Small Newt Owners

[deep fog]

This will vary depending on the exact specification of your scope and equipment but I'll provide my measurements. For me, it boiled down to a distance of 205mm between the focal plane and the secondary mirror along the optical axis, aka 245mm distance between the primary mirror and secondary. Take note however that this is in my specific case where I'm working with an Orion Starblast tube and the Sharpstar 0.95x Coma Corrector where I'm trying to get the focal plane as close to the secondary mirror as possible without the coma corrector protruding into the tube. Also, because of this 205mm distance which is far greater than stock, to maintain field illumination, I found that a roughly 60mm secondary mirror provides good field illumination across an APS-C sized sensor (albeit I'm using a 1 inch sensor and a 62.5mm secondary in actuality).

[lime agate]

3d printed

[silent fox]

3.5 hours of M51 with the 4.5" newt

[past kite]

Really?!? This is mine with only 12 minutes of exposure

[silent fox]

holy

Maybe im overprocessing? I dont have PI so I use siril

[fierce python]

depends on light pollution, and the scope aswell

[silent fox]

true

im in bortle 5

[solid moon]

@olive moat would an imx571 sensor be able to capture more than the Uranus-C? Or would there be vignetting?

[grim mica]

Wow which newt

[silent fox]

Vixen 130sf

Just realized it's 5 inches not 4.5

[rich jungle]

i was watching one of astro biscuits vids and he cuts his tube down what is the purpose of doing that

[swift sparrow]

decreasing the focal lenght, so it would fit his luggage

[deep fog]

I'll assume you meant to tag me and yes, and quite substantially. The imx571 is an APS-C sized sensor and is much larger than the imx585. There will be vignetting but given the modifications i suggested (i'm also assuming we're talking about our starblasts), it's as good as you can get in terms of optimal field illumination.

[swift sparrow]

not only the focal lenght, the lenght of the tube itself

[rich jungle]

i got a 200p dob and was thinking taking the ota off it and putting it on a mount with a dslr but then it prob wont focus

is there a way to make it focus e.g cutting down the scope?

[swift sparrow]

try if it focuses first

[zinc lake]

Thats not how that works

Cutting the tube does not decrease focal length

[swift sparrow]

The mirrors do

mb

[zinc lake]

Cutting the tube pushes the focal point further out the focuser. If the mirrors are a certain focal length, they will be that focal length

[swift sparrow]

move them closer to each other and the fl decreased

[zinc lake]

No

[swift sparrow]

alr, im dumb

[zinc lake]

The focal length is the distance between the mirror and the focal point, where things come into focus. Cutting the tube does not change this, the focal point is just moved

If the secondary is brought closer to the primary, the focal point is just moved further out the focuser

The focal length is unchanged

[swift sparrow]

The primary mirror curvature is the one which changes it?

[zinc lake]

Yeah the primary mirror itself will determine focal length

makes sense?

[swift sparrow]

Yep, now it does

[zinc lake]

You know how some newts need the primary mirror to be raised a bit to reach focus with DSLRs?

Raising the mirror just pushes that focal point out far enough for a DSLR to reach

[grim mica]

But isn't the mirror shaped to a fixed focal legnth?

[swift sparrow]

It is shaped to a fixed focal lenght, read the stuff above

[grim mica]

Oh yeah I didn't see that sorry

[solid moon]

Anyway to see how bad it is? Astronomy.tools?

[deep fog]

can't think of any off the top of my head. The newtonian telescope designer from bbastrodesigns can sorta give a visualization but it just provides a graph of magnitude loss as you move further off axis. This designe is what i used to find the optimal secondary size as it also provides a graph that shows total field illumination loss

[patent spoke]

Going to make a revised version of this soon

Then I'll do a rebuild of my 100mm reflector

[silent fox]

Redo of my 6 hour m51

5 inch vixen

[grim mica]

wow

[patent spoke]

@deep fog It won't come to focus with my sharpstar coma corrector so I'm going to have to push the mirror forwards. Might mean a larger secondary is needed which is troubling for such a small scope

I'd like to avoid widening the stock focuser hole in the OTA bc I don't really want the CC to obstruct any of the light path

[grim mica]

thats either a VERY small newt or a VERY big focuser🤣

[silent fox]

@patent spoke How much does the OTA weigh? (with rings)

[deep fog]

Damn, but so is these small newts. Only if there was a good low profile CC, that would make everything so much easier

[lime agate]

This might have been discussed before, but can a am5 handle a 8 inch f/4 newt?

[zinc lake]

yes

[lime agate]

Can the tc40+ pe200 handle that?

[patent spoke]

Just purchased an AM3 second hand which means I can begin using my little reflectors properly. My 4"/100mm reflector is going to the wayside for now. I've got my 4.5" 'imaging' starblast ready

I think I'll need to push up the primary mirror a little ways since my Sharpstar coma corrector sticks into the light path

[zinc lake]

Secondary big enough?

[patent spoke]

Should be

the imaging version of the starblast shipped with a large secondary

Some falloff with my 533 but it's fine

[solid moon]

@deep fog added a filter drawer to my imaging train. So flange distance (12.5) + filter drawer (21mm) + CCA (12.5) + 12mm = 58mm back focus. I think I have that right.

[deep fog]

yea that sounds right. what's CCA btw?

[solid moon]

The manual rotator. I forgot what it stands for. Might be CAA

[deep fog]

oh interesting

[solid moon]

Camera Angle Adjuster.

I’m sure you could just rotate it in the focuser but it’s just smooth and locks really nicely.

[deep fog]

oh thats nice

[silent fox]

M13 with 5" Newt

(Please open in browser, I hate discord compression 😭)

[solid moon]

Starblast/Uranus-C, b9 skies.

M16 is cropped there.

[silent fox]

M27 with 5" newt - about 6 hours

[patent spoke]

Just got down 2.5hrs with the Starblast on the AM3. First time since beginning the project two years ago that it’s had a proper chance

[silent fox]

Tiny newt

[deep fog]

what kinda guiding were you gettin with it btw

[patent spoke]

Last night I saw as low as 0.35 and up to 0.7 but typically was in 0.4-0.5 total RMS

[deep fog]

damn

thats really good

[patent spoke]

Yea it’s pretty nice to work with

[deep fog]

i needa switch to harmonic, my cgem struggles stay below 1 which would technically be fine for my pixel scale of 1.4 but often jumps enough in either dec or ra to cause minor trailing

[patent spoke]

It’s pretty good, my SA-GTi definitely wasn’t up to the task. I have a pretty busted AZ-GTi which I’m planning to convert the RA/AZ axis to a harmonic drive

[deep fog]

oh that'd be sick

[solid moon]

Umi17 here. budget version of the AM5 (sub 1" RMS )

[deep fog]

damn, i really need to get on it. definitely needs to be my next upgrade

then again, i haven't imaged with the rig in a while

constant night cloud coverage for months here in socal

[solid moon]

If you jump onto the discord. I think there’s a sale for their new model.

[deep fog]

oh wow yea, that's a lot more umi17 models than when I last was around

[grim mica]

Smol newt

[solid moon]

Hello Hadley

[patent spoke]

Speaking of small newts, i need to reprint the the body for the 76mm parabolic cube newt

[grim mica]

DAMN that's a small newt

[solid moon]

Hmmm I have the answer to the Starblast setup with an imx571 sensor….will you have vignetting? Yes. 😂

I have the image train pretty much optimized in back focal distance. Filter drawer is next to the camera. I think the cultprit is the secondary. I’m using a 60mm right now I think. May need to try the 63.

[patent spoke]

I am using the 47mm secondary that came with the imaging version of the starblast and I definitely need a slightly larger one

[solid moon]

I'm still trying to figure things out for the calibration frames. The quick uranus-c is able to pull off fast exposures for the biases. I'm not sure what the imx571 can do. It couldn't do .4ms. What's a good bias speed?

Also I'm new to cooled cameras - it seems to not always hit the target temp. Like it forgot it needed to keep going or something. And then I turn it off and on and it goes the opposite direction.

[zinc lake]

Take 1s biases

[solid moon]

this might be a sharpcap issue rather than the camera. I am able to take .4s exp with nina but sharpcap has half exposed and half black

[deep fog]

oh damn i didn't know you got an imx571, which manufacturer?

[solid moon]

Just got it. Touptek

[deep fog]

sick

[solid moon]

I’m seeing lots of coma on the edges.

Even with the Sharpstar

[deep fog]

yea, at f4 with the sharpstar, which just covers up to aps-c, you're gonna have to be very careful on your collimation and distances

[solid moon]

Do you think I need to try to adjust the back focus to fix the coma or vignetting?

[deep fog]

well if the path is clear, i.e. you're not using small filters or somthing, there isn't much you can do about vignetting. If your coma seems off in eveness, then it's collimation, if it's off but even around the field, then its back focus. So imo, don't worry about vignetting too much, spend the early part of a night collimating the scope as best as possible, then start adjusting backfocus

[solid moon]

Yeah I collimate before every session. However I think the plastic parts have fatigue and so any slewing changes the collimation ever so slightly.

