Posts Made By: Paul Hyndman

Yep... what do you want to know?

Paul

Info on this image is at:

http://www.astro-nut.com/sun-ha-08nov02.html

Very nice image, Andrew... thanks for sharing!

Paul

Stunning image... thanks for sharing!!!

Paul

Check out the Jan 2001 issue of S&T (around pg 152 IIRC) or the following link:

http://www.astropix.com/HTML/J_DIGIT/LAYMASK.HTM

This is astro-imager extraordinaire Jerry Lodriguss' technique for image masking.

Bon Apetit!

Paul

Might I suggest one of these TeleVue "counterweights"? The one on the left will add a well-placed 2.2 pounds! )

Paul

The BF30 and its straight-through design is really sweet!

Re the 40mm vs 60mm Solarmax filters, the 40 will give pleasing views but predictably dimmer and with somewhat less resolution than the 60mm. If you can afford the Solarmax60/T-max and BF30 I don't believe you'll be disappointed. It also allows the potential for more versatility down the road for binoviewing, photography/imaging, etc.

I've never heard a Coronado owner say he wished he had gone with a smaller etalon or blocking filter. Indeed they sometimes kick themselves for not having gotten a larger setup sooner (caveat: IF they can afford it). It's not like the "aperture fever" that propels some amateur astronomers to get larger scopes than they can comfortably enjoy. These H-a setups are all relatively small, light, and extremely portable, with the limitations of the "wow factor" being more easily determined by your budget than additional weight or size.

One final note: the delivery time of a SolarMax60 or BF30 may be faster than the smaller units... lots faster!

Cheers,

Paul

Information on this shot may be found at:

http://www.astro-nut.com/sun-ha-08nov02.html

For brighter, higher resolution targets I prefer less glass and fewer surfaces, although a Barlow may help if limited eye-relief is an issue.

YMMV!

Paul

I may be mistaken, but my understanding is that "Gel-Cels" are exempted and are classified as follows:

"Non-spillable by DOT (Department of Transportation) ICAO (International Commercial Airline Organization) and IATA (International Airline Transport Association)"

(ie: they are used in electrified wheelchairs)

Call the airline ahead of time to make any necessary arrangements, as the security check may be the bigger headache (rather than the safety check)!

Some who have made international imaging trips have simply bought a big-momma battery at their destination and left it behind with a grateful host upon departure, rather than face these checks and also have to schlep it through the airport.

My own 65AH "babies" (shown below) weigh in at 48 pounds each... Yeouch! But each has enough ooomph to power everything through many sessions... provided you don't try to run the cushman cart through 36 holes of golf with 'em bewtween astro-imaging sessions!

(info for them is at: http://www.astro-nut.com/gel-cell.html )

Paul

Hi Bob,

I've used Images Plus almost since Mike U. first introduced it for us... it is a powerful, fine-tuned (he continually adds tweaks and improvements to it), suite that is complete unto itself. I do use PhotoShop for the final polish, but that's only because I have more familiarity with it from using it for years (I'm slowly weaning over more completely to IP).

IMHO, you will not find a better program than Images Plus to fill your needs! Many mundane tasks are automated... cropping and centering planet images, stacking deep-sky shots, etc... and alignments as close as 1/10th of a pixel are made (much closer than the PhotoShop capabilities)!

Here's a sample of what it did for one of my own humble digicam attempts (taken through an 8" reflector), that I prepaired for a show 'n tell I did at a recent club meeting. Not that I know what I'm doing mind you, just to show that anyone can do it when you've got decent software!

Paul

Don't know if this will keep you busy or not, but here's a completed image:

http://www.astro-nut.com/sun-ar50-53jul30a.jpg

and the raw for it is at:

http://www.astro-nut.com/sun-ar50-53jul30raw.jpg

If you want something a "tad" larger to play with, this might fit the bill:

http://www.astro-nut.com/gibbousmoon.jpg

Paul

PS... here's my processed version of that first image: