tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15834156499821869972024-03-18T11:03:46.204+08:00David Ahn Astrophotography BlogDavid Ahn AstrophotographyDavid Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-66237489829510170752012-07-21T23:10:00.000+08:002013-07-19T10:05:03.117+08:00M16 Eagle NebulaFirst image of the year and hopefully not the last.<br />
Hydrogen Alpha - 465mins<br />
Oxygen III - 316mins<br />
Sulfur II - 360mins<br />
Total of 19hours using 15min subs.<br />
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1st round of processing, don't have the colour mapping exactly right yet. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xu27gG4dtqZWzoL8OMyvbCYhmf2NRnU7pWFS1T2B0Mj5nsCTz0eEf65nNUHlw8cO_tUN_0hgFKu0ErNQVPlmghGZkGpvh076PDHIVvLeWVRZoKR7WzejI0GjzKJXGCuK2MCq4jhyphenhyphenlwM/s1600/m16-1944x1458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xu27gG4dtqZWzoL8OMyvbCYhmf2NRnU7pWFS1T2B0Mj5nsCTz0eEf65nNUHlw8cO_tUN_0hgFKu0ErNQVPlmghGZkGpvh076PDHIVvLeWVRZoKR7WzejI0GjzKJXGCuK2MCq4jhyphenhyphenlwM/s640/m16-1944x1458.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M16 Eagle Nebula in Narrowband</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_QTw-BuycSFqrTzOMxdYxlX67ChN6b5_28jy8kxkUruEZiGqchX8aUfuTEV82Ql9IGll_KzHjAok-KvbZjMyGkvUv2BucPfC4-QNdg7pvGwCHmsqmiYTZrv7kowNmbYUbYCMRdcK52XM/s1600/eagle-crop-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_QTw-BuycSFqrTzOMxdYxlX67ChN6b5_28jy8kxkUruEZiGqchX8aUfuTEV82Ql9IGll_KzHjAok-KvbZjMyGkvUv2BucPfC4-QNdg7pvGwCHmsqmiYTZrv7kowNmbYUbYCMRdcK52XM/s640/eagle-crop-a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closer view</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QpRJN1n-dCNLQOzIU-yjQ2EE35VUlseWZT1QO6IIv2TgXtBCZYulYyyAJqRL6tDhbWUdfJaHOE9Jbm1rGTjjUvRJ1_4XekYcopXgjozgKUO5LGUs0uxnVikMrFs7FAMevRLf4dw28lI/s1600/eagle-crop-200percent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QpRJN1n-dCNLQOzIU-yjQ2EE35VUlseWZT1QO6IIv2TgXtBCZYulYyyAJqRL6tDhbWUdfJaHOE9Jbm1rGTjjUvRJ1_4XekYcopXgjozgKUO5LGUs0uxnVikMrFs7FAMevRLf4dw28lI/s640/eagle-crop-200percent.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">200% crop of the Eagle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqq1yMlFPOSik7ah1zrPzGx6B77LoGjZ1vUCJmvR0ciqSkNHdUExFZsFwgJEh9CfAJC2JMnm3uSVwpJRvtt7BaKkOy3enjy3RB5ejeNpoLuZEuv1y6OJ68O9yJrSrDc5TDg1TkmVUArM/s1600/IMG_1635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqq1yMlFPOSik7ah1zrPzGx6B77LoGjZ1vUCJmvR0ciqSkNHdUExFZsFwgJEh9CfAJC2JMnm3uSVwpJRvtt7BaKkOy3enjy3RB5ejeNpoLuZEuv1y6OJ68O9yJrSrDc5TDg1TkmVUArM/s640/IMG_1635.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My aging setup. The mount does struggles to guide most of the times but has served me well for many years.</td></tr>
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David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-23085397727597020502012-04-02T12:11:00.000+08:002012-07-22T12:20:55.933+08:00Astrofest 2012The Helix Nebula I took in 2011 was selected for <a href="http://www.icrar.org/news/news_items/wa-astrophotography-showcased-at-astrofest-2012" target="_blank">Astrofest2012.</a><br />
It was good see the turnout at the event was bigger than ever. <br />
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<br />David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-46483829522699698272011-06-13T22:15:00.000+08:002012-06-05T10:02:25.836+08:00It's winter! It's winter and cloudy. There's not much to report at the moment. Here are few snaps from the last Astrophotography exhibition.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4U5Imzl3N4-Q08tqRZTbPQIQGGBx79GOjrjJer92wMNq-JBFI2e1BBImTSyqC5IPrRRef2Ik10uRhc6NNjncjdxCXI60zySCqGxrl-7Gk-gh9ugDI-8QqdasKnz3ISfVgSDAmWiiCIw/s1600/IMG_3096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4U5Imzl3N4-Q08tqRZTbPQIQGGBx79GOjrjJer92wMNq-JBFI2e1BBImTSyqC5IPrRRef2Ik10uRhc6NNjncjdxCXI60zySCqGxrl-7Gk-gh9ugDI-8QqdasKnz3ISfVgSDAmWiiCIw/s640/IMG_3096.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRSlJszgCWHAh0GxLq9eLE0hYp0Zl8zx8qDv5nlngSzUF9vQ6bFrIFaPxRIYPGPPqbU5ictGj1u_kahLT7RSYcuDFQqVHmuwrszym3UBJKb54MS3g3iw0CqStrojzGLonq3JznipThEs/s1600/IMG_3012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRSlJszgCWHAh0GxLq9eLE0hYp0Zl8zx8qDv5nlngSzUF9vQ6bFrIFaPxRIYPGPPqbU5ictGj1u_kahLT7RSYcuDFQqVHmuwrszym3UBJKb54MS3g3iw0CqStrojzGLonq3JznipThEs/s400/IMG_3012.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUJ4ss65gBgLyfXkcmMH5R48uOKBA-XYxMvnhkH4XVgCpQbxnve6NWO0W1LfLieLCpiqcfPI-LgKDNgUpp4dA3ode-KB6pje_QdLWVzcJHCkfFLfdx_58Hl7NAzFVP52FXxsCFxMBXIY/s1600/IMG_3097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUJ4ss65gBgLyfXkcmMH5R48uOKBA-XYxMvnhkH4XVgCpQbxnve6NWO0W1LfLieLCpiqcfPI-LgKDNgUpp4dA3ode-KB6pje_QdLWVzcJHCkfFLfdx_58Hl7NAzFVP52FXxsCFxMBXIY/s400/IMG_3097.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYVyGsLKs3ioMIhNwMoSvz1TdrwtlB9TnHOoPx6GQCvJHU3AZeLYhjmDgIAIgDpnJ7NBm0vzBBkkNHOBo8TXxJ5KehqDq4yaeFPLlXUkIGzSLUlXkc71ct77_v8hQ-P0HcwESaCDBOx8/s1600/IMG_3010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYVyGsLKs3ioMIhNwMoSvz1TdrwtlB9TnHOoPx6GQCvJHU3AZeLYhjmDgIAIgDpnJ7NBm0vzBBkkNHOBo8TXxJ5KehqDq4yaeFPLlXUkIGzSLUlXkc71ct77_v8hQ-P0HcwESaCDBOx8/s400/IMG_3010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-19162958265891806262011-03-05T00:04:00.003+08:002011-03-05T00:08:46.700+08:00Astrofest 2011<div style="text-align: justify;">Astrofest 2011 is on again in WA next weekend.