Posts Made By: Alex McConahay

What other processing are you doing? How are you stretching, etc.

Imaging M31 with an SCT, and it's focal length will get you only the central core.

And it looks like you are using JPG's. You will find that you can retain a lot more data with other file formats.

Alex

Are you familiar with the remote timer option. The Canon version costs around a hundred and a half. The generic is significantly less.

However, considering all things, it might be better to continue to use your laptop.

Alex

that's the picture I tried to take last night...Haven't had time to get it out of the computer. I like your star colors in particular. I'll go see what I got!

Alex

Nice Salvage....Excellent detail.

Alex

All the observing advice you are getting will help.....

However, the first thing you should do is adjust your expectations. You may be thinking that the Great Red Spot is indeed a great red spot. In fact visually it is most often a slightly tan interruption in a generally tan stripe on the planet. The stripes with all the whorls and twists are (visually) kinda a strip of light brown against a strip of tan.

In other words, what you see in the Hubble and other pictures is not what you will get at the eyepiece. Under exceptional conditions you may get glimpses of the detail, but it takes patience.

Alex

There are at least a dozen ways to focus a DSLR. Using the viewfinder is one of the less effective.

The current thinking is to use a Bahtinov Mask. Use Live View and a bahtinov mask is the no-nonsense way to get it done. If you do not have live-view, use a four second exposure and the mask.

You can also use the focusing routines in Images Plus and a number of other software programs, or even the camera control software that came with the camera. All this requires a laptop.

Alex

Jared,

that's a lovely picture. You should put up more.....

>>>>I don't past very many images on this forum because most of my efforts would suffer so badly from comparison.

See, that is where we are different. I put mine up so that all the other astroimagers will feel better about their work!!!

Alex

That is what I get too.

Alex

In addition to Lorne's answer, (and leaving aside the physical description because you say you are familiar with them) SCT's have an advantage over many newts in imaging because:

They are physically smaller for inch of aperture. This means they are easier to mount, and a mount is very important in imaging.

Their focusing system allows a wide range of focusing positions. (You have lots of infocus and outfocus.) This means you can hang all sorts of fancy equipment off the back end (like filter wheels, adaptive optics, special focusers, and whatever) in addition to a camera!

Their construction generally means you can balance everything a lot easier. This again allows easier mounting.

They do not leave stars with diffraction spikes, which many imagers find distracting.

They have some disadvantages over newts:

They are generally more expensive.

Their contrast is not inherently as high as the typical Newt. (Although this can be debated, and can change depending on the size of the secondary.)

For higher magnification, the SCT's will offer more focal length. Of course, you are trading off field of view for this.

If you are going strictly visual, a newt is probably a more popular choice. You can get a lot more aperture for a lot less money. You do not need fancy electronics, etc.

If you are going photographic, the most important choice is the mount. For a tube, consider a refractor as probably the best way to start (and you will always want a handy sized refractor around), and then an SCT with a F6.3 corrector. The newt will come in third in the long run. (Unless you have a very good mount, in which case the Newt can do you proud.)

Whatever you do, don't buy anything until you have hung around for a while.

Alex

Not really about your question--but after I bought a trailer I found out that towing capacity is not very well correlated to how well the towing combination will perform. I am well within my towing capacity with my pickup/trailer, but in some places, I cannot climb a hill faster than 30 miles per hour, and that is with everything straining.

Alex