I might have to make a new spider.

[ionic plover]

That last one looks like James Webb refraction spikes

Can you send pic of the nest you used?

[proud hamlet]

Nest?

[ionic plover]

I ment newt

Sorry

[proud hamlet]

I also get those diffraction spikes

(through phone and scope)

[ionic plover]

What scope you have?

Does it have 3 bars holding the secondary mirror? Or 4 bars?

[proud hamlet]

3

[proud hamlet]

#1081706121468854324 message

[true igloo]

Yeah I got a newt with 3 (forgot the name ) the things that hold the secondary

It’s the orion skyscanner 100mm

[ionic plover]

Is it the table top one?

[true igloo]

yup

[ionic plover]

Does the focuser have enough travel to focus a astro Cam?

[true igloo]

Maybe an astro cam but not a dslr also note that u can only collimate the secondary

[ionic plover]

Alright thanks

[signal yoke]

About 5.5 hours with a 130pds and a stock d5300. Still not great in taking flats but feel like it's pretty good. Should I go on to about 10/15 hours?

[tired jetty]

Saturn with my 4 inch Heritage 100p and a sony a6100 in prime focus. Stack of 95. Not much but I'm proud.

[patent spoke]

4" newt my beloved

[blissful orbit]

114/500 and Samsung s20 9 mins untracked

Lagoon

[patent spoke]

A little over 4hrs on M101. I just threw this into photoshop then siril to clean it up. I haven't stacked or processed data in nearly two years so I'll probably have someone else process it once I get more time on it

4.5"

[deep fog]

and the performance looks pretty good

[keen osprey]

My first mini newton SkyWatcher 114/500

[patent spoke]

Skyhawk?

Also very cool. Very interested to see how it does

[patent spoke]

I chopped off 50mm from the back of the tube yesterday. I’ll push up the primary more than it has been before but the secondary I have should still be fine with flats

[keen osprey]

yes

[patent spoke]

@pliant vapor

Sorry idk why I haven't pinged you here yet but here's a group of ppl using small newts

[pliant vapor]

This is the newt I wanted lol

To mod

[pliant vapor]

This is very cool, thank you!

[silent fox]

Small newt supremacy

[deep fog]

It should be, tho I'll note that if the ratio gets too off, as in the ratio of the distance between the mirrors and the size of the secondary, field evenness will go away, i.e. visible vignetting, but you'll start getting total illumination loss

[patent spoke]

I'd rather have vignetting if it can be corrected

[patent spoke]

I had vignetting already does that mean I have room to push it up?

Or maybe my secondary is too small idek

533 small 16mm diag sensor

[keen osprey]

@patent spoke What coma corector you are using on yours mini newton ?

[keen osprey]

I want to mod it too

the focuser is too week.

[patent spoke]

Sharpstar 0.95x with a 2" crayford. 3D printed a flange to hold it on

47mm diagonal from factory

[deep fog]

Vignetting is just caused by the inability of specific parts of the sensor to see the whole primary mirror. If you move the primary up, so the mirrors becomes closer together, and thus the sensor moves farther away from the secondary, then vignetting will start to go away but this occurs become the zone of vignetting is becoming smaller, as in it is closing in on the center of the sensor. Essentialy, the center is becoming dimmer, not that the outer parts are becoming brighter. If we want the outer parts to become brighter, you basically need to increase the size of the secondary, or push the sensor closer to the secondary and thus the mirrors farther apart from each other.

[patent spoke]

Interesting very helpful

[pliant vapor]

My plan would be a used dual speed crayford

[patent spoke]

I want to minimize secondary size and light path protrusion from the focuser

I’m not sure I fully understand how to use a newt calculator

As in the parameters it really gives you

[deep fog]

If you want to know the numbers simply, a secondary of size of roughly 58mm provides the best total field illumination for an aps-c sized sensor. This provided our specific newtonians and adjusting them optimally. Though if I set it to be optimal for the 533, then a 54-56mm secondary works better

https://www.bbastrodesigns.com/NewtDesigner.html#diagonal This is what i use btw

set the telescope parameters, easy enough

then set the focal plane to diagonal distance to 205mm, this is about as close as you can get with our starblast setups

then set to max field damater to the sensor size

set acceptable magnitude loss to 1, this is just for the graphs really

then input several diagonal sizes to see how they stack up

should look something like this

the important graph is the right one since that tell you the impact on illumination loss accross the entire field

if you care about vignetting though, then the left graph is more useful as it shows how hard the falloff will be

and it lines up as expected, if we continue to increase the secondary size, then vignetting will start to go away, i.e. it moves farther and farther away from the center, but peak illumination starts to drop because the increased secondary size is starting to block more and more of the primary mirror

that's why there is an optimal point of secondary size where we trade field evenness for greater field illumination (or less field illumination loss)

[solid moon]

At 60mm I’m getting vignetting and bad coma with my setup on the apps-c

I’ll have to look into the back focus and check my work again

[patent spoke]

Is this 205 value so that the draw tube doesn’t enter the tube at all?

I figure it should be fine to go into the tube so long as it doesn’t intrude into the 114mm mirror path

[deep fog]

yea, so it doesn't protrude at all, the main reason i don't go all the way down to the 114mm mirror path is that light coming in off axis, specificaly from the direction of the draw tube, will be obstructed by the draw tube

[deep fog]

vignetting sounds normal, but that coma needs fixin, but you got that

[solid moon]

I’m wondering if the coma was always there but with the 585 sensor being so small, it just never showed up.

[deep fog]

very possible, going from the 585 to the 571 is a big jump

and considering you/re on a fast f4 system, you're gonna need to be very exact on your alignments to get everything right

[solid moon]

Yeah I need to do some adjustments. I’m off somewhere.

[grim mica]

Woah epic

Have you tested it yet?

[keen osprey]

No, I am waiting for a coma corector. Also I want to design for it a electronic focuser.

[lime agate]

Loose focuser

****ing ups destroyed everything man, I waited two months for the mirror and accessories to arrive to fix the bottom and secondary, and I just found out that this is loose

And I requested refund two months ago, never heard from them, do not ever ship your telescope with ups

[lime agate]

sorry for the rant, but I still manage to get the scope to work, and here is the first light

[tired jetty]

I just got Tiangong with my 4 inch. I can't believe it. I will post it later.

[tired jetty]

I didn't know I could get it with a small reflector

[grim mica]

Wow that's great

[mild zodiac]

Is a 6inch dob consider a small newt?

[sick halo]

probably not

[mild zodiac]

[mild zodiac]

It’s a thin boi

[sick halo]

but is it big

[patent spoke]

5" and below I'd say

[mild zodiac]

Such a cute lil newt

[grim mica]

Hes a bigger boy now he's growing but still smol

[past kite]

Is a 130/650 considered a small newt?

[grim mica]

Hm that's a good question

I'm leaning towards yes but not too sure

[past kite]

I just got the 130PDS and its hella good

[grim mica]

2222

[grim mica]

Make sure ur not clipping anything there it looks like ur getting close to clipping

Also maybe try and fix that core it's like pure white

Blurx on that would look awesome tho

[past kite]

Here is a lighter processing

[grim mica]

Hm are you limited by your atmospheric seeing?

[past kite]

Probably yes

And guiding

[silent fox]

5 inches or below (130mm is 5 inches) so ye

[past kite]

Perfect

[grim mica]

Hes growing more (still smol)

[onyx mortar]

WIP of dumbbell
Orion spaceprobe 130st

[grim mica]

Yess smol scope done

[blissful orbit]

Awesomeness

[rare prairie]

Is an 8" newt considered to be smol?

[zinc lake]

no

[blissful orbit]

They are pretty big actually. Very good for beginners who just want to get a good look at stuff

[swift sparrow]

I have a pretty small one

[past kite]

The cat makes it more effective

[grim mica]

Nice jwst sticker

[silent fox]

Just got a very smol newt

[grim mica]

Tell me about it

What's the aperature

[silent fox]

F9 76mm

[grim mica]

Oh damn

That is a small newt

Long though

[silent fox]

its so light lol

maybe 4lbs?

[patent spoke]

I'm after the smallest newt of all for a portable visual project. 50mm f/4

[silent fox]

Goodluck

you may have to make it yourself

unless a company sells it

[grim mica]

damn

[gloomy plume]

Can anyone recomend me a dew band for my 130pds? I just cant find any

[patent spoke]

just isn't sold in the US

[silent fox]

O

[grim mica]

ditherr

[silent fox]

I hardly know her

[onyx mortar]

Dont got a guide camera

Also that’s not waking noise I just make the background look weird while trying fix some stuff

Simple moon picture while I wait for a good night

[grim mica]

Dithering needs guiding?

Mine doesnt

[onyx mortar]

I have the SWSA I can’t dither unless I have guiding because I can’t connect the mount to my computer

[grim mica]

damn that sucks

[tired jetty]

Isn't it called Sarblue in the US?

