263 replies to this topic

[Psion]

Bortle 7, in the city, 803 x 15s exposure, gain 60, DB filter, temp -3°C. I processed the output FIT with GraXpert and PixInsight.

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[GSBass]

Interesting… an hour ago someone posted a screen shot of a beta build using 120 second subs, claimed improved tracking so that it worked well….dwarf labs is moving fast

[GSBass]

Have you noted any flare on your bright stars in the 9oclock -midnight position, I’m just curious because my unit has this, I talked to Claire about it but was waiting til more d3’s were in the wild to determine if it was just do to the periscope design or an individual issue…. Asking because I figure it is easily corrected by pixal insight, your stars look fine in the images you are posting, my dwarf was a very early production run

Bortle 7, in the city, 803 x 15s exposure, gain 60, DB filter, temp -3°C. I processed the output FIT with GraXpert and PixInsight.

[Psion]

I didn't notice any flare on the stars; they look better than the Seestar, and the optics have no chromatic aberration. It is a significantly better instrument than the Seestar S30.
It's a shame it can't work with mosaics in the schedule. Once the mosaic size is set, it stays for all the subjects you shoot and doesn't have to be set for each subject individually. They could have used this in the schedule.

[GSBass]

Thanks… they probably will… I think they still consider that beta right now

I didn't notice any flare on the stars; they look better than the Seestar, and the optics have no chromatic aberration. It is a significantly better instrument than the Seestar S30.
It's a shame it can't work with mosaics in the schedule. Once the mosaic size is set, it stays for all the subjects you shoot and doesn't have to be set for each subject individually. They could have used this in the schedule.

[GSBass]

I’m glad your happy, i thought you would be… caught some criticism for declaring d3 a winner so early but it does not take long once you have the unit to appreciate the advancement, very versatile platform

I didn't notice any flare on the stars; they look better than the Seestar, and the optics have no chromatic aberration. It is a significantly better instrument than the Seestar S30.
It's a shame it can't work with mosaics in the schedule. Once the mosaic size is set, it stays for all the subjects you shoot and doesn't have to be set for each subject individually. They could have used this in the schedule.

[Psion]

Bortle 7, in the city, 561 x 15s exposure, gain 60, DB filter, temp -3°C. I processed the output FIT with GraXpert and PixInsight.

 

Weaker objects are already more demanding. I tried the Christmas Tree Nebula, and after 1 hour of exposure, there was almost nothing there. These weak objects will require very long exposures. Seestar or Passengers can do it significantly faster, which ultimately matches the table.

 

 

Edited by Psion, 28 December 2024 - 03:12 AM.

[eyeoftexas]

When I took the image I posted in #21 I was in eq mode (I think it said I was within 3 degrees) and did not notice any star trails or many dropped images even after about one hour (30 sec images).  But to use the D3 in eq mode, the instructions say to mount the D3 on a level tripod.  How “level” does it need to be?  Is this a “close enough” or critical step?  I went with close enough, but maybe if I had let it run longer then misalignment would have shown.

[Psion]

The misalignment would have to show up in one 60s exposure. When composing the images, the software rotates the images, so the field rotation will only show up by cropping the object in the field of view.

[GSBass]

When I started off I was trying to get as close to polar as possible, now I am accepting 3 degrees, I can’t say whether it matters, I also level with a bubble level built in to a cheap videohead and so who knows how accurate that is….. having said all that I’m not totally happy with my tracking, I do see some movement so I do need to investigate further and see if either if those things are at fault

When I took the image I posted in #21 I was in eq mode (I think it said I was within 3 degrees) and did not notice any star trails or many dropped images even after about one hour (30 sec images).  But to use the D3 in eq mode, the instructions say to mount the D3 on a level tripod.  How “level” does it need to be?  Is this a “close enough” or critical step?  I went with close enough, but maybe if I had let it run longer then misalignment would have shown.

[Peter Besenbruch]

Bortle 7, in the city, 561 x 15s exposure, gain 60, DB filter, temp -3°C. I processed the output FIT with GraXpert and PixInsight.

 

Weaker objects are already more demanding. I tried the Christmas Tree Nebula, and after 1 hour of exposure, there was almost nothing there. These weak objects will require very long exposures. Seestar or Passengers can do it significantly faster, which ultimately matches the table.

Nice California Nebula, but it doesn't really look like California. I think it should be called the "I am Groot" nebula. Yes, the Dwarf is a slow machine, and there's a reduced number of objects you can go after, but nice job.

[eyeoftexas]

Nice California Nebula, but it doesn't really look like California. I think it should be called the "I am Groot" nebula. Yes, the Dwarf is a slow machine, and there's a reduced number of objects you can go after, but nice job.

What are the optimal objects for the D3?  

[Peter Besenbruch]

What are the optimal objects for the D3?  

 

 

Big, semi-bright stuff like the California, Rosette nebulae, Andromeda galaxy, Orion nebula complex. Big clusters, like the Double, the Pleiades, and the Beehive. Chunks of the summer Milky Way. That sort of thing. If you wanted to expose for three hours or more, then sections of Makarian's Chain.

