Hey thank you everyone for the kind words, I really appreciate it! (I tried to do a multi-quote to each of you, but I couldn't figure out how - I clicked the multi-quote button? I'm dumb sometimes!)
Firstly, should be no issue posting here. I have Featured Image in this forum twice - both times posting astro images, so no worries there. I expect you might achieve that with this as well
These 2 look quite nice to me. It is common to be most critical of your own work when others do not see the flaws unless you adamantly point them out first - I am often guilty of that myself. It is hard to judge the star quality at this resolution, perhaps I see a little bit of an issue. I shoot with the same camera and some similar filters from Antlia when shooting wider nebulae like this and have not noticed a vibration issue. I would also think if that was the cause you would expect the problem to be across the frame not just in the corners. It could perhaps be a backspacing issue - not familiar if the Z4 OTA has a critical backspacing somewhere in that imaging train or not.
In any case, these are both excellent - all the more so for your short time in the hobby! Great to see such deep images from suburban skies, nothing like imaging in narrowband it really is a game changer. I would definitely continue to post these with no qualms at all.
Firstly, should be no issue posting here. I have Featured Image in this forum twice - both times posting astro images, so no worries there. I expect you might achieve that with this as well
These 2 look quite nice to me. It is common to be most critical of your own work when others do not see the flaws unless you adamantly point them out first - I am often guilty of that myself. It is hard to judge the star quality at this resolution, perhaps I see a little bit of an issue. I shoot with the same camera and some similar filters from Antlia when shooting wider nebulae like this and have not noticed a vibration issue. I would also think if that was the cause you would expect the problem to be across the frame not just in the corners. It could perhaps be a backspacing issue - not familiar if the Z4 OTA has a critical backspacing somewhere in that imaging train or not.
In any case, these are both excellent - all the more so for your short time in the hobby! Great to see such deep images from suburban skies, nothing like imaging in narrowband it really is a game changer. I would definitely continue to post these with no qualms at all.
As mentioned above, I believe this is is definitely backspacing. It looks like you need to add some. I would add some incrementally in the form of shims until it looks right. You should be within 2-3mm of being correct.
wsbrown wrote:
As mentioned above, I believe this is is definitely backspacing. It looks like you need to add some. I would add some incrementally in the form of shims until it looks right. You should be within 2-3mm of being correct.
Even still, nice shot and great setup.
Thanks guys, appreciate the comments. The only thing is the Sharpstar Z4 is a Petzval Astrograph that shouldn't need backspacing. Even though as you say the bad stars in the corners would point to exactly that:
Leah Hallett wrote:
Thanks guys, appreciate the comments. The only thing is the Sharpstar Z4 is a Petzval Astrograph that shouldn't need backspacing. Even though as you say the bad stars in the corners would point to exactly that:
If I remember right, I did have a 10mm or 15mm spacer in the image train to begin with and found that I couldn’t get the guide stars in focus no matter what I tried. What I understood was the distance from the OAG prism to the guide camera sensor needs to be the same as the distance from the prism to the main camera sensor. Which worked at about 55.5 mm after I removed the spacer and moved the prism up a tad. I guess I couldn’t get to that distance with the spacer.
These are much smaller spacers so maybe that will work! I’ll get some on order. The idea of unscrewing everything to install them though will be a fight or flight response!
If I remember right, I did have a 10mm or 15mm spacer in the image train to begin with and found that I couldn’t get the guide stars in focus no matter what I tried. What I understood was the distance from the OAG prism to the guide camera sensor needs to be the same as the distance from the prism to the main camera sensor. Which worked at about 55.5 mm after I removed the spacer and moved the prism up a tad. I guess I couldn’t get to that distance with the spacer.
These are much smaller spacers so maybe that will work! I’ll get some on order. The idea of unscrewing everything to install them though will be a fight or flight response!
It has been a little over a year since I did my last astrophotography. I have no experience with an OAG, I used a small seperate scope mounted on top. Flatteners with adjustable backspacing are a livesaver, but being a Petzval that's not an option. If you get tired of figuring out optimal backspacing for a refractor get a newtonian astrograph and tackle proper collimation...
wsbrown wrote:
It has been a little over a year since I did my last astrophotography. I have no experience with an OAG, I used a small seperate scope mounted on top. Flatteners with adjustable backspacing are a livesaver, but being a Petzval that's not an option. If you get tired of figuring out optimal backspacing for a refractor get a newtonian astrograph and tackle proper collimation...
I’d love to see a pic of your Newtonian setup if you still have it all together…and of course also the time
Leah Hallett wrote:
I’d love to see a pic of your Newtonian setup if you still have it all together…and of course also the time
Leah
It was a bit of sarcasm as collimating a Newtonian that is out to the degree of accuracy needed for astrophotography can induce insanity. Although they are a cheaper objective inch for inch vs a refractor and fast.
I sold my gear last year to pursue normal photography. Though, I think it is more of a break than getting out of it entirely, as I see myself coming back to it eventually. Technology and gear have changed a lot just in the past few years, so I think it will be beneficial.
Here is my Flickr astrophotography album, my best setup was an 8" newtonian astrograph with a Starizona Nexus reducer / coma corrector, the put me at F3.3.
Wow! You are really good, fantastic imaging. In the words of Steely Dan, get back, Jack, Do it again! Not sure where that popped into my head from, but you should re-invest in the newer tech.
Leah Hallett wrote:
I reimaged this Elephant Trunk Nebula last night after changing out the camera fan to the noctua and all the anti-vibration fixins. The stars look a little bit better...
skyshinphoto wrote:
Waaaay beyond my level of astro photography...absolutely stunning, thank you for sharing!!
Thanks very much for the kind words, I appreciate it.
Leah
DanielJStein wrote:
Leah these are insane!!!!!!!
I hope that means you like them Thank you!
Leah
ftllens wrote:
The color processing are beautiful as well. I think I might get your exact setup and try this year myself!
If you do pursue this exact setup, you should read the thread I started when I was in paralysis about what to purchase. At the time I had a fully automatic Stellina which was underwhelming and you had no control at all. It did EVERYTHING for you. I wanted to do...well, more:
Leah, this is astronomical!
I did astro photography long ago when a ccd camera was all I could use. I took images of Horsehead Nebula from a Meade LX200 12- SCT.
This is a phenominal image!
Dan
PS: A FM member is an astrophotographer/astronomer (Patrick Dixon) who works back-n-forth between the Johns Hopkins Univ Hubble Space Lab and the site in England(James Webb). He is VERY adept at this. Hope he will chime in. He was instrumental in the latest space telescope for imaging.
Danpbphoto wrote:
Leah, this is astronomical!
I did astro photography long ago when a ccd camera was all I could use. I took images of Horsehead Nebula from a Meade LX200 12- SCT.
This is a phenominal image!
Dan
PS: A FM member is an astrophotographer/astronomer (Patrick Dixon) who works back-n-forth between the Johns Hopkins Univ Hubble Space Lab and the site in England(James Webb). He is VERY adept at this. Hope he will chime in. He was instrumental in the latest space telescope for imaging.
Thanks very much Dan. I just watched a documentary on the building of the James Webb Telescope - talk about a feat of science and engineering!
Leah Hallett wrote:
Thanks very much Dan. I just watched a documentary on the building of the James Webb Telescope - talk about a feat of science and engineering!
Leah
Thank you Leah!
Your "set up" is one of the best I have ever seen!
Thank you!