[patent spoke]

That's the Mak, the 50mm newt isn't sold under a brand with that blue casing. It is sold by Celestron under a different colorway but it's like $40 with $30 shipping lol

[tired jetty]

Ah ok. $70 is high for that

[patent spoke]

Yea I'm not looking to spend that much for a 50mm spherical reflector

If I could get one for pretty cheap that'd be nice

[reef plaza]

Look on ebay fb etc

[patent spoke]

Been rough. Can't really find one in the US

Not on any site used

[reef plaza]

Oh dayum

[silent fox]

gonna have to move the mirror up on the 76mm, can't reach focus even with a barlow

(im just gonna see how it does for planetary)

[silent fox]

3 hours on the 5" newt with the 224MC

[grim mica]

what mout?

[steel ivy]

M46

Phone + 4 inch newt

[grim mica]

whats that like fuzz thing on the right

[steel ivy]

Planetary nebula

It's tiny. I think it's smaller than ring nebula

Ring nebula field with same scope, but with my 224mc.

Actually, it's pretty much the same size. Maybe a bit smaller

All Fov

[silent fox]

AVX

[grim mica]

Woops I meant mount

[grim mica]

Ah ok

[silent fox]

Imaging the ring nebula rn with the 224MC, this lil cam is nice

[steel ivy]

Yes, it should turn out very well. I plan to take more photos with it until the end of the year. Due to the smaller pixel size, it ends up capturing more details of the smaller nebulae... Unfortunately, it's the camera I use for guiding in PHD, so I'll have to do short exposures/lucky imaging

I did this one with a 290mm. The antennas of the Trifid Nebula slug appeared. It's something quite difficult to capture with a 4-inch Newtonian

Hubble image

[balmy wigeon]

does 6" count as small

[nimble narwhal]

[silent fox]

5" and smaller I believe

[scenic spire]

can we have Large Newt Owners

[tired jetty]

That's Planetary Imaging

[silent fox]

Then make one

[nimble narwhal]

It’s called Big Newtonian Talk it’s already a forum

[blissful orbit]

I'd say I am in that club

[blissful orbit]

Not necessarily

[swift sparrow]

https://discord.com/channels/794642864218439681/1274865461087174717

[swift sparrow]

kinda ded

[grim mica]

what focuser is that

if thats a 2 inch focuser holy shi thats big

[swift sparrow]

a tiny one, def 1.25"

[grim mica]

yeah i would hope

or that scope is like astronomically big

also that focuser is way too small for that scope

[blissful orbit]

1.25" unfortunately

[blissful orbit]

I am 5'10 and a half and it's up to my chest

[past kite]

Thicc boi

[steel ivy]

Moon from last night
114/900 + sv905c

[grim mica]

Diy 114 newt 7 minutes b9

Ignore those artifacts its a friends dslr I had to use cuz mine ran out of battery

[sage ferry]

Just 7 minutes,wow! Gotta try and image it myself when I build my 114

[patent spoke]

Got two clear nights in a row with my modded starblast setup. I can't leave it out all night because of my wack imaging location But I got a few hours on the crescent nebula.

I really need to work out a better power solution soon though

[sage ferry]

I love the hat covering the mirror cell

Why’d you do that tho?

[patent spoke]

It's all I had at the time and I just kept it since it worked so well. I'm using it to prevent light leaks that I was getting

I should replace it at some point to help with cooling, but the mirror is so small it might not matter much

[silent fox]

Its not pretty (weird artifacts), but heres a shot at lucky imaging with the 5 inch and 224MC. First image is 3 hours of 5 sec subs, 65% stacked. Second is 10% out of 3 hours worth of 1 sec subs, so the second image is only about 30 mins.

I just need to work on my processing with this data, its not easy

[past kite]

Here is my work with the asi224mc

[twilit mango]

This is my work with the 224, but i used a 12” dob lol

The image is untracked

300ms

[gloomy plume]

Can someone help me with my stars

I cleaned the mirror and collimated and now my stars look bad

[swift sparrow]

focus

[gloomy plume]

My Stars still Look weird

Normally they’re way smaller

[swift sparrow]

these look normal wdym

[gloomy plume]

Normally they look better like smaller and sharper

And unfocused they were round and not oval

[blissful orbit]

That looks perfectly normal to me

[signal yoke]

I'm receiving my chesire piece today. Do you guys have good instructions on how to use it properly? I have the feeling my secondary is not properly alligned. I'm getting a weird gradiënt on almost all my exposures

[patent spoke]

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804705743100.html I want to do a 130mm f/4 build with this so bad

But I'd need a doner scope and chop the tube like I did my 114

[patent spoke]

Found a Gsyker 130eq scope that sucks bc of its spherical optics but the rest of the OTA looks good

[steel ivy]

Saturn from 19/08 114/900mm newtonian + sv905c with Celestron omni 2x

[balmy wigeon]

is 6" considered small

yay i can be in this thread

[grim mica]

No

[grim mica]

To whoever said it was clipped

[grim mica]

5 and below

[balmy wigeon]

[fierce python]

Ahaha, I was looking at that too a while ago, once I have the funds Im definitely gonna try a project like that x)
Thinking of getting a second hand 130pds, since it would already have decent parts, and just chopping the tube down a bit

[signal yoke]

After I got my chesire yesterday I thought I noticed some tilt problem from the focusser on my 130pds. Fixed it (I think), checked the collimation with a laser and yesterday evening I did a star collimation. I have a baader mpcc mk3 coma corrector. Stars in the corners look like crap though. Do anyone know what this could be?

^stars in the bottom right corner

Full single 4 min sub from a d5300

These are printscreens from remote desktop so the gradient Is more present

[patent spoke]

I’ve been having a hard time finding a used 130PDS that isn’t marked up a bunch because of upgrades

[agile swift]

Colimation probably

Damn not bad

Better than what i can get with my 6 inch quattro on a eqm35 unguided

[patent spoke]

@fierce python By closely looking at the two of them, I have reason to believe the Gsyker 130 is exactly the same as the 130PDS except the mirror is spherical and the focuser is 1.25" apparently. The paint job looks the same, along with the tube rings. Resisting the urge to drive 45 minutes to buy this thing

[fierce python]

Tbh the only reason I want a 130pds is that its popular, and has a decent 2" focuser, so I feel like its the better option to get a decent focuser on a second hand scope....Im just interested in that tbh 😆

I looked up the gsyker 130, and it indeed looks almost identical, just the focuser and optics being different it seems

Though for a 1.25" focuser, it doesnt look bad at all

[patent spoke]

It looks like the focuser plate should accept a sky-watcher 2" focuser and thus, this thing https://www.ebay.com/itm/145729234867

I'd really rather not buy a 130PDS just to chuck the primary and chop down the tube so this looks like my best and smoothest option for an f/4 build

[fierce python]

Ahhhhh, I see, that indeed makes the choice much easier if you can just replace it easily

[patent spoke]

https://www.teleskop-express.de/en/telescope-accessories-5/focusers-adapters-motorfocus-296/focuser-telescope-attachment-297/ts-optics-adapter-to-skywatcher-newtonian-telescopes-for-the-rap2del-focuser-15805 this too if I want to keep a more conventional flange-type focuser that I already have but this isn't sold in the US

[fierce python]

Yeah it does, I would only do that to a 130pds if I could easily change between f/4 and f/5 somehow, or if I find one second hand with a broken primary or smth

[patent spoke]

If you wanted to change to F/4 you'd have to put the mirror on some really tall stilts

I don't yet know how much I'll need to cut off the tube though

[fierce python]

If I knew that existed a while ago I would have definitely got that 😆 That was 3 years ago though when I still used my newt

[fierce python]

Yeah, or having a dedicated mirror cell for both, with different distances....but then there is also the secondary mirror issue x)

[patent spoke]

Swapping the secondary mirror or the whole vane itself isn’t too hard but having to tweak it every time might get annoying. Still it might be worth it to have a sorta modular f/4-f/5 imaging system

[fierce python]

Yeah its just annoying to re collimate all the time.
Indeed, could be interesting. I feel like it would have even more potentiel for people who wanna go between smth like f/4 and f/6-8 to be able to switch between dso and planetary or galaxies or smth

It would definitely need a quick swap system for the secondary though 😆

[patent spoke]

I think I have a decent idea for that but the spider vane would have to be decently beefy

[fierce python]

Well, a lot of recent dso scopes have very beefy milled aluminium spider vanes, so I guess thats not that bad, but I think thick vanes are more annoying for planetary

Dunno if the best system is one where the entire spider is removable, or if only the mirror should be removed

Entire spider seems like it would be easier to keep good collimation, but its more costly

[patent spoke]

I'm not sure if this is necessarily a good idea, but the secondary could be held on by a large ring magnet that's centered onto the (collimation plate?) of the secondary holder. The part that's attached to the secondary mirror with the magnet would be keyed to the other part that's attached to the vane

[fierce python]

That wouldnt be a bad design I think, as the magnets would just need to hold it in place, the precision would come from the keys? (dunno if thats how its said 😅)
Only issue could be sudden connection of the magnets, but I think making that manageable wouldnt be too hard

[patent spoke]

I think it might be possible to develop

[patent spoke]

Gskyer 130 secured. Unfortunately it is a weird triple vane model that I can’t find too much evidence of existing but I’ll probably swap it out anyway

[solid moon]

I’d like to redo my trivane to make it more sturdy. But it’s plastic.

[patent spoke]

If there is anyone here that has a 130PDS and is willing to help me out with a couple of measurements please let me know

[patent spoke]

Here’s what the tri-vane looks like. The outer lip is molded in with the vane which isn’t ideal but there are four mounting holes which I might be able to string a 4-vane through. If not, i may deal with my tri-vane look for a bit

[solid moon]

Yeah that’s my Starblast. I think I need to do some modeling to redo it. Make a mask to drill the holes and recycle another 114’s vanes

[patent spoke]

Considering doing the same for this 130

[solid moon]

There are a ton of power seekers on marketplace; maybe find some junk pieces. lol

[patent spoke]

There's a 130SLT on CN for $50... I could pull the vane from that and the mirror and use it as f/5 for a little while until I'm ready to chop the tube and go for f/4

Lol if I had waited a couple of hours to just get the SLT I'd be good with that alone and just modify that OTA SMH

[fierce python]

I know there are some companies selling upgraded 4 vane spiders for 130mm scopes, that might be an option. Would be a bit expensive though

[grim mica]

Why are focusers so goddamn expensive

All I want is a decently accurate tube that moves up and down!

Not that hard to make and not charge 40000000000000000000000000 dollars for

[blissful orbit]

Fr though. Like 200 bucks just for a focuser

[grim mica]

For a tube that moves

[fierce python]

for a tube that moves precisely is more the issue, and the reason its expensive. That and the fact that the amount made isn't huge, so prices are higher

[scenic spire]

lol how would the diffraction spikes look on that

interesting

[patent spoke]

Basically like JWST, 6 spikes

[signal yoke]

I have a 130pds so maybe I can help you out

[patent spoke]

The base of the focuser has a flange that might look like this. It doesn't need to have the tab at the bottom, but I'd wondering what the diameter of that is

[signal yoke]

From what I can tell it looks sturdier than the stock 4-vane

[signal yoke]

When I'm back home I'll take a look for you

[patent spoke]

Thanks I appreciate it

[signal yoke]

Hey man, my caliper is not big enough🥲 looks like it's 100mm but I'm not entirely sure

[patent spoke]

No problem, that basically answers my question, I appreciate it!

[signal yoke]

Your welcome!

[patent spoke]

Looks like the focuser plate that came with this telescope definitely won't be large enough for a 130PDS focuser RIP

I think I can sell it for a decent price at least, it's a pretty nice 1.25" crayford

[past kite]

I have a 130pds

[patent spoke]

Printed spider + front lip. This OTA does not have holes for a secondary mirror holder yet. I thought that was going to be a huge problem for me, but it seems like F/4 scope have their mirror holders closer to the focuser than f/5 scopes so I have a blank slate to work with.

Eventually the vane/holder will be separated from the front lip but this should work for planning purposes.

[patent spoke]

Focuser baseplate is complete

[sage ferry]

Nice!

It’s so cool we have 3D printers

Some plastic piece with Astro in it’s name could be sold for 20 bucks

But we can 3D print it for few cents lol

[patent spoke]

Seriously lol it's such a privilege to just be able to synthesize whatever we need within reason

I would like to experiment with more demanding filaments. PLA and PETG have been good but I have an enclosed printer!

[sage ferry]

I know right, like it’s so cool it literally opened me a whole new world

[patent spoke]

Once I have a garage or some kind of workshop, I wanna get one of those desktop SLS printers. By the time I have a space for one, they'll probably come down in price with more competition

[sage ferry]

Even tho I’m an Ender 3 user I still love tinkering and stuff

[sage ferry]

Yeah I heard they’re getting cheaper and cheaper

[patent spoke]

I used an ender 3 regularly from 2018 up to earlier this year. Great printer overall but mine was getting pretty tired and I wanted something new

[sage ferry]

That’s understandable

I’m planning on doing lots of upgrades to my printer

New board,cooling fans and stuff

[patent spoke]

I did a few. I have the first run of ender 3's so I upgraded the board, build plate, and installed a probe leveler. since mine was an early run, I got one with the junk XT60 connectors. At one point I found it charred and melted so I replaced it immediately. Very scary stuff

I would like to get a resin printer too since I wanna do stuff with custom digital watches

[sage ferry]

I wanted to get a resin printer first because I was keen on scale modelling that time but as I realised that resin printers won’t be quite enjoyable to use without a proper workshop space,so I chose Ender 3 and now I print mirror holders and stuff dirt cheap

[patent spoke]

Yea resin printers are a chore from what I can tell

[sage ferry]

Another advantage that with FDM printers printing big parts like primary mirror holder is a lot more cost effective that with resin

[sage ferry]

Ye,you have to cure the resin after printing and all that,I don’t really have the conditions in my apartment where I can safely (for printer and for me) place all this stuff

[patent spoke]

someday

[sage ferry]

I’m planning on having some kind of workspace garage when I grow up lol

Would be pretty useful if I’ll still be keen on diy,I think I will lol

So yeah,someday…

[proud hamlet]

Whaaaaa

2x barlow imporoves that much?

No way

I am gonna use it next time for sure

[agile swift]

For a scope yeah but for other things no but if its a 6 inch refractor than thats a different story

[agile swift]

He already had a high focal lenght and also he has a small sensor

[grim mica]

no bro 5 inch and below newt is small

[agile swift]

Bro 6 inches is on the small end of the scale considering the smallest newtonians are only 3 inches and the biggest are over 8 meters

[grim mica]

nah 6 is midrange

think about how many people actually have scopes over 16 inches

majority have around 6

[mild zodiac]

but 6inches is huge

[agile swift]

I see more 8 and 10 than 6 inches

[grim mica]

cap

5 and below is considered small in this channel I remember someone saying that

[proud hamlet]

I also have 900mm fl and small sensor (Logitech webcam c270 old one)

[sick halo]

astro with a webcam

[signal yoke]

Anyone doing star collimation on a regular basis?

Looks close to me but wondering why the vanes look a bit off

[swift sparrow]

this looks odd

[signal yoke]

Tilt maybe?

[past kite]

Maybe ur spider vanes arent tightened up for the tube

[agile swift]

I cant do star collimation cause every time i touch the collimation screw the stars move 97754336743° off the frame

[swift sparrow]

you havent tried star collimating a 10" with 1000mm fl and an imx715 sensor

[agile swift]

I have an asi585 with a 6inch and 600mm focal lenght

[swift sparrow]

not that bad

[patent spoke]

@deep fog I'm doing another small telescope build, this time a 130 F/4. The secondary mirror stalk is longer than one that's typically on an F/4 so I'm probably gonna run into some bending issues. Did you ever figure out your flexing problem?

[deep fog]

Tbh not entirely but then again, ive been so busy lately and with the bad weather, i actually havent imaged in months

[patent spoke]

I should be more busy with important university stuff but I can't help it lol

And I'm working on a digital watch project smh

[deep fog]

Lol yea uni is getting in a way for me too. In my final year so im focusing pretty much all of my energy on getting a job as soon as im out. Still doing a little bit of stuff astro related but theyre mainly programming projects. Rn im making a C library to interface with SER files similar to the CFITSIO library which interfaces with fits files.

Kinda wanna get started on embedded stuff tho so i might buy some pis and microcontrollers soon

And maybe soldering stuff

[patent spoke]

I have several electronics projects I've been wanting to do

but I am not a programmer so it's always pretty tough for me to get started

The watch project comes first, then a solar energy harvesting project, then after that combine the two somehow

[deep fog]

Mmmmm ok ok

[patent spoke]

I love my gadgets but everything I want doesn't exist

[deep fog]

Real

[patent spoke]

https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberDeck/comments/1f2z18k/windows_11_phone_palmtop_wip/ Recently completed my dream pocket laptop thing though

that was nice

[deep fog]

WAIT THATS YOU, ive been vrowsing the cyberdeck reddit cuz i wanna make my own

Wtf

[patent spoke]

It me 😎

Now I need a Casio DBX-100 calculator watch that's also a smartwatch and that'll probably kill me

[deep fog]

Actually sick projects

[patent spoke]

Then I'll have my retro inspired palmtop and retro inspired smartwatch

Then someone pls hire me

[deep fog]

Lol, just bring those into interview

EZ hire

sURely

[patent spoke]

Been considering making a portfolio site but I am catastrophically lazy about that

[deep fog]

Oh trust me same

Im CS but i hate front end

My website consists of one html doc and a single javascript file

With a single javascript function

[patent spoke]

Literally even using a website builder, I haven't gotten very far bc I'm too lazy to compile pictures and write up information about everything. I would definitely like to do that because every employer sees that everyone has gone to school and taken the same kinds of courses

But I need to do it

I am also in my final year but I still need to do an internship

[deep fog]

Same, at this point tho, im just swinging for whatever tf, internship, part-time, full-time, i do not care, i just needa get IN

[patent spoke]

Sorta tricky for me since I'm working full time supporting myself as an IT guy but I then have to leave my job to do an internship then either hope it continues on or that I quickly find an engineering job after that wraps bc I don't wanna do sys admin stuff anymore lol

[deep fog]

Oof, yea thats definitwly a bit of a situation

Hopefully u can find something that transfers after internship

[patent spoke]

Yezzir same to you

[deep fog]

And maybe after all that, we can do a full return to astro

[silent fox]

Ive been looking into small, long F-ratio scopes for visual

Seen a guy make an F12 4.5" lol

[grim mica]

damn

[solid moon]

I’m getting a light leak in Starblast. I started using an imx571 sensor which is a huge burden on the GSO 2” focuser. (Even with the focuser tube only extending out about 1.25 cm.) Also I’m getting coma on the edges. I’m unsure whether to move in or out. Unsure how to workflow that to test.