[GSBass]

No problem for me, 3hrs is my nightly goal regardless of scope or target… even longer as multinight gets developed 

Big, semi-bright stuff like the California, Rosette nebulae, Andromeda galaxy, Orion nebula complex. Big clusters, like the Double, the Pleiades, and the Beehive. Chunks of the summer Milky Way. That sort of thing. If you wanted to expose for three hours or more, then sections of Makarian's Chain.

[eyeoftexas]

About 40 minutes of 30s images. Edited with Apple Photos.

 

if Dwarflab adds a mosaic mode, I hope they include the ability to rotate the collection area like the S50.  It would allow much better framing of objects like IC434.

 

 

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[GSBass]

Mosaic mode currently allows you to expand the area between 1 and 2x both horizontally and vertically independently, so no rotation, however with a 5.9 x 3.32 fov it should be possible to rotate and crop to any orientation you prefer in post. Dwarf labs may allow rotation in a subsequent update because it is just software… Vaonis allows it, although they have more recently told us that for minimum time penalty it’s still best to orient to the position it is current at in the night sky

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btw my link to my first mosaic attempt with d3 is located in post #20

About 40 minutes of 30s images. Edited with Apple Photos.

 

if Dwarflab adds a mosaic mode, I hope they include the ability to rotate the collection area like the S50.  It would allow much better framing of objects like IC434.

Edited by GSBass, 29 December 2024 - 09:29 AM.

[eyeoftexas]

When I started off I was trying to get as close to polar as possible, now I am accepting 3 degrees, I can’t say whether it matters, I also level with a bubble level built in to a cheap videohead and so who knows how accurate that is….. having said all that I’m not totally happy with my tracking, I do see some movement so I do need to investigate further and see if either if those things are at fault

I thought about this some more and I think the leveling of the tripod is not crucial for the alignment step, but it is for tracking.  That’s because D3 thinks it is rotating around the polar axis but it’s assuming that the axis stays aligned.  If the tripod is uneven, the rotation will veer off.

[GSBass]

I think I should probably pull out some levels and check to see how accurate my bubble is… I’ve just read so much about them being inaccurate, just glued in place on an assembly line. I invested in an acratech for my vespera and so I’m always spot on with that system, however that cost 200 dollars so I don’t think my dwarf will get one if those haha… anyway I’ll figure it out

I thought about this some more and I think the leveling of the tripod is not crucial for the alignment step, but it is for tracking.  That’s because D3 thinks it is rotating around the polar axis but it’s assuming that the axis stays aligned.  If the tripod is uneven, the rotation will veer off.

[GSBass]

So don’t know how close you have to be but in my opinion this cheap videohead bubble level is pretty far off, could be the root of any star movement I’ve seen… will just have to test now that I know where level is 

I thought about this some more and I think the leveling of the tripod is not crucial for the alignment step, but it is for tracking.  That’s because D3 thinks it is rotating around the polar axis but it’s assuming that the axis stays aligned.  If the tripod is uneven, the rotation will veer off.

 

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[GSBass]

I did star test after finding the new level, stars look fine at 30sec but still see drift at 60…I’m not running the new beta though, they probably have done some work on tracking since they just added 120sec… that’s crazy long for a robot, should be interesting

[GSBass]

Ran another test shot with the teleconverter with l’enhance, have not nailed it yet but getting there, running man flame and horsehead showed well, walking noise remains an issue…I am hopeful they will implement dithering on that side because I’m enjoying doing those

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Edited by GSBass, 30 December 2024 - 12:47 AM.

[Psion]

I did star test after finding the new level, stars look fine at 30sec but still see drift at 60…I’m not running the new beta though, they probably have done some work on tracking since they just added 120sec… that’s crazy long for a robot, should be interesting

I haven't tested the EQ mode yet, I haven't noticed the 120s exposure, that's probably only available in EQ mode. Longer exposures should bring noise reduction. I am happy with the performance of the Dwarf 3.

[Psion]

Christmas Tree nebula, Bortle 7, in the city, 693 x 15s exposure, gain 60, DB filter, temp -3,5° C. I processed the output FIT with GraXpert and PixInsight.

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Edited by Psion, 30 December 2024 - 01:50 AM.

[GSBass]

Suppose to be in the latest beta along with some ui changes… some one reported last night that their is some type of new button to initialize tracking for long exposures…. Don’t know what that’s all about yet but looking forward to trying it out

I haven't tested the EQ mode yet, I haven't noticed the 120s exposure, that's probably only available in EQ mode. Longer exposures should bring noise reduction. I am happy with the performance of the Dwarf 3.

[GSBass]

I think I have the right exposure dialed in for the teleconverter with l’enhance now, settled on 8sec subs 40 gain with l’enhance, I’ll let this run a little longer and process it, got barnards loop on left, Orion, running man, horsehead and flame

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