Hi All, I am fairly new to PI, I only recently acquired it after reviwing a few applications. I had used it briefly before back in its infancy, but only for...
69704
peter_0905
Aug 8, 2011 7:45 pm
Hi All Sorry if this has been raised before but my searches turned up nothing. Does anyone know if it's possible to buy a 2-inch blank filter - that is, with...
69705
Mike Dodd
doddm2001
Aug 9, 2011 1:44 am
... I don't know. However, I did make my own 1-1/4" opaque filter on a lathe from a piece of Delrin. I turned the Delrin to the correct diameters and threaded...
69706
peter_0905
Aug 9, 2011 2:35 pm
Thanks. Yes, I'd more or less concluded that making my own is the best solution...some card and spraypaint might just do. By the way (not being familiar with...
69707
Mike Dodd
doddm2001
Aug 9, 2011 2:56 pm
... Yes; acetal plastic <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyoxymethylene> -- Mike Mike Dodd http://astronomy.mdodd.com Louisa County, Virginia USA N37.58.23...
69708
Stan
stan_ccd
Aug 9, 2011 4:20 pm
... Unless the scope is pointed to a very dark region that may not work. Few filter wheels are totally light-tight and completely baffled. It doesn't take much...
69709
Stan
stan_ccd
Aug 9, 2011 4:26 pm
... Beware - many plastics and paints that are "black" to the human eye are translucent to IR (visible to CCD). E.G. it is shocking to see a "black" anodized...
69710
Rainer
rsbfoto
Aug 9, 2011 4:44 pm
Hi, Yes, Astronomik in Germany eg. Gerd Neumann sells this filters which have a black Aluminum disk. regards Rainer...
69711
Pollux sterrenwacht
gerardvanden...
Aug 9, 2011 5:17 pm
Mike, Why didn't you use an old or cheap 1.25"filter and spray it with matt jet black (RAL 9005)? Clear skies, Gerard van den Braak, Holland ...
69712
Robin Lee
lkm_051
Aug 9, 2011 5:19 pm
Wow Bob! I've never seen a star that red before other than a hot pixel. Having said so, the reddish colour is somehow quite exotic and attractive. Regards, ...
69713
geoff
ghsmith1945
Aug 10, 2011 4:53 am
Maxim can do this. If you go to the setup panel of the camera control window and click on "options" you will find a check box labelled "Use filter wheel as...
69714
mark_manner_spot_obsrv
mark_manner_...
Aug 10, 2011 10:35 pm
Hi Peter, I used a piece of aluminum foil wrapped around a cheap 2" filter. Although the filter wheel and its housing may not be light tight, the filter itself...
69715
Bob
tekic545
Aug 11, 2011 6:19 am
Robin, Thanks, but this "star" turns out to be more exotic than I first understood. A very peculiar and extremely young planetary nebula (KjPn 8)lies at almost...
69716
Jeff Armstrong
army5@att.net
Aug 16, 2011 7:35 pm
Hello group. In March I started putting together a complete imaging setup. The following is my setup: - CGEM 1100HD - Hyperstar Lens -...
69717
COR SIMONS
corkandra
Aug 16, 2011 11:19 pm
Hi I am searching for a Laminated Messier and NGC objects poster ( a big one). I lost my older one. Would like to have one in my observatory..where to buy?? ...
69718
mark_manner_spot_obsrv
mark_manner_...
Aug 17, 2011 3:34 am
Hi Jeff, I think your images look good. Your processing seems appropriate given the exposure time and image scale. On the Veil, there is some more nice detail...
69719
Jeff Armstrong
army5@att.net
Aug 17, 2011 4:10 am
According to SX, because of low dark current these cameras don't need darks and using them could actually make things worse (their words, not mine). At some...
69720
Stan
stan_ccd
Aug 17, 2011 3:55 pm
... The Sony CCDs used in SX cameras have highly uniform pixel-to-pixel dark current and thus do not necessarily require dark calibration. For short or modest...
69721
Jeff Armstrong
army5@att.net
Aug 17, 2011 4:33 pm
Great info Stan. I will give darks a shot next session (Crescent nebula is up next). When I did darks for my Canon 350D I usually took a few every 30 min to...
69722
Stan
stan_ccd
Aug 17, 2011 4:36 pm
... Time to start "sacrificing" Jeff! <g> A big reason you are having problems with background is because you are not fully calibrating the images. Such...
69723
Stan
stan_ccd
Aug 17, 2011 4:47 pm
... That is not necessary or even desirable for a control-cooled camera. Don't waste precious observing time on darks. You can build a library of high quality...
69724
RBA
rbandreo
Aug 17, 2011 7:24 pm
... There may be a few exceptions but in general, most Sony chips really don't require darks. Some people do take a single dark - rather than lots of them -...
69725
Jeff Armstrong
army5@att.net
Aug 17, 2011 8:08 pm
Regarding sticking the camera in the fridge, don't you want to replicate conditions during image acquisition? First let me give the images in order of...
69726
polaraligned
Aug 17, 2011 8:48 pm
Just wondering if this is used by amateurs at all. I know a bunch of the pro scopes use it, but I was wondering if it would be of any benefit to amateurs?...
69727
CurtisC
die_nullte
Aug 17, 2011 11:23 pm
... I have neither Maxim nor Starlight Express, but with my own equipment (CCDSoft and SBIG camera), the reported temperature is the actual temperature of the...
69728
Stan
stan_ccd
Aug 18, 2011 4:16 pm
... There are 3 important conditions for making darks: 1) few cameras are totally light tight so darks should be taken in a dark environment. 2) the detector's...
69729
Bob Franke
bob_franke
Aug 21, 2011 8:02 am
Hello Scott, Altitude extinction (AE) becomes a problem when the target gets down to about 55 degrees above the horizon. Color balance errors of less than 5%...
69730
Stan
stan_ccd
Aug 21, 2011 5:13 pm
... Atmospheric dispersion is a different phenomenon: the asymmetrical stretching and consequent blurring due to the atmosphere acting as a weak prism. That...
69731
waynewatson95959
waynewatson9...
Aug 21, 2011 11:41 pm
I've had trouble with ccdsoft dying recently. I talked with SBIG and they think it's because I'm using 2 lengths of 8' usb cables. Where do I get one that's...
69732
Mike Dodd
doddm2001
Aug 22, 2011 1:30 am
... Five meters is the maximum specified length for USB cables. I got mine on ebay years ago. Here is a link to a $5 one: ...
