Success!

John5 (John) · #1 28-04-2018, 10:33 AM

Hello all. First off, my thanks to all who share their knowledge, wisdom and yes, humor here. All has been invaluable as I have waded in rather deep waters and wondered if I had bitten off more than I could chew.

Success finally came and it is nice to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment as I am sure you all know. Comment on the single (2nd) frame of the Jewel Box would be appreciated. The bright stars have a 'halo' around them. Is this a sign of poor focus or something else? This largely went in the stacked version.

Skywatcher ED80, HEQ5 Pro, Canon 1200D. 10 lights, 10 darks, ISO 800 at 20 seconds. Stacked in DSS, tweaked with Canon DPP program.

Regards and clear skies. John5

multiweb (Marc) · #2 28-04-2018, 11:31 AM

Good for you. I remember the first shot where I actually captured stars and not a black blurry frame. It's a pretty cool feeling. All upwards from there on with all the fun and its headaches.

raymo · #3 28-04-2018, 12:15 PM

Well done John; I think a little bit of dewing up of your optics.
raymo

PKay (Peter) · #4 28-04-2018, 01:15 PM

Hi John

Well done

Have you tried BackyardEOS?
It is a great piece of software suited to your camera, although you will also need a laptop.

xelasnave · #5 28-04-2018, 01:37 PM

Hi John
You should be proud of your result.
Your stars are better than mine thats for sure...not that I offer a high bar to pass.
Good work and thanks for sharing.
And remember the humour always needs a top up so if you know any jokes open a thread in genetal chat and share those as well.
Again great effort.
Alex

kosborn (Kevin) · #6 28-04-2018, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xelasnave

so if you know any jokes open a thread in genetal chat and share those as well.

But try to keep the topic of conversation above the waist!!

I think it's spelled 'genital' Alex.

Kevin

xelasnave · #7 28-04-2018, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kosborn

But try to keep the topic of conversation above the waist!!

I think it's spelled 'genital' Alex.

Kevin

Alex

John5 (John) · #8 28-04-2018, 01:59 PM

Thank you all. Marc, you are dead right - I am still stoked! Been a stepeer learning curve than I expected.

Thanks Raymo. The night was cool and pretty dewey later. Probably the guide scope dewed up also which is why Sharpcap did not want to play ball. Answers that question. I do have a so-far-unused dew heater purchased at the same time as everything else.

Peter, I do have Backyard EOS and used it for these shots. The mount is controlled using the ASCOM drivers and CdC. Works well and I really like CdC and what it offers.

Thanks Alex.I was pretty pleased with those stars as I finally managed to find a way to polar align which works for me. Just need to master Sharpcap. I always enjoy your posts which certainly add life to the forums.

BTW, what is the best way to handle dewed-up optics when packing up?

Regards to all, John5

xelasnave · #9 28-04-2018, 02:09 PM

Thank you John for your kind words...you are well ahead of poor old me who rarely gets polar align just right.
Pack up???
The best way to get rid of the dew is the morning Sunlight☺
Please try some dew tubes...as I keep saying not only do they help with dew but they help reduce stray light...baffled is best to reduce stray light and may even help on the dew side....
Alex

multiweb (Marc) · #10 28-04-2018, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John5

BTW, what is the best way to handle dewed-up optics when packing up?

I'll state the obvious and say try not to dew up in the first place. Dew heaters are cheap. DIY strips easy to make. Get that sorted out first then you'll never look back. In the interim cover your ED80 with a light rag. That will keep the scope warmer than exposed to the night sky which is a massive heat sink. If your scope is wet well let it dry cap off in the morning before packing it.

John5 (John) · #11 28-04-2018, 09:05 PM

Thank you all for your advice/suggestions/compliments. They are all appreciated. I have lurked and learned here for a while now and I see that this the genuinely friendly on-line community that I thought it was. Something to be treasured in these days.

BTW, how many here are into ham radio? Photography and astronomy seem to go together with radio nuts. Maybe it is the liking for stuff which is technical which is a common denominator? Another thread maybe?

Regards to all, John5

xelasnave · #12 29-04-2018, 11:01 AM

Mark I love the idea of a cloth...I think I may knit a pullover for my little scope☺
Alex

Atmos (Colin) · #13 29-04-2018, 12:16 PM

You're getting nice sharp stars and there is colour showing in the Jewel Box. As for what the halos are, it can be difficult to determine from low resolution images.

As has been mentioned, it could be dew even just starting to form on the optics. It can also be that you're using a doublet rather than a triplet which means that not all three colours (red, green & blue) are as corrected as in a triplet so you typically get a blue/violet halo. This can be removed with the click of a button in Lightroom/Photoshop