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.astronomywa.net.au/whats-happening/astrofest">Astrofest 2011</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My NGC3324 and IC2948 will be on display with works from other WA astrophotographers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">300dpi Tiff version of the images were requested, for my images these were 1.6GB and 900MB!!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I had to reduce the 1st one down to 230dpi which brought it down under 1GB so I could upload.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not sure what print size my images will be displayed, but bigger the better I guess.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Would really love to see how the camera resolution is paying off in real life prints.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hopefully see you there! and Big thanks goes to John Goldsmith for organising the Astrophotography Exhibit.</div>David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-23184814802773876462011-01-13T22:58:00.002+08:002011-02-09T22:08:54.777+08:00IC443 Jellyfish Nebula<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfRi_SjRDZtcxjSZ2x5i7kITFlT3dEspxwmD_DSk2V9lnUZaPNwsoM6gcLlyOjaAJi-g3TSaCJu9a9KOWtAzbvuwL2RDST9Vf-ndBlQNY8cqaKctMJMEEOOen88_P0eM4sKehNtlEkdg/s1600/IC443JellyFishFullFrame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfRi_SjRDZtcxjSZ2x5i7kITFlT3dEspxwmD_DSk2V9lnUZaPNwsoM6gcLlyOjaAJi-g3TSaCJu9a9KOWtAzbvuwL2RDST9Vf-ndBlQNY8cqaKctMJMEEOOen88_P0eM4sKehNtlEkdg/s640/IC443JellyFishFullFrame.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IC443 R:G:B SII:HA:OIII 260:280:340 20mins sub</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This one only reached 35° maximum altitude from my location. I continued to track it as low as 25° but it just wasn't worth it with current conditions. So, this is a stack of what could be salvaged.<br />
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Focal Length = 1600mm (RC8)<br />
Image Scale 0.7 arcsec/pixel (QHY9)<br />
Sensor Temp = -15°CDavid Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-37048345417851998612011-01-08T11:17:00.007+08:002011-01-10T19:51:09.487+08:00More bits and pieces - Delrin Tipped Screws<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTELfsxXbdG2eLzUvDNm4SA0GJsjC0pCtgMEH3eLTkSuYkscHyHQ8015MU__wQ3qLR8sT4hayvMlK7z2v0-Im-39PW2ioKos-w3adLdNCFlpIvD1VYXzfz7Trz8B1g3kVZY5FOZmSQI0/s1600/IMG_2974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTELfsxXbdG2eLzUvDNm4SA0GJsjC0pCtgMEH3eLTkSuYkscHyHQ8015MU__wQ3qLR8sT4hayvMlK7z2v0-Im-39PW2ioKos-w3adLdNCFlpIvD1VYXzfz7Trz8B1g3kVZY5FOZmSQI0/s320/IMG_2974.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just received some more parts for my scope. These are Delrin Tipped Screws from <a href="http://admaccessories.com/">ADM Accessories</a>. I needed longer ones to replace the ones on current guidescope rings. These give me more flexibility when searching for suitable guide stars. The light pollution in the area limits my choice of guide stars significantly. Looking for a guide star can be a pain sometimes due my narrow FOV on my guide chip/scope combo. Perhaps, a better solution would be faster and wider guidescope plus a more sensitive guide camera. I am working on a 9x50 finder scope conversion, so will see how that goes first.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3u9EA-iCAUb3en2aMGvFqLQu60HwX-m9yas00pXcvLrb7aJuppDJVhW8knbDo4q16hud6BMz5hhlKIgqD-XuzFbcCJxuGb1C8d4l2e2S5KeFk9vkb1SAXtQ3VaeQ-aShFPlyqFJ6u0g/s1600/IMG_2983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3u9EA-iCAUb3en2aMGvFqLQu60HwX-m9yas00pXcvLrb7aJuppDJVhW8knbDo4q16hud6BMz5hhlKIgqD-XuzFbcCJxuGb1C8d4l2e2S5KeFk9vkb1SAXtQ3VaeQ-aShFPlyqFJ6u0g/s320/IMG_2983.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Also, took some more photos of the rig including a selfportrait while waiting for my next target to rise above my roofline. Don't normally like to take self portraits, but the scope looked a bit lonely this time, a bit of experimentation with camera angle included.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dj0f-aIR4yXutcGeIAzvdWoYV6NKamSnrBndB7oCTBehyphenhyphen21HzQvjEirxEGf59OU-_S28mULkd2bVVqRBNHbtZ9f_bkPYu3beSDXbCsTQsuXUzb-B174o6cQo5UvjAyPAYIAaxBsGxFw/s1600/IMG_3009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dj0f-aIR4yXutcGeIAzvdWoYV6NKamSnrBndB7oCTBehyphenhyphen21HzQvjEirxEGf59OU-_S28mULkd2bVVqRBNHbtZ9f_bkPYu3beSDXbCsTQsuXUzb-B174o6cQo5UvjAyPAYIAaxBsGxFw/s320/IMG_3009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">And I don't know how to smile when a camera is pointing in the wrong direction. I hope I didn't scare off anyone with this pose.</div>David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-84262912065095306262011-01-05T12:48:00.006+08:002011-01-06T13:55:22.815+08:00NGC2070 - Hubble Palette - Draft processing<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbONf_zcDF7Hmzq-ECvPOOErvY6a2R110tYGC2K23CSg93yF3mZMzE5pHW-KpzmH_VO6qqAGnQJL3dPPaJ5fKvhir391VMXVDZbyEY3W9N6uuQJiz1YI17D3JEVnldkP4q_82VDl8HBc/s1600/NGC2070-1280x960iii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbONf_zcDF7Hmzq-ECvPOOErvY6a2R110tYGC2K23CSg93yF3mZMzE5pHW-KpzmH_VO6qqAGnQJL3dPPaJ5fKvhir391VMXVDZbyEY3W9N6uuQJiz1YI17D3JEVnldkP4q_82VDl8HBc/s640/NGC2070-1280x960iii.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NGC2070 R:G:B SII:HA:OIII 100:100:100 20mins sub</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Finally managed to collect some Oxygen and Sufur data for NGC2070. Not much but enough to add some colour into the image. Did a rough processing to see what's available. I still need to get Luminance for this target.<br />
