Posts Made By: James Braddy

SV102/EM200/ST8
25X3min.

Ok Guys! Every image I've posted, you guys have said needed more exposure time. So I tried some longer guided subframes. Attached is an image of M63 I took Feb.28th. The image is a median combine of four twenty minute subframes, I'd have taken more, but I spent the first couple hours just taking my darks, three subframes got blurred from vibration or guiding errors, then my scope dewed up around 4am, so this is the most exposure time I was able to get in one night. The median combine was initally processed with DDP, then touched up with curves and unsharp mask in PS.
SV102/EM200/ST8

Hi,
When I started imaging not quite a year ago, I jumped straight into deep sky imaging with an ST8, and am still working on the long learning curve associated with that, but would also like the ability to do the moon and planets. I understand there's multiple ways of going about this, use filters with my ST8, or get a seperate webcam setup. I'll be useing my 4"f/8 APO and EM200 to start with, I have been using the ST8's auto-guiding chip instead of a seperate guide scope. I've also been told I could use my 14.5" f/4.3 dob and equatorial table, if it can track well enough to keep the image on the chip long enough for the AVI. Any thoughts welcome.

After having owned and used a wide variety of premium eyepieces. The ones that have earned a permanant home in my eyepiece case are...........(drum-roll)

2" 2X Powermate
40mm UO Konig II (old style)
27 Panoptic
9mm T6 Nagler
3-6X Nagler zoom

The scopes I used them in include a 14.5" F/4.3 Newt
and a Stellarvue 102 APO f/8.8

JDBraddy

Jim Steenhoek said:

For some good on topic reading - What are your 3 most used eyepieces?

(include your barlow as a 4th ep if you use one)

Please tell us a little about your scope so we can put that into perspective too...

Thank you in advance for everyone's input and enjoy!!!

8)

Jim

I'm completely unfamiliar with Maks or any knind of Catadioptric scope. I've always owned either newtonians or refractors. I got into imaging a couple years ago, and am currently using an 80mm F/6 APO refractor. I want more focal length, but 6" and larger APO's are beyond my finantial reach. I've given into the idea of trying some other types of scope and am looking for something that will match or beat a 6" APO, as a photographic instrument. It will be mounted on a Takahashi EM200 Temma mount and an older Parallel ST8 camera. The 80mm f/6 refractor will likely be riding piggy back. Have heard good things about the Tak CN212, but it's a little pricy for me too. Was also looking at the Vixen VC200L. Any advice is appreciated.

I just bought an Astronomik filter drawer off A-mart, and now have a question about filters. Given I'm using an older Parallel ST8 (non-E) NAGB, with and 80f/6 refractor, I'll have to guide through the filter, wich will likely make it difficult to find and calibrate on a guide star. I borrowed a Schuller Ha filter from an observing buddy, and screwed it into the nosepiece, just to see if I could do it at all. I chose the elephant trunk as a target, because It had and abundance of great guide stars in the area, and should make an easy target. Here's a median combine of 8 X 20min subs.



Now, I'm wondering....Wich would be better, a filter like the Astrodon wich has a narrower passband, but allows a higher percentage of light at those particular wavelengths through the filter, or a filter like the Astronomik that lets a smaller percentage of light at a particular wavelength through, but has a wider passband allowing more wavelengths to pass, or something in-between the two, like the Schuller?

Here's my very first attemp at shooting an LRGB image, using my SV80s/ST8/EM200, with new manual filter drawer, and Asronomik LRGB filters. I have to say, I'm a little disappointed, but I guess if we succeeded at everything the first time we try, there wouldn't be much motivation to practice and get better. Things didn't go nearly as smoothly as I would have hoped, I got set up late, wasted a lot of time trying to focus with my new TV reducer/flatener that obviously wasn't spaced properly, I obviously need to re-measure, and add some sort of spacer in order to use it with my setup. Eventually, I gave up and put it away, and shot the images without using it. Conditions where pretty poor. Seeing was horrible, A lot of frames where thrown out for tracking errors, there where clouds drifting through my FOV all night and I kept loosing my guide star. So that eliminated any hope of having any sort of balanced color ratio. What ratio of R:G:B do you guys find works the best for a parallel ST8 (non-e) NABG camera? I managed to salvage 9 frames of Luminance, twelve minutes each. I probably should have binned the color frames 2X2, but I shot them binned 1X1. I ended up with three usable frames of red, six minutes each. I got five usable blue frames, six minutes each, and only one useable six minute green frame, as I shot using the green filter last, and the camera hit the tripod leg half way through the second green frame, causing me to loose my mounts calibration. Rather than trying to re-calibrate, and re-aquire from the other side of the mount, I spent the last 45min or so before dawn taking darks and flats. I know, I seriously need some image processing instruction. At least, maybe I'll be able to plan better for the next imaging session it will go a bit more smoothly. JDBraddy

I know nothing about video astronomy, but would like to be able to use it both like an electronic eyepiece, and to record images of what I see, and perhaps enhance the detail a little over what I can see visually on faint fuzzies. Doesn't have to be Discovery Channel quality processed images like some of you guys do. Just something quick and not too complicated. I'm just not sure what to get, or where to start. Scope will be a SV-130 EDT on EM-200 Temma.

I just recently decided to dig out my astro-equipment that's been collecting dust in my garage for almost a decade. I spend all of yesterday afternoon dusting-off and cleaning-up my EM-200 Temma-PC, after nine years, had a devil of a time remembering what went where, especially since my current laptop no longer even has serial ports, previous laptops had crashed and all my astronomy software is long gone. I was able to do a rough polar alignment and visually track M-57 for an hour last night just using the manual control box, but do not have a computerized hand controller, serial ports, or software to use the go-to features. I'm so out of touch with current technology and software. I know you imagers out there, keep up with that kind of stuff. I need help getting to where I can control and use it's functions again. Whatever help or advice anyone could provide, would be greatly appreciated.