Heavenly Backyard Astronomy
Heavenly Backyard Astronomy
My videos are from my Heavenly Backyard garden and mostly about astrophotography and astronomy but I do occasionally add videos concerning gardening and potential threatening weather. I like to show what you can see in the sky from the confines of a suburban location with city light pollution.
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> 02:18 < Heavy information! Thank you!
we might get five semi clear nights a month, in NW Illinois. 40 miles west of Chicago. :(
So sad, but I feel your pain ... I grew up in Detroit and Nov -May seemed like it was forever cloudy. I did remember more clear nights in the summer, but then again, it was summer and there wasn't as much astronomical dark to play with. None-the-less, clear skies, Rick
Great captures Pat. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for watching my video, Ron
Wonderful video, thanks Pat. M5 is my favourite globular. I have a C11, too, and I'd like to ask you which imaging camera are you ising? I'd like to know the pixel scale especially, thanks.
Thank you for watching my video. The camera for this video was the ToupTek SyyEye24. It has a massive pixel size of 5.96 microns. The other OSC is the ZWO ASI 071 which has a pixel size of 4.78. My monochrome camera is the Player One Poseidon and has a pixel size of 3.76
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Thank you so much Pat. I have given a fuller reply covering this topic in your "Celestron's StarSense AutoGuiding Setup for Perfect Guiding" video. Clearr minds & happy skies, Simon
Beautiful images there Pat!! Your garden is absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you
For wide field of view, I could suggest ASA H400 f2.4. It could be pricey, but you could ask some funds from different foundations set up by politicians. You never know they may agree to support your educational projects. I personally think that cost of any telescope and mount are pennies for those foundations and they have to support you! 😉
Thanks, Ana
Well done, Pat. I'm in AZ at 32 deg also. And it is hotter. In fact, to hot to image IMHO. Love your thought processes and creativity!!!!
Hi Charles, Thank you for watching my video(s). Yep, it gets mighty hot in Arizona. I wonder how your heat affects the onboard equipment, particularly the mini computer?
Hey Pat. Some very nice images! I'm wondering, how are you doing 5-minute subs in a light-polluted city in broadband? Wouldn't background sky glow limit you to much much shorter subs, even with the LP filters? Just curious. Thanks.
Hi Grey, I am in a bortle 4.5 zone. When looking toward the E-S-SW, I am looking out toward the ocean and marshes. I do get some light pollution when looking W-N-NE when looking back toward Savannah. These LP filters are certainly a game changer for me.
The Trifed is out of question at 43 N, below 30 degrees at best. I've been trying to image the Eagle, as it's skirting 30 degrees after midnight for 3 hours. Having technical difficulties with asiar firmware upgrade forcing coordinates of China WTF! Imaged it with Seestar. I'm embarased to say😮. (As you said, can't NOT image on a clear night). I tried again this morning with 840mm Askar 120, but clouds rolled back in. Your pillars are amazing. You think 2800mm is even do-able in an urban environment with the thermal convection of all the city surrounding me? Too many filter choises for broadband. I'm just using UV/IR cut on galaxies and clusters. Idas GNB, and now your suggestion of L-Pro. What to do?
Hi Mike, Yes, at 43N, your view of the Trifid and Lagoon are very low. I have no knowledge of ASIAIR but would bet it has something to do with the time zone setting ... perhaps a negative sign need for longitude??? I am very impressed with the Optolong L-Series of light pollution filters. I tried using only a UV/IR filter, but it just allowed way too much of the polluted light. The 2800mm FL scope is excellent for planetary but at least with me, also good for certain nebulae, and great for globular clusters and some galaxies. Hopefully, those pesky clouds will leave you along during the short window of astronomical dark skies you have this time of the year.
The LP, and moon gradients are brutal with UV/IR. graxpert to the rescue. I've spent WAY too much lately on this hobby, but maybe the L-Pro is affordable?
Very nice lot of captures there Pat. I particularly liked the Trifid nebula image. The garden is also looking spectacular. Clear skies.
Thanks, Logan. You should be getting some longer nights there now. Clear skies.
Nice video Pat. You've captured some lovely targets there. That globular m5 looks fantastic and m16 too. Garden is in full bloom though it looks like a lot of work in that heat to keep it so. Clear skies bud.
