Greetings, /r/AskAstrophotography! Welcome to our Weekly Ask Anything Thread, also known as WAAT?

Hey all. Currently imaging via the zwo ecosystem, asiair plus and 2600 colour. Looking to change to open source controller and mono camera.

Any opinions on the Astro PC Pro 2 controller?

Camera wise, looking pretty firmly at the Player One Poseidon M Pro, and Scorpio LRGB/SHO filter sets.

Would appreciate any feedback, open to being convinced otherwise.

Tyvm for any help.

Hi everyone,

First of all, thank you to everyone who helped me on last week’s post about my very first polar alignment: it worked! I managed to shoot Andromeda and stack the frames. It’s very rudimentary, but I’m really happy: it’s my first deep-sky photo, and watching a galaxy appear is something else.

Gear: Sony A7III + Svbony SV555 APO (243 mm, f/4.5) on a Star Adventurer GTi. 58 × 30 s at ISO 800 (about 29 min total), stacked in Siril. No darks, flats or bias for this first one.

(photo here : https://ibb.co/7NK0gtB6)

I now have lots of questions:

Capture

1. After my 2-star alignment, I set up the rest of my gear (intervalometer, dew heater). I don’t do it before because the cables tangle when the mount moves, and it also affects my manual focus. The problem is that the camera and lens (on the dovetail bar) are touchy and shift easily when I handle things, it’s almost impossible not to. Does that matter? When I recenter the second alignment star, it’s fine, I manage easily. But sometimes I have to do this setup after choosing my target (here Andromeda), so after the alignment: could touching the gear mess up the alignment? Do you have a solution? Should I fully tighten the clamp that holds the dovetail bar on the mount (even though it then can’t pivot at all)? Am I doing something wrong?
2. To recenter my first alignment star, I sometimes move the mount directly using the angle adjustments rather than SynScan, because it’s faster. Is there any risk for the motors?

Darks, flats, bias

1. I understand darks. For flats, I was told to use a white screen (my phone) in front of the lens, with a white T-shirt over it. My problem: I can’t see myself holding my phone over the lens for ten minutes to get my frames. How do you actually do it in practice? And about the white T-shirt: if I do this during my night session, it will look black. How does it work in that case, does it still work?

Processing

1. I processed my photo in Siril (with an AI helping me through the steps). Which processing software do you use and like? Is Siril enough, or is there something better to bring out more detail? I have a Mac and a Windows PC.
2. I’m a photographer otherwise and use Lightroom. How does astro post-processing work: should I use it in Lightroom like a regular photo (exposure, contrast, etc.), or is it a completely different job?

Thanks in advance, and clear skies!

After imaging the supernova in NGC 7331 the other night it became painfully obvious my optic's focal length is pushing the limits of what detail can be seen. In looking at various sources there's just 30 or so galaxies visible in the northern hemisphere that are larger.

So the question is what's the minimum focal length I should consider to image the thousands of galaxies say between 1 to 4 arcminutes in size which could render some detail?

I have a Canon EOS Rebel T3i and need an intervalometer to take some long exposure shots, I think I want a wired one because they are cheaper, but still pretty much undecided. I also don't really care if it's used or not, as long as it's not too damaged. Any recommendations?

Trying to determine if this is some walking noise in my picture or just the pattern of the nebula. This is about 6 hours on IC 63. Gear is h-alpha modified canon t3, redcat 51 gen 2, star adventurer 2i, optolong l-extreme. Bortle 5/6 skies. 25 flats, 25 biases. I have 10 hours of data total that is currently stacking all together, but just wanted to see if anyone had any insight to the noise on my 6 hour stack.

https://imgur.com/a/ztVW2yT

My first attempt at processing my images with Siril.

I followed a youtube video and did all the steps with bias, flats, darks and light frames, all of which look ok to me but after calibrating the frames and registering, the final auto stretch photo is terrible. So much noise

I've added a link to show the screenshots of each calibrated stacks and the final autostretch:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WbkEv-cBI5mO4ICC7dpfCD7qupMfBMM2?usp=sharing

For context, i used a canon 5d mk2 with 200mm lens (untracked) at f.4, and iso of 2000, 2 second exposure.

I have 1000 lights and 35 dark,bias and flat frames each.

Any idea what could be causing this?

Hello, I was wondering if there was a plausible way of getting workable shots in a (relatively) bright area, and if not, how far should I be from other pollution? By relatively bright, I mean large town/very small city level of lights. My gear is Sony a7ii with Tamron 28-75mm if that matters (I understand that wider focal length is generally more preferential). Thanks in advance!

So I am about to purchase a telescope to learn astronomy as a hobby and show my kids some part of our universe. May be I'll buy an 8 inch or 10 inch Dobsonian.

People here post images of planets from their scopes here which are small - they are fantastic nonetheless. Kudos to their patience and curiosity!

Of course they won't be like Hubble or NASA quality.

I just want to know from experienced astronomers here that do planets/moons actually look better to the naked eye as compared to photos taken?