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Focal Length = 1600mm (RC8)<br />
Image Scale 0.7 arcsec/pixel (QHY9)<br />
Sensor Temp = -15°C<br />
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</div>David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-13618978858840286122011-01-01T15:20:00.012+08:002011-01-02T01:39:54.100+08:00Telescope Pointing Error Modeling<div style="text-align: justify;">Lastnight, setup the gear out in the backyard again to collect rest of SII and OIII data for NGC2070. I had just finished polar aligning when the wind picked up. I really need to hurry up and build that observatory. Well, instead of calling it, I decided to have a play at telescope pointing error modeling.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the moment I use EQMOD's built-in align and sync feature, which allows me to select any stars in planetarium then manually sync and let the EQMOD build a correction model in the background.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKjTxFqdHZ-pGqUieo4sCxzUtbh8jBl9B-ioCPEaFRjiee5vGudYQhjYEN0AqPgDm1ZMFnBC_mrcXEE_VfrzgnbFrzcwGyc_OZssdB9ZQjIFX4IciT50XPwFVghpGMxVHRpKdGGtI_WU/s1600/cartes+du+ciel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKjTxFqdHZ-pGqUieo4sCxzUtbh8jBl9B-ioCPEaFRjiee5vGudYQhjYEN0AqPgDm1ZMFnBC_mrcXEE_VfrzgnbFrzcwGyc_OZssdB9ZQjIFX4IciT50XPwFVghpGMxVHRpKdGGtI_WU/s200/cartes+du+ciel.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ap-i.net/skychart/start">Cartes du Ciel (Free)</a> used for selecting alignment stars</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Aj3uwAVj5mvDh_u8cXMwZggzUNQVVtSLxpWRNPxjVoDFRLFUt9yh_XeqjIPrZXLgvdt4zb1O3R1DoaHyk0dj53IKTGGLgYw_lsf7B8r5o3HRxi7_BhtHrMpplN1m2iS4QL2OiQbtj9g/s1600/eqmod+align.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Aj3uwAVj5mvDh_u8cXMwZggzUNQVVtSLxpWRNPxjVoDFRLFUt9yh_XeqjIPrZXLgvdt4zb1O3R1DoaHyk0dj53IKTGGLgYw_lsf7B8r5o3HRxi7_BhtHrMpplN1m2iS4QL2OiQbtj9g/s320/eqmod+align.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EQMOD alignment points map & target triangulation</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1usFk0MX-FYF6zxu2Q9Z60CYXBBgjxDVExLEhx8nKage5etAYg6qc_LisMWvrg91iGgNkKr-nNB18IXbwjv3OGdnOpEyNWZ99aQTsA8Gtub7Th1VONvcjIaIsX1ayE_Knu4uqlsb-TcA/s1600/maxpoint01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1usFk0MX-FYF6zxu2Q9Z60CYXBBgjxDVExLEhx8nKage5etAYg6qc_LisMWvrg91iGgNkKr-nNB18IXbwjv3OGdnOpEyNWZ99aQTsA8Gtub7Th1VONvcjIaIsX1ayE_Knu4uqlsb-TcA/s320/maxpoint01.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maxpoint GUI</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">This works okay provided I have a 'good' polar alignment and most of the time it puts the target in the FOV of my 1600mm setup but never quite centered. Not really an issue for me right now as I only image one target per night and only takes few clicks to center the target anyway. But, if I was to start automating my imaging in the very near future I can see that this is one area that needs improving. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">MaxPoint is one of the two softwares that I've heard of written for this job. TPoint being the other and as far as I'm told much better too. Since I already had trial version of Maxpoint installed I fired it up to see what the go 'to' is... :)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">The MaxPoint becomes the telescope hub so it can intercept any goto commands from apps such as planetarium to transparently apply pointing corrections. I figured that I need to disable the alignment corrections in the EQMOD for this to be effective, but not quite sure about it yet.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Only requiring minimal setup, I kicked it off with a 25 star calibration routine, wasn't game enough to go for the default 100 stars!? I can see this is really written for permanent observatories with high grade mounts. My poor little EQ6 would probably overheat after 100 continuous slews.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG93qrDjLUTiywppgqYRWoYJL8nVESOuUAZ-dlqfbuImk1DtmL8My2K3aqWvJ-F1BSSFGbBEVukrKmLXYfNOxJlOGdqANMZoxD3aiXpc0Ch0n2OXsP7q4_QzyzIt39_p3n_kfhx2_X-_I/s1600/maxpoint02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG93qrDjLUTiywppgqYRWoYJL8nVESOuUAZ-dlqfbuImk1DtmL8My2K3aqWvJ-F1BSSFGbBEVukrKmLXYfNOxJlOGdqANMZoxD3aiXpc0Ch0n2OXsP7q4_QzyzIt39_p3n_kfhx2_X-_I/s200/maxpoint02.jpg" width="197" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sky Map</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_ZxJW7FGVz2d0mxF5qwk9uvEUTg7O9QnVpGOaqXIRpzDBvEAumtzJKgeb2I-5uz0-TzVBUuPFr1Sbg71p77Xh8xctNvSActtq8E2_euZVlj6Y-KdZ_ZnG37TxPDEWR3x3F3IBPYbBnQ/s1600/maxpoint04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_ZxJW7FGVz2d0mxF5qwk9uvEUTg7O9QnVpGOaqXIRpzDBvEAumtzJKgeb2I-5uz0-TzVBUuPFr1Sbg71p77Xh8xctNvSActtq8E2_euZVlj6Y-KdZ_ZnG37TxPDEWR3x3F3IBPYbBnQ/s320/maxpoint04.