Hi Rob, First of all, thank you for joining my channel. It seems that globular clusters are often overlooked but certainly worth viewing and capturing. What can I say about M16 ... lots and lots of captures of that famous target. Yes, the garden is certainly high maintenance, but it's what I like to do, so I am happy to keep it going. Right now, water is the issue and it has dried up out there and now the temp is in the mid to upper 90s (35-38C). Clear skies to you, but I see you are way up north so little astronomical dark skies for now, but clear skies anyway.
Question: Do you polar align before you do your videos, or do you not need to because using the autoguider with NINA?
Hi Chris, Since I leave the rig intact and it is already polar aligned, I usually just periodicly check its alignment. Even with the StarSense Autoguider, the rig needs to be polar aligned and level to get the best results. When I do a polar alignment, I first get a rough alignment, then I go through the 3-point Polar Alignment routine in NINA. Clear Skies
Que precioso jardín, hermosas fotografías 🤗. Un saludo desde Argentina.
Gracias. El jardín requiere un poco de trabajo extra, pero vale la pena. Me da paz y alegría
What camrea were you using for that image plse Pat? Was it your Poseidom M Pro with the IMX571 sensor? I'm asking bcus that sensor has a pixel size of 3.76 microns which at your focal length of around 2000mm would have meant your arc senconds per pixel would have been around 0.35, making your set up over sampled, as they say. Yet, your images came out really well! I'm asking all this becuase I too have a C11 and I want to invest in an upgraded camera ( I currently use old DSLRs) but I want to make sure I get the correct sensor size. I am assuming that if I was over sampled that I could use binning? Thanks for any advice you can give and thanks for all your great vidoes.
Hello Holloman, I did use the Poseidon with that small pixel size and did get decent results. However, it is better if I use the reducer taking it down to under 2,000mm (f/7). I've tried 2x2 binning but didn't find much of a difference other than the much smaller image file size. On the other hand, for my One-Shot-Color cameras, I use the ZWO-071 which has a 4.7micron pixel size which works very well and I just acquired the ToupTek SkyEye24 which has a pixel size of 5.97 microns. That camera works wonderfully on the EdghHD 11" at 2800mm. BTW, it even works well on my shorter ED80T scope with a focal length reduced to 400mm. I didn't think it would, but I tried it and was impressed. The ToupTek gives a much wider field of view. Clear skies
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Hi Pat, thank you so much for taking the time out to reply to me in that detail. I appreciate itr and it has really helped me out. With my C11, I have been using an old Canon 5DMKii wich has a full frame sensor of about 6.41 microns. I had some issues with the image quality which I think was due to a faulty sensor. Since my first post to you, I have actually gone ahead and purchased the Poseidon C Pro with IMX571 sensor with a pixel size of about 4.76 microns. I got that one mainly for my RASA 11 (Lucomatico rates that combo highly) and to use with my 7" refractor. I think I will also try it with my C11, probably with the .63 reducer on. I think the only way to *really* know about which set up works best and how a given pixel scale affcets the image is to actually get out there and experiment, which I believe you and I try to do. Like you, I've also been experimenting with the Celestron Star Sense Auto Guider and thus far have been pleasantly surprised that it actually does what it says on the side of the tin! Clear minds & happy skies, Simon
@@HollomanUFOLanding Plus, one of the great advantages of the dedicated astro camera is the ability to cool the sensor to alleviate the background noise. I usually cool the sensor down to -10C. With the Poseidon, there is no amp glow, so there is no reason to record black calibration files. Happy Viewing
I’m turning 47 this year and got my scope about a year ago. Finally decided to get a camera and an equatorial. So so much to learn but I’m loving the challenge.
Hi Larry, Well, I hope my videos are helping you make proper choices and aid you in that steep learning curve with all the different software packages. Have fun with the nighttime skies.
Thanks for your well done videos and clear explanations. I'm moving to an Edge HD 8 from refractors. I currently use NINA and phd2 for my imaging. I have seen a couple of comments scattered around that suggest that when I use CPWI and the Starsense autoguider I should use a computer that does not have phd2 because NINA will try to launch phd2 even if it is not activated, and it conflicts with the CPWI guiding. Do you have any experience with this, or thoughts on this? Is it a real problem, or just a potential one? Do I need to uninstall phd2 before using Starsense autoguiding? Thank you again.
