My first ever SBIG shot

[[1ponders]]

Well it's nothing much but it is my first with the ST-7XME, so here's to many more improvements on this yardstick. :P

SBIG 7XME through a Celestron 102 achromatic using a green filter (couldn't get it to focus yet on the 80ED). Track and Accumulate 60 shots @ 8 sec each, autodarked. A quick and dirty curves and levels in PS. No autoguiding, just relied on the track an accumulate which is why there is a lot of correlation noise (well noise in genereal :P ) in the image from too short exposures and a poorly aligned and running mount (EQ4 with dual motors. The RA is running a bit slow for some reason) We'll se how it goes on a well aligned mount and with longer exposures.

Boy there is a leaning curve and half on this sucker :eyepop:

[ballaratdragons]

Geez Paul, you can tell there is going to be heaps of great detail in there!!!! Yep, fuzzy at the moment, but it is soooo close to looking spectacular!

Why won't the ED80 focus? Not enough 'In' or 'Out' travel on the focuser?

[[1ponders]]

Not enough out focus Ken. I've taken the standard Crayford off and put on a WO 10:1 which has a shorter profile, but I think I've got it sussed now ;)

I'll use a Meade 6.3 FR which should do the trick. I did it with the Celestron tonight and it worked a treat. (I just couldn't be bothered swapping scopes over as I was only doing a practice focusing run)

[rogerg]

Yeah, ya not wrong, certainly not for the faint hearted :) Took me a while when I first got mine. There's a lot to get a grasp of, no doubt about it. Enjoy it though, I love using my ST7, just wish the chip was 10 times the size for the same price :lol:

Btw, good first shot... track and accumulate, I never did try that...

[ballaratdragons]

ahhhh, ok.

I was going to suggest the same as I did with Leon. Use a 2" Barlow tube (unscrew the barlow lens and use the tube as an extender). He still has mine and is using it, so it must be working OK :lol:

[[1ponders]]

:confuse3: to be honest I didn't even think about that. Though even if I had I probably wouldn't have used it. I like to be able to screw everything on I can and not rely on too many compression/"holding on by one screw" connections as possible :scared:

Here's the final one for the night.

64 shots @ 10 sec, Track & Accumulate and a touchup in PS

[ballaratdragons]

Oooo, so close! That is already showing heaps of promise!!!!

Gonna be outstanding with Autoguiding. Top Stuff Paul :thumbsup:

[bloodhound31]

I had the same prob with my ED80. Bintel sent me an extension tube free of charge. Not enough out focus.

Baz.

[h0ughy]

nice start Paul, only up from here

[jjjnettie]

Good luck with it Paul.
You'll have fun learning the in's and out's of it all.

BTW. I'm booking in the bobcat to level the ground for the u know what.

[Ric]

A great start Paul, once you sort out the minor hiccups your going to be putting out some awsome piccys for sure.

Cheers

[[1ponders]]

Great to hear Jeanette. When's the roof wetting ;) or better yet when do we wet the slab :D

[jjjnettie]

The slab will be after the tax return.
I'm psyching myself up for doing the deep narrow hole, that has to be dug and boxed off before the concrete is poured.

[[1ponders]]

You take care.

[rat156]

Hi Paul,

Bake out the dessicant plug and you'll get even better images.

It looks a little like you've got some condensation on either the filters or the inside of the camera. If it's the filters there's not a lot you can do except move to a less humid environment. But if it's on the window of the camera, then the dessicant plug needs a trip to the oven.

Cheers
Stuart

[[1ponders]]

Would the desicant plug need baking so soon after getting it. I've only had it a few weeks. I think it is more likely the poor quality refractor and the very short exposure and the less than perfect mount I was using.

[rat156]

Hi Paul,

It depends on what has happened to it in the meantime. Has it sat around somewhere for a while? Did you buy it first or second hand?

It just looks like the cam is in focus, but there's a film over the window. It has happened to me on a few times now, mainly the filters fogging up on wet nights though. The problem is that by the time you've got it pulled apart to see the filters they can dry out.

Try a bright star nearby to focus on, see if it has a halo.

Also I can easily get focus on my ED80 with an ST7, and now an ST10. I have a CFW inline though, I assume you've got one? Also you can put a 2" diagonal in if you need more length. I get horrible coma with a 6.3 reducer and the ED80 (even worse with an f5 Optec).

Cheers
Stuart

[[1ponders]]

Brand new and it has been in it's case with the only time out being the couple of times I've used it. I was using the Meade 6.3 FR so that may be it, along with a very achromatic achromat. I can't get mine to focus with the ed80 cos I dont have the standard focuser on it. I might look at getting a good quality diagonal, but I'm not keen on shooting through a diagonal.

I'm trying again tonight with the 8"SCT and the 6.3 FR and I'll see how they turn out tonight.

[h0ughy]

well its been 45 minutes - did it work?

[h0ughy]

btw I am getting stircrazy waiting for the item to arrive Paul??? You know that same item you are waiting on..............

[[1ponders]]

:lol: I know the one, but that's Ok, when I've got autoguiding going like it is tonight, I can wait.

