New Boy to Imaging

[dennisjames1]

Hello, i have LX50 8"SCT on a meade LXD75 mount DSI II AND CCD FOCAL reducer, is that it guys and of course some clear skies, do i need anything else? i don't have a laptop was planning to run a long usb cable out the window from the PC, will that be suitable for a trial effort? cheers Dennis

:)

[iceman]

Hi Dennis.

It sounds like that's all you need. What type of objects did you want to photograph?

Of course you'll need the appropriate software for post-processing.

And how long is the USB cable? Do you need a repeater or powered hub?

[dennisjames1]

Hi Iceman my cable is 5m, yes i was thinking i might need a USB hub/amplifier and i going to use Photoshop for the final image.

I have vista on the computer and i believe autostar suite works on it, or do you recommend something else to capture the image... probably really need a laptop i guess, it would be painful running back inside to the PC all time.

Does anyone else on the forum use a PC for capture and how does it work for them.

I plan to image the Orion Nebula first see how that pans out or the Moon, they should be easy enough targets for newbies

cheers

Dennis

[[1ponders]]

How are you planning to guide your scope Dennis?

[Ric]

Hi Dennis, I used to run a 5m cable out of my study window to the scope and DSI II as well without the need for a hub it all worked fine.
I still do it that way with the LPI as it doesn't like Vista on my laptop.
It is a pain with all the running back and forward but once your focussed there not that much running around.

Cheers

Ps: I run XP on the PC and Vista on the Lappy, Autostar suite, Envisage and IP are all happy to run on these setups, I usually use Star Atlas Pro for tracking though.

Cheers

[g__day]

Suggestion try a 20 - 40 second shot of Orion (and object with many bright and faint details in it) then a 20 - 40 second shot of Omega cluster or 47 tuc (which has mostly faint details). It will give you an idea of how your gear is working.

Consider avoiding the moon or Jupiter etc until you have the hang of imaging. I found trying to image bright objects annoying!

Learn how to do and subtract dark, then in photoshop learn how to iterate through levels (adjust to the dark point to the base of the curve up) an then curves to boost the signal of the faint details.

That's a start in a steep learning curve! Welcome aboard!

[dennisjames1]

Thank-you fellows i feel positive about it all , as far as guiding i hadn't given it much thought.

If i had a laptop i could do it from there? or do i need to buy something for the scope itself ?

cheers

Dennis

[[1ponders]]

You will need something to guide through to keep your scope on track. How long you can go without making a guiding correction depends on the accuracy of you polar alignment and the degree of periodic error in your RA drive. Guiding uses either an Off Axis Guider (http://www.astro-optical.com.au/viewacc.php?accid=60&minnum=20&maxnum=24&sort=name&type=IMAGING&x=59&y=8)or a Guidescope mounted in guiderings. Manual guiding requires using an illuminated reticle (eyepiece with crosshairs) or you can use a webcam and a laptop to autoguide (you may need additional software and hardware)

There are plenty of threads to do with guiding here, but this page here boils it down.
http://www.aaq.org.au/sections_astrophotography_introduct ion.htm

[[1ponders]]

Or you can try piggyback imaging first and guide through your SCT.

[Ric]

Hi Dennis, is your model of scope computerised, I'm assuming that it is then the tracking it does would be enough for short exposures in Envisage (up to 30 seconds if you are in Alt/Az mode.
With a DSO like Orion you can take a series of short exposures say 50 to 100 at 2 to 4 seconds each and combine them in Autostar IP. The Drizzle feature is very handy as well for imaging.
The DSI II is a great camera for learning the art of CCD imaging with, I'm very happy with mine. The DSI manual explains some of the techniques and features but it is a typical Meade manual

Cheers:)