792 replies to this topic

[mdiastro]

It could be either faint, but real, nebulosity, or light pollution sneaking in. 
I find even a few clouds/haze can blotchify (!) the image.

 

 

Can anyone tell me why my image looks so blotchy?

 

Pelican Nebula, ~900 10s subs.

 

It was warm last night (mid 70'sF) and there was humidity, but I believe it was clear (I was sleeping...I relied on the forecast). Is this just bad seeing or something else?

Edited by mdiastro, 12 July 2023 - 10:28 AM.

[Erikwest]

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question.

I recently received my Stellina and have had a few clear nights. The problem is that it won't initialize. I'm under bortle 8 sky but there are stars visible. I have the latest singularity and firmware updates installed.

I try to initialize it about 3 took times each time I try, pointing it at different patches of clear sky. It always ends by saying it cannot initialize.

I don't have a USB stick hooked up to it, which I read could cause problems during initializing. I thought the LP filter on Stelllina would help identify stars.

Any pointers?

[Mitche]

Erik,

 

I suggest you contact Vaonis support. I've emailed them a couple of times and always gotten a response in 24 hours or less.

 

It sounds to me as if something's broken in your unit. Bottle 8 is irrelevant; you just need some clear sky. I've initialized in Bottle 9 with as much as 60% of the sky cloudy. And I've never had a problem with or without a flash drive installed.

 

Good luck! I love my Stellina. Get yours working again and I suspect you will too!

 

Mitche

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question.

I recently received my Stellina and have had a few clear nights. The problem is that it won't initialize. I'm under bortle 8 sky but there are stars visible. I have the latest singularity and firmware updates installed.

I try to initialize it about 3 took times each time I try, pointing it at different patches of clear sky. It always ends by saying it cannot initialize.

I don't have a USB stick hooked up to it, which I read could cause problems during initializing. I thought the LP filter on Stelllina would help identify stars.

Any pointers?

[Larry Hansen]

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question.

I recently received my Stellina and have had a few clear nights. The problem is that it won't initialize. I'm under bortle 8 sky but there are stars visible. I have the latest singularity and firmware updates installed.

I try to initialize it about 3 took times each time I try, pointing it at different patches of clear sky. It always ends by saying it cannot initialize.

I don't have a USB stick hooked up to it, which I read could cause problems during initializing. I thought the LP filter on Stelllina would help identify stars.  If the sun is all the way down and you are still having problems then you could try going to a darker site.  If that does not work then you may need to contact Vaonis as there may be a problem with your Stalina.  Hope not though.

Any pointers?

Hi,  The only time I had trouble initializing under clear skies is if it was not dark enough outside yet.  You could try taking your Stalina to a site with darker skies.  If that does not work you may need to contact Vaonis.

[Erikwest]

Thanks @Mitche and @Larry Hansen - I contacted support.

[Mitche]

Please let us know how it goes! I'm interested in both what the problem is, and how Vaonis responds.

[ibid]

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question.

I recently received my Stellina and have had a few clear nights. The problem is that it won't initialize. I'm under bortle 8 sky but there are stars visible. I have the latest singularity and firmware updates installed.

I try to initialize it about 3 took times each time I try, pointing it at different patches of clear sky. It always ends by saying it cannot initialize.

I don't have a USB stick hooked up to it, which I read could cause problems during initializing. I thought the LP filter on Stelllina would help identify stars.

Any pointers?

You could try inserting a USB stick and turning on debug mode. This will generate files that will contain detailed information about what the unit is doing that might help you understand what is happening. They are a bit cryptic, but you’ll get the basic idea. Vaonis may ask you to gather this info to help them diagnose the problem. 

 

At some point I also had an initialization problem like this, though mine worked for awhile first. I ended up having to ship it back to France. Vaonis Support is excellent and they made the process very easy. 
 

i hope this helps and good luck. 

[ibid]

You could try inserting a USB stick and turning on debug mode. This will generate files that will contain detailed information about what the unit is doing that might help you understand what is happening. They are a bit cryptic, but you’ll get the basic idea. Vaonis may ask you to gather this info to help them diagnose the problem. 

 

At some point I also had an initialization problem like this, though mine worked for awhile first. I ended up having to ship it back to France. Vaonis Support is excellent and they made the process very easy. 
 

i hope this helps and good luck. 

One more thought, just to check basics. 
 

During initialization you should see the unit rotate and then try a few different azimuth settings as it tries to focus. If those attempts fail, it will rotate some more and repeat the process. If you aren’t seeing the rotation make sure you used the little lever on the tripod head to tighten the collar. 

[Erikwest]

One more thought, just to check basics.