Also I’m thinking of moving my focuser position to be facing “down” like how I see a lot of Newtonian astrographs. Might help with flexture? (Or is that a center of gravity thing)

This is a cropped basic Siril processed picture so the coma and vignetting aren’t showing.

All said… I’m unsure what I can do next. Or is this the end of the line for the Starblast astrograph project?

[silent fox]

I believe the focuser facing down is just to help with balancing. I have seen some flexture in either case when I had my DSLR

Still awesome pick with the starblast

[solid moon]

I was recommended to use Baader steel track, might be able to handle it better

[rocky radish]

How small is small?
Is my 200pds considered small?

(200mm aperture)

[lime agate]

to prevent lightleak, you wrap a garbage bag at the end of the tube, that might help, or wrap one around focuser too

as for coma if its not too heavy just blurx it

[deep fog]

@patent spoke Tf they made one. https://agenaastro.com/gso-4-5in-f12-classical-cassegrain-reflector-ota.html

[patent spoke]

https://www.teleskop-express.de/en/ts-teleskope-143/photon-newtonians-from-gso-up-to-12-aperture-311/tpc45f4-18147

4.5" F/4

[patent spoke]

I kinda love this though

it doesn't look real

[sage ferry]

a 4.5 inch f/12...

interesting

[deep fog]

heyyyyy, this was supposed to be our thing

they're on a 1.25in focuser tho so we still gottem on being able to use a CC

wait

GSO made one

https://www.teleskop-express.de/en/gso-guan-sheng-optical-14/imaging-correctors-for-telescopes-138/komakorr1-18160

[patent spoke]

They finally did it lol

A proper 4.5" imaging system

[solid moon]

I put all that work in and now…. They have a retail version.

[patent spoke]

I'm working on a 130mm f/4 now so I hope that doesn't come along for a while

[fierce python]

I hope it does anyways, sorry to say XD
But I think it will take at least a few years if they are thinking of it

[patent spoke]

Took me over two years to finish my 4.5" then a month later TS-Optics comes out with one. Too expensive for me though

[fierce python]

Yeahhh, kinda funny, almost as if some people from ts are in this server looking at us 😶
I would definitely go for a 5" version though, I think it would be much better.
And I am hesitating to get that 4.5" anyways, I think a 533 would work with it....

[deep fog]

Honestly, it really depends on that 1.25inch CC performance. It looks like its the same as the equivalent 2in version just scaled down, and i havent heard great things about the 2in from GSO. In total, with the length of the 1.25in cc and the backspacing, ur saving abt 80mm-ish on the spacing from the secondary compared to our custom 2in designs. You can get away with a much smaller secondary that way which appears to be the case with that imaging 4.5in at just 41mm secondary. The CC is rated for 23mm diag optimal which is m4/3 sized sensors so i think we'll just need to wait and see some results from these two pieces together to get a good measure on performance. Otherwise our custom starblasts might still have the edge.

[solid moon]

I’m still getting coma on my Sharpstar with the imx571 sensor.

I thought I had my spacing correct.

[fierce python]

Yeah, its too bad they decided to make it that way, it looses a bit of potentiel. But Im guessing they wanted to make it as cheap as possible so it would sell better.
I think custom starblasts will always have the edge anyways, since people make them to their own specifications, depending on their sensor.
If I get that scope it would mainly just be because it looks kinda funny, and Im curious about it 😅

[deep fog]

wish I could help you more on this. I'm sure you already know at this point but you're definitely working close to the limits. The sharpstar's rating just covers up to aps-c optimaly and on a fast f4 system, let alone a very small and custom system, there's alot to deal with here. I'll say that the last image you sent there appears to be something going on as even the stars at the center look a bit wonky. Unsure if that's a focusing issue, a guiding issue, or a straight optical issue. Looks like focus to me? but you have all the images so you're judgement is likely better than mine.

[deep fog]

Yea, i legit thought they got us on this until I noticed that it used a 1.25in focuser, looks identical to the 2in ones in the picture.

[solid moon]

I don’t have a way to get good focus. I just look at the HFR and try to make it around 2 or as low as possible.

[deep fog]

no mask or auto focuser or anything?

[solid moon]

I have a mask but I didn’t see it doing any better? It’s so fine.

[fierce python]

It does indeed, the tube is so small its hard to have a good reference x)

[deep fog]

mmmm ok

[solid moon]

I was planning on making an autofocuser. But since I changed the camera I’m not noticing more problems in the system. Namely the pesky light leak.

[fierce python]

Light leak caused by the camera? :/

[deep fog]

same on the focuser. I was debating buying one for a while but I'm in a systems programming class currently and we have to make some hardware project and program it so this seems like the perfect opportunity to make my own autofocuser. Will fulfill the final project for the class and it'll end up being useful to me, and maybe others if I make it well enough. Already orders some parts and they're coming in today. If everything works out on the test boards and fitting, I'll probably go ahead and get soldering equipment and design and print an enclosure for everything.

[solid moon]

maybe leverage with onstep?

I bought a small driver from PULU or whatever... and in theory it should be stepped small enough

[deep fog]

wdym by leverage with onstep? And is the driver you're talking about the DRV8834?

[solid moon]

Tmc2209 driver. Actually I got the bracket for the stepper from pololu

[deep fog]

Mmm ok

All my shit actually just came in rn so time to play with it

[patent spoke]

130mm f/4 mirror ordered

need to make an EAF

[silent fox]

nice

[sage ferry]

nicee!

[fierce python]

A bit jealous but I guess that also means you will be the one testing the quality of those mirrors XD

Which I expect to be about the same as skywatcher type mirrors tbh

[patent spoke]

We shall seeeeeee

I need a larger secondary though

[steel ivy]

My small big newt

Small in apperture, but long

I changed the secondary mirror. The original was 27mm and I put a 35mm one. There were missing spikes on the edges of the image.

[grim mica]

nah

[silent fox]

what aperture?

[proud hamlet]

114mm

[silent fox]

nice

[deep fog]

Just realized I have not imaged at all with the star blast since the major secondary assembly overhaul and i'll reach 1 year on Nov 10 since even going out. Damn.

[patent spoke]

I finished my starblast earlier this year and haven’t produced an image with it, now I’m working on another scope

I do have 3 nights of data just haven’t stacked it

[steel ivy]

Collimation

I use a CS mount lens on my guide camera along with this app that simulates an Ocal. A friend made it so we wouldn't have to pay 1400 (reais) for a simple ocal here in Brazil.

https://github.com/cacella/OcalParaPobres-OPP-

[zinc lake]

This is a great idea, was hoping someone would make that

[patent spoke]

130 F/4 has arrived. It has a scuffed plastic film over it but underneath it looks fine

[deep fog]

incredible

[solid moon]

Okie Tex star party - Starblast with imx571 sensor

[sage ferry]

Congratulations!

Will you build the OTA yourself?

[patent spoke]

I have a 130 f/5 OTA that's pretty similar to a 130PDS. I just need to chop it down to size

[sage ferry]

oh i see,good luck!

[deep fog]

Where did you get the mirror btw?

Wait, I was just browsing Ali-express to look for it and look that this.https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805569758470.html?algo_pvid=59abcd08-ef5a-49ef-8e76-8ee5d1b650e8&algo_exp_id=59abcd08-ef5a-49ef-8e76-8ee5d1b650e8-0&pdp_npi=4%40dis!USD!482.92!403.98!!!3370.00!2819.14!%402101d00017279039747321005e8d57!12000034242146036!sea!US!0!ABX&curPageLogUid=KzNgtI32RC23&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A

a 150mm f/3 ?

tf

[steel ivy]

They should include Ronchi tests. It's hard to know the quality of this mirror

I'm thinking of building a 150mm f/4. An ATM who lives nearby can produce mirrors with a lambda/12 accuracy at a reasonable price. He has even made one with a lambda/20+, but at that level, the cost starts to increase significantly.

Sky-Watcher and GSO mirrors generally have a surface accuracy ranging from lambda1/8 to lambda1/10. So, a lambda1/12 mirror would indeed offer slightly better

[steel ivy]

I found it in the description.1/10 It's a pretty good mirror, it's worth the risk

[deep fog]

i mean maybe, but why tho is my question. Like why produce this. I understand there is a market for ATM people but how many will embark on a F3 newt project. Not many CCs even correct down to F3 properly or effectively if they do. Then again, I"d be willing to accept that if manufacturing tech has advanced enough that making these isn't too much of a problem, then I can understand.

(forgot to mention making an f3 newt would not be easy)

[steel ivy]

If I’m not mistaken, the Sharpstar corrector does work for f/3. But it's indeed a challenging project. I would have the courage to do an f/4. An f/3 must be much more susceptible to any twisting in the secondary spider, OTA, or focuser. It has to be a pretty robust project.

[deep fog]

Yea, the corrector does go down to F3, at least by Sharpstar's word. I've just never seen anyone use this corrector (let alone any other correctors really) on very fast F3 newtonians, so it's more of a can it really do it. And same on the project side. I've already built up my F4 Starblast along with many others here and it definitely brought some challenges but nothing that would stop me from doing it again. A 150mm F3 tho? That's gonna be quite challenging.

Does there even exist any F3 newtonians at this size? I know some exist at large scales like upwards of 14" and there's there's the Sharpstars but those are hyperbolic mirrors.

[steel ivy]

Epsilons...

[deep fog]

Are those parabolic?

[steel ivy]

Probably they are also hyperbolic. Now I really don’t remember a known f3 parabolic

[deep fog]

yea they are hyperbolic....

makes sense tho

[patent spoke]

Ayo what lol

[deep fog]

mainly because of the corrector configuration

[patent spoke]

Also 130 f/4 was bought from eBay but it’s also sold on aliexpress. Same manufacturers as the other mirrors that have a triangular central dot thing

[deep fog]

From what is seems. Parabolic mirrors need at least a 3-element correcter with a significant amount of spacing for correct configuration, with most being around the 70mm in length mark. With a hyperbolic mirror on the other hand, they appear to only need a 2-element corrector and they're very close together, practically sandwiched, and Sharpstar even shows it with the diagrams. My guess is that its easier to develop a hyperbolic newtonian with a 2-element corrector then develop a parabolic newtonians where the user needs to go find a CC which would even work that fast. The backspacing requirements of the 2-element corrector also means the entire imaging train can be much closer to the tube and they can minimize secondary size, which is already quite large on these hyperbolic newts. I can't imagine how large of a secondary you'll need for a F3 parabolic newt and the backspacing requirements of that thing with currect CCs.

[fierce python]

Looks decent, and delivery was rather fast no?

Ahhh, you got it from ebay interesting

[solid moon]

I guess I’m at a crossroads after spending a week in B1 with the Starblast. I’m getting some image tilt most likely in the image train/focuser. collimation seems off everytime I move to a new target. The light leak is there but fortunately I don’t think it hurt too much in B1 skies. I’m currently using a GSO focuser. Someone suggested I switch to the Baader rail one and I also a cyck that looked quite affordable. I’m wondering if it’s worth it to drop more money. Or start in earnest on a new Newtonian astrograph build out. Maybe a bit larger.

[eager quiver]

Is 130pds small

[silent fox]

yes

5 inches and below

[eager quiver]

If any of you are selling small newt for ap please contact me

[random perch]

I recently bought a celestron 130EQ as an upgrade to my celestron 70 travel scope and I just use my Sony 6400 and a lens projection adapter but I do want to get a star tracker mount soon! Any suggestions for a good one?

[solid moon]

I’m eyeing the CYCK focuser for the Starblast (and maybe future builds). It seems like an inexpensive yet feature rich focuser. It may solve my issues for sensor tilt, light leakage, and most importantly, the ability to add an EAF. My current GSO doesn’t quite work for that without with some heavy tinkering. Has anyone had any experience with it?

[patent spoke]

I don't have any experience with it but Cuiv chose it for his quattro https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=7YEmYG6SJPw

[solid moon]

Yeah I saw that and another guy’s install. Seems really promising. Wondering what kind of tooling I’ll need to make it fit in the bracket.

[blissful orbit]

I wanna put this on a swsa

[solid moon]

Might be a little heavy for it?

[blissful orbit]

Orion observer is like 5 pounds and my camera is like 2

And even if it doesn't work I can just get a small refractor

[solid moon]

I thought the SWSA wasn't any good for anything beyond a standard DSLR setup.

[blissful orbit]

Apparently they can hold up to 11 pounds but if it can't then I'll just go ahead and get a small refractor

[steel ivy]

Short focal length, so it shouldn't have problems

I had to modify mine entirely to get decent guiding. I added more than 20 bearings

[solid moon]

He’s talking about putting his on an SWSA.

[solid moon]

Going to try out the CYCK. Had to 3d print a new mounting bracket. The sides have to extend out because the spider is in the way.

[solid moon]

Pretty nice it supports rotator and also got the combo with an EAF

[deep fog]

Been a while but, first functioning prototype of my autofocuser, very much a mvp sorta deal. Its able to communicate with software through ascom and has a driver installer, all of which again is extremely minimum in terms of implementation. The whole mounting and build of the thing was semi rushed, especially with the wires sticking out but it's enough for now. Will hopefully field test it tonight.

[patent spoke]

Hooray

[deep fog]

Can confirm, the autofocuser worked, it successfully pulled of the autofocusing routine in NINA after a couple of settings tweaks

[solid moon]

Nice. I’m happy to report my CYCK + auto focuser also works.

[deep fog]

sick

[solid moon]

Though I my corner stars aren’t too much better.

[deep fog]

op rip

[solid moon]

I think it might be the coma corrector since it’s also vignetting but should support aps-c sensor.

[deep fog]

you still using that sharpstar?

[solid moon]

Yeah

[deep fog]

mmm ok. then yea it might just be the CC

i knew their claim of aps-c was a bit of a stretch but i don't plan on moving to that size any time soon which is why i got it

[solid moon]

Gotcha. What’s the next step up? Nexus?

[deep fog]

lol nexus would be insane on a starblast but that would be even worse to manage purely from a management stand point. The quality is likely there but dealing with a 0.75x reduction at f4 is insane

your next step up would probably be a 4-element corrector instead of a 3 like the sharpstar. Most common upgrade would probably be something like the sky-watcher quattro

[eager quiver]

I will join during Christmas

Got the 130pds I will receive it by Christmas

[solid moon]

Yeah but I’d still have coma issues no?

[deep fog]

I mean maybe not? You'll very likely have better correction towards the outer field with something like the quattro as it's arguably a better corrector than the sharpstar. And at the very least it would help eliminate the possibility of it being a CC quality issue.

[proud hamlet]

[fresh turtle]

Hey, do any of you use secondary mirror dew heaters? I want to send my scope to a remote observatory, but I'd rather not have a lengthy dew shield increasing the swing diameter

i'm using a carbonstar 150 6" newt, this was my first run with it last night

[eager quiver]

Which mount should I get for 130pds

[past kite]

Heq5 or eq6r pro

[past kite]

Dont get the eqm35 pro bcs of large backlash

[eager quiver]

Any budget alternative

[past kite]

Whats ur budget

[eager quiver]

350£

I am thinking of onstep eq5

@past kite

[past kite]

Get the eq5 or exos-2 and do an onstep mod since onstep is not really expensive it will just take time

[eager quiver]

It's not a newt but with my current 50mm 700fl telescope diy on a tripod

[past kite]

Nice, you will get surprised with the 130PDS

[eager quiver]

I got this with phone

[past kite]

A few of my images with the 130ODS

[past kite]

I like it

[eager quiver]

I don't know how I got this much details

[eager quiver]

Really good

I like the colours and process on the orion

[past kite]

Idk, maybe try taking a video instead of a still and stack and sharopen the video

[past kite]

I can get sharper and better but thats the most i can get out of my asi224mc

[eager quiver]

Or should I save and get the JUWEI-14 from AliExpress

As i could only buy telescope and cam via my uncle in uk

He cannot bring the mount as it's heavy

[past kite]

Oh i saw it on youtube, its good with guiding but without guiding it wont be as good

[eager quiver]

So is it better than buying and onsteping eq5

[past kite]

Onstep the eq5

[eager quiver]

Ok

I haven't seen much reviews on JUWEI-14

It's like an am3

I have an doubt

If i mod a dslr

Can I use it normal with a clip in ir cut filter

[past kite]

I dont know much about dslr

[deep fog]

Seen some reviews on the 17 version of this, interested to see where this series of mounts go

[naive barn]

I come in here every once in a while and see these dope mini newt rigs you guys are building but no completed images with them

I've been eagerly waiting to see the potential of these mini newts, as I gave up on the shit one I had early on.