And I forgot to mention, I'm mounting my Edge HD 8 on a CGX mount
Hello "SailDoc", Do not delete PHD2. You can just tell NINA not to load it. When I use the Celestron rig and the StarSense Autoguider, the selection in NINA for the Autoguider is to not choose PHD2 but instead to select "Direct Guider". Also, in CPWI under the StarSense menu, I unselect Precision guiding and Meridian flip, as I let NINA do that work for me, otherwise, NINA will fight with CPWI. But make sure you do have the top 2 selections selected ... Start guiding and Guiding always on. I am not sure what PHD2 selection does but I keep it selected. I hope this helps
pat, do you remember Cave optics ''the best telescope'' of it time.
Hi Jeff, Unfortunately, I do not remember "Cave Optics", but thanks for asking.
Hey Pat, great images! How did you find lensing with the increased sensor size? CS!
I do get a big circle of an image but with using flats and now with those amazing gradiant correction tools the lensing is smoothed out. Thank you for watching my video
I had to clean it after i bought a used 11 like yours, but it was mouldy on the inside of the corrector plate. Telescope has been stored for many years, and left open at the back. Warm water and lemon washing up soap with fingers, gently removed everything with a microfiber sponge, and dried with microfiber tissue. Like new !
Great to hear. I just cleaned my corrector plate again as it ... somehow ... got some blemishes on the inside. I put the plate back on and the recollimated the secondary and it's working like a champ. Here is the video concerning that, but this video was mostly about the Optolong light pollution filters ... kzread.info/dash/bejne/m4SupNGulbeWhLQ.html
Thanks for the very informative video! May I inquire... You did not process the raw files as LRGB in WPBB. I'm assuming you used an OSC camera? If I have LRGB raw files, would the process be the same? Meaning I just add all the LRGB light files into WPBB and follow your process exactly?
When I shoot comets, I prefer to use a OSC camera. In this example, I just stacked the images in DSS using the COMET selection and then went from there. I am now using Weight Batch Pre Processing in PI to stack some of my images. However, I have shot any comets lately and am a bit rusty on my techniques, as the software continues to advance with new tools to learn.
Here is another book I would recommend by Jerome Corsi, The Truth about Energy, Global Warming, and Climate Change. Climate change is brought to you by the same governments and media that brought us the last three years of lies and tyranny. The governments and media are pushing an agenda on us and it isn’t for our benefit.
Thanks. I'll check it out
Happy 50th anniversary, we are going on 44 ourselfs!
Thank you, Tim. Congratulations on 44 years ... and counting
Hey Pat! Great video mate. Those pixels are huge! It has certainly given you that wide field you were after! Great images there Pat👍 I love that area of the sky! The book looks interesting, I liked the Martian! Loved the garden Pat, it’s really come to life this time of year! This is my favourite time, the month of May😀 Couldn’t help notice the 50 year anniversary sign! Happy anniversary mate what ever it’s for🤔 Clear skies!
Always good to read your comments, Simon. Thank you for the anniversary greeting. Yep, 50 years and counting. I am having garden tours this weekend and next. It really does look good. Now that the moon is moving away, I hope to start on some new projects this week. Our nights are a bit longer here than yours with my location at 32N, but oh so humid, hence the need to have active anti-dew equipment. Our ocean waters warm into the upper 20s Celsius (mid-80s Fahrenheit) during the summer resulting in that very high humidity.
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Congratulations on 50 years Pat! This August it’s my 40th and counting 😀 Don’t know why I thought you were the same altitude as me🤦♂️ That humidity is a killer!! Thanks Pat!
Great combo producing some very nice images. I used to get that dew problem on my ASI294MC all the time too.
Thank, Logan. Well, you are getting some long dark nights now. Enjoy
Excellent info thx much.
Thank you. I hope it is useful for you.
Beautiful yard and home. I like my Rokinon 135mm for widefield. I've been looking for that exact spanner wrench. Narrowband Channel used one to take a SVBONY 30mm guide scope apart. Couldn't find it anywhere local or online. No other astronomy dealer has it. THANKS!
Thank you Mike. I was looking for that tool for ages and finally found it on Agena's websight. Works like a champ
Beautiful garden and image. Great idea on the Full Frame camera to give you a wider field.
Thank you and Thank you and thank you for watching my video. I have big garden tours this weekend
Thanks for sharing Pat. Great shots.
