🔥Hot Takes 2.0 🔥

[upbeat crown]

imo the worst constellation (for representation) has to be either Fornax or Canes Venatici

[livid glacier]

Draco......

[upbeat crown]

I think it was meant to represent the Asian snake-like long dragons instead of the European ones maybe idk

[livid glacier]

The greeks named

[upbeat crown]

idk maybe they heard of them in Persia/India during Alexander's conquests and thought "Huh, that's cool"

[low talon]

best constellation for representation is either delphinus or triangulum

[surreal kayak]

Cygnus:

[low talon]

or that

but you dont need brainpower to see a dolphin with delphinus

[surreal kayak]

you don't need brain power to see a bird with cygnus

[cerulean fox]

its meant to be a bird?

[steep swallow]

carina is also meant to be a bird

[honest orchid]

I thought carina was the back of a ship

[willow iron]

Hot take: Ritchey Chretien's are easier to collimate than newtonians

[upbeat crown]

Gemini is rly good imo

[compact storm]

Hot take for some: especially if you don’t own a full frame sensor, and you don’t mind doing a few upgrades which will make collimation much easier, Newtonians are better than refractors in almost every way possible (that will heavily effect image quality) in the HEQ5-EQ6 weight range.

[whole sequoia]

This really is a hot take.
Depends on what RCs and what Newtonians though

[whole sequoia]

Can you elaborate why newts are better than fracs in every aspect?

[livid glacier]

Better bang for your buck even with the costs or the mount and the coma corrector

And if you want to dwelve into infrared mirrors are better than glasses

So what's your counter argument

[willow iron]

I think reflectors are goated

Chromatic aberration is impossible and I think that is a good tradeoff for less contrast

[livid glacier]

But the phatash aparture is not to be underestimated

[honest granite]

I don’t really buy the ‘less contrast’ thing either, the extra aperture aways makes things sharper. I think the star spikes give an impression that the images aren’t as crisp but the dimmer backgrounds always are.

Downsides to newts are collimation (and having to deal with field rotation) and honestly that’s a big enough drawback.

[willow iron]

Supposedly the lost contrast thing only applies to visual astronomy. Doesn't seem to make a difference when imaging

[compact storm]

Advantages of Newtonians:

1. For the same focal length, you’ll get a much brighter image of f/4 or even f/3
2. Maybe not sharper (with the same pixel size, but that also depends on many things), but higher resolving power and resolution
3. Cheaper, even with more expensive coma correctors, upgraded focusers, upgraded secondary mirror holder and vein, primary mirror mask, and many other things. I calculated that a pretty beefed up 8” f/3 Newtonian with almost all of the different bells and whistles would cost (in total, with the cc) around 2500$, and if you go the f/4 route, it will be around 200-250$ cheaper because of the cc. While what I think a comparable in image quality (and if you’re trying to give the refractor some extra advantages) and fl SW Esprit 120 refractor costs almost 4000$. Well, excluding the diagonal and other stuff, just the OTA and flattener, it would probably be around 3000-3500$, which is still more expensive, and at f/7 instead of f/4. The cost for everything else would be similar, like you need an eq6r class mount for both.
4. Relatively open construction allows for fast cooling, so thermal instability is lessened (as long as the whole construction is built well)

Advantages of refractor:

1. You can use up to full frame sensors, in newtonians it’s up to APS-C
2. Usually better build quality and focuser, especially in the Esprit 120. However for me that’s not too important. A telescope is made to get the best views of space, not to look good.

So 3 major and 1 minor advantage of the Newtonian, and 1 major and 1 minor advantage for the refractor. I think it’s obvious who wins here.

[compact storm]

And with light pollution constantly increasing, and less and less people getting dark skies, that extra speed of a Newtonian really slaps.

[whole sequoia]

So is the possibility of a light leak.
Never in my life I had a newt without light leaks, while only 1 APO out of five had light leaks.

[compact storm]

That’s what adding an extra long dew shield, very black paint, flocking, adding baffles, and putting a plug at the back to not allow light to leak from the back is for.

[whole sequoia]

There are only 2 things I’d agree that newt > APO.

1. price
2. star spikes (if collimated properly)

[compact storm]

(Look at the long message I wrote above) also price is a very big thing for many people

[whole sequoia]

You have to put in a LOT of money and time for that to work. And even then, I’m 100% sure you won’t fix all your light leaks.

Also it’s kinda lame to compare them for focal length. You basically compared an 8” newt at f/3 or f/4 to an APO with same focal lenght. You will never ever find a good cheap APO for that price.
Newtonians were made for higher FL, while APOs are widefield machines.
Try comparing a buffed up 6” f/4 newt (with all upgrades) to FRA600 for example.
I’m pretty sure FRA600 wins

[compact storm]

Also people who are going to care about money and get a Newtonian will probably also not have the money to buy a full frame camera, so…

[whole sequoia]

Now that you brought that up.
Putting a FF cam on FRA600 and a 6” f/5 newt with a lot of modifications, that it is practically perfect. What would be better

Or let’s say 6” f/4 newt (if we want speed and FRA600 at f/3.9)

[honest granite]

You can put a bigger secondary on and use FF cameras but it reduces the effective aperture.

[compact storm]

Im directly comparing newtonians and refractors, so the fact that newtonians have higher fl is just a feature, possibly an advantage depending on what you shoot. Newts are much, much better value, and for the same price you can get much more resolution and brightness. If I were to want the best speed and focal length for capturing DSOs at a given price, I’d pick newts. I sometimes look at very big refractors and just see them as a waste of money. Yes, refractors are better for widefield, but that’s because they are basically the only option (yes there are RASA’s, but that’s a whole nother can of worms).
Hmm… I guess it’s sort of a tie then. If you like widefield and you’re not expecting yourself to do anything else or planetary, or visual, and you’ve got the money, then refractors maybe are better. But for everyone else, or for people who at the same time want a planetary/visual rig, newts are better.

