Orion and Running Man

[carlstronomy (Carl)]

Okay, I know this is rough and certainly no diamond but for the fun I thought I would share it, hope you like it.

I only have a SCT @ F10 and a reducer so I am very limited for imaging and at present see no need for another scope and mount so I had a little play to try F4 imaging for fun.

Whilst the moon was full I got a little board, so I disassembled my Orion ST80, blackened the optics, filed the screws, flocked the tube and calibrated the focuser. The only thing left is collimation but here is the result of two hours integration.

Imaging scope Orion ST80 (Less than $200 value)
Imaging camera Canon 450d
Guide scope SCT9.25 (this was interesting)
Guide camera DBK21 in combination with the Meade 6.3x reducer

120 x 60 sec subs @ISO 1600 Main image
30 x 10 sec subs @ISO 1600 Core

Thanks for looking.

Carl

[renormalised (Carl)]

Not bad for an achro Invest in a semi apo filter.

[WingnutR32 (Sam)]

Well done, Carl! Great detail.

I have used the ST80 as an imaging scope before with the C8 as a guide. Surprisingly works well.

[Rex]

Nice Carl, the CA is not as bad as I expected when I was reading your post. Great stuff. I've never used one but there is a filter called "minus violet" which apparently really helps. Love it when people get such good results just by thinking outside the box.

[carlstronomy (Carl)]

Thanks everyone for your comments and I have looked into the filters, both seem to be set up to remove the violet colour spectrum which reduces overall focus of the image and give the horrible start bloat and blue rings. There appears to be two type

Rex's

Baader Planetarium Fringe Killer Minus Violet Filter (Fringe killer) $75.00

- Improves resolution, contrast, and unaltered image brightness
- Removes colour fringe while preserving every bit of light possible
- Does not affect image brightness, impart strong colouration or reduce contrast at important wavelengths
- Permits stacking with no image degradation
- Excellent for planetary and deep sky imaging
Carl's

Baader Semi APO filer $100.00

- Reduces fringing and boosts colour contrast
- Delivers neutral view without the annoying violet fringe
- Enhances sharpness, contrast, and aesthetics
- Excellent for high-resolution imaging
- Great for both planetary and deep sky imaging, especially Jupiter and Mars

Both are for achromats so that is not an issue

So which would be better probably as its a cheap scope the fringe killer at $75.00 maybe?
Also would it really make a difference to the quality this scope can give, would it be worth the spend.

Thanks
Carl

[Rex]

I have no idea if it would be worth it Carl sorry. I have never had a refractor, always reflectors so I'm not much help. I mentioned that filter as one of the members of the local astro club was using one once. I'm not sure what the outcome was either sorry, but thought it was worth a mention.

[carlstronomy (Carl)]

Originally Posted by Rex

I have no idea if it would be worth it Carl sorry. I have never had a refractor, always reflectors so I'm not much help. I mentioned that filter as one of the members of the local astro club was using one once. I'm not sure what the outcome was either sorry, but thought it was worth a mention.

All good mate not to worry, it gives me second alternative that I think will do that is cheaper. So your input was great, I just found the APO is the next model up from the Fringe Killer so I think the later will do me just fine for the type of scope I am using.

Carl