Thank you, Ron
Pat, I agree 100% about the book, Project Hail Mary. I’ve been reading science fiction my entire life and read Project Hail Mary when it was first published. It was simply the best science fiction novel I had ever read, and my thinking was that it would make a great movie. So thank you for the update about the movie upcoming in 2026. Hope they get it right.
Thank you. Of course, this time I made the crucial mistake ... I read the book first. Usually, the movie is a let-down. But yeah, great book.
I was going to suggest the hyperstar still nice you already have the edge ... but I realised that I have the same reason 😅😅😅 they're not cheap ... love it when you can use old gear to do new stuff! that's why I didn't sell my ancient Celestron AS-GT... I got it guiding 0.3-0.4 after considerable effort 😂 it does have its hiccups every 6-7 minutes but as long as I'm shooting from the city and keep my exposures shortish I'm ok ... a hyperstar v4 for C11 is north of 2k Euro over here ... 😢 have fun Pat! Awesome garden!!!!
The HyperStar is good but it is soo much easier to use the 80mm refractor with the even wider field-of-view. Thank you for watching my video
Beautiful garden
Thank you
Looks like a great combo. noce and wide FOV. CS
Thank you Jason.
Nice garden.
Thank you and thank you for watching my video
Why not try the hyperstar v4?
I have but it doesn't give the wide field of view along with the simplicity of the 80mm refractor. Thank you for watching my video
First!! Pat, I love your videos, and my wife loves your garden. What ever happened to the Celestron 0.33 reducer? I never see it referenced anymore.
Thank you. I have the 0.7x reducer for it and the hyperstar which takes it down to f/2. They'll be back later this summer.
How though? I was also in Georgia, a tad farther north than this, in an area with much less light pollution, and a camera and I saw nothing
For a change, Lady Luck was on my side. I saw this between 10-11 PM. 5-minute exposures might have helped and I was using the Optolong Pro filter.
Heaven above and below ❤
Thank you, Mike
Imaging a DSO target in wide field during the aurora was a great idea! Very surreal.
Thank you
Thank for the video! For some reason when I try and update my StarSense Autoguider it crashes and I get a blue screen message. If I try updating my hand controller and mount not problem at all it works fine. All application are up to date with latest version. I have the Guider connected to the mount and a USB cable to my laptop but crashes every time. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. Can anyone help?
Hmmm, how old is the laptop that you are using? Also, it could be your USB connection. Are you connecting using USB3?
Great captures Pat
Thanks, Logan. Lady luck was on my side (for a change). I was not expecting it. It just showed up on my subs in the morning when I started my processing. Oh WOW, was I surprised!
Could you see it with the naked eye?
I could barely see it with my eyes. These images were 5 minute exposures
Amazing Pat, I was imagining and complaining that I lost my guide star🤣Then I looked up and saw why!! I Wasn’t complaining anymore!! It was a real treat to see the Aurora from home and as strong as we did👍
Thanks, Simon. I bet it was quite vivid at your latitude. Very rare for them to be seen this far south
Hi Pat. Up here in Rochester NY it was very intense. Makes up for the clouds during the eclipse. What a heavenly view. P.S. love the music. Very fitting. Please share the artist.
Hi Perry, I bet it was a lot more vivid in Rochester than what I saw here in Savannah, a good 10 degrees south of you.
for sharing
awesome pics thank
I could see it with my phone camera from Hilton Head but we had some clouds from that last line of T storms last night. Pictures from home (Toccoa) were awesome.
I couldn't see it with my eyes, but the camera did a good job catching it with those 5 minute sub-frames.
It was a rare treat indeed Pat never thought I'd see it myself but myself & the other half were out in the field gazing up with cameras clicking away in absolute awe
Thank you. I was caught by surprise by it. I noticed a red glow on the incoming subs that I was taking while looking toward the north. The next morning in post processing is when I actually realized that I had captured the event, without my knowledge.
Amazing 🤩
Just do polar alignment with the hand controller as you don't need to see Polaris. I couldn't be doing with going up and down a ladder. Once done you can then use EQMOD to control everything.
This is what alerted me to something when my sun of M106 was very red. Sent outside and wow. Glad you saw it too Pat.
Thanks, Glenn. Well, I actually never saw it live ... I discovered it when I started post processing this morning. Boy was I surprised!!!