Видео

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks Blue Lemon!

Thanks for watching, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks for the positive energy and well wishes!

Yes, I guess it might have been better to do full post processing on the 2 short exposures. Sometimes I get caught up in all the details of putting together these videos and overlook various ways the content could have been improved. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!

It sounds like you have a great approach for your astrophotography journey, and I'm sure you'll achieve great results! Thanks for watching!

Yes, I agree, the refractor does a much better job!

Thanks for watching and posting your questions! Regarding dust/rain protection. If you mean for the items within the observatory (e.g., telescope, camera, filter wheel), I don't have any weather detection system yet that will automatically close the roof. That may be a future endeavor if budget allows. So for now, I have to closely monitor the weather. I check several weather applications. I don't leave the roof open on nights where there's any chance of rain predicted. I basically choose nights with very low chance of rain as there's almost always 1-5 % chance of rain even when the forecast is no rain. So there's always some risk of being caught off guard. It's not fool proof. If (by dust/rain protection) you mean the gate opener motor I use for opening and closing the roof, it has a protective cover once everything is connected and wired up. In addition, the motor sets underneath the roof and is never fully exposed to the weather from above - perhaps on one side a little. I cannot post a link here (don't think RUclips allows links in video comments), but here is the product description on Amazon of the wheels that I purchased: HARFINGTON 4pcs 3" V Groove Wheel Sliding Gate Caster, Rigid Caster Wheels with Bracket for Inverted V-Track, 1102 lbs Capacity Per Wheel, for Garage Door, Lifting, Industrial Machine I hope that helps! I'm wishing you clear skies!

Yes, that’s a good point, thank you for sharing it here!

Thanks for the tip! It's good info for anyone else watching!

It’s bortle 7 here

Thanks for watching!

I’m glad to hear you find it rewarding! Regarding tracking with the knobs once you locate your target, I even bought the little motor that Celestron makes for this mount for right ascension. However, that motor wouldn’t run at a consistent speed in cold weather. So you could turn it on, but the object would gradually creep out of the field of view - even if you adjusted its rate of speed.

Thanks for adding another valuable piece of information!

Same here, already know that plugin exists but never try it 😅 Another tip: if you use the SmartExposure instruction, you can avoid the switch filter, some of loops and the dithering instructions. Functionality is the same but the sequence is simpler.

Thanks for sharing your tips!

I wonder why on the Smart Exposure they didn’t include the option to include % of region of interest like on subframe exposure? I often use subframe exposure to reduce the image file sizes. With my asi2600mm pro each frame (if full size) is 50mb, which adds up quickly.

@@marksastrojourney Humm... interesting. Never use the ROI option, I suppose I don't care (yet) by file size with my ASI183MM. I suppose you need to keep using the 'subframe exposure' option :(

It sounds like an investment that might be more than the telescope is worth.

@marksastrojourney I am speaking in terms of theory only. Monetary value is not the point of emphasis.

I guess if one already had the compatible parts to modify the telescope, it would be an interesting experiment. If you take this on, please share your findings so anyone else interested can see the outcome also.

Shame on them, indeed! I'm glad you found my review helpful.

@marksastrojourney Mark, theoretically speaking, not monetary, would replacing the Spherical Mirror with a 127mm Parabolic Mirror, and remove the Corrector Lens, collimation included, solve the #1 problem?

I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I'm using the following product for DC power for the EQ6-R Pro mount: Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance Gen 2 Power Supply. But it only addresses 1 of your requirements: being compact. I just checked on the Agena Astro site and it currently runs for $324.00. The reasons I went with this power box are as follows: 1. It is small and I could mount it up on my telescope to reduce dangling wires. 2. It provides a USB hub 3. It provides 2 dew heater connections and those can be configured via software 4. It provides DC power connections with one being configurable. So when you consider that this unit provides all these things, it changes the way you view the price. A big plus is that some wires don't need to go from the mount or telescope / accessories down to your laptop as they can just run between the power box and the component. Leaving you with basically 2 wires/cables going away from your mount: PC cable for Pegasus Power Box and Power Supply for Pegasus Power Box. One undesirable thing about the Pegasus Power Box is that it doesn't come with its own power supply????? Go figure. So you have to buy that separately. I have a video on my channel for this item entitled: PegasusAstro Power Box Provides DC Power, USB Hub & Dew Heater Controller in One Convenient Unit. I would put the link, but I don't think RUclips comments allow links. Clear skies!

@@marksastrojourney This power supply is very good. I'll take that into consideration! I also found an interesting product, and this: Power Tank 7 Celestron. Do you think it is suitable for Eq6? I understood that you need to put the cable from the cigarette lighter in there. I liked it because it is possible to make observations in the field. Thanks in advance for the answer! I'm still new to this.