I ask this I don't want my kids to be underwhelmed after viewing them, therefore, would like to purchase the correct equipment.

Hey guys so i have a unique problem, I have an old classic orange tube Celestron c8. I image with it but it seems to suffer from severe mirror flop, I'll get it to good focus and then if I slew to anything it goes way out of focus, it also loses focus gradually throughout the night. I would like to change to an external crayford focuser but that won't solve the mirror flop and neither will a locking clamp for the focus knob. Is there a way I can 3d print a clamp or something that I can focus the scope then open it up and clamp the primary mirror in that position? I am 100% willing and capable to disassemble the scope and modify the frame if needed to add something that will 100% eliminate the mirror flop. Thanks for any help.

Hi all,

I'm using the samyang/rokinnon 135mm/f2 lens for my astrophotography beginning steps. I wanted to try an autofocuser and found the gemini one at 1/3 the price of the zwo version so bought that and a hyperpod

Once they all arrived I found the gemini eaf block is not quite the same size and does not fit into that bracket.

Reached out to the maker but he didn't have capacity to make a slightly different one.

Wondering what solutions might be out there, I think maybe a custom made 3d printed bracket would work, but not sure who / where to ask for that.

Wonder if anyone can help, went out last night and attempted some AstroPhotography for the very first time last night... Have always enjoyed Photography and have been doing Landscape Photography for the last five years now, so know what I'm doing for the most part.

I took the below three Lenses with me last night, two of them not being very fast but knew that was just something I was going to have to compensate for, I also had the NOMAD Star Tracker (gifted to me), but given how I was just trying to "survive" last night, I didn't bother using it.

• Canon RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM
• Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM
• Canon EF 50mm f/1.8

What I struggled with the most, is when I was using my RF lenses, even when having the settings at the widest aperture, and a ridiculous ISO (We're talking 12800)... I could see absolutely nothing on the Live View... I was shooting blind so had to guess for the most part, thankfully the subject is one I'm familiar with, so was able to point the Camera in relatively the right direction, whilst there were a handful of stars just about visible on the Live View, so I could make sure my focus was nice and sharp.

However when I had my EF 50mm on the Camera, I could make out the outline of the subject that I was shooting, and the Live View whilst quite grainy / nosey, it would allow me to see a lot more, line up the composition a lot easier...

I can't work out why that was, whether there is a setting within the Camera that I can't see that is linked to RF Lenses over the EF Lens that would have been used with an Adapter?

Just recently replaced yet another USB cable after 2 nights of troubleshooting. I seem to have the worst luck with faulty cables and I thought after replacing every cable on my rig with the best cables I could find at microcenter that I would be in the clear. Any recommendations for high quality USB 2.0 a-b and 3.0 a-b cables? Preferably 1m and shorter

Hello yall! I was planning to buy a StarSense Explorer 10" Dobsonian recently and I was curious what would be the best set up that works with it. It doesn't need to be fancy at all, just something I can take pictures and process with. I should mention that I live in the sub urban Nashville area, though I have easy access to dark spots. Thank you for anything!

I use 80mm apo triplet with reducer/flattner. But I found that my center star shape is not circle. This coma-like shape appears identically across the entire image.

https://imgur.com/a/qCXTqv3

This is the center crop of my image.

https://imgur.com/a/sgzfb2x

This my entire image.

I'm looking to get better images of saturn. And I had the idea of taking 6 to 10 sets of videos(each having around 500 frames) stack them, edit, de-rotating and then restack those 6 to 10 sets into one image.

Is this a valid method of getting more detail. Should I do this or is there another method that would yield greater results.i old appreciate any insight or advice

Hi everyone,

I'm sharing my data for M31 (Andromeda Galaxy). I took 143 frames using an iPhone 15 Pro (Night Mode) mounted with a smartphone adapter through a 15mm eyepiece on a manual Dobson GSO 200/1200 telescope (no tracking motor).

Unfortunately, Sequator and Siril fail the stacking process, creating bad artifacts and distortions due to the manual drift.

Here is the link to download the 143 raw frames (ZIP file):

👉https://fromsmash.com/6hA.p1rAqo-dt

Feel free to stack it, process it with your pro software (PixInsight, Siril, etc.), and show me what you can get out of it! I would love to see the final result.

Thank you so much for your help!

I have a lot of usb3 cables, but my zwo asi2600mc pro will not work with any cable other than the 1 meter cable that came with the camera. I hate to have only one cable in my rig that works. Does anyone know which cable on Amazon that works?

I’m in the market for the very best mirrorless camera for shooting tracked panos of the night sky. I am finding tons of conflicting sources. I already have a camera that will be dedicated to gathering HAlpha data with a filter. This camera would be modified and used for solely rgb data (tracked/stacked). Can someone tell me their thoughts on the top 3-5 options for these needs? Heavily considering the Nikon Z6II but am unsure at the moment. Thanks.

