Konihlav

thank you! maybe it's not a bad idea to share with you the 100% size and resolution, just a crop of some interesting parts of the image so as you can fully enjoy it! Hope you don't mind some noise there...

Hi friends, well, this one was a tough one. I spent 5 nights on it with at least some success, started in 2014, finished in 2015 (taking data, processed now in 2016). It's only 12 hours of data (59x6min Luminance + some almost 2 hours per RGB). it's shown in 50% res only, but I plan to show some 100% crops of some objects as they are so nice in full scale... :-) Pavel

Thank you Lukas, I promise, next time I really make a perfect image with much longer total integration time... so far I was limited with either technical issues or weather. Soon I will be limited by weather only :-) looking for better days! CS4all

Formerly, I wanted to make a nice image, but: 1. didn't get another chance to capture Luminance channel due to bad weather for last two months 2. the blue big reflection from 3" Wynne ruined the IC63 therefore, instead of deleting the data from my HDD, I processed a small (45% scaled and cropped) version of just 6x6 min RGB channels. I find this better than nothing: hoping for best NEXT time

thank you, but I was not happy with it still... therefore I reworked it couple of times and after 2 more weeks I ended up with following (last and final) color version of M31: (may you need F5 to reload the JPG from browser's cache) also, for those of you who prefer monochromatic view theres one: thanks!

una maravillosa Antonio, como siempre

Dear ASA friends, here's a 50% size result from 4-5 hours of shooting (18x6min + 8x6min RGB+Ha) with my ASA 10" and G3-11000 CCD: this time there is no 100% size link as the data were unable to support it :-( maybe bad seeing or maybe due to bad focus, don't know, but the fault is on my side, definitively... Pavel

with DSLR it is a "miracle" that is possible to accomplish due to the fact that (i) you have a fast astrograph and that (ii) (at least) this object is kind of the very bright ones :-) anyway the 15min subs are amazing with DSLR, I checked your single subs per filter...

Ian, that's a cool setup and nice observatory!

for those of us who love the equipment and like to see other's setup in action (or ready for action). mine:

Waldemar et. all: could YOU PLEASE post somewhere any raw fits (or converted to JPG) field in full size to show how good is your imaging train and telescope collimated??? THANK you. I know the issue I am looking for a solution and I cannot find it. My best test-frame was this: http://www.astro.cz/galerie/d/61075-1/CCD+Image+50-highscreenstretch.jpg but since that time I did not manage to make the collimation so good since then. I am a ghost-chase, I am the most top-demanding guy here I am sure, but I really like you others to show similar full size frame from your big chip camera. For me, every pixel counts and am unfortunate when I have to downsize to 50%, but that's the only way now to get around... thanks! BTW my experience says that anything "made by g. neumann" is not good (piece of garbage), I had few things and I never make the same mistake again.

Hola Antonio, claro q si y q lo se... sure I know it, it's always something. I got used to the "3 corners rule" that says - 3 corners are OK, one is tilted. It is better in G and B and worse in R and Luminance. Anyway I just decided I would crop 100-200 pixels and be OK. I know my both hands are left ones when it comes down to "collimation". The problem with catseye's infinity is that it is soooo precise that you are always a bit off next time I plan to use smaller sensor of Atik ONE for narrow band imaging but that small pixels are also hard to deal with as they show some other problem (maybe overtightened mirror even though I try just to hand-tight it). With changing temperature of the mirror everything is on the move so it is really difficult to "manage it" for a 1:1 full scale image. In 50% size everything looks good, but I am on the chase of resulution... thanks! Pavel

Ron, nice attempt on an obscure object!

Dear ASA friends, here's a 66% size result from 3 hours of shooting (12x6min + 6x6min RGB) with my ASA 10" and G3-11000 CCD: the 100% size link is just below the image, above technical data, ready to click. Pavel

very nice image Antonio, I hope to make at least one LRGB image this autumn, there are many nice dark nebulas in Cassiopea/Perseus/Camelopardalis... the autumn/fall/otono sky is very nice...

the issue was resolved by ASA (few months back from now) by replacing the mirror within warranty now I already got yet another 1st light... everything looks perfect...

