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Posted by Tony Morris at 19:35 on 2012 Feb 29
PaulI’m sure you will not regret your decision…..All the guidance you need id in the BAA DSLR booklet as Nick has pointed out.I would add a focussing mask and BackYardEos to your line up.Tony
Posted by Paul A Brierley at 18:12 on 2012 Feb 29
Hi Tony/Nick.I have decided to. Buy one, after thinking and thinking it over.I have a fine, fast, F4 Newtonian and ZS66SD APO (william Optics) which this camera will work nicely with.What other bit’s and piece’s will I need?
Posted by Tony Morris at 23:22 on 2012 Feb 28
PaulIts surprising what can be done with DSLRs using relatively short exposures and stacking. All the images I used in the BAA DSLR book did not have any calibration frames. The key to success is expose for as long as possible and obtain as many images as possible and stack them. As Nick states modified cameras work very well as they are 3 to 4 times more efficient at Ha wavelengths according to various sources on the web. Another key component is the image processing software, IRIS is well regarded and very powerful and FREE! However I have never mastered the user interface. I use PixInsight which is also very powerful and the user interface is much better in my opinion, currently its around 170 Euros.I also have a CCD camera, but my DSLR has got much more sky time under its belt as it works a treat with my 60mm and 90mm refractorsI don’t have a web page.Tony
Posted by Paul A Brierley at 19:20 on 2012 Feb 28
Tony,I think I heard you mention this program, during the Leeds AM last November. It does look, very good indeed.I really still don’t know, what to do. OK. An Atik314l+ will not have the same sized sensor. And thus. Field of view, the Canon will have.But. The CCD camera will have a considerably cleaner image that doesn’t require dark frames, to remove noise.But I read Nick’s comments. He mentioned the newer cameras, don’t suffer too much from noise. Which is very reassuring.I don’t have the cash yet. So I have plenty of time to think, whilst saving UP.Do you have a website showcasing your DSLR images?
Posted by Tony Morris at 19:09 on 2012 Feb 28
PaulIf you go down the "Canon" route I would recommend that you invest in BackYardEos (BYE) http://www.backyardeos.com to control your camera if you are using Microsoft windows. It has really improved my DSLR image capture work-flow.There is also another similar piece of software http://www.ideiki.com/astro/Default.aspx but I don’t have any experience of it.Also using Bhatinov focussing masks & liveview work together very well.I have also used BYE to capture the live view feed for planetary imaging, Ok Damien Peach has no need to be worried but I have been pleased with what I have seen; using Registax.Tony
Posted by Paul A Brierley at 12:07 on 2012 Feb 26
Thank you Nick.I’m now seriously thinking about a 1100D rather than a Atik314L+I will study your images later today.Thank you again.
Posted by Nick James at 11:54 on 2012 Feb 26
Hi Paul,I dont have an 1100D but I have used Canon cameras extensively for astro-imaging and they are very good. I have a modified Canon EOS 10D which is quite old now but works very well and an unmodified Canon 550D. Flats, darks and biases aren’t too difficult and when you use them the fact that the chip isn’t cooled doesn’t seem to give many problem. I use IRIS for processing and the Canon tools (which include remote control and RAW processing). The Canon tools come with the camera. Battery life in long exposures is pretty good now as well. You’ll need some simple adaptors (usually 2" focusser tube extenders and a Canon T mount adaptor) but these can be picked up reasonably cheaply if you look around.Tony Morris’ book on DSLRs is a good start. Some of my pics with the different systems are on-line here:Megrez 72 + modified Canon 10D:http://www.nickdjames.com/Media/Astronomy/deep-sky/NGC7000_20090929_ndj.jpg.phphttp://www.nickdjames.com/Media/Astronomy/deep-sky/m31_20081021_2200_ndj.jpg.phpLenses + Canon 550Dhttp://www.nickdjames.com/Media/Astronomy/deep-sky/sco_20100712_ndj.jpg.phphttp://www.nickdjames.com/Media/Astronomy/Kelling2011/ngc7000_20110925_ndj.jpg.phpNick.
Posted by Graham Relf at 09:35 on 2012 Feb 26
Yes, despite photographing through a thin veil of cloud. Not exactly spectacular though.
