a few experimental pics

[hpcoolahan]

well guys heres a few pics from last night, and what a clear night it was , all the time till 5.00am when i finally went to bed.

all pics with dsi-2 pro on 12in lx90 alt/az from my new comfort zone.

the lagoon neb is ok , but the rest are average, i was having fun seeing 14 or so galaxies using Starry Night to guide the scope to them,.
worked faultlessly, on the chip every time.

hope you like them

Patrick
clear skies to all

[beren]

Top work Patrick :thumbsupmate:

[Draig]

:welldone:

Beautiful Images Patrick but if those are average or ok shots what do you call first class?

CHeers Colin

[Radar]

Well done Pat.

I have to agree with Draig though, those are top shots. There is heaps of detail in those galaxies. Well done again, you must be loving your new toy. Is the pier in?

[hpcoolahan]

Thanks a lot Radar, Draig and beren, i am fussy, the southern pinwheel's stars are not round because i moved on the floor durign capture.(pier is in garrage still getting welded up).
using the nasa drizzle function and setting drizzle resolution up high really does make a difference to the clarity of detail captured.(they say it turns the DSI into a 8mp camera.
i am still amazed you can get alt/az shots (with rotation on the fly).
I am still working on the motorization for the dome , but i have all the parts now except for a azimuth sensor for the dome .

thanks again guys

patrick

[Mick]

They are very nice images Pat, I had an insight into how much work goes into DSO imaging last night.

[hpcoolahan]

thanks mick,
did you do some imaging last night, if so, show us, id love to see someone elses.

It does take a lot of time and effort especially if u do color with a b/w camera.

but its worth it.

good luck and clear skies


ps ; Radar i welded the pier up and painted it today!!!!!

[Radar]

ps ; Radar i welded the pier up and painted it today!!!!!

I will be over in the next few minutes mate. Please make sure the spare bedroom is ready to go! :Chessy_Smile:

You will be in your element when the pier is finally installed Pat. Do you anticipate getting it in this week?

[hpcoolahan]

yeah radar i hope to have it in by......tomorrow arvo.

Are you superman , gee wiz u can fly fast from one side of the continent to the other:thumbsupmate:

patrick


did u want to sleep in the observatory?? lol...

[Radar]

did u want to sleep in the observatory?? lol...

I'm sure I could handle that. :Chessy_Smile:

[AstroTasmania]

Hi Patrick

Very nice results for your first night in your new comfort zone. Did you use the IR blocking filter in the nosepiece? that is a must with and without the RGB filters. B&W CCD chips are very sensitive to IR.

Using Drizzle certainly makes a difference. I had a go one night late last year on one of our rare clear nights, just with the DSI II Pro on a tripod with a camera lens (Pentax), pointed straight up and I was amazed at what I got in 20 seconds. I even caught some very faint meteors. The images are on a laptop so cannot easily grab them to show you. The camera has a lot of promise, but as you say, a lot of work with the RGB filters.

The last three weeks I have been making the base for my own design mini OctaDome, which will house one of my systems a lot nearer the house on the level. Stainless pier, timber frames oiled, checking for height etc. I am preparing for my knee replacement time when I cannot get up & down the slope to my big dome.

Clear skies...

Clear skies

[hpcoolahan]

thanks mate , i am enjoying the comfort zone more each night.
put the pier in today but have to get the bolt to attach scope to pier tomorrow.

yes i always have the ir filter in the nose, i have to get another one so i can keep the rgb+ir meade filters in the slide and the new one in the nose, this willkeep the image scale the same across the exposures.(cant do LRGB easily at the moment)
Well you sure have been busy , lots of lesurely walks when it finnished.:thumbsupmate:

what scope is to live in the new home???
by the way , maby a cable car design to the big dome would be easier?
:eartoear: i know i would just to keep using the big gear.

when and if i polar mount the 12in i would like to get into the narrowband "hubble pallete" imaging, it sure is hard to find a set in aust, sodium-II is the hardest filter to find.

best of luck with the knee's hope it not needed for ages yet!!

patrick

[AstroTasmania]

Hi Patrick,

Here is a link to the system going in the mini dome, the current two scopes will have two more added. This will be linked to my indoors control room via the main dome - eventually.

One of the major problems on the increase is our level of night time humidity through the winter, a scope is dripping wet in minutes outdoors, which means I rarely get to use the Alhena system because there is too much tied up in that to get water into everything.

I may add my Tak Mewlon 210 & Tak FS-102 plus cameras with lenses for wide sky views, hence the 'OctaDome' design where I can open all the 8 petals for 180 degree views. see previous issue of Sky & Space Magazine for sky pics from my site.

Link to the wide field system:

http://picasaweb.google.com/AstroTasmania/AlhenaTwinWidefieldScopesMobileSetup

I have included a shot with a Meade LXD-55 mount for size comparrison.

Waiting for the 2 sets Antares Rotating Mounting Rings before adding the other scopes.

Clear skies...