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calibration Observation</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Each slew followed by plate solve started to populate Calibration Observations table with calculated pointing errors. It also put little red 'X's on Sky Map representing the points its visited in the sky. I actually enjoyed sitting back and watching this whole process unfold before me. My polar alignment must have be good as all 25 slews yielded successful plate solves. So, I might actually give the 100 star calibration a go next time at the risk of my mount melting down. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the end of the scope dancing routine, below window shows a summary of the calculated errors contributing to my pointing accuracy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwPYWtmwqmy86HJbWiq7T_aAnQZByGbNQsWJbUpcrQUU575bo-ZlpwaFyQnUVbPsBKxzIp5GN4vAybQFwyaja9PzZ0NDg_0d_RoVQW6f4ujEBmYPWpdWnxSCM7lpNB4zThb3um-kqOw0/s1600/maxpoint03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwPYWtmwqmy86HJbWiq7T_aAnQZByGbNQsWJbUpcrQUU575bo-ZlpwaFyQnUVbPsBKxzIp5GN4vAybQFwyaja9PzZ0NDg_0d_RoVQW6f4ujEBmYPWpdWnxSCM7lpNB4zThb3um-kqOw0/s320/maxpoint03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I can see that it has worked out my polar alignment accuracy as well and I might try its built-in Polar Align feature next time. I haven't gone into working out what the other figures exactly mean yet but test slews to targets in different parts of the sky definitely showed improvement over the EQMOD's modeling, but still it didn't put the targets dead center. May be it needs a 100 star calibration or it may be that I'm expecting too much from my poor little EQ6. Well, for now, plate solving and re-slew technique works well for my portable setup and may look at MaxPoint or TPoint again later on for a permanent setup, perhaps with an upgraded mount.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-52101748284206164872010-12-31T10:06:00.001+08:002010-12-31T10:07:58.300+08:00IC2948 IC2944 Thackeray's Globules<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwYnkon2NUuwjZc0zcORwYjAtkwiMrhx_XssEDLGH1BOSZMqv0v8yukelYyfqxxGw-5xxKvzZVKkPVMb1meK0RLu-kIU9dru6EFv1U73ASeQapCzgV_hfdpXm85vqtkjgxKBnoGLLp_k/s1600/IC2948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwYnkon2NUuwjZc0zcORwYjAtkwiMrhx_XssEDLGH1BOSZMqv0v8yukelYyfqxxGw-5xxKvzZVKkPVMb1meK0RLu-kIU9dru6EFv1U73ASeQapCzgV_hfdpXm85vqtkjgxKBnoGLLp_k/s640/IC2948.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Shot in March 2010 approximately 10 hours worth of exposures.David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-58408608108127898472010-12-31T09:50:00.004+08:002010-12-31T09:55:46.510+08:00NGC3324<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbQab7qpo5FGeGanaeNz2ZSZ52GCOZQckIg0Kf0Q21OgHSIUUByDuBc7eQiDB7CR1Id1mDEzcfmSU9PT7PF9Bs4G5w0xGwle80MrNegc3IWI_K2xcVWsjKkDuBbX_B4EOy4mYG0QjDTI/s1600/NGC3324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbQab7qpo5FGeGanaeNz2ZSZ52GCOZQckIg0Kf0Q21OgHSIUUByDuBc7eQiDB7CR1Id1mDEzcfmSU9PT7PF9Bs4G5w0xGwle80MrNegc3IWI_K2xcVWsjKkDuBbX_B4EOy4mYG0QjDTI/s640/NGC3324.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">R:G:B SII:Ha:OIII 100:100:100 20 mins subs Sensor temp: -25c</td></tr>
</tbody></table>One of my favourite shots taken in March 2010, processed in Hubble palette blend. Looking back at it again, I think this one needs reprocessing with luminance to boost the colours like I've done to make the blog banner.David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-80135906166765769582010-12-30T21:56:00.016+08:002011-01-02T01:41:00.704+08:00FocusMax Settings<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGzV_H7ls_YwcQR8L1dN4RnGXFhds66CXumdD7oAY5upUaopewHb8lhPFRuvwNYM4upFhnmAY-J7LybmeMTGF6OXLb7eGFDepuDmd6yYFPnJgwyNZzxYN4AMbDYFAZ09wUEeA6GMMlKA/s1600/focusmax.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGzV_H7ls_YwcQR8L1dN4RnGXFhds66CXumdD7oAY5upUaopewHb8lhPFRuvwNYM4upFhnmAY-J7LybmeMTGF6OXLb7eGFDepuDmd6yYFPnJgwyNZzxYN4AMbDYFAZ09wUEeA6GMMlKA/s320/focusmax.bmp" width="190" /></a></div>I now have my V-curves in FocusMax and want to enable the focus convergence. To do that I need to work out <b>Critical Focus Zone (CFZ)</b> and translate that into focuser steps.<br />
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CFZ for a scope can be worked out with this fomula:<br />
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<i>CFZ(in Microns) = 2.2 x (Scope_Focal_Ratio²)</i><br />
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My RC8 having a focal ratio of 8 gives me a CFZ of 140.8 microns. <br />
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That sounds tiny in everyday speak, good thing that I have an awsome high resolution stepper motor focuser.<br />
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According to Moonlite focuser manual, 1" travel of the drawtube requires 6135 full steps, wow! that's a lot of tiny steps, 1 micron = 4 steps to be exact.<br />
