The Eagle has landed.

[Mac]

After an absolute pig of a night.
Firstly all of my software decided that it wasn't going to play ball.
Couldn't connect to the camera's, filter wheels, telescope.
Ended up reinstalling nearly all of the software again.

Still being unable to connect to the telescope in starrynight.

Anyway.

I decided to have a go at nailing The Eagle and after spending over an hour
trying to get the guiding sorted (yet another problem)

and also accedently setting the exposure for 900s instead of 90s i managed to bag this.



Single image williams optics 90mm, piggybacked on the LX200.
Lx200 Guiding (Eventually)
starlight express HX9
Single exposure 900 seconds (yup nine hundred!!!!)
Narrowband Ha Filter.
Processed in Maxim and Binned to 2*2

Mac.

Chuffed as a pig in s

So i decided to then do another dozen or so. only to find out i had accedently set the binning on the camera to 3*3

[Fay]

Gosh, Mac , you have started with a bang! That is really nice, 900 secs wow!

Sounds strange you having problems, being that you always sort every one else's out!

[Mac]

Sounds strange you having problems, being that you always sort every one else's out

Dont, I decided to set up at 7pm, and i was still trying to sort out the problems at 1am.
Even my neighbours herd my swearing. 

Still i did manage to give her a nightmare. The sound of the LX slewing, gave her dreams that she was being hunted and killed by the terminator

I realy dont know whats gone wrong.
Everything was working fine. last time.
Now, Maxim didn't see the cameras, Starry night didnt see the telescope,
Skymap couldnt see the scope. The only think that did see the scope was the meade software, and thats a real pain to use.

I reinstalled the ascom platform and drivers for all the software, and then reinstalled all the software again, and the drivers and they still didnt see the scope.
The connect boxes were not highlighted saying that there were no plug ins present, (Except there were)

Although reinstalling the drivers for the loadstar and HX9, did sort out the maxim problems, although it still wont let me open fit files by right mouse clicking and then selection maxim to open it with.
i have to open maxim and then open the fit. (a pain but workable)
As for photoshop, again that wouldn't open fit files. and still wont.

So i'll probably format my telescope drive and have a fresh install.

Although i did find out that the latest update for quicktime, completly screws starrynight!

Ho hum, the joys of computers.

[Carole]

Poor old you Mac, what a pantomime and must have been very frustrating, as Fay says

Sounds strange you having problems, being that you always sort every one else's out

.

You have done a smashing Eagle nebula though.

the latest update for quicktime, completly screws starrynight

Yup had that problem myself some time ago, Starry Night just would not launch, I had to E mail Starry Night themselves in the end and they sent me a link to an older version of Quicktime.  I think my son must have updated Quicktime for me when he was living back home.  Trouble is there are some things I cannot open with the older version of Quicktime, but I'd rather have the Starry Night.

Carole

[RobertM]

I'm sorry to hear about all that, it sounds like real hell.  Unfortunately this crappy windows O/S gets to all of us eventually (usually many times) !!!  I hope you've managed to get all your software sorted working properly.

On the positive side, nailing a 900s sub is a big step and you've got an excellent result; another dozen at full resolution would have been superb.

Robert

[JohnP]

wow Mac - Impressive stuff for a single 900 secs.. Like Robert says a few more & it will be superb... John

[Fay]

Mac, if you download FITS Liberator into PhotoShop, you will be able to open FITS. It is free

[Rocket Pooch]

Well the 900 second sub is an achievement, hang in there!

[Mac]

Mac, if you download FITS Liberator into PhotoShop, you will be able to open FITS. It is free

already got it.
Thats just the problem.
Photoshop used to open the fits but after the problems at the weekend nothing!!!! worked.

So im going todo a full format and reinstall this week.

[Mac]

The original fit is now available if anyone wants to have a tweek.

http://gallery.orpington-astronomy.org.uk/albums/userpics/10021/Eagle.fit

Mac.

[MarkS]

I've had a tweek on your original FIT file.

It's nearly as good as Robert's now!  You've got some good data there ...

Mark

[RobertM]

Now if you could get that guiding nailed then it'll be a cracking image.

Nicely processed Mark.

[Mac]

Now if you could get that guiding nailed then it'll be a cracking image

Thats also a bugbear at the moment.

The guiding should have been spot on. as the WO was atop of the LX200. and the guiding was at 2500mm.
The only other problem is at the moment, the WO is sitting ontop of a heath robbinson plate.
Which does have some flexing

Fay. i'll be round sometime this week to pick up that bracket.
i'll drop you an email.


i'll also sort out my processing as well
Mac.

[RobertM]

Flex - you'll not be wanting any of that.  Check that everything is well bolted down, even the guide cam; if anything can move then it probably will...

[Mac]

Check that everything is well bolted down,

Its most defiantly the bracket
As at the moment its a bit of drilled 1cm Box section,
and it flexes left and right, very easily i might add.
Just so i could get the WO on top to see if it would balance up ok, which it does.

But i've stuck with it untill i make a better plate