(I'm working on a few images at the moment. I've just trying to get the feel of it. I think the FR is causing some probs. I'm just about to swap the FR over with the WO one and see if that makes a difference.)

[[1ponders]]

The left hand image is using the Meade Focal Reducer :mad2: and the right hand one is the native f10 of the SCT. Both taken after collimating.:mad2:

[ballaratdragons]

How did you go, Paul?

We posted at the same time. :lol:

I'm waiting for the pics . . . ahhh, here they come!

EDIT: Eek! :scared: What happened?

[[1ponders]]

I'm just about to pack it in Ken. I was having problems focusing again tonight so about an half an hour ago I though I'd check to see how far out my collimation was. Well I go a bit of a surprise. As you can see from the image above the FR I have is not worth a pinch of the proverbial. Absolutely disgusted in the quality of it, considering how much they are worth. No wonder I couldn't get a decent shot with it when I had it attached to the ED80.

[ballaratdragons]

Hmmmm, damn frustrating when stuff doesn't deliver what it's suppose to.

The one with the FR is almost invisible! That's not right.

[[1ponders]]

That's just the exposure length I used as well as a different star. I'm more concerned with the football shape of it. The thing is, I've been using this FR for the past 2 years without realising how bad it was. :mad2: If I had just bought it, it would be on the first bus back to the shop.

When I first started tonight I thought it might have been my autoguiding letting me down but its been sweet as. I'm trying to image at f10 atm with a 2000mm FL. Let's see how good my autoguding through an ED80 goes with that :P

[ballaratdragons]

Yep, guiding looks great by the graph. Only about 2.5 arcseconds drift.

In the image above, I can't see the oval shape as the left image doesn't show up on my monitor very well. I can only just see the faintest arc.

[ballaratdragons]

:eyepop: I see it now!!!! I took it to PhotoShop and brightnened it.

Dang, that's bad!

[[1ponders]]

And most of that is seeing.

[Garyh]

yeap..does look like something has fogged up on you Paul. look forwards to when you get the ED80 up and running!! :thumbsup:

[rat156]

Hi Paul,

I also have the Meade focal reducer, and have used it succesfully with the SBig. The pics you're showing look like it's outside the focal distance for the FR. How do you have it attached to the SBig? Do you have a CFW as well?

When I use mine it's attached to a cheap 1.25" VB, which is about an inch long and has t-threads on the 1.25" end, these screw directly into the CFW. Then the FR is screwed on the front and a 2" SCT adapter on the front of the FR into the focusser. I get some coma towards the outer edge of an ST10 chip, which is far bigger than your ST7 chip. I used to have an ST7, don't remember any problems using it. I generally use an Optec f5 reducer now (bought from IIS), the back focus distance is set for ST camera with CFW, it's great for an ST7 sized chip, but the ST10 presents it with some problems. I have double stars on the guide chip (don't ask me why, but it happens with the Meade FR as well, so I think it's just getting towards the edge of the FR range).

The optimum FR to CCD distance varies depending on who you talk to, but 87mm is the current best thinking, closer seems to be OK, further away is not on from my experience.

Cheers
Stuart

[[1ponders]]

I have the Meade FR with a 2" SC Adapter screwed into the female side and that slides right into the JMI focuser. On the camera side I use the standard Meade SC thread to T thread adapter (about 50mm long). This then screws directly into the CFW. I thought the Meade FRs optimal focal distance is around 105mm from rear element to imaging surface.

I tried a number of different arrangements with the FR last night as far as filters are concerned, none, clear, red, green and blue and they were all difficult/impossible to get a sharp focus.

I have the WO 0.8X that I might try with the ED80, but I think I will need to get the Optec Nexgen 0.5x reducer for the SCT, 0.8 really isn't enough. I've been putting off getting the nexgen one, but I've never been really happy with the meade one. Oh well ....another gadget :P

I'll also take out the desiccant this weekend and give it a bake and see if that makes a difference.

I'm at work atm so don't have access to last nights images. I'll process them and post them when i get home this afternoon. I was still disappointed in the focus result even after removing the FR.

[[1ponders]]

btw the image of the defocused star using the FR above looks very much like astigmatism to me. :shrug:

[rat156]

Hi Paul,

There was a bad batch of Meade FR's out there...

If you were closer to me I'd say drop around and borrow my adapter.

I've sent a question to the Optec people about my reducer, if I can't get it to work, I may be selling it, so hold onto them peso's for a while.

Looks like I'm in for the Ted Agos solution as I have the AO7 as well...

Cheers

Stuart

[[1ponders]]

which solution is that Stuart?

[rat156]

http://www.ziplink.net/users/lester/FLR.html

[[1ponders]]

Ah yes I remember finding that ages ago. My setup is the one on the left. I'll be interested to see how that one works out Stuart. I think I'll use the 0.8 with the ED80 (which should focus) and have a think about which FR to get. I've heard good reports on the NexGen one, I wonder how the Celestron 6.3 compares?

[Dr Nick]

For a first, i'd be fairly happy with it if i were you! ;)

[[1ponders]]

Oh I am Nick, the fact I've actually managed to get a recognizable image first night out is a pretty big bonus for me :lol: