This channel focuses on astronomy and astrophotography. I am a High School Chemistry teacher by day and Astrophographer by night! I have been interested in astronomy since a very young age and more recently have become passionate about astrophotography. I am by no means an expert, in fact far from it, however, I am learning everyday and will gladly share what I have learned with regard to imaging nebulae, galaxies and star clusters with my camera and telescope. You don't need a lot of fancy equipment to start, just a will and an interest in the night sky.
My goal is to "Make Darkness Really Bright"
- Kurt Zeppetello
Find more information at:
astroquest1.blogspot.com/
kzread.info
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thank goodness I found this video. just starting out really (ie in my second season) and have wasted a bit of money trying to obtain some darkening filters for my lightbox. Looking forward to using printing paper. Thanks. love your style, subscribed.
Thanks for the comments. Good luck!
I've been struggling to take good flats with the "auto" mode. Seems like they're always a little off and the image still has issues after calibration. Thanks for this guide, seems like my problem is probably too bright of a light and too short of exposures.
Thanks, Good flats are tough to get depending what camera you have. Good Luck.
In the United States, most gas stations, Walmart, and automotive stores have a product called "HEET" which is 100% methanol. Methyl alcohol. It comes in a yellow bottle and is used to prevent frozen gas lines. Do not get the orange bottle which has unwanted additives which are listed on the label. I've been using it for many years in my no-moving-parts hiking cook stove (Trangia).
Good information!
Congratulations on first light Kurt! I enjoyed watching you processing your image in Sharp Cap ❤️
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Kurt, Thanks for this informative video. I think you said in previous videos that you use a Pegasus Power Box along with an ASIRAir +. Do you power the ASIAir from the power box? How do you control the power box? I am having intermittent power issues with my ASIAir+ that I think is due to either the dew heater strips or the ASI2600 MC Pro camera. Many Thanks.
Hi Michael, For solar work I don't need to use the ASIAIR, However, for DSOs I for power I use either a battery (offsite) or a 12v/10A (pegasusastro.com/products/power-supply-units/) power supply unit to power the Pegusus Power box. The ASIAIR is plugged into the PowerBox as is the mount and dew straps. (Note: any 12v/10a power supply will work - it does not have to be from Pegasus which tends to be twice the price as Amazon). Cheers
@@AstroQuest1 awesome. Thanks so much! Mike
Is Orion still in business? I see you have an Orion refractor.....
Good question but am not sure. I do have an 8-year old Orion ED80 f7.5 refractor. The Focal Length is 600mm. It was my original astrophotography telescope before I upgraded to the AT115 refractor.
This is so cool, Mr. Zepp
Thanks Mahad - Great to hear from you! Cheers
Hi Kurt, Nice little app. I've been considering getting the AM3 for my ED80. When you showed the mount slewing to the sun and then back to the home position, was that in real time or did you speed it up in the editor? Speaking of editor, it appears that you are using Camtasia, is that correct? I was using DaVinci Resolve, but I switched to Camtasia, which I really like. BTW, we have been getting hammered here with clouds and boatloads of rain. That rain from Debby is heading up your way.
Hey Pat, although the mount is quick and quiet, I did speed it up in in video. I handles my ED80 very well for solar stuff and my Askar for night-time DSOs. For an editor I use Movavi but it looks almost identical to Camtasia. I was looking for something simple and inexpesive and Chuck (Chucks Astro) recommended it. I have been watching you weather forecasts - it looks like you all our getting deluge. We had a freak storm Saturday with some microbursts which took down a lot trees and closed several roads in our town and neighboring towns. It starting to rain now and will continue until Saturday. Cheers Kurt
It's a wonderful little scope! And I have a TOA-130 to compare it to.
Cool, going to the TOA-130 is big change.
Nice old ED80. I love mine but have never used it for imaging.
Yeah, It is pretty good for imaging if you change the original focuser to a dual speed. HoweverBy that time you are spending more money and probably could have purchased a different scope. Cheers
@@AstroQuest1 I upgraded to a WO duel speed focuser years ago. Do you use a flattener/reducer? I used to have a .8 R/F but have lost track of it. This is my wifes favorite scope. I've had Adam Block, Warren Keller and Ron Brecher look through it. Adam visually found M51 with it from the top of MT. Lemmon. Fun times!
@@ktydeck Yes, I used a HoTeck 0.8 FR/Flattener with pretty good results. That must have cool using on Mt. Lemmon with Adam Block and the gang. Cheers
@@AstroQuest1 It was all visual with an ALTAZ manual mount. Adam doesn't need a computer to find objects. He is very good!
I used this app too with my AM3 to goto the sun whike my coronado pst on it and a Zwo asi678mm on and use the laptop to capture.
Cool Stefan, I am glad I am not the only one. It feels kind of lonely sometimes. Cheers
Wasn’t aware of the upgrades until now. Thanks!
Yeah, it was a surprise to me as well - Haha. Cheers
Thank you for letting us know about this. I'll download it. Have you used your AM3 so astrophotography? How good is it?
Thanks for the comments. Yeah, I have been using the AM3 mount for DSOs for about a year. It works great with my Askar 300mm astrograph. Here is a sample - www.astrobin.com/6vjnuw/?nc=collection&nce=712
@@AstroQuest1 would it be possible to get some phd2 guiding logs from it? I can provide an email address.
@@hael8680Possibly, I'll have to check and get back to you on that...
@@AstroQuest1 ok, let me know, thanks!
@@hael8680 I have a few Guiding logs that I can send, One from last night and two from image.
Hi Kurt! Hope you are having a great summer! Thanks for the video!
Having a good summer so far, Thanks for commenting. cheers
nice video, i will definately try it out for slewing to the sun...
Thanks, Good luck and have fun!
For Stelarium users if you want to see Sharpless items like SH2-173, just go to your configuration window "F2" and in the Extras tab, put a check mark beside DSS Surveys, and HiPS Surveys, you will get 2 new buttons in your bottom menu...then aim to a Sharpless item and press DSS, and voila you can now see everything in deep space !!!
Thanks for the review, Kurt! I remember the first time I used my AM5 app in a while, I couldn't find it and thought I deleted it! Then I saw the SkyAtlas app that I didn't remember downloading, so I opened it and finally figured out it was the ZWO mount app. Pretty funny. I did notice that after pressing the compass icon in the upper right, the app is very shaky (same as it always was) when I'm holding my phone. Any fix that you know of for that? As an aside, if you activate DSS and HiPS surveys in Stellarium, you can see nebulosity of targets. Very handy, and I use it for planning and framing. Thanks again for the tour of the new app!
Nice work THX
Thank you for commenting Rigo! Cheers
Very nice video as usual. I was just wondering last night where you had got to, and now I know. A friend of mine has the AM5 and said it’s slews very quickly, and your AM3 isn’t any slower! Sky Atlas is similar to the ASIAIR software and usually a pleasure to use. I have a Dwarf III on order and evidently the SkyAtlas app is an onboard feature. It will be interesting to see when it comes.
Thanks Dave! That Dwarf III seems pretty impresive. Good Luck with it. Cheers
Very nice video as usual. I was just wondering last night where you had got to, and now I know. A friend of mine has the AM5 and said it’s slews very quickly, and your AM3 isn’t any slower! Sky Atlas is similar to the ASIAIR software and usually a pleasure to use. I have a Dwarf III on order and evidently the SkyAtlas app is an onboard feature. It will be interesting to see when it comes.
Thanks Dave! That Dwarf III seems pretty impresive. Good Luck with it. Cheers
Be aware that both of these capabilities are available in Stellarium. You can add many surveys of images to and selectively turn on and tune their visibility. And you can add any camera and telescope combinations for field of view. So those aren’t really differentiators. However, the differences are a bit more subtle in how things look and feel, and I do find this sky atlas useful. It is just not that different. In Stellarium it is more manual user control to make it work and tune it to your liking and in this sky atlas it is mostly automatic with very few user controls.