This leaves me with CFZ = 35.2 steps<br />
So, for the step width in focus convergence setting, I want to set it with approximately 1/10th to 1/4th of the CFZ step value say 5 steps.<br />
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Now to set the various <b>Half Flux Diameter (HFD)</b> values, I'll need to look at my V-curve log.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4bMRsxOjhtvHe_YJf0Cqd0N6mnomJNqjtjNVA5yfPMeBucvhZjQUQcVX0fpY8dWwsFZ5vRJoWrAA0JQypycp8AxAhzrlkxowDQ994JYf8W-08MKCo4nS8vQrNYkTnyJmEgpb6KMHOis/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4bMRsxOjhtvHe_YJf0Cqd0N6mnomJNqjtjNVA5yfPMeBucvhZjQUQcVX0fpY8dWwsFZ5vRJoWrAA0JQypycp8AxAhzrlkxowDQ994JYf8W-08MKCo4nS8vQrNYkTnyJmEgpb6KMHOis/s400/Untitled-1.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7V2suBdJquWUubCgTKkE_LQjaqk8-F_8c1tCTVeoywcVPCSPPqfge78rcxsbKNH2nvbiMkReZ4KHiFRaUqK4lIZEM5nIStpvhej70TmDvN-XqyJncsxl0da4QGZ8G4jJnEbIdaTO01Yw/s1600/focusmax01.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7V2suBdJquWUubCgTKkE_LQjaqk8-F_8c1tCTVeoywcVPCSPPqfge78rcxsbKNH2nvbiMkReZ4KHiFRaUqK4lIZEM5nIStpvhej70TmDvN-XqyJncsxl0da4QGZ8G4jJnEbIdaTO01Yw/s320/focusmax01.bmp" width="191" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> The smallest value on the linear parts of the v-curve before it reaches focus seems to be about 6. Increasing this value by 1/4 gives me 7.5(8) to set as <b>Near Focus HFD</b>. This value can be increased by a 1/3 to set as <b>Focus Start HFD</b>, which is 10. The smallest value on the plot is 4.2, increase this value by 1/2 to set as <b>Focus Routine Max HFD</b>, which is 6.3.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Next thing to do is fine tune the V-curve. I'll leave that one for another night....so much too learn...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-46833999547484006472010-12-30T21:07:00.003+08:002010-12-31T09:50:36.794+08:00NGC6188<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yPjO4P_VLBtNiwjfFtgBBQmIgktFvL_cJ90DplBH07RVCfbFUlZplUveIxfXj3-QlC8RacRZ31YdsuUuTLLG6A9ZBK3UEWdiA_x7lzo7Q3xLguJN9z31QzwxP3K_HOIqyqI4xteHMkA/s1600/ngc6188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yPjO4P_VLBtNiwjfFtgBBQmIgktFvL_cJ90DplBH07RVCfbFUlZplUveIxfXj3-QlC8RacRZ31YdsuUuTLLG6A9ZBK3UEWdiA_x7lzo7Q3xLguJN9z31QzwxP3K_HOIqyqI4xteHMkA/s640/ngc6188.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L:R:G:B HA:Sii:HA:Oiii 225:150:225:150 15mins subs Sensor temp: -25°C</td></tr>
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Shot last April from my backyard. Processed in hubble palette with Ha as Luminance. EQMOD driven EQ6, QHY9, Astronomik 12nm Narrowband filters.David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-68003659022051732922010-12-30T18:45:00.005+08:002011-01-01T16:09:38.987+08:00QHY9 Shutter Silencer<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qQLH70kb8KJwBsy1HhkwWv5uynmxPx8fh6bhpwDUTn0NEy9tAGo6wCDwVlLOT1sd_Bz2Z0RR81UDw0064HUr3xuEkINwLcNy9NdkfcmKMJmN59V2ru3ta4X2Fv8zmZaX8dzKBm9T0ek/s1600/shutter_stopper.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qQLH70kb8KJwBsy1HhkwWv5uynmxPx8fh6bhpwDUTn0NEy9tAGo6wCDwVlLOT1sd_Bz2Z0RR81UDw0064HUr3xuEkINwLcNy9NdkfcmKMJmN59V2ru3ta4X2Fv8zmZaX8dzKBm9T0ek/s320/shutter_stopper.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Factory installed plastic stop</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">On my list of things to do is silencing QHY9's shutter noise. As the shutter moves from open to closed position, it hits hard against a jumper used as a stop. When going from closed to open position, it comes to a sudden stop on the side of the camera's metal casing. This whipping of the shutter back and forth creates a fairly loud tick-tock noise amplified by the resonating case. It's quite loud enough to make me worry about bothering the neighbours late at night, especially when I'm firing off 40 continous shots with Focusmax.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DPBWySOAPiMjTBhgpMEogj0zceyDltBztJxdBOfqKCWUTd7sQZynuaZr2ZTYlds8RQBprGgXFLJnCuA476jd21Lfr0X0q5yFMELj9as06tsezvAZSwB-xzkg_0oe32xON7wbbxv6LKE/s1600/qhy9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DPBWySOAPiMjTBhgpMEogj0zceyDltBztJxdBOfqKCWUTd7sQZynuaZr2ZTYlds8RQBprGgXFLJnCuA476jd21Lfr0X0q5yFMELj9as06tsezvAZSwB-xzkg_0oe32xON7wbbxv6LKE/s1600/qhy9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DPBWySOAPiMjTBhgpMEogj0zceyDltBztJxdBOfqKCWUTd7sQZynuaZr2ZTYlds8RQBprGgXFLJnCuA476jd21Lfr0X0q5yFMELj9as06tsezvAZSwB-xzkg_0oe32xON7wbbxv6LKE/s320/qhy9.JPG" width="320" /></a>After taking a look at the shutter assembly , I came up with a rather simple solution. A small self-adhesive rubber feet cut in half placed carefully at the shutter travel limits. Well, not quite at the shutter travel limits, but may be half a millimeter before the original stops. Just enough to take the edge out of the shutter impacting the orginal stops. If you wanted to eliminate the noise all together then just place it further in, too easy. Things to note though, must allow the shutter to fully cover the sensor when closed and clear the sensor when open. Also, I prefer some noise to indicate that it is working. Checkout the photos to see what I mean. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VJVqNocWqO41WmkLfHgbCLJwVUhiULl_1fGhOfBxjwGj4oN4iJJfR-RKduykVrKo3AV7nQSiWr8q_Obg_C4yJu0WFYpOvk4GdCuVWdSMZD1QT4cGdUtPHL3FW78x28x6zcf3FsWnvRQ/s1600/rubber_shutter_stop01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VJVqNocWqO41WmkLfHgbCLJwVUhiULl_1fGhOfBxjwGj4oN4iJJfR-RKduykVrKo3AV7nQSiWr8q_Obg_C4yJu0WFYpOvk4GdCuVWdSMZD1QT4cGdUtPHL3FW78x28x6zcf3FsWnvRQ/s200/rubber_shutter_stop01.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2a1kZp9S_8RSOYcZu8K1Ogz9eulU14wrtw8KjNgra0OrhJpsJ1hl9NruzvrwV3H-8WlWb7xjrcAMgx9xtt7kAnpzitw7bFUsv3-ugPA6RjXGMplipA7AS2oRYiAbJJd9V2HZqtoHfajI/s1600/rubber_shutter_stop02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2a1kZp9S_8RSOYcZu8K1Ogz9eulU14wrtw8KjNgra0OrhJpsJ1hl9NruzvrwV3H-8WlWb7xjrcAMgx9xtt7kAnpzitw7bFUsv3-ugPA6RjXGMplipA7AS2oRYiAbJJd9V2HZqtoHfajI/s200/rubber_shutter_stop02.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-10230863242128217352010-12-30T00:06:00.003+08:002010-12-31T10:21:44.016+08:00NGC3579<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNxuftUYA3nVhoo2JdnDe1aJHc-VDilTdAQ1to0PGlNk7lZ3sPaMKjEBKMguawArd3KuIUl8AwIYjPRmuIZG1a4zetBlEqGO5aSf223bIzmfQKud3vUMDRYNZSYdRUMvuwY5H2G9spKU/s1600/4412638789_64156510a0_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNxuftUYA3nVhoo2JdnDe1aJHc-VDilTdAQ1to0PGlNk7lZ3sPaMKjEBKMguawArd3KuIUl8AwIYjPRmuIZG1a4zetBlEqGO5aSf223bIzmfQKud3vUMDRYNZSYdRUMvuwY5H2G9spKU/s400/4412638789_64156510a0_b.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm moving few of the Narrowband images taken this year from my old <a href="http://members.iinet.net.au/%7Edahn/">website</a> to my new blog.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">This one is NGC3579 shot during full moon of July from my backyard.</div>Ha:Sii:Oiii 60:60:60 with 15 minute subs.David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-7769884146733912062010-12-29T19:01:00.009+08:002011-01-01T19:25:47.457+08:00CCDrift - My little drift alignment program<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3s74qdc-Nvk2lhU-6yKHVfa27YRhwjO1K-TE5Rgk7pYQH92mj16qKbbhpEXFS7Ntcd6ZyzqP7L-HIlBVrA_Zmzd4gIMi3EX5gH_KnrEa68mGEM6w2lh9GrqZeVJwNDKx8oCbNSmqjWTA/s1600/ccdrift.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3s74qdc-Nvk2lhU-6yKHVfa27YRhwjO1K-TE5Rgk7pYQH92mj16qKbbhpEXFS7Ntcd6ZyzqP7L-HIlBVrA_Zmzd4gIMi3EX5gH_KnrEa68mGEM6w2lh9GrqZeVJwNDKx8oCbNSmqjWTA/s320/ccdrift.bmp" width="228" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">An application wrote by me, for me. Never thought I would actually write a program that's actually useful in real life, otherwise I would have paid more attention during those uni days. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This was written to automate the mount drift and camera exposure required to do a 'CCD drift polar alignment', a modern adaptation of polar alignment with photographic plate. A good explaination of the priciple behind it can be found <a href="http://www.minorplanetobserver.com/Misc/PolarAlignNoDrift.htm">here</a> and <a href="http://www.astrophotoinsight.com/public/ccd-drift-method">here</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are many polar alignment softwares out there such as <a href="http://users.bsdwebsolutions.com/%7Elarryweber/PoleAlignMaxDownload.htm">PoleAlignMax(free but note J2000 issue)</a>, <a href="http://eqalign.net/e_eqalign.html">EQAlign(free)</a>, PEMPro and WCS, but out of all, I feel most comfortable using the CCD drift method. It's probably because the alignment result and procedure is quite 'visual' to comprehend and straight forward to execute, Ol' Skool. The downside is that you had to manually set the tracking rate and hold the East or West slew button down for the duration of the drift, that's where my little app comes in.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xq_N9AladPFTZxfbOcMph0RrIBt82Zne2qkUEDySNo8Jb886WOPduk6cyNTRrTMImB-GmJ1d__cxvgQfZ_6y8rLACJJliMgU8aD1w8Qg8bJgvsFui294KlyTX_lqgXwqPrcZbXiBEVA/s1600/ccdrift-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xq_N9AladPFTZxfbOcMph0RrIBt82Zne2qkUEDySNo8Jb886WOPduk6cyNTRrTMImB-GmJ1d__cxvgQfZ_6y8rLACJJliMgU8aD1w8Qg8bJgvsFui294KlyTX_lqgXwqPrcZbXiBEVA/s320/ccdrift-1.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Initially, I wrote the the whole drift and exposure procedure in VBscript. It didn't take long to realize that the 'sleep' call I was using as the timer was not accurate and hogging a lot of resources. Converting it to VB forms did make it much more efficient to operate and also looks prettier.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the right is the little helper window showing me which way to make the correction on the mount after looking at the star trails. It is customised to match the orientation of my CCD camera ie. up and down is the Right Ascension (RA) axis.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the moment the application directly interfaces to <a href="http://eq-mod.sourceforge.net/">EQMOD</a> and Maxim DL. If the demand is out there I may convert it to use more open ASCOM interfaces and make it available to the public domain.<br />
<br />
