I had when I started

[TxStars]

You are doing good with what you have.

There are some things that will help improve your imaging.

Equatorial wedge

Off Axis guider

Guide camera

More time ..

[Stelios]

I'm surprised you could even do 10" on the SE. Given the limitations of the scope, your image is nice--no trailing, decent processing.

 

Note that at F/10 you need much longer total integration times than you would need with an F/6.3 reducer--2.5 times longer. 1130" at F/10 is like 7-8 minutes total with reducer. It may be OK for a super-bright object such as the Orion Nebula, but wouldn't even give you a hint of some fainter objects. (One advantage of your short exposures is that you beautifully resolved the Trapezium! But a disadvantage is that you missed a lot of the outer nebulosity). 

 

Note that with a Wedge you would be able to track without rotation.

 

Note that with a guider (especially an off-axis-guider (OAG)) you would be able to increase your exposure length to at least a couple of minutes. 

 

Flats are a good idea to avoid dust motes (look like little donuts) ruining your image, and vignetting forcing you to darken the background too much and lose some faint detail (aka clipping). 

 

Overall you've started at the deep end of the pool. The SE has the wrong mount, and imaging at 2000mm or so with an alt-az mount is not for the faint-hearted. But as you've proved, it's definitely doable. I do think however that to make significant progress you will either need to seriously reinforce your SE, or perhaps switch to a different setup like a GEM and small refractor, which will make things much easier, of course at a cost.

[MrPink201]

Thank you gentlemen! ill take those responses as positive comments! and ill happily listen to your suggestions.

ive only had this SE for a couple weeks with crap weather but i love. ive basically been no-scoping for 2 years not even a red dot, and now with this got... so rad. so easy to set up and always gets within a 20mm eyepiece of where i told it to go. dont know on that is but good for me. prolly get it fined tuned better with more reference points. tracking is close the motor gears gotta be teased into to not drifting but i can get a few 15 sec exp. which i thinks decent.

i think a focal reducer is prolly gonna be next thing for it. ill build a wedge before i ever pay that much for one.

 

Next question!....

the place (i feel) im lagging the most is post processing. i got DSS down but GIMP is a mystery. i know like three tools to use. which i used to make this......

 

So where can i find a good GIMP tutorial?

or should i be learning some other one?

also your opinions on other go-to (I mean go-to not GO-TO) astro software....?

i tried siril but since i already had dss working it seemed a bit more complex....

 

anyways thanks again for your time and advice. i love this place learned so much....

and unfortunatly i just figured outthis evening why its callled CN!!!

 I wish you all clear skys and warm balls!

 

MrPink

 

ps

 

am i an idiot or a genius?????

(see below:)

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Edited by MrPink201, 07 December 2020 - 01:04 AM.

[MrPink201]

PPS

 

Am I correct that it is NOT possible to use a 2nd DSLR for guiding with PHD2 or some other software? all my research says NO but i secretly hoping it was old info. And if its not possible can somebody please point me in the right direction for (software/hardware) when i want to start guiding.....

right nowim just doing Backyard eos/nik, CPWI, and trying to figure out astrotortilla & drift aligning........ so if i could get into the PHD stuff....... Ohmama!!!!

thanks!

PINK

[TxStars]

You could use a web cam connected to a small scope but not a DSLR.

Constant image input is required, PHD2 has a list of cameras that will work.

Tho without an equatorial wedge guiding is not going to help.