Journal 2012

Date - 31st/31st December 2012

UPDATE : Well after spending Christmas learning how to use PixInsight I have produced my first colour photo of M27 taken through the Williams Optics 72mm refractor. Below is a montage of the various images themselves both full resolution and zoomed into the planetary nebula. As I hope you would agree this is not bad considering the hours of work that has gone into learning how to use PI. From Harry's tutorials, Tim Powell's mentoring and further assistance as always from John Murphy especially around Pixel Math usage. I will now take some time to process M31 in the same fashion. Hopefully over the coming months I will learn how to perform further post processing of the images to draw out further details. The use of MSMT and SCNR will be invaluable I am sure.

Whilst working my way through PixInsight I have have had the pleasure of working with the PixelMath process. Below is a screenshot of the formulae used from John Murphy for creating a synthetic blue. Like all my photos it can be clicked on to view full size. The filenames are unusually long so for clarity the equation is OIII (Ha * 0.15).

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Date - 10th/10th November 2012

START : 19:36 WEATHER : 4.4 DEG C

FINISH : 21:11 WEATHER : 3.8 DEG C

UPDATE : Out imaging, but mount still not behaving. Assume it is the EQmod piece of rubbish. I will take out of the equation tomorrow by removing and connecting directly to the handset assuming I can get the serial to usb cable working.

TARGET : Comet 260P-McNaught

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Date - 5th/5th November 2012

START : 19:22 WEATHER : 2.7 DEG C

FINISH : 21:06 WEATHER : 2.1 DEG C

UPDATE : Out imaging M31 in Green, just started to fog up.

TARGET : M31 - Andromeda Galaxy. 13 x 5 min Green

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Date - 14th/14th October 2012

START : 19:15 WEATHER : 6.3 DEG C

FINISH : 22:10 WEATHER : 5.7 DEG C

UPDATE : Out trying to still catch a kitten and image M31 in Red. All worked well tonight. By leaving the mount switched on but parked and The Sky6 connected it remembered its position and slewed to the correct object.

TARGET : M31 - Andromeda Galaxy. 13 x 5 min Red and 13 x 5min Blue

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Date - 6th/7th October 2012

START : 21:15 WEATHER : 7.0 DEG C

FINISH : 00:03 WEATHER : 5.4 DEG C

UPDATE : So tonight it took some time to get up and going. I did not manage to get the scope to sync correctly during the initial setup. It seemed to think it was pointing in another direction. No sure why it forgets where it is when I turn off, or indeed why it then does not let me sync some distance away. Rather it only lets me sync in the local area. Strange! The good news is I have just received call about the cat and kittens in our garden and within a few days the lovely mother and kittens will be rescued and given new homes. I am very much looking forward to this as I have been worried for some time. Slightly off topic I know but important none the less.

Si I decided to reimage M31 tonight. I only have a Deep Sky version of the galaxy. I will now gain LRGB and Ha data. Tonight I imaged the Luminance frame using Deep Sky filter. Next I will gain Red.

To get the sync working even after rebooting. I released the clutches, slewed to a bright star in Cas, then when the slew was complete, I made sure the scope was aligned on this star and tightened the clutches. Next I clicked on Sync in TheSky 6 and all was well. Also when I slew to another object now even on the other side of the sky the object is in the FOV. This is good and shows it was the polar alignment that was out before. I have reinitialised the Park position within EQMOD and now hope that next time I go out the scope remembers where it is :-)

TARGET : M31 - Andromeda Galaxy. 13 x 5 min Luminance (Deep Sky filter)

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Date - 29th/30th September 2012

START : 18:55 WEATHER : 9.1 DEG C

FINISH : 01:17 WEATHER : 6.4 DEG C

UPDATE : Came out early this evening in an attempt to crack the guiding problem. After speaking with Tim and John we agreed it sounded like a polar alignment problem. This would mean that either the mount had been knocked or some contraction due to the cold had caused the polar alignment to shift.

I used PemPro to redo the polar alignment and it was off by some 100min of arc in Azimuth and 130min of arc in Declination. This took me until about 10:30pm this evening. I then tracked using PHD (just because it has a far superior setup function than Maxim. This worked and the image result was perfect.

I then setup a test image run as the first for this new setup since getting the new temporary EQ6 mount of M27 the Dumbell nebula. I will process over the next few days both the Ha and OIII and combine to gain a 3rd colour so I can make a colour image.

TARGET : M27 - Dumbell Nebula. 8 x 10min Ha, 8 x 10min OIII

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Date - 18th/18th September 2012

START : 20:56 WEATHER : 9.0 DEG C

FINISH : 23:44 WEATHER : 7.2 DEG C

UPDATE : So it's cold tonight, so I am wrapped up very warm. I'm going to now try sorting out the guiding once and for all!

