M1 Crab Nebula on Boxing Day

[The Thing]

26/12/2009 02:30 (mid point)
Canon 350Da first light. Astronomik CLS-CCD clip filter, Baader Alan Gee II Telecompressor, Meade LX90 8" UHTC, Lakeside Motorised Focuser, Maxim DL, SPC900NC LX B/W modded guide cam, 200mm f3.5 camera lens as guide scope.

10x4mins total subs processed on a damp night. Cropped but full resolution. Converting to JPEG has not done this image any favours! The scope wasn't properly collimated and I had never used the the automatic focusing before. It's my deepest deep sky image yet!
 

[Mac]

nice try of M1.

like the colours,

Is the focus problem collimation or the auto focus prog or both.

at least you know its now possible, just have to wait again for those freezing nights.

Mac.

[JohnP]

Wow Duncan a lot of firsts & congrats on the image. Well done on 4min subs as well. Looks like there are some coma issues (maybe flattener spacing etc). The image shows a lot of potential for such short exposure.

John

[Rocket Pooch]

Thats prettty good Duncan for a 1st, and not an easy target at the focal length either.

[Fay]

Well done Duncan, as John said, a lot of new techniques & equipment you were using there, all at once. Seems a lot of detail there for 4 mins

[RobertM]

That's a very good start Duncan.  New techniques and kit are hard to master at the best of times so getting a result first time out is really good work.  Looks like you have a few things to work on but do check the collimation first using a star (real or artificial).  A quick way to check collimation isn't too far off is to look down the corrector end of the tube from about 6-8ft and check primary/secondary reflections are all concentric.

[The Thing]

Thanks all.

I am very happy to have got this image. I processed this version in DSS and have had a go in Iris with the same subs which looks more promising.

I use a mask (look it up in the forums) for accurate collimation - couldn't be bothered with all the other stuff going on! If my guiding had worked I would have had about 3 hours on M1 but for some reason my mount won't respond to dec guide commands - then suddenly it works. I have been trying to find out why but I am convinced it's the ASCOM pulse guiding driver from the Stark Labs site.

The stars are very round and sharp compared to my previous attempts, the Lakeside motorised focuser is a dream to use.

[Carole]

Well done getting M1 Duncan.

If my guiding had worked I would have had about 3 hours on M1 but for some reason my mount won't respond to dec guide commands - then suddenly it works.

I'm getting a feeling of deja vu here, as you are using WXA for guiding I believe, the same software I had problems with the other night which I now know was partially working.  Is this just a recent problem, or on-going?  Is it possible we have the same software problem?

Carole

[The Thing]

Hi Carol.
Guiding with my scope/fork mount has been an endless battle. If the cables are ok the software crashes. If the Software is ok the mount only responds to one direction for guide commands (RA usually) so I get trails in the other axis. IF it all works I pray and don't touch anything until I have some Lights in the bag!

I variously use wxAstrocapture (which now has an ASCOM capability but that's complicated to use), PHD but I can't use LX on the guide webcam as that crashes PHD, or Maxim DL which is fine as long as the mount is responding in both axes.

If I use the Canon utility to capture Lights, DSLR Shutter to control the exposures and wxAstroCapture to guide I seem to get the best results. However Maxim also allows control of the scope and focuser so is very convenient - but when I have captured FITS images with it they seem impossible to process unlike the Canon CR2 RAW files. Anyone know how to get Maxim to capture RAW?

It's constant a struggle. This afternoons activity is to wire it all up in the conservatory and find out why the focuser stopped responding...

[Fay]

Gosh, Duncan, I am surprised you are still sane, although I know what it is like!!!

[Mac]

Anyone know how to get Maxim to capture RAW?

Why not just let the camera capture the files?
rather then transfer them to the pc. you can always do that later.
Easier option and one less thing to worry about for the time being.

[Carole]

Blimey Duncan, what a nightmare. 
This imaging lark is a real challenge, not only to the persons trying to operate it, but relies heavily on the equipment doing what it's supposed to do.

Carole

[Mac]

not only to the persons trying to operate it, but relies heavily on the equipment doing what it's supposed to do.

the equipment only does what its told to do

[MarkS]

It's not easy, this hobby!

Duncan, a lot went right in this image - the guiding looks fine, the colours are good and this was first light for you modded Canon.