Posted by Nick James at 22:46 on 2012 Feb 25
Graham,It looks as if this comet was discovered in outburst since it subsequently faded rapidly. Did you manage to get it?Nick.
Posted by A R Pratt at 23:45 on 2012 Feb 24
I tried to add a pic of the ISS passing near the Moon, Venus and Jupiter this evening, but I need to master the eccentricities of this forum.
Posted by Graham Relf at 16:53 on 2012 Feb 24
It looks like it might be clear tonight (Feb 24) here in the North Pennines so I am hoping to photograph the comet properly. Finder info is here: charts.
Posted by Graham Relf at 16:49 on 2012 Feb 24
That was quick Callum! I scrolled down automatically as usual only to find the forum box gone: moved and expanded. Well done. It will be interesting to see whether it makes much difference.
Posted by Callum Potter at 13:47 on 2012 Feb 24
Well, happy to give that a try…Of course, the more people that post, the more quickly your post will drop out the list…Managing real-estate on the front page is a big problem – I had in mind originally, for the various ‘modules’ to be arrangeable or shrunk/expanded according to your preferences, but I could not find an easy way to do that. Perhaps the new person (whoever that might be) will have some good ideas. Cheers, Callum
Posted by Graham Relf at 12:29 on 2012 Feb 24
2 things put me off using the forum: (1) I have to scroll way down to see it, (2) when I post a topic to try to get people to use our Computing sub-site, the entry rapidly gets pushed down and out of the window.So there needs to be a longer summary list of recent topics much higher up the home page.
Posted by Callum Potter at 12:00 on 2012 Feb 24
Hello Paul,difficult to say…We have around 1219 members registered for the website and able to access the members only area and the forum.In the last seven days, there were something like 72 different members who logged on to the members only area. Unfortunately its a bit of chicken and egg – more people will post if there is more activity, but need more people to post to generate that activity.And there are a lot of forums out there, that i expect many subscribe to as well…Callum
Posted by Paul A Brierley at 17:41 on 2012 Feb 22
I still find it difficult to believe that Earth is unique.And I hope one day in the not to distant future. Kepler or another planet finding mission. Will finally detect, another Earth.Does anybody here know whether the TSP (Terrestrial Planet Finder) got off the drawing board?I believe this was quite an ambitious project, that would. It was hoped. Search and even image, a terrestrial planet?
Posted by D Gray at 16:17 on 2012 Feb 22
Hi Astrid,For all we know stars like Bellatrix could have a huge retinue of planets. But I believe current thinking is that such hot stars are liable to blow the dust and gas away before they get the chance to form?? As it has a mass up to nine times solar it is destined to become a red giant and then white dwarf (just escaping going supernova) in a time-span that may not give life much opportunity to develop/evolve.Check this link out: http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/bellatrix.html Given that it has some six times the suns diameter any transiting planet would need to be huge to cause a measurable dip in its light. Also a life-bearing body would have to be pretty far out, thus having a very long orbital period giving quite infrequent transits.Fascinated to know why you singled out this particular star a favourite perhaps? Rigel is one of mine but the prospects for planets and life there look very dire indeed but nature just keeps on surprising us!Regards David.
Posted by Astrid Ohlmeier at 11:43 on 2012 Feb 22
Thanks for the infos, good to know where Kepler is pointing.
Posted by Paul A Brierley at 06:57 on 2012 Feb 22
Hi Astrid,The only way we’ll know, whether Bellatrix has a planet, or planets. Is by observations using the transit method.Where, you watch the star dim, as a planet transit’s the solar disk.Kepler isn’t able to see this region of sky, because it is pointing at a small patch of space in Cygnus.The chances of there being life on such a planet. Your guess is as good as mine.But I would like to think so…
Posted by Graham Relf at 12:20 on 2012 Feb 20
The comet does seem to be easily photographable – if only the weather will cooperate. I managed to get it on Saturday (18th) with a stack of just 4 frames, 30s each at ISO 6400 (Canon 5D2 + 10" Newt f/4.8) before the clouds blocked it again. With so few frames the result is too noisy to be worth showing but the comet was clearly there with characteristic green glow.