Well after nearly 3 hours I managed to the setup to guide using PHD. I struggled originally as the settings within ASCOM were not correct for PuleGuide and I needed to increase them significantly. This may be why Maxim is not calibration so I may try it again next time I go out, however PHD is very good and very simple. My real challenge is the fact that the 5min image I then took had trailing and I do not know why............

TARGET : SH2- 131 which I now know is the Elephants Trunk

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Date - 14th/15th September 2012

START : 21:00 WEATHER : 12.7 DEG C

FINISH : 00:04 WEATHER : 10.7 DEG C

UPDATE : So after much searching I found the correct cable behind the laptop screen! Well it's probably been there for 4 years. I connected up and after 1.5 hours failed to get the camera calibrated. I could not get the standard L shape from Maxim. I also noted that when I switched to HA there were no stars which of course is correct given the dual chip nature of the camera. Whilst doing this I noticed a bright band in the shape of a sausage across the camera. This transpired to be where the Starlitexpress guide camera should have been connected and thus there was a whole in the side of the connector on the camera, and the scope was pointing in such a way that one of the red lights in the dome was pointing into the whole.

So I fitted the off-axis starlightxpress guide camera and then tried to get it to work instead. After 30mins of trying to get it to move the mount via the guide relays I realised I had not connected it's cable to the mount! I am having many blond moments. So after connecting this I can now make the mount move, however I am still struggling to get the camera to calibrate within Maxim. No idea why. John M has given me some ideas to try which I will next time I am out. I would love to get an image out of this new setup before the end of the year!

Below is a picture of a failed calibration.

TARGET : SH2-131

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Date - 8th/8th September 2012

START : 21:03 WEATHER : 12.7 DEG C

FINISH : 22:53 WEATHER : 10.7 DEG C

UPDATE : So I miss La Palma very much, imaging even from near sea level with no light pollution, 22 deg c all night! Well back home in sunny (it really is for once) England and I have the new PEC tables in the mount. I will test by taking a photo.

However, I must admit slewing between objects seems to be offset and not sure why. Maybe something to do with new PEC? Anyway, tried to setup guiding and after some minutes....well possibily 1 hour, I ralised that guiding requires a guide cable under my new setup! The Paramount ME used Direct Guide. The EQ6 requires a guide cable. So after hunting around in the observatory I realised I do not have the required 9 pin adapter to connect one of the 3 cables I have. There may be one in the shed, however we currently have a feral cat who has decided to have 4 kittens living next to the shed in a Jeweson bag! She would be very unhappy and probably attack me if I went anywhere near her. So I will leave for tomorrow and decide what to do. Btw it is cold now, not at all like La Palma :-(

TARGET :

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Date - 17th/31st August 2012

START : 22:32 WEATHER : 13.5 DEG C

FINISH : 01:11 WEATHER : 13.1 DEG C

UPDATE : So 18th August I setup by the pool (well 1 of the 11 pools) and then went out for another 2 whole nights, I had load of fun, in my shorts with bare feet and 24 deg c all night!

18th Aug

Lagoon nebula 22:59 visual

Triffid 23:09

M21. 23:09

Butterfly cluster with remarkable red star

Ptolomys cluster 23:10

NGC 2362 at 23:19

19th Aug

NGC 6231 at 23:48

M62 and then M19 at 23:53

29th Aug

Imaged 30min of Pleiades with Jupiter and Taurus

Imaged 30min of Perseus

Imaged 3min of Orion Star setting

Then dewed up 5:30am

Imaged 30min between Lacerta and Cepheus

Imaged 2 x 1 min Orion

Imaged Through trees on star tracker then on 1/2 setting

Saw Double Cluster with naked eye then through WO 66mm

TARGET :

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Date - 4th/5th August 2012

START : 22:32 WEATHER : 13.5 DEG C

FINISH : 01:11 WEATHER : 13.1 DEG C

UPDATE : Well after several false starts over the past several weeks, I have finally managed to come out and complete the PemPro PEC run. I had the usual problem of finding a star and syncing on it when I powered up the system. this seems in the main because the Terad was not in sync with the scope. Of course this is because it fell off since the last time out.

At the same time I am taking some photo's with the Canon 300D on the societies new Vixen Polarie mount. This is a portable mount about the size of a compact camera....well slightly larger but not much. I have been taking 5min subs this evening and will process tomorrow. I have also taken 30s subs not tracking of the North Star to practice stacking together for star trails. All of this before I go to La Palma shortly. I did suffer dew build up very quickly on the lens of the camera, actually on the filter lent to me by my friend Ian. Hopefully this won't happen in La Palma, however I will check before I go.