During initialization you should see the unit rotate and then try a few different azimuth settings as it tries to focus. If those attempts fail, it will rotate some more and repeat the process. If you aren’t seeing the rotation make sure you used the little lever on the tripod head to tighten the collar.

Yup all that's good - it does a full rotation before it fails. It takes about 8 minutes to go through the various azimuths.

Thanks, I'll try the USB flash drive with debug settings.

[Erikwest]

I contacted Vaonis support and they asked me to change some settings and save some files while attempting to initialize. I sent the files, and they say a mechanical issue is preventing my Stellina from focusing, so they'll have to repair it under warranty. I'm just waiting for them to send the shipping label.

 

Also, I made a mistake and ordered the wrong backpack. Vaonis was gracious enough to send me a return label and will send the right one when I pay the difference. 

 

Hopefully my next post will be about a successful night of observing!

 

Thanks -Erik

[Mitche]

I’ve been impressed with Vaonis customer service. I’m glad to hear they’re taking care of you! Please let us know about your experiences with Stellina once you get it working! And post your “first light” image!

[Larry Hansen]

     I too am impressed with Vaonis's service.  I was having an issue with the screen periodicaly flashing while observing on my 3 different android devices.  They determined that it was a software iissue and promised to fix it.  they told me that it may take them a while but it would get done.  And it did get fixed after a couple of months.  They were not too worried about getting done right away because it did not affect the saved images only the live image on my device's display.  Also it was only a problem with a few models of android devices.  They fixed it in a future update so I was not left with not having my Stalina to use.

[Erikwest]

Well, it took a while to get my Stellina fixed but I have it now and took the following image of the Sun earlier today:

 

 

Several active regions are visible in this image.

 

I'm still learning how to use it - it is pretty easy, I just need to find targets that aren't behind trees or my house

 

-Erik

[Mitche]

Very nice! Glad you got it back and it's working!

 

I'm at the Okie-Tex Star Party in the panhandle of Oklahoma, and I saw the sun today. For about 15 minutes. Friday night was fantastic, but hasn't been as good since. We're hoping we'll get at least 1 or 2 more good nights before it's over. When it's clear, it's fantastic!

[Erikwest]

My Stellina has been working well since I got it back from being serviced. It initializes quickly and slewing is reasonably quick.

The only problem I have is that I'm running out of power after several hours of observing. I'm using a 20,000 mAh battery but it looks like it's only good for about 4 hours. I'm thinking of getting another one for longer observing sessions.

I noticed that both PixInsight and APP don't do well with the FITS or JPG images from Stellina, it looks like only DSS is able to register and stack Stellina's FITS files. Once DSS produces the stacked file, I can continue with regular processing. Does anyone else have this problem?

[Mitche]

That's strange. I got a couple of 20K mAh batteries and both are good for at least 8 hours in warm weather. Don't know what would be causing this in the scope; maybe you got a bad supplemental battery? How long does the 10K mAh battery that came with it last? If it goes around 4-5 hrs, in warm weather, then it's definitely your 20K mAh battery.

[Erikwest]

That's strange. I got a couple of 20K mAh batteries and both are good for at least 8 hours in warm weather. Don't know what would be causing this in the scope; maybe you got a bad supplemental battery? How long does the 10K mAh battery that came with it last? If it goes around 4-5 hrs, in warm weather, then it's definitely your 20K mAh battery.

Hmm, maybe it's the cool weather. Maybe the dew heater comes on?

I used the battery that was included with it and it lasted also about 4 hours. But it has become much cooler (44f, as compared to 68f) since I have been using the 20k battery.

[ibid]

My Stellina has been working well since I got it back from being serviced. It initializes quickly and slewing is reasonably quick.

The only problem I have is that I'm running out of power after several hours of observing. I'm using a 20,000 mAh battery but it looks like it's only good for about 4 hours. I'm thinking of getting another one for longer observing sessions.

I noticed that both PixInsight and APP don't do well with the FITS or JPG images from Stellina, it looks like only DSS is able to register and stack Stellina's FITS files. Once DSS produces the stacked file, I can continue with regular processing. Does anyone else have this problem?

There is a separate Stellina forum for discussing post-processing— please ask your PI / APP question there. 
 

keep in mind that if you are using your Stellina in your yard or somewhere near power, you can run a cord to the unit and use something like an iPad charger (need enough amps) to run sessions all night. 
 

For remote sessions I finally bought a BIG supply that lasts a really long time. 
 

As with both of these external power solutions keep in mind that Stellina doesn’t do cable management— it will always slew the unit to the next plan object using the shortest path. Makes sense with limited battery, but I wish they would support an option to avoid wrapping the power cable around the unit.