Hi there, I was in hope that this summer I'll be out shooting stars for as many nights as possible, but it turned out we had the worst weather in last couple of years. Therefore I got two nights - 3rd July (not much darkness) and 28th August. Both nights I collected 15x10min, i.e. together up to 5hrs of data. This is the result: next time, I shall select some "nicer" object... Unfortunately I have only H-a data so no bicolor no HST on the way... Pavel

very nice Antonio, the NGC3610 is really "extraordinary"

some STL user's flat: http://blog.astrofotky.cz/pavelpech/files/2013/11/ASA-N10-STLvignettingAtF3_6.jpg my G3-11000 flat: http://blog.astrofotky.cz/pavelpech/files/2013/11/ASA-N10-G311K-vignettingNEWadapter.jpg

Hello, I think this is one of my best H-a images taken with my ASA 10" Newtonian. Thanks to 3nm H-a filter and great low-noise Atik and fast F-speed of ASA with superb lens this could happen in only about 3.5 hours: hope you would like it... full scale (100%) link below the image in the gallery... the image scale is about 1.03" arcsecs. Pavel

BTW the primary mirror mask I asked my friend to create for me was sized at 235mm, i.e. masking 15mm (1,5 cm!) of the mirror outer radius. This causes a light loss of 13% making F/3.6 scope to become F/4.07 scope. Obviously, maybe the mask could be 240mm or even 245 who knows... I would like to be able to measure Strehl of my mirror better then 0,1 or 0,2 anything over 0,7 0,8 is acceptable for me. thanks for any comments anyone might have!!!

Hi, since I have no time to write an article about it (at least until I resolve it or get some solution or response from ASA/OrionUK), I would like to publish here my data and my findings: because I ruled out already everything except of mirror(s) quality I focused on mirror testing again - BTW first test showed Strehl 0.02 :-( due to bad data acquisition. I asked my friend to build some aperture masks for my 10" ASA-N that you can see here: http://www.astro.cz/galerie/v/uzivatele/Konihlav/misc/IMG_8823.JPG.html Since it's not easy for me, a both left-handed guy, to unmount the primary mirror from the telescope and rotate it (I am user, not a tinkerer) I decided to use the masks as a front aperture instead of putting the primary mask just above the primary mirror, i.e. inside the tube. By this (using front aperture mask instead of inside of tube) I had to test on a star that is perfectly centered in the FOV of the ccd camera so as the mask has full effect. First try - secondary mask - ZERO effect, nothing changed. Second try - primary mask - wow, the bad effect dissapeared!!! here is the bad thing I talk about: http://www.astro.cz/galerie/v/uzivatele/Konihlav/misc/strike.png.html this is common to cheap China made mirrors and Newtonians where you have to put a primary mirror mask just above the primary mirror inside of the tube and below mirror holders, but my ASA 10 uses glued mirror so no mirror holders present on the outer edge. IT IS EVIDENT that the problem is on outer edge/part of the primary mirror. hrere is the reference BAD image from the night of testing (was done in the evening without proper mirror temperation so that's why also the FINE image doesn't look so good as it would after temperation - another thing is that that night I had mounted (hard mounted) H-alpha 3nm filter inside that I could not replace by Lum without dissmounting things so I had to use this setup as it was), BAD/reference image without primary mirror mask: http://www.astro.cz/galerie/v/uzivatele/Konihlav/misc/BAD.jpg.html FINE image with primary mirror mask: http://www.astro.cz/galerie/v/uzivatele/Konihlav/misc/FINE.jpg.html so the question is on Orion UK mirror quality and guarantee from ASA - I will ask ASA about this... as I reviewed my first light image (first night out with the scope) from 14.5.2013 that shows the same problem around bright star (bottom left star): http://www.astro.cz/galerie/d/61079-1/USA_24x6min_Ha-test-W6final.jpg

Ian, I had similar "problem" first night out... it turned out I had to just slightly tighten the pressure screw... my problem was - focuser was pulled completely out (at 30mm) and with camera mounted (under a load) it was not able to pull in to zero (or 3mm) position as there was not enough pressure. My OK3 standard seems to be centered well and the pressure screw was the only thing I had to touch ever on it... Pavel

Hi, this is my last color image taken this year (two mono left to post process) that I would like to share with you. I shoot the same target a year ago, but with a small refractor where even much better CCD didn't help due to small chip size, small pixels and mainly small aperture of the 77mm F/4.3 lens. This time I used my newest gear, an ASA 10" NWT with MII G3-11000 CCD. All details and a link to a full scale image (that can be found just below the picture itself in opened gallery) could be found at following link: I wish you all a HIGH SNR in your pictures taken in 2014 (and all the rest!). CS Pavel

muy espectacular, Antonio! :-) rare imaged area? for me is Orion too low above horizon to ever deal with it :-/ but I plan to travel to the south (Spain) next month just for imaging area around Orion. Pavel