I have now loaded the new PEC table into the mount through the EQMOD. I was about to test it by taking a photo when the clouds rolled in :-(

TARGET :

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Date - 15th/16th June 2012

START : 22:43 WEATHER : 11 DEG C

FINISH : 00:01 WEATHER : 11 DEG C

UPDATE : Tonight I would like to get the PEC read off this EQ6 mount. It has taken me some time to get to the point where I can use PEMPro to do this as MaximDL would not connect to The Sky 6. Goodness knows why! Anyway a reboot of the stupid Windows laptop solved the problem. I then slewed to a star, then tried to use PinPoint but it did not work. I manually slewed as the star was out as seen in the finder scope. I attempted another PinPoint and this time it found the pattern. I then Synced with TheSky 6 and then slewed back to the star I was meant to be on. Took another photo and the star was in the middle of the screen.....phew!

So then the clouds rolled in.....hahahaha, Astronomy is so very funny! I went for a cup of coffee then came back down to the dome and the clouds had rolled away. BTW did I mention this has been the wettest drought in history! In fact i wish it would stop raining as we have had very little clear skies for some time.

So back to PEMPro. I have started to Acquire the data for the worm cycles. Looks terrible!

Well on the 3rd Worm cycle the clouds rolled in again! So performed a quick fit for the data and had a PE of 31.6!!!! The ME was about 2! Well that's what you get for £1000 rather than £8000.

The next time I come out I will have another go and this time pick a star East of the Meridian as suggested just to get the best data.

TARGET :

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Date - 26th/27th May 2012

START : 22:03 WEATHER : 17 DEG C - ??% Humidity

FINISH : 00:42 WEATHER : 13 DEG C - ??% Humidity

UPDATE : Used PemPro tonight to align the mount. Adjusted both axis. The adjustment is nowhere near as easy, fine or accurate as the ME. It's shocking how much you need to pay to get a decent mount. I have done the best I can and will now leave and try and track another night. I can't wait to get the AstroPhysics mount!

TARGET :

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Date - 12th May 2012

START : 22:23 WEATHER : 9 DEG C - ??% Humidity

FINISH : 23:42 WEATHER : 5 DEG C - ??% Humidity

UPDATE : So I still need to polar align the mount using PEMPro. for now I have attached the Telrad to the scope to help align at the start of the evening. I also still need to cook the descant. I will take that in tonight. I have performed pinpoint and synced and all is well. Noting that EQMOD does not let me slew if it is pointing at the trees as laid out by my personal horizon within the sky. This is a good safety feature. To get around this as the parked position is within this horizon boundary I manually slew the scope above it. After that I can point within TheSky and then slew.

I noticed tonight that 1 min is fine without guiding however 5 mins caused huge star trails. I must get this mount aligned. For now that's another few things this evening completed so I will now poack up and take the descant in. Then once aligned maybe I can image the faint Sharpless 73 object.

TARGET :

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Date - 2nd May

UPDATE : So the first update for some time, I have tried to go out recently but failed to get anything working including being able to update this Journal. Goodness knows why! Anyway since February and now I have purchased and installed the new NEQ6 mount (temporary but maybe for some time!) I have focused the camera, fitted the new focal reducer/flatner from Williams Optics. I have also fitted the Lakeside motor focus and got that working.

What I now need to do (when it stops raining, as it has rained for nearly 3 weeks!) is to polar align the mount probably using drift alignment with PEMPro. Tonight I failed to get the Pinpoint working however I have had working the last time I came out. Since I did not record in my Journal how O got this working I now clearly cannot remember. I think, indeed as I left the dome, that it may have been the Maxim sw not connecting to the Sky correctly. I'll check the next time I go out.

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Date : 9th February

UPDATE : As you can tell I have not been very active in the dome as of late. A mixture of work (a necessary task) and the more fun outward bound Astronomy with my society. I must say it has been a busy start to the year with Stargazing live events, the start of our Basingstoke Astronomical Society meetings, committee, practical and main. I have also been into my local Junior school to continue teaching Astronomy to the children and then back for a very successful clear evening viewing with some 50+ children. Fantastic! So now you know why I have not been in the dome.

I have also been dismantling the Paramount ME mount that I have now sold to Chris from Scotland. I hope he has as many good evenings with it as have I. I am in the low point of now saving for my new setup on my wish list of an AP3600 and CDK20 OTA with a wide field camera. Whilst that is more than likely still some years away I will be buying a Sky-Watcher NEQ6 mount from Astrofest tomorrow and mounting my Williams Optics back on. Over the coming months and years (until I can afford my dream setup) I will be taking wide field images and learning to process them on Pixinsight. To start my friend Tim Powell has processed the raw data I gave him for SH171 and the image is below. I hope to learn to process this well soon. It is a spectacular image from my narrow band data. I'll put more info up about it on it's own page soon.