[compact storm]

I feel like putting a 90mm secondary mirror on a 200mm newt is kinda stepping over the edge there.

70mm on 8 inches is kinda the practical limit I feel like

[honest granite]

That would still have the same light gathering capacity of a 178mm aperture frac

[whole sequoia]

It’s the coma corrector you’d have to cash out for that is restricting you from using a FF cam. 3” is needed for good results

[compact storm]

Yep. And a good 3” focuser. In total you’d have to spend 2000$ more to make all of that happen

[whole sequoia]

“Fl is just a feature”-the feature that kinda says what your light gathering speed is…

[whole sequoia]

Yeah and you have amazing fracs for that price as well 🙂

[honest granite]

Might as well get a hyperbolic newt at that point

[whole sequoia]

And price just got over the APO…

[compact storm]

Or RASA lol

[whole sequoia]

8” cannot handle ff, so you’ll have to cash out for 11” then

[honest granite]

You could argue that FF isn't as necessary, at least at shorter focal lengths, since you can get away with a smaller pixel scale

[compact storm]

Not to be rude, but I think you’re missing the point a bit. I think this is the best way to put it:
**If you shoot wide field DSOs only, and you’re not really a visual user, and can cope with the lower speed, refractors are better.

If the FOV you get with 600mm focal length at F/3 with an APS-C is wide enough, or small enough for your needs, and/or planning to do visual observations more seriously or want to use it as a sort of „universal scope” for planetary, 8”/6” Newtonians are better.**

[compact storm]

Oh yeah, sorry.

My bad

[whole sequoia]

Nah I get what you’re trying to say man, it’s just the fact that you came in here and said “Hot take for some: especially if you don’t own a full frame sensor, and you don’t mind doing a few upgrades which will make collimation much easier, Newtonians are better than refractors in almost every way possible (that will heavily effect image quality) in the HEQ5-EQ6 weight range.” And now you said that it’s 50/50…
It was a good “Hot take” 😉

[whole sequoia]

And FYI, 8”/6” newt can’t to sh*t for planetary imaging. Observation, I guess they do 🙂

[compact storm]

Eight inches ain’t that small

[compact storm]

I guess I was thinking in purely my point of view, as I was focusing on fl and speed.

But hey, it worked out in the end

[whole sequoia]

That’s more of a fact than a hot take then😅

[compact storm]

A lot of people still have biases towards one or the other. I guess I might be… maybe? Helping in that?

[frigid adder]

Tell that to user Cunrom with his 8" dob (hand tracking) and 178mc

[livid glacier]

Tbf a friend of mine managed to images ISS the chinese space station an Mars with a 10 inch dob

[livid glacier]

Hey ratbag thus is what my imaged with the dob and phone

[willow iron]

Hand TRACKING ?!? 😭

[frigid adder]

He’s a very impressive guy

[livid glacier]

I'll see if I can convince my friend to join this server because he really enjoys to taking these images and he's planning at an Eq-6

[main apex]

100% one hundred percent

I thought I was just crazy

But fr

[steep swallow]

I dont like the elephant trunk nebula

[honest orchid]

Me neither

It's hard to process well

[steep swallow]

it looks ugly

[livid glacier]

Nope it looks awesome

[solid spoke]

Flats are a type of calibration frame

[steep swallow]

thats a fact, not a hot take

[brazen void]

to @solid spoke it certainly is

[upbeat crown]

can you please tell me one person in the entire world who thinks Flats aren't a calibration frame, cause I'm pretty sure there's none

absolute zero take

[mellow scaffold]

🤓 umm excuse me but flats are types houses not “calibration frames” whatever those are.. I’m only kidding

[solid spoke]

@cerulean fox

Also are people allergic to satire

[livid glacier]

Hot take the names of the constellations came from people who had the belief that their names for the stars were better than anyone elses before

[solid spoke]

Hamburgers and cheeseburgers go well with fries

[livid glacier]

nope

[cerulean fox]

flats are a type of calibration frame, and ive never used any calibration frames

[steep swallow]

I really like how playerone show off their camaras

[solid spoke]

Where is mars cii my beloved

[steep swallow]

thats a planetary camara

[solid spoke]

Ikik

We all started somewhere

[grave veldt]

9 micron pixel size

[whole sequoia]

It could be a hot take for him though hmmm 🤔

[willow iron]

RC's are better than newts

[steep swallow]

thonk

[main apex]

💼e🌾 is best for visual

[solid spoke]

Caseewheat

[main apex]

Caseegrain

[livid glacier]

Hot take:
We're actually the most precious thing in the universe due to how little life actually is in here.

Here meaning the universe

[honest granite]

We’re probably not the only life in the unimaginably vast universe.

[livid glacier]

I'm not talking about being alone but the life/universe ratio is to small

Life in the universe is too precious compared to some of the most rare events

[light summit]

I mean, yeah. But think of it like this;

Our star is one of roughly 200 billion in just our galaxy alone. Most galaxies have far more than 200 billion stars, the Milky Way is below average in terms of average galaxy size/density. Our parent star is a G class white star, which tend to be relatively common in many galaxies, older red giants being the most common in older galaxies, and younger blue stars being more prevalent in younger galaxies. Most star systems tend to have around the same amount of planets as ours, give or take a few more or less. So that means however many stars are in a single galaxy, there's atleast several times that many planets. Multiply this amount of stars and planets by the trillions of existing galaxies in the observable universe, the statistical probability that our Earth is the only planet in the entire universe with viable conditions for intelligent life, let alone life itself, is unfathomably lower than the chances that a planet with life could exist