Most definately, I have used Stellarium for years and did mean to imply you could not add the FOV stuff to it, in fact you can add FOV info for you guidescope on Stellarium as well. I was just making the point some of the oddball DSOs are not there automatically as they are in the SkyAtlas App.
First... Good info!
Thanks for watching!
After watching your 174 vs 178 vid I decided that I wanted the 174mm. I stalked cloudy nights for a while but no one was selling the 174mm until right when I was going to buy it new…. Seconds before I ordered I checked cloudy nights again and someone listed a 174mm cool new in box for less than the uncooled. I had to jump on it. Thanks again for your knowledge!
Wow, awesome story. I guess it pays to wait a couple seconds...
Great vid comparing these 2 cameras. I got the 178 because is was much more affordable but have been wondering how much better the 174 would be now that I can upgrade. I use an Explore Scientific ar-102 with daystar quark. Thanks for the info. I think you just helped me seal this deal.
Glad I could help! If you are using the Quark, the 174 is a better choice. Good Luck. Cheers
Very interesting video Kurt, well explained. I use a Player One Apollo-M MAX with the IMX 432 sensor, it's a nice camera.for solar. I saw someone here was asking if it was possible to use a reducer, yes this is possible, even Daystar themselves have a focal reducer specially made for the Quark. I have one and it enlarges the view significant . I believe it's a 0.33/0.5 reducer (0.5 native reducer and 0.33 with an extra attachment bus)
Cool Siegfried, thanks for the info, I may look into that myself! Cheers Kurt
Very interesting thanks :)
Thanks Andy, Glad you enjoyed it!
thanks, i wish i could buy the 3d printed adapter, is it available anywhere?
Sorry Chip, Not that I know of. You might want to post the question on the Dwarf FB page. Good luck
Hello there, I wanted to share a couple of thoughts as I have both camera too and also for solar imaging (that's also how and why I found your camera). I am a bit direct in my answers but I like your channel, so don't take it the wrong way, we are in that field/hobby to progress together ! 6:08 that's not an apple to apple comparison, 2.4MP vs 6.4MP you can't compare the fps for the full sensor. At 1080p, the 178M does 120 fps and the 174M does 186 fps. So yep, the 174M is indeed much faster, but the 178M is not ridiculously slow either. Anything above 60-80 fps is already very good. I agree the reason to chose between the two cameras depend of your setup and your critical samplilng in Ha. Those cameras simply don't target the same setups. The 178M is however probably as sensitive (if not more) in terms of dynamic range and full well as with the high res of the 178M, you can easily do a bin x 2 and you ends up with 60k full well and probably around 13-14 DR (without bin, 12.7 DR). The sensor analysis tool of sharpcap is very useful in that aspect. 16:06 indeed you have newton rings and need a tilt adjuster but moreover, you are largely over exposed. A "good" histogram in solar imaging is anywhere between 75 and 85-90%; never more, including in case of solar flare where it's gonna saturate completely your signal. Example, I was at 75% histogram and look at the flare I captured, already saturated : kzread.info8Gki_Gzj71E But long story short : both cameras are good, I do think your image comparison is not fair as the images are not exposed in the same way. If you wish I can send you an image taken with a 178M and a Lunt 40 (so the tinyest scope you can find) at critical sampling and I have a much better resolution / sharpness. I see that you are using a Quark; the 178M critically sample Ha at F10; at 3.59 you mention that with the Quark you are at F31.5, so you are oversampling 3x, hence there is no way to get a sharp image. On the contrary, with the 174M, you critically sample around F22.. so you are over sampling, but only 1.5x, hence much sharper image. Having said all of that, I prefer the 174M but because of the higher fps and because they are easier to use with Quarks (and their telecentric 4.2x multiplier). A 178M is really not suitable with a quark, unless you use a 0.33x reducer after the quark. Solar imaging is however fantastic. It's incredible the dynamics we can capture realtime, it's unlike any other celestial objects, including planets, where most things are static due to long distance
Thanks for the extensive comments. Wow, your immages are fantastic - I would put you in the solar expert catagory. I agree with most of your assessment. I did not mean to imply the 178 was not a good camara (sorry if I did), in fact my best image of the moon was with it. I just wanted to do an experiment, or trial, to confirm what you pretty much stated in your second to last sentence. That is the 174 is a much better fit for a setup that uses the Quark. Cheers
Hi Kurt, Very interesting video. I'm not much into solar imaging but your video makes it a bit more enticing. There is no doubt that the 174 is the clear winner in this case. However, I would bet the 178 would be a great planetary camera due to its smaller pixel size. That suggested 432 with a 9-micron pixel size is just insane! That would aid in a super wide field of view with a short focal length scope. I am currently amid an extended cloudy rain period ... the typical July wet weather pattern. Clear Skies.
