Astrophotography. Gear/Photos/etc.

05/10/2024 09:09:00 AM · #1

Making a spot to discuss and share astrophotography 'stuff'.

05/10/2024 09:10:09 AM · #2

I recently picked up a tool (from MSM) to help with manual polar alignment, and of course we haven't had a clear sky on a Fri/Sat night since!

05/10/2024 11:57:52 AM · #3

ROFL, I just bought a new mount, and I actually warned my astrophotography buddy "mount is due Tuesday, prepare for an extended period of rain/clouds." Since then, we have not had one clear night, although it was clear this AM, so it did clear sometime during last night.
Speaking of polar alignment, I'm figuring that out anew with the new mount. It has no features dedicated to alignment, I'm planning on using a QHY Polemaster, we will see how that goes. I would like to cobble together a rough alignment tool so that if I am doing wide-angle work I can be up and going very quickly. It may be that aligning with the Polemaster will be quick enough that I don't have to worry about it.

05/11/2024 09:16:22 AM · #4

I'm just using a Sky-Wathcher Star Adventurer Pro kit for tracking. I like the mobility of it, although some people do attach a tracking scope, laptop, with software, etc...

For polar alignment I keep the polar scope set to the base configuration (polaris at 6) and use an app called Polar Clock to get the correct placement of polaris on the circle. Not exact, like using plugged in computer apps, but works "ok" for my amateur status. :-)

05/11/2024 11:42:05 AM · #5

Barry, the way you are aligning should be accurate enough for any WA work, and even accurate enough for longer focal lengths if your subs are short enough. If at some point you find that you need to be more accurate than that, you probably want to consider guiding as well. Of course that's a whole new rabbit hole of equipment and software ;-)
The QHY PoleMaster is a halfway point between what you are doing and going down the guiding rabbit hole. I can get very accurate polar alignment by using the software, or just use it like a polar scope and position Polaris at the correct position on the circle and I'll be within a few arcminutes.
My new mount is the ZWO AM5, which will be great for both camera and telescope, and it is not physically bigger than my iOptron SkyTracker Pro (though it is heavier). It will handle quite a heavy load, and do so without counterweights. I can certainly get into guiding with the AM5, however for this year I am sticking with the PoleMaster. It will be nice having a mount with both RA and DEC axes motorized, so once aligned it can be used as a go-to system and should put any selected object right in the FOV.
The AM5 is definitely capable, but will take me some time to get it set up and configured the way I want it. I need a new dovetail plate, probably have to manufacture some hardware to mount the PoleMaster to the mount, and more hardware for ensuring a solid mount of the camera to the dovetail plate. Mounting the telescope (an old Meade 8" SCT) is a separate project. I will also need a 12.5V DC field power supply, something I never needed to worry about with the iOptron since it has an on-board Li-ion battery. What do you use to power the Star Adventurer?

05/11/2024 11:51:03 AM · #6

One of the auroras last night:

We had storms come through late evening, skies sort of cleared after midnight, and I was able to get some photos. Despite the terrifically strong storm, the auroras were muted, almost no color to the naked eye, but the camera was not fooled. Here's the source of the action:

Sunspot 3664 near the bottom of the solar disk has been kicking of X-flares and sending mass ejections our way for a few days. This was taken yesterday, 2024-05-10.

05/12/2024 11:06:26 AM · #7

Originally posted by kirbic:

... What do you use to power the Star Adventurer?

4 AA batteries. :-}

I have a power block I use to juice the dew heater but not for the mount yet.

05/12/2024 10:04:54 PM · #8

Originally posted by glad2badad:

Originally posted by kirbic:
... What do you use to power the Star Adventurer?

4 AA batteries. :-}

I have a power block I use to juice the dew heater but not for the mount yet.

Power supply is something I have to work on, and soon. For initial playing around/set-up, I have been using an AC adapter, but that isn't going to get me too far afield! I ran across a thread describing a DIY system based on a LiFePo4 battery, I'm going to order parts for that this week.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

06/13/2024 08:13:33 PM · #9

Thought I would post back with a photo of my new set-up:

The mount is the ZWO AM5. The camera is the Canon R5, with the RF 100-500 lens. The USB device hanging off the front is the QHYCCD PoleMaster for polar alignment. To the left of the mount is a low-power green laser for rough alignment.
I've been out just a couple nights so far, running tests to practice polar alignment and then shooting a few images gauge how good my alignment is. For those familiar with the process, the PoleMaster specs say I should be able to align to 30 arcseconds or better. From my results (near zero image shift over a series of 14 30-second exposures at 85mm (about 7.5 minutes total elapsed time) my alignment was spot on the first time I ran it.

scalvert

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

06/17/2024 08:08:08 AM · #10

Nice! Welcome to the night shift.

06/17/2024 10:44:18 AM · #11

Speaking of which, I've signed on for a road trip with a friend of mine, we will be spending two weeks traveling to dark sky sites. Targeting the Steen Mountain wilderness in SE OR, and possibly as far west as Crater Lake NP.

06/17/2024 10:59:52 AM · #12

Originally posted by kirbic:

Awesome! That sounds like a great road trip.

Canon EF-M 22mm f/2.0 STM Lens

06/17/2024 01:21:43 PM · #13

Originally posted by scalvert:

Nice! Welcome to the night shift.

That is a spectacular image of M95 Shannon! For those who are not familiar with deep sky objects, this one is quite small, around 1/20th of a degree across. Quite an achievement to attain that level of detail!

Spork99

Canon EOS M6 Mk II

06/19/2024 06:56:29 PM · #14

I dunno if this counts, but I have been playing around with Live Composition mode on my Olympus and shot some star trails this weekend among a few other things. It's great for light painting too, which is really why I picked it up. After 2 decades + with Canon, the menu system is puzzling, but I do love the results. I wish I'd had this thing when we went camping in Wilderness State Park here in MI.

Message edited by author 2024-06-19 19:00:30.