I've seen some subs from sym but that's it

[deep fog]

LOL, real and true. For me its just been a prio thing, been too occupied with school and now trying to get a job since ill be graduating soon. But Ill see if i can get an image out this december now that my rig is now fully automated.

[naive barn]

I looked back and saw a short Integration you send of some small galaxies, quite nice honestly.

I keep forgetting how well those starblasts can perform

[deep fog]

The potential feels there but i'll have to see. The last real image I took with the starblast before a lot of major modifications regarding the secondary assembly was this one of m33 over a literal year ago.

[naive barn]

Yea and with mono it could be an even better performer

[deep fog]

i really wanna move to mono, you still using the 1600?

[naive barn]

I am

Saw one on CN for 450 USD

Nutty value

I will say, the 294mm has a bit better specs.

And can be used in bin 1 48mp mode

And it's very close in price

[deep fog]

exactly, i've been seeing a bit more than usual pop up on CN in that 400-500 range which is crazy, some even inlcude lrgb filters for that price. Found someone presumably within 2h of me selling on for 400.

[naive barn]

Dayum

[deep fog]

im guessing it still serves you well considering you still go it?

[naive barn]

Oh yes, I'll be sticking with it for a while longer. My mount is the weak point rn as I've upgraded to a triplet frac. The cam is technically limiting my frac but under dark skies it has a ton of potential.

The main issue I have with it, is that I can't get it flats to calibrate out 100% correctly. It's always got some sort of under correction around the corners. Overcorrection actually happens with B filter. But all that said, it's likely my cheap ass ZWO filters lol.

[deep fog]

Well the images look incredible, especially the horse head, its so clean. The 1600 may very well be my next cam since it can still very well produce great images as you've demonstrated.

I feel you on the mount point though. My current mount which is the CGEM very much under performs, even on the light but still somewhat heavy starblast rig. It sits around 1.0 - 1.5 rms depending on where i'm pointed in the sky which given my setup with the 585, puts it right on my pixel scale of 1.4.

[deep fog]

@patent spoke Hows that little harmonic star tracker going btw?

[patent spoke]

Not bad so far from a concept phase, I started as the person doing the housing design but a teammate took over. It's currently modeled for vixen interfaces but we're switching to acra swiss soon

[deep fog]

oooo very nice. By the looks of it it seems like you're going for a modular design? Both the RA and DEC axis look identical in terms on construction. Perhaps something that can switch between being 2 simple star trackers to 1 fully functioning goto mount?

[patent spoke]

Yea that's the idea!

Saves on design time for us and it means someone can start with a single axis then build the second one, or separate them to create two trackers

I originally envisioned that each axis would have an identical onstep control system but one could be switched to "secondary" mode which would bypass all the onstep stuff and provide a direct line from the motor of DEC to the controll on RA

Instead we're just going with an external control box

[deep fog]

makes sense, simplifies design and cheapens overall cost. haven't seen anything like this in the space yet so hopefully everything works out. If the final build provides good performance along with a simple and relatively cheap construction, this could really take off

[patent spoke]

Each axis is around the size of a soda can and when broken down it'll just just about anywhere. We are hoping for 6kg just to outclass the regular star trackers but we're not sure how it'll perform mechanically yet. The structural analsys and gearbox ratings seems to agree with our figure though

[deep fog]

Alr alr, well keep us posted on any devs cuz i think people will like this

[patent spoke]

Gladly. If it goes well the designs will probably be published for free

I want money but I’d rather people just make it if they want it

[deep fog]

Sick

[eager quiver]

@patent spoke i really wanna build one

How much can it cost

[patent spoke]

Not too sure yet since our pricing is based off of approved vendors via the university, but I know it can be made much cheaper by an individual. I think somewhere between $500-600 for the full 2-axis system is our current projection

[eager quiver]

If you succeed

Can you tell me how to make

[patent spoke]

If we don't do some process plan for its manufacture in the project, I will do it independently

I have always wanted something like this to be available to people on a budget so I really hope it works

[eager quiver]

I can help as much as i can

But now my exams are going

After that I can help

[patent spoke]

Yep same, I have one tomorrow lol

[eager quiver]

Me too

[deep fog]

@patent spoke Lol 80mm F4 https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803468254957.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.75.340f9ec9omHgpv&algo_pvid=1a5e026a-dd09-49d3-b708-a28f50b19727&algo_exp_id=1a5e026a-dd09-49d3-b708-a28f50b19727-37&pdp_npi=4%40dis!USD!140.00!102.20!!!140.00!102.20!%402103201917338061605687731e39a3!12000026669996048!sea!US!0!ABX&curPageLogUid=grLJCCJOeKl6&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A

[patent spoke]

WHAT

man

I already have a 76mm parabolic but this is cool. Way too expensive for me though

[deep fog]

oh yeaaaa, i forgot you had that 76

[patent spoke]

The cube scope might be used in our presentation for the mount just to act as a payload

[deep fog]

lol nice

[eager quiver]

https://youtu.be/5b7s7K3thcs?si=4W0G2zH4GvOIE6JW

@patent spoke

[patent spoke]

Wow that's a nice design

Definitely cheaper than what we have planned since we want to use the really tiny pancake units

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807553029986.html

[charred briar]

I bet the newt has a good personality

[eager quiver]

It's already done so we have an outline

It's cheaper

We just need a wedge

It's 400bucks

My wallet will be happier

[eager quiver]

After we I get the setup ready I am thinking of getting gravitational lensing with a lot of exposure time and lucky imaging

Anybody wanna join

It's gonna be hard

[sage ferry]

I really love the idea of this thing turning into 2 separate trackers, this project is amazing!

[proud hamlet]

What scope do u have?

[eager quiver]

130pds it's not gonna have details but if we can get something it's really good

[past kite]

No details you say?

[eager quiver]

Like it's really really faint

It's like 17mag

[steel ivy]

Orion Trapezium

🔭 Telescope: Toya 114/900mm, EQ3 modified with OnStep
📷 : Sv905c
⚙️ Subframes of 0.5 seconds, Gain 300. About 2000
📍 : São Paulo City, Bortle 9

[proud hamlet]

This reminded me of my pic with a similar scope (114/ 900)
Taken with a webcam untracked 5mins tentegraation time

[eager quiver]

Nice

[nimble narwhal]

Why’s that so sharp!?

[eager quiver]

@past kite bro which cam do you use

[past kite]

Asi224mc

[eager quiver]

Nice

I am thinking of getting the svbony sv205 or 305

I have dslr

But it's damaged

Gota repair it

[steel ivy]

Lucky image...

[steel ivy]

Go for the 305. The 205 has very small pixels due to its 8MP, and the light sensitivity is terrible.

[eager quiver]

Ok

[past kite]

Soon to have sbig 8300m

[eager quiver]

Thx

[eager quiver]

Nice

[grim mica]

yeah i don't understand how you do that lol

wish I could do lucky imaging

would kill my dslr though

[deep fog]

@patent spoke realized i never asked but, what r u studying? Ill tell u im comp sci hence by background in mainly programming

[patent spoke]

MechE

[deep fog]

Ah ok, makes sense makes sense

[eager quiver]

I am still in school

[eager quiver]

Guys I am thinking of floking the inside after I get the scope it already has mirror mask should I 3d print a secondary

Or keep it original

[fierce python]

You mean a secondary holder?

also what scope?

[eager quiver]

Yes

130pds

@fierce python

[fierce python]

I wouldn't recommend 3d printing a new one, the original one should be just fine. A plastic one would be more prone to flexing and eventually even breaking due to creep (this depends on the material used of course, but its quite common on some materials), which could be catastrophic with a secondary mirror holder.

Flocking the inside of the tube is a good idea though, helps with those scopes

[eager quiver]

Or should I get cnc one

[fierce python]

Why do you want to replace it?

[eager quiver]

YouTubers say it stays colimated for longer

Is that true

I actually like the spikes from the og one

Like the original one flexes more

[fierce python]

I mean, yeah, depends what you use aswell. I guess they are meaning a spider/secondary mirror holder

But you have a 130pds

[eager quiver]

Yes you can replace in the 130pds

I meant the spider

[fierce python]

the spider on that will remain collimated much easier than bigger scopes, I dont think it is worth it to change it, your collimation should stay good for long enough

In any case I reccomend doing a star check every night when you use a newt

[eager quiver]

Ahh ok

[fierce python]

I had a 150P, and even with the bigger spider the collimation stayed fine for a while

[eager quiver]

Which colimation tool is the best

[fierce python]

Your secondary mirror is also smaller so there is much less forces involved anyways

[eager quiver]

True

[fierce python]

Cheshire imo, gets it 95% of the way there, then you attach your imaging train, and do star collimation for the last 5%

[eager quiver]

How to do star collimation

I know cheshire

How to do

Bro you there

Got it

[fierce python]

Now you are confusing me....you sent 5 messages saying different things

Cheshire gets your secondary mirror in the right place, and the primary mostly good, then you do a star collimation to get the primary good. Ill send a link for the star collimation

[eager quiver]

I meant I know how to use cheshire

But I don't know star collimation

I looked it up.on youtube

I got it

[fierce python]

Ok

[steel ivy]

The 130 PDS has a kit with a CNC secondary support. I would go for it. 3D doesn't give me much confidence in the secondary collimation.