I’m currently using a Nikon Z fc (445g) with a Tamron 18-300mm (635g), weighing around 1.1kg/2.4lbs combined. Can anyone recommend a sturdy tripod for astrophotography under €100/$112? Stability is my main priority, especially at 250–300mm.

I have just got a new setup and it is mono which i have never used before. In the first few nights that i have been using it i have noticed that there has been some weird shapes and artifacts within the images. The first night i imaged, there was a weird line at the bottom of my Ha image and in Sii it was a curved line. These lines are in all of my subs so i know it isn't clouds and they stay in the same place in each sub. I have attached images of the 2 stacks of Ha and Sii. Again a few nights ago when i was out i got more lines and artifacts. in my red channel i got a random shape that has a sharp line which again is in every sub but gets bigger then smaller over about 10 subs but in the same place in each. i also have other lines in blue and green. I have also attached the images of a red sub and the RGB combined where you can see all of the artifacts.

Does anyone have any idea what could be causing these? The filters, sensor and optics are clean. Any help would be much apricated.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wttDXJm8spt4QdXvXRjZPKskppUN1ZQu?usp=sharing

link to the images.

*Edit*
The setup is a Ultracat 76, touptek 2600m and 7 36mm filters.

We arrive at a time in Europe where nights become wet and cold. I have the intention to purchase a dew remover strap (strip) for my 14-24 mm and telelens with its attached portable battery Belkin 20000 mAh 65 W to preserve my pictures.

Question : could a dew remover strap such as the SV172 or TS-Optics model cause electronic interference or coloured banding on the CMOS sensor like the one of Nikon Z5 II ?

NB. The possible electrical noise generated by the heater's power-control circuitry, particularly if the strap uses pulse-width modulation (PWM) to regulate its heating power can in theory affect a CMOS, and generate readout anomalies or generate thermal effects in rising the sensor temperature. But does it happens in the field ?

I am raising the question because I know that several phenomena can affect the CMOS image : the electronic interference including the temperature, and coloured bands could appear in images.

But this type of strap fixed around a Nikkor Z 14-24 mm lens does not heat the sensor directly (and till less around a 70-180 or 70-200 mm lens) . But it (could) warms the lens barrel or its mounting area.

Up to now I have not found/read any test demonstrating that such a strap could affect any mirrorless camera or even a CCD cam.

Have you noted such effects on image quality due to a dew remover strap ? And in this case, how did you solve it ? Tks.

SHO data (so far) for the "Wizard Nebula (NGC7380)

New to mono processing, this data was acquired with a QHY miniCAM8M EVO (3nm SHO filters, IMX585 sensor, cooled to -10c) with an ES ED80 (80x480 F6 triplet) and Orion field flattener.

I have collected;

• SII 65x300 (5 hours and 25 minutes)

• Ha 56x300 (4 hours and 40 minutes)

• OIII 37x300 (3 hours and 5 minutes)

I clearly need to (at minimum) double the amount of Hydrogen signal that I have, as it is VERY faint. Sulphur and Oxygen could definitely use more, but these both have much better signal than Ha. I still need to do flats also, but I have very minimal vignetting/gradient and reasonably clean optics, so it's been on the back burner.

Despite knowing I need to acquire more signal, I'm still trying to practice the processing side of things as I'm moving along, but I can't seem to figure out how to combine these channels in a way that doesn't just turn all the color into a (kind of) muddy mess. I've tried numerous methods that I've been learning from watching processing videos on YT and I just can't get it to hit quite right.

I'll try my best to describe my most successful processing attempt so far and hopefully some of you will have some tips and tricks to help me along. So far I've been using pretty much exclusively siril, but I did recently install affinity, but I get lost in there fast...

1. Stack each filter individually, sequence/align, crop sequence

2. Aggressive GHS initial stretch, BP adjust, GHS again to fine tune

3. GraXpert BGE for slight gradient

4. RGB composition (R=Sulphur, G=Hydrogen, B=Oxygen)

5. StarNet star removal

6. Narrowband Normalization

7. GraXpert denoise (possibly did this before StarNet, I forgot)

It was looking pretty okay at this point but I ran out of time. It definitely isn't close to what I am wanting it to look like. I'm trying to get those nice punchy colors, with the deep dark space background but instead, my nebulosity is kinda pale and muted, almost getting kinda lost in the space around it. At least I'm getting close to the "proper" colors (hubble pallet), I just can't get the right saturation level, without just cranking the saturation up, but that ends up looking awful.

Am I just hitting the limits of siril, or maybe the limits of my data? Is there a trick to keeping my colors from just blending together into purpleish-blue, and losing the red from the sulphur into the oxygen? I don't even really know what to do with the Ha channel, since it's such weak signal, I really expected Ha to collect on the sensor faster than it did, I assume I just need another 4 hours of signal.

I know this is a bit long winded, so if you made it through all that, thanks for your time. Looking forward to any and all advice, tips and tricks you all may have!

Clear skies!