See below for my drift example.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVi5l_IHrns3G6C2pfbFH4xm5a-qAsGjAMLVD9nm7T5m4f3giCgMbvlo5Jj2FaYHjWAWZYJ9jNuAqWmPM3RZkpRbbHNTFg64W45ecEb3ZL20tcEUfx7uPqijRTkzuXS9DD1Yr0E4cZA4/s1600/drift01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVi5l_IHrns3G6C2pfbFH4xm5a-qAsGjAMLVD9nm7T5m4f3giCgMbvlo5Jj2FaYHjWAWZYJ9jNuAqWmPM3RZkpRbbHNTFg64W45ecEb3ZL20tcEUfx7uPqijRTkzuXS9DD1Yr0E4cZA4/s200/drift01.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10Minute drift before correction</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZ9egqg0qh_3CBUgMyphKsNuzyXTpKayiQKVsR_tbAKSjFHU-PuDVOHSbo9nG2QNiYa1ObabEhyphenhyphen5iJ-ekhaSWfMjw7Q7PjuCQSfGmhn0nDvLQjTj04auPmI1TuI-pjMdnQixfg8Xf8u8/s1600/drift02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZ9egqg0qh_3CBUgMyphKsNuzyXTpKayiQKVsR_tbAKSjFHU-PuDVOHSbo9nG2QNiYa1ObabEhyphenhyphen5iJ-ekhaSWfMjw7Q7PjuCQSfGmhn0nDvLQjTj04auPmI1TuI-pjMdnQixfg8Xf8u8/s200/drift02.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After correction</td></tr>
</tbody></table>David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-19407638962310510022010-12-29T02:57:00.004+08:002011-01-01T16:13:21.885+08:00Periodic Error<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGJO0BrgrqcpJ_v5voPDDrAoUUhFP6qpiZfLjAY8Ac8redyg74YcnMQe4kV0RqRLmY8g_lgbqDFISVV4Im1fao1EP6cw704DJx_USQABV4yqI_ELaJzZ4_25oOPQEeMsRQ59PeShItUg/s1600/5287221065_f64f45d6af_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGJO0BrgrqcpJ_v5voPDDrAoUUhFP6qpiZfLjAY8Ac8redyg74YcnMQe4kV0RqRLmY8g_lgbqDFISVV4Im1fao1EP6cw704DJx_USQABV4yqI_ELaJzZ4_25oOPQEeMsRQ59PeShItUg/s320/5287221065_f64f45d6af_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here's Periodic Error (PE) analysis of my EQ6. To generate this graph, I've captured 6 worm cycles (6x 8mins) of drift using <a href="http://perecorder.wikidot.com/">PERECORDER</a>. This was then imported into <a href="http://eq-mod.sourceforge.net/ppindex.html">PECPrep</a> for analysis and to create PE correction (PEC) file for EQMOD ASCOM driver.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">The anlaysis shows my mount has 21 arcsecs peak to peak error. Pretty typical of these mounts, but still shocking! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've yet to do a proper analysis of the mount with PEC applied. I've never needed to with autoguiding, but I think it's time to give it a go next time under the stars.</div>David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-15760704948239475562010-12-29T02:38:00.004+08:002010-12-29T03:33:49.629+08:00AstroDreamTech Mounts<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://astrodreamtech.com/gnuboard4/data/cheditor4/1008/KkGnraE1YAvhr1G73NY4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://astrodreamtech.com/gnuboard4/data/cheditor4/1008/KkGnraE1YAvhr1G73NY4.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning Calm 500GE</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://astrodreamtech.com/gnuboard4/data/cheditor4/1008/O5LQKydo1Wt3iVrFyHaiGOlr9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://astrodreamtech.com/gnuboard4/data/cheditor4/1008/O5LQKydo1Wt3iVrFyHaiGOlr9.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning Calm 700GE</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://astrodreamtech.com/gnuboard4/data/cheditor4/1012/BwYxWjdxzrPB8Fa3Lv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://astrodreamtech.com/gnuboard4/data/cheditor4/1012/BwYxWjdxzrPB8Fa3Lv.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning Calm 300GE</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
While researching for replacement mount options, I came across Korean made mounts. <a href="http://www.astrodreamtech.com/">AstroDreamTech's</a><br />
Morning Calm mounts' specification/price/finishing seems to be on par with Astrophysics mounts, on paper anyway.<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As far as I can tell with my limited Korean reading skill, AstroDreamTech is a new comer in the mount manufacturing scene with low volume production. So it may be sometime before it makes it out into exports, if they ever decide to do so. Anyhow, it will stay on my list of mounts and hopefully get to see one in the flesh on my next trip to Korea. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Images courtesy of <a href="http://www.astrodreamtech.com/">AstroDreamTech</a></span></i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-10010878507159487852010-12-29T01:06:00.002+08:002010-12-30T20:24:54.618+08:00My Imaging Rig<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdDrCQkhE1ovpenhh3wLYo05fv44KXihaPrcVNIE2nu9nWU7VXAGN13Addnp-w_TB25PrWtsOBsqPg6QH1OI4wjYPlHy9SPhyphenhyphenCJHJNNyd3obvPFmCBvma1SYcnLXX9TeT80oaROJhnEw/s1600/5272101689_8aae2cf560_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdDrCQkhE1ovpenhh3wLYo05fv44KXihaPrcVNIE2nu9nWU7VXAGN13Addnp-w_TB25PrWtsOBsqPg6QH1OI4wjYPlHy9SPhyphenhyphenCJHJNNyd3obvPFmCBvma1SYcnLXX9TeT80oaROJhnEw/s400/5272101689_8aae2cf560_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My current imaging setup: EQ6 mount with EQDIR, GSO RC8, QHY9, QHY Filterwheel, Orion Starshoot Guider, Moonlite Focuser.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm hoping to replace the mount in 2011. An Astrophysics mount would be nice. <br />
<br />