Thanks Pat. Yes , the 178 would make a better planetary camera and good for the moon since I would not use the 4.2x barlow. That is one of the reasons I still have it. One of my best shots of the moon was using it. Someday I might do more planetary stuff if I get more free time - haha, but not now. Thanks for the video link on your advanced sequencer, I set it up to check for centering and it worked the other night. I still have to learn to create those templets, I see thy have built in ones, I guess you modify and save them. Cheers Kurt
Nice video. Well done
Thank you very much Craig! Cheers
Glad I found your video. I want to do this for outreach next month. I will cast my tablet to a Smart TV for public viewing. I mostly wanted to see if you needed the calibration frames. Good to see you do not, it will make things simpler. Thanks.
Glad it was helpful Carol and good luck!
Great video! I use the ZWO462mm with my Lunt40mm and get great results with and with out a barlow.
Thanks Joel! The 462 with the Lunt40mm sounds like an awesome setup. Cheers
Nice video and images Kurt. You should check out the ASI432MM - - your setup with 432 would improve to 0.74"/pixel. The 432's resolution on my SW72ED is 1.05"/pixel. The 432 shipped from AA with a free ZWO tilt adapter included. CS & GB!
Cool, thanks for the info. Cheers Kurt
Hey Kurt I have the 432 and its been very good with the Quark although I hear the Player One version is the best as it has a fan on it too. I also got good results with the 174mm too. You got some nice looking results there and good information.
Thanks. Also, thanks for the info about the 432 and Player One! Cheers
Very good video 😃! I have a question......Can you use a focal reducer to photograph the sun? Thank you very much 😊😊😊.
Thanks! Don't see why not, you can use a barlow. Cheers
Only after the Quark, otherwise its gonna fry as the endcap. But then you will have Barlow + Focal reducer, no sense. I wouldn't use it
A while ago I read that a person used a focal reducer to take images of the entire solar disk. Excuse my English 😔.
@@anacal8871 Yes, you for sure can with a dedicated solar scope like a Lunt. I am not so sure it works with an eyepiece filter such as a Quark. Cheers
It will also burn green without sulfuric acid so why do you use the acid?
That was just used to make it in an acidic start. Better for dissolving.
Have you considered using the Planetary 5x rule instead of the traditional sampling calculation? This is a video from Dillon O’Donnell about the subject m.kzread.info/dash/bejne/X42Hta-xqLfgYKg.html&pp=gAQBiAQB
Interesting stuff. My vintage Celestrons use cork shims :-) Enjoyed seeing your aligned image.
Thank you Michael I love how vintage Celestrons are still in use, Cheers!
Fantastic!! Clear as a bell what to do.
thanks for the comments Larry! Cheers
This is great method. Easy to do and effective. Thanks so much.
You're welcome Frank! Cheers
Thanks for your video! I have been all over the internet trying to figure out how to correct this same error. Your KZread was the only source I have found with this solution. I will try it tonight.
Thanks, Good luck Tom.