I have finally got a new STXL this last week and this image is a test image to see if the camera is operational. There was a blooming issue which I think is now fixed but I need clear skies to test that with luminance data.
The stars in this image are still not to my liking. I worked more on the guiding and have that looking ok near Carina. The Ha was done prior to new guiding and as such the stars are not great. However, I am very happy with the detail level. Many features seen in Hubble images can be seen in this image. Happily I can say those features are pretty sharp looking.
The field flattening is still not at the correct distance and I have done a mild lens correction to this data to make the stars a little more round.
Yes me too Steven. It has a been a real test of patience so far.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveNZ
Impressive stuff Paul. You have that RC12 singing!
No; not fully tuned yet, but getting close to the mark Dave. The remote system aspect is working very well. I am still fine tuning guiding and the flattener distance to create a flat field with round stars. Unfortunately some manufacturers of equipment don't help with good information to make the path easier. The TS Optical flattener says 106mm for back focus but I am actually now at 108mm and only just getting stars in the corners to look slightly round. When I contacted TS techs about this they said it could be as much as 110mm before I get a flat field. So experiments continue onward.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Exfso
That image is so sharp, I reckon you have focus perfect, says a lot for the scope as well, obviously.
Focusmax really has an impact here Pete. Robotic focus based on half flux diameter is very accurate; so much more that doing it with a Bahtinov mask which relies on your own assessment of where the spikes should lie. I encourage people to use autofocusing in whatever form to get the desired results and maximise each imaging session.
Superb! It's got all the right bits in the right places.
Thanks Marc, but it does not have the peanut showing. Next mission to get that, straight after I get this flattener in the right position. Nearly there. Guiding is now sorted thankfully. For some reason I need to be a 0.5 second exposures on guiding to get great results. Not seeing chasing as the seeing is generally good; but happy to have that sorted. Blooming pretty well sorted too. Might need to do one more very small turn to that pot on the board.
whoa, most excellent Paul, tight as. How did you "fix" the blooming "issue"?.
Fred, Atscopes sourced the information from SBIG. As it turns out it was an adjustment of a pot on the board which just pushed the ABG a little more. I am pleased to say it worked. That pot is about 3mm square with a tiny Phillips head in the centre. You have to make sure you are well grounded and don't have the shakes prior to attempting. There are some terminals close by that connect directly to the sensor. It was easier to do that than send it to Peter again. Anyone who knows me well, knows that if I can fix it myself, I will.