I'm also working on converting my 9x50 finder scope into a guiderscope, which will replace the white refractor sitting on top. At the same time I should be able to run with one less counterweight. </div>David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-46273938436225540532010-12-28T19:36:00.001+08:002010-12-30T20:23:48.449+08:00Imaging run screenshot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUOQmcNwiyupEyltMN7D8j2iJmUDXVY4b4YWPCGFDwYj24f6P8RQ_ce_eSbDIGpwpqEASxDI3hrhGZi0V3Jh1vf7Unb_XLmBrccHoEWkbkjTlqtQeiuubyLeTfcMn0NkB89nevXRiExY/s1600/5297238010_12eed72073_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUOQmcNwiyupEyltMN7D8j2iJmUDXVY4b4YWPCGFDwYj24f6P8RQ_ce_eSbDIGpwpqEASxDI3hrhGZi0V3Jh1vf7Unb_XLmBrccHoEWkbkjTlqtQeiuubyLeTfcMn0NkB89nevXRiExY/s320/5297238010_12eed72073_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just playing around with windows arrangement in preparation for an imaging run. This laptop has high resolution wide screen which is put to good use here. When I build my permanent observatory, I think a triple screen setup is a must.</div>David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-44223056339113938202010-12-28T17:31:00.003+08:002011-01-02T01:32:10.200+08:00Moonlite Focuser<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOYyTRberjGnKfqjMHEFVl-IYUfOcaL5hnXLQhlvi4Ww2PYn4X6r3HNf5XNmaRM_mz9cIBLl24HxZf5LXzAW6GliUV_PHP7HX-D8Sfah98CTbzilKr-TpoOSTI2LGYikFhlayrT5vRUs/s1600/5263605248_b35db1505e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOYyTRberjGnKfqjMHEFVl-IYUfOcaL5hnXLQhlvi4Ww2PYn4X6r3HNf5XNmaRM_mz9cIBLl24HxZf5LXzAW6GliUV_PHP7HX-D8Sfah98CTbzilKr-TpoOSTI2LGYikFhlayrT5vRUs/s320/5263605248_b35db1505e_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here's the new Moonlite focuser installed on the RC8 with QHY9 and filterwheel hanging off it. I promised to Michelle that this will be the last astro stuff I'll be purchasing 'this' year. Hahahah... Happy New Year!</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Just over $720(Awsome exchange rate!!!) landed in Australia, it comes with stepper drive and a USB controller. The flange is manually rotatable and collimatable. Most importantly it shows no sign of flex what so ever. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">1st night out I used Bahtinov mask and jog function to reach focus. 2nd night out I fired up Focusmax and followed instructions to run v-curves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbqSYLH-aOYLB9TLUFtLyJiS-y900sVNZoNWnTtF2uJQLu_8DtmDoZWriziPMuFIJ1cQCHhnYqq1DlPLMeYYlOKASrHJpHV4SVEpO96MFoOTyVPjF8w950KYZkFeI07xJmLiQ7cZzRIs/s1600/5288780842_c4d591508d_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbqSYLH-aOYLB9TLUFtLyJiS-y900sVNZoNWnTtF2uJQLu_8DtmDoZWriziPMuFIJ1cQCHhnYqq1DlPLMeYYlOKASrHJpHV4SVEpO96MFoOTyVPjF8w950KYZkFeI07xJmLiQ7cZzRIs/s320/5288780842_c4d591508d_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Screen capture shows my initial v-curve runs. To my surprise everything just worked as it automatically stepped through exposures and focuser positions OMG!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are many parameters to adjust to suit my system, so will need to hit the forums to work out my critical focus zone (CFZ), step size etc..</div>David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1583415649982186997.post-63728700039224642732010-12-28T15:26:00.005+08:002010-12-29T02:20:07.349+08:00NGC2070<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5eJ-V_AWrmP3CxfmP3CYqekNM2GYkgKMShr7P55AXwcFzf9z1Gj20rtaDQOYlV9PmWgTCjvV6RKx48XkoT3mLlzO4IQ-SlWbfTqYIlY8mVLYhdmkh__6zeVuHcqkdjSYr2cJO4SSqJI/s1600/post01.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555631284203311298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5eJ-V_AWrmP3CxfmP3CYqekNM2GYkgKMShr7P55AXwcFzf9z1Gj20rtaDQOYlV9PmWgTCjvV6RKx48XkoT3mLlzO4IQ-SlWbfTqYIlY8mVLYhdmkh__6zeVuHcqkdjSYr2cJO4SSqJI/s320/post01.jpg" style="float: left; height: 236px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a>I've done very little imaging since acquiring the new CCD camera and RC8. Have been very busy doing up my backyard, it's no longer a weed infested, dusty sandpit. At least, I now feel more comfortable taking my imaging gear out onto the limestone pavement instead of the sand.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKhbgijsLTMa_IYRNB0QP6vb5vXHnbWK6fqnUM9_tMoh-LyfnoIfry0ciqEjwceXhhqkUWs36ZaODZXms0_ea9EkEltppNGmrkuqqtLiRxk70kPXHXAeAPmA8wJG2yZGCuH1TPl0Ga0CU/s1600/5272703612_8c79a9e05c_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKhbgijsLTMa_IYRNB0QP6vb5vXHnbWK6fqnUM9_tMoh-LyfnoIfry0ciqEjwceXhhqkUWs36ZaODZXms0_ea9EkEltppNGmrkuqqtLiRxk70kPXHXAeAPmA8wJG2yZGCuH1TPl0Ga0CU/s320/5272703612_8c79a9e05c_b.jpg" width="320" /></a>I've put all the gear back together with some new additions like the shiny new moonlite focuser!! and as usual it took me few weeks to re-climb the learning curve of astrophotography. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">The NGC2070 is about 3 hours worth of Hydrogen Alpha in 20 minute subs. Most subs thrown out due to guiding and focus issues. I still need few more nights under the stars to sort things out.</div>David Ahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01048801387612248421noreply@blogger.com0