The eq6-r pro mount specs state it requires 12V DC @ 4A. You'll need to make sure your power supply provides at least 4 amps on the mount connection. I have also used a Jackery Explorer 300 portable power supply in the past, but with a different mount. I found that it would run for several hours, but not all night. One other consideration is how many other accessories will need power on your imaging train (e.g., dew heaters/dew heater controller, imaging camera, guide scope camera, usb hub)? Once you know how much all your other power requirements add up to, then you can compare that to the capacity of the power box and get an idea of how long it will last before running out of juice. Another option with many of these power boxes (if you're taking it mobile to another site with your vehicle) is that the power box itself can be connected to your vehicle's cigarette lighter to charge the power box. Of course, that cable would need to be long enough to reach where your rig is setup relative to your vehicle. And it might run your vehicle battery down if it isn't in good condition. I hope that helps!

glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks! 😊

I'm sure you find it very helpful for manual focusing! Since I added a zwo EAF to my image train, I've not used a Bahtinov mask much and now just run the autofocus routine in N.I.N.A. Using an electronic focuser is great because you can have it run several different times overnight as needed (conditions may change and affect focus). In addition, you can setup (if using multiple filters) filter offsets and not have to always run a focusing routine when switching filters. Clear skies!

I’m glad you found the video helpful!

I did this using my William Optics Redcat 61, which has a focal length of 300 and a focal ratio of 4.9. I don’t feel I can definitively say that Sharpcap Polar Alignment versus NINA Polar Alignment has better tracking improvement. It might take doing a series of nights of imaging with the same transparency/seeing conditions for each and then comparing the guiding statistics. I didn’t go to those lengths for this video.

You might try running/opening Notepad as Administrator. If you locate the Notepad executable (sometimes found in your Windows\System32 folder) and right click on that file, there should be a menu option to Run As Administrator. Then NotePad will have the need privileges to overwrite the file. I hope that helps!

@@marksastrojourney I figured that part out but now when I make adjustments to the image and reload it in Stellarium it's a purple image with nothing else. Also when exporting newer images the background isn't black like the original export.

I wonder if you might be able to post your issue on Stellarium.org to seek assistance. I didn’t run into this issue. I noticed on their site they now have version 24.3. Maybe, if you haven’t already done so, upgrading to the newer version would resolve the issue.

Thanks for watching Sharon!

thanks for the feedback!

It’s good to hear your input! I never came across that statement on the WO site. It’s good to hear you have a great telescope that gives you great results. It sounds like you either have very good seeing conditions and transparency, or possibly your telescope fully accommodates and corrects for the distortion caused by the atmosphere and other environmental factors. Clear skies!

I wanted to see the statement you cited from Williamoptics.com. So I went there and searched the site and found no occurrences of blurxterminator. Maybe you could post a direct quote from their site so we can see the statement. Thanks!

It makes me feel good the video helped someone! It’s not always clear if content will be helpful or not! I hope your pier setup works out well!

I am using blurxterminator. It’s a great tool! Thanks for watching!

@marksastrojourney thanks for the reply. Look forward to your next videos

Sorry, I didn’t read your first comment properly. Without blurxterminator, the stars are still round. I know some people are against using the tool because it leverages AI. I respect their opinion and feel it’s their right to choose. However, in my case if I’m going to use Pixinsight’s deconvolution utility or I choose to use Blurxterminator, for me it’s very similar. I’m leveraging a process or algorithm that someone else developed just like many other tools for post processing. This way I don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but can use good tools that someone else developed through trial and error. The analogy that seems relevant is: we used to have to get out a paper map to plan the route to drive somewhere in another state. Then came garmin and other carry along GPS devices. Then the GPS was built into our car’s navigation system. Now every smartphone has a navigation app. I personally don’t want to go back to paper maps because it takes more time and now my up close vision is failing. So using these astrophotography post processing tools in a similar way saves us time and effort.

@@marksastrojourney no need to apologise and i appreciate your detailed reply. Im new to the hobby and am far from certain, where, if anywhere to draw the line. Different opinions on this sort of stuff is useful to read :)

wishing you well on the journey with the hobby!

Glad you like them!

Thank you! 😊

Thanks Karen!

Showing class 8-9 on lightpollutiommap.info

Thanks for posting a comment Robert! The building has a series of 6x6" posts down each side attached to the concrete footing with what are called Quick Set brackets. The Quick Set bracket is placed down in the wet concrete and leveled/positioned. The building is very solid and I've never sensed any movement of the building itself. If there ever was an issue, I could adjust the framing around the opening around the pier and create a larger gap. It would be some basic carpentry work. The concrete pillar is never exposed to the wind as it only reaches up through just above the floor. The metal pier is also not in the wind at all as it doesn't reach above the side walls. The telescope when oriented in certain positions may be above the top of the wall and could have some wind hit it. As far as filling the gap between the concrete pier and the surrounding floor: I personally have chosen not to do that. My reasoning is as follows: leaving the gap prevents transference of any floor vibrations to the pier. If I fill the gap in, vibrations created by walking across the floor would transfer to the pier and thus to the telescope. Once I start an imaging session, I usually only go back once or twice to confirm everything is going well before going to bed. But I wouldn't want my walking across the floor to transmit vibrations to the telescope/mount. Clear skies!