[eager quiver]

It's more expensive than the scope

[past kite]

I would need it bcs my secondary holders are not parallel to eachother making my stars less sharp

[eager quiver]

Which cam i better for 130pds 294mc uncooled for 250 or 5d mk 2 for the same

[eager quiver]

Guys what do you say

[deep fog]

If those are the two options, then i'd argue 294mc purely from the camera stand point. Newer sensor and much easier to work with than the bulky body and full frame sensor of the 5d mark 2.

would give you an easier time on the 130pds too.

[past kite]

Get a dedicated astro cam to get the most sharpness out of ur scope, my friend uses the 585 cooled with his 150PDS and works perfectly fine

[eager quiver]

My brother told he will give his 5d mk2

@past kite

Will it work in daylight after modification of I put the right wavelength ir cut filter

[past kite]

Probably wont

[eager quiver]

There are specific filter made by some astronomy filter producers for this

[past kite]

I know

[mild zodiac]

not an eq6r pro for a 130 pds😭

[nimble narwhal]

gives room for upgrades

[mild zodiac]

y did you react to your own comment lol

[nimble narwhal]

cuz i can

[mild zodiac]

[past kite]

Trust me, it gonna do good

[mild zodiac]

it needs an eq8 at least smh

[signal yoke]

I'm using a AM3 for the 130pds. Needs guiding though

Average guiding is 0.17 now🫶

[past kite]

Nice, im using the eqm35 pro, the best result with guiding i had was 0.28 total rms

[signal yoke]

I also used a EQ5 Pro goto, had pretty similar results I guess

Single 60 sec sub with grax, blurx and noisex

Was testing out my new player one ares c pro😃

Only the color looks off when I stack in pix. Im getting the normal pink/red when I stack in dss

[past kite]

Why is the color different in pix?

[signal yoke]

I have no clue 🥲

[past kite]

Huh, try researching a bit to find out, but good news. My SBIG STF 8300M came today

Cant wait for clear skies

[signal yoke]

Yeah tried finding out what it is. But got pix like a month ago so still figuring everything out

[grim mica]

what's up with ur details

[signal yoke]

Never heard of that camera haha . Looks promising though

[signal yoke]

What are u referring to?

[grim mica]

well your details are a little blurry considering your circumstances

[signal yoke]

Is that so? Thought it was pretty good for a single shot haha. Was kind of cloudy so maybe that caused some blurry ness

[grim mica]

I suppose yes perhaps all the denoising aswell because it is a single sub

do you have a coma corrector on? I like your stars

[signal yoke]

Yes, baadr mpcc III. In the raw files there is a small tilt but the stacking and blurx fixes that

[grim mica]

tilt as in sensor tilt?

[signal yoke]

Nah I think it's in the focuser. Not sure

[eager quiver]

My future rig is 130pds 5dmk2 eq5 onstep and guiding rig

[past kite]

Ye its a 13 year old mono camera but its still good

[signal yoke]

Cool! Why buy this camera and not a newer model?

[eager quiver]

I saw one for 500 with lrgb and ha

@past kite

[past kite]

Nahh, actually my friend gave it to me for free with lrgb and h alpha filters

[past kite]

Is it from ebay? I think i saw that one

[silent fox]

Currently working on my 76mm F11 project for visual lol

[eager quiver]

Yes i think so

[eager quiver]

Nice

[plain jacinth]

i got a 6" newt

is that small enough to be a small newt

[naive barn]

I think that is what most everyone here agreed on

[plain jacinth]

o ok

[naive barn]

It's pretty small so yea

[plain jacinth]

i dont have a tracking mount yet

so

my images are not going to be the best

ill have to do loads of short exposures or something

[naive barn]

Yea id get tracking asap

[plain jacinth]

im trying 🙏

[naive barn]

It will be a pain otherwise

[plain jacinth]

(i dont have a job yet)

[naive barn]

Rip

[plain jacinth]

ill be able to start working properly next year

"propperly"

as in

a legal job

[plain jacinth]

whats a good cheap mount that can move more than 9kg of weight

by cheap i mean

like

[naive barn]

Eqm35

Used

[plain jacinth]

£300 to £500

[naive barn]

Or eq3 with onstep kit upgrade, which similar to what I have now.

[fierce python]

second hand eqm 35, or eq-5pro

[plain jacinth]

i have the eq3 mount

[fierce python]

or eq3 indeed

[naive barn]

Oh dam, yea grab an onstep kit

[plain jacinth]

okii

[fierce python]

What scope are you planning on using though?

[naive barn]

https://www.terransindustry.com/collections/allproduct/products/skywatcher-eq3?variant=42521248596161

[plain jacinth]

i already have the scope

[fierce python]

the weight isnt the main concern, focal length, or rather the resolution of the scope can change the choice

[fierce python]

Yes but which

[naive barn]

When my mount was properly tuned, with this kit I was guiding consistently around 0.7 total rms.

With bad seeing you may see 1"

[plain jacinth]

Sky-Watcher Explorer 150P

[fierce python]

:/
That will struggle a bit, its quite a big scope, even for an eq-5

[naive barn]

Since you already have the eq3, this is by far the best value.

[plain jacinth]

nice

[fierce python]

I might work, but you might have a lot of struggles

[naive barn]

May need an extra counterweight

[fierce python]

True, best value, and to start off it can be good...I would reccomend getting a smaller scope though

[naive barn]

That newt has a ton of potential

And he will be eventually be moving to a bigger mount anyway

[plain jacinth]

seems well balanced

ill figure something out

[fierce python]

The newt has potential yes, just that the mount will slowly die with that kind of payload...I know because I had both an eq3-2, and a eq-5 pro, both were struggling with a 150P

[naive barn]

Different electronics and steppers tho tbf

[plain jacinth]

yea

[fierce python]

Yes, but I mean the mount itself, the counterweight bar was getting slightly bent over the 2 years I had it, and the worm wheels were showing signs of wear

[naive barn]

Steel bending over static weight?

Wtff

[fierce python]

Just saying...its my opinion, do with it what you want :)
I had bad experiences with those mounts and such a big payload, and most people who had the same also said it was overloaded, with an eq-5

[plain jacinth]

2 years

[fierce python]

Yeah, when you have enough weight, and when you have crap metals like skywatcher uses, it bends

[plain jacinth]

im probably only going to be using it like a year and a bit

[fierce python]

Thats fine, just warning you

[plain jacinth]

okii

thx for the warning

tbf

i may actually just use it until it doesn't work anymore

for the tomfoolery

[plain jacinth]

is onstep better than synscan

(im a wee bit braindead)

[naive barn]

Yep, mostly because it's wayy cheaper.

Performance wise they may be similar but I'm not sure.

[plain jacinth]

okii :3

[steel ivy]

It’s also better. The motors are stronger, quieter, and there are no gears to transfer the movement from the motors to the worm gear—just pulleys. Plus, you can use a 400-step motor, which will provide even greater precision

I'm building a DIY Onstep for my Exos 2. It will have a built-in eletronic focuser in its code

[naive barn]

That's dope

[fierce python]

pretty sure it is better since its belt driven, basically a free rowan belt mod

[naive barn]

Yea the belt driven aspect of onstep is definitely better

I think my worm gear has some grit or something left from old lubricant.

And backlash changes drastically from summer to winter temps.

Will be glad to get rid of this LXD75, the onstep was great but the mount gotta go.

[fierce python]

yeah that is a good point, my eq-5 changes drastically between winter and summer aswell x)

I got a old ioptron ieq 30 pro recently, Im hoping the electronics work well still and I can make it work without the hand controller, otherwise I might try to somehow make it be onstep

[eager quiver]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/267094353707?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D777008%26algo%3DPERSONAL.TOPIC%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20240315132637%26meid%3D050167a506a74351af8366d78bb29c62%26pid%3D102055%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26mehot%3Dnone%26itm%3D267094353707%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D4375194%26algv%3DRecentlyViewedItemsMobileV2WithMLRPbooster_BP&_trksid=p4375194.c102055.m146925&_trkparms=parentrq%3A185f7add1940a54b79113cbaffffc574|pageci%3A25402957-c6ca-11ef-9738-7eed6baefd8c|iid%3A1|vlpname%3Avlp_homepage

Should I get it

Of dslr

[plain jacinth]

I've tried to take photos of orion

wish me luck 😭

I can't wait to get tracking

ong

[plain jacinth]

my exposure was off :/

[plain jacinth]

need to finish processing

[plain jacinth]

the current image

[plain jacinth]

this is final image :3

[silent fox]

My $35 homemade 900/76 newt lol

[eager quiver]

Happy new year from india

Ite New year here

[plain jacinth]

a

ciin :4

[signal yoke]

What software do you use?

[plain jacinth]

uhhh

a lot

gimp

dark table

siril

and another one for the denoising