However, it does look defocused and I agree that you may have a collimation problem  - but personally I think is more than likely an off centre Alan Gee.

Mark

[Carole]

the equipment only does what its told to do

If the cables are ok the software crashes. If the Software is ok the mount only responds to one direction for guide commands (RA usually) so I get trails in the other axis. IF it all works I pray and don't touch anything until I have some Lights in the bag!

I variously use wxAstrocapture (which now has an ASCOM capability but that's complicated to use), PHD but I can't use LX on the guide webcam as that crashes PHD, or Maxim DL which is fine as long as the mount is responding in both axes.

Apart from meaning equipment and/or software I rest my case.

Carole

[Tony G]

the equipment only does what its told to do

I hate conspiracy theorists. 

Tony G

[Mac]

Just worked out the common denominator.
why everything crashes.

Windows 

[Carole]

Excuse the pun, but does Mac have a Mac then?

[Mac]

Excuse the pun, but does Mac have a Mac then?

Nope, I have a mini Mac. 1 on the 13th.

But i normally use windows 2000!!!!!! or NT4 if i can.

The problems is windows xp is not really designed to run 72 pieces of software, ect,ect without having problems.
100'000 's of dll config files one huge registry. conflicting drivers ect,ect. Try installing office200 & adobe acrobat and then open a powerpoint presentation. Powerpoint will always hang and then use 100% of the cpu, why, incompatibility.

I've got a totally separate xp partition which has an absolute minimum system installed, (i.e. all the crap you never use removed)
and then I only install the software i need. This is totally separate from my other xp system that has all the other junk on.

So i have:
Win xp (small)
starry night,
all the drivers for my cameras including Nikon & Canon
maxim 5
fits viewer
photoshop. (dont realy need this as i can use the one on my other system)
registax
deepsky stacker
ascom drivers
filter wheel drivers.
EQMOD
Pole align max

and thats about it.

does my windows crash on a regular basis or give me problems,  hmmmmm, nope, once in a blue moon, it is windows you know.
i dont install any service packs, anti virus or firewalls. (ONLY ON THIS SYSTEM - IF YOU CONNECT TO THE INTERNET THROUGH YOUR SYSTEM INSTALL THEM I CONNECT THROUGH MY SERVER)

my other system with all the other software is forever giving me problems.

Worth a thought.
This is what i did for fays one and set up a separate partition for her astronomy stuff.

Mac.

[The Thing]

This sounds like a great approach Mac. I have always tried to keep this laptop 'clean' as it was bought for astronomy - I have a desktop for the other stuff. However (the usual 'however') the laptop runs VISTA   . I agree XP would be a better bet. I have NT4 SP6 somewhere, they'd finally got the bugs out by that service pack

Yesterday I worked out that it was the USB active extension cable that didn't agree with the the Prolific USB 4x Serial port cable adapter I got recently from USBNow ('cos I needed a 4th COM port for the Lakeside focuser). I tried two 1.5m standard USB extensions and they work fine (no extra drivers in the way).

Hopefully all will be well at DSC next weekend. 

[Carole]

Hopefully all will be well at DSC next weekend

Blimey are you guys still going in these temperatures!!??

That sounds like a good idea Mac, I always think they put too much crap on laptops that you don't need, but I never know what's safe to delete and what's not, so daren't touch it.  I'd be quite happy for whoever converts my Vista to XP to delete a lot of this stuff.

Carole

[RobertM]

Yesterday I worked out that it was the USB active extension cable that didn't agree with the the Prolific USB 4x Serial port cable adapter

Hmmm, I use an active usb extender (12m in total) to USB2 powered hub to Prolific 4 port serial hub without problem now, though I did have an issue last year which only a reinstall fixed... (painful process that!).  Could it be that you're not getting enough power through to the Prolific?

Robert

[Mac]

I always think they put too much crap on laptops that you don't need, but I never know what's safe to delete and what's not

goto your control panel and select add / remove software, or whatever vistas called it now.
and using that you can remove everything that has been installed, safely, including some but not all windows components.

its a starting point, when you get round to installing windows xp, just do a custom install and only install the bits you want,

Windows 98 can be stripped down to 5meg!
xp down to about 350Mb,

Mac.

[The Thing]

Could it be that you're not getting enough power through to the Prolific?

I thought of that but didn't want to add a further layer of hub drivers.