Hi Aleixandrus, thanks for sharing your experience with your observatory and the motorized opener! You've provided many good suggestions that could benefit myself and others. Eventually, I hope to address some of the topics you touched on: 1) automation from N.I.N.A. as it's my primary DSO acquisition software; 2) additional sensors for telescope position; 3) power relay as I've also heard of gate openers running without being triggered - possibly due to a thunderstorm or something like that; 4) weather sensor integration to park the scopes and close the roof. I also thought of putting up a checkoff list on the wall by the opener - it's easy to forget something and such a mistake could be costly. I concur with you, the observatory has made a night/day difference in making this hobby much more enjoyable. I used to carry everything in/out to/from my concrete patio (so happy not to be doing that any more)! In addition, the telescope on the pier most times doesn't even need polar alignment adjustments - or it's still between .75 and .5 off. I try to get polar alignment to less than .3 or .25. But as you know it's a very fussy thing to get polar alignment dead on. And now with the opener for the roof, it's even easier - no more pushing the roof open/closed. I'm hoping to post a few more videos soon and wishing you clear skies!

@@marksastrojourney I've probably seen in the forums the same case of the roof opening by itself... it scared the hell out of me! I keep the roof motor off with that smart power outlet until I start a session. The weather sensor is also in my shopping list, but it will take time. I truly recommend the Arduino kit: not expensive, amazing automation potential. Regarding polar alignment... I used to double check it every session but I've relaxed and actually don't care too much. A few day ago I took apart my 90mm quadruplet to remove the minipc I had attached to move it to the concrete pier. I install the OTA again in my EQ6R and, without redo polar alignment, balancing or calibrating PHD2, my guiding is ~0.5"-0.7" consistently (Bortle 5, so-so seeing). To me, polar alignment is definitely important but it doesn't need to be adjusted every single night to sub-arcsec accuracy for low or medium focal lengths. However, I'll probably redo everything a night with very good seeing, otherwise I feel I'll just waste time and I'll probably get worse results.

I've often wondered how important it is with my pier setup and a focal length of 300 to check the polar alignment each session. When I do check it, it's not off by that much. I think that anything that has metal components and is secured in position with tightening knobs, has the potential to shift minutely due to heating/cooling. But it's not likely to move much.

It’s good to hear from you Larry! I hope to publish some imaging session results soon.

if the power fails, there’s a keyed lockout that you open which puts the motor gear in free movement so you can push it closed manually. I’ve had quite a few rainy days and even a storm or two where the rain was blowing sideways, but no leaking issues so far. Thanks for the positive thoughts!

It's good to hear from someone local! I'm glad you enjoyed the Aurora Borealis video too! Regarding the observatory: it's been a game changer for me thus far. There's no comparison between having a permanent pier setup and what I used to have to do: haul all my equipment in and out for each imaging session. Some people expressed doubts/concerns that a concrete pier like I had built for mounting the metal pier could be a stable setup that wouldn't have lots of vibration. However, using the PHD2 Guiding Log Viewer, I'm not seeing such issues. Of course, there are occasional guiding issues related to seeing/transparency/weather. But overall I'm very happy with the performance of the setup. My only regret is that I didn't include a warm room to isolate the computer from the elements. However, the cost of everything now is so high. I don't think I could have paid for anything else. So I took some plastic storage containers and created a table top computer cabinet. At least I don't have to worry about my laptop being out in the elements now. Another dramatic improvement I made to the observatory is that I added a motorized gate opener to open/close the roll off roof. I'll probably do a video on that once I get time.

@@marksastrojourney I've been a member of LAS for months, and although they're quite active, work keeps getting in the way so I still haven't met any local AP folks. I'm having a similar debate regarding a pier as you surely did. My "ideal" spot behind the garage would need to be elevated about 6 ft above ground level for the garage roofline not to be a problem. That'd be a whole lot of concrete in a tall tube to pour, but a steel pier on a concrete footer might have vibration issues. Glad to see your set up with the Sky Shed pier is working well! Gives me some food for thought.... Unfortunately, my observatory will be limited to quite small... think roll-away outhouse size. I won't have working room inside it, so will be running CAT cable to the house instead. But 1000% agree, lugging a full tripod rig in and out every night is for the birds! Can't wait to get something permanent set up.

If you can control it from within your house, that's even better! I hope you can get your project underway soon to make the hobby easier.

the observatory is doing great! I have data captured and some processed, but struggling to put together related videos. Life got very busy and hasn’t let up for a couple months now. I’m hoping things settle down in a week or two so i can get back to producing some regular astro videos. Thanks for asking Larry!

Glad you enjoyed it Albert!

I'm glad you enjoyed it Sharon!

you probably had a better view from there Robin!

Glad you liked it!

I hope you get to feeling better Karen! Here in Southern Indiana, this is the first time I ever paid attention to the rare opportunity to see the Northern Lights. I'm not sure if they've been visible during peak solar cycles previously here or not. If so, I was focused on something else and didn't realize it.

I’m glad you enjoyed it Virginia!

thanks Karen!

I was surprised they were visible this far South!

Thanks for sharing what you have found to work best!

That would more appropriately come from celestron

Agree, there are many other options!

Not a big deal until you try to collimate the telescope.