[TareqPhoto (Tareq)]

Hi all,

Happy New Year!!!

Now over 1 year is passed since i started this astronomy and i am now trying to put things at best or right so i can have better results, my plan to buy more or a lot isn't changed, but this time i will try to go out more regardless i have enough gear or good or low end or high, i am trying to manage my plans or even time, my life situations and even my mood is different than others, but i try to ask always and see what i can do or follow or even decide.

I ended the last year [before yesterday to our time] imaging a target and it kept imaging until new day/year started already, i tried with certain settings, i started a bit late, so that i couldn't make for much longer settings, but i will see if it is good, now one question is, if i take same target exposures later but somehow the view isn't very exact and maybe the orientation is't perfect matching, but the target is still there, can it be combined later of both data and process that? i am not yet good with plate solving, i will try to learn how to do that in a time that i am not having plan for doing a target really or let's say if i have no mood to do new target so i can still get more data of old target i did but not enough data.

I started to add flat frames, i am not sure if they are good or not, and here is my second question regarding the flat, is the flat frames really reliable for solving imperfections accurately? i mean how do i know that my exposures will have vignetting for sure? i bought slightly larger filters and the sensor is small to avoid vignetting, so why having a flat if i suppose to have no vignetting exposures anyway? just good to have to be sure that is fine. Also, how do i know that the dust on those filters didn't move while the mount is slewing around if i do two targets or i need to correct something that forcing me to slew the mount for correction [parking, testing, or Re-polar aligning,..etc], or if from the filter wheel movement/rotation? And what is your best reliable method for flats? i started by T-shirt method, but i don't know what should be the settings or exposure for flats, another suggestion or guidance here please.

Do you change settings if you use different cameras and different scopes/optics even for same target under same condition and same filters or no? what make you to change if applicable or say if the results from previous session was good enough?

Last question for now, i will try to record my settings by writing or printing notes, i know maybe some don't bother, or some do it in different way, i just like to have ready details to use for posting or whatever, sometimes the exposure files doesn't carry the whole all details needed, and by the time passing i may forget what equipment i used or the settings and whatever, so do you do that or not necessary? What is your method or way for recording things? I included a file or a doc for a table i created for myself to start doing by myself this year, i will try to minimize mistakes too, i can't say i will have amazing mind blowing results so quick, still learning, but what do you expect to have if you are still in your first years of imaging? do you care to get targets no matter how the results are or you only care about great successful nice results every night you are out? and what is the degree of satisfaction of the results you will accept or reject? You can revise/edit that file to how you like/think you prefer and please show me your edit then if possible.


Happy new year again and i hope to learn more this year and keep learning and produce nice and nicer results, i need patience, but i also need people understanding and respecting my decisions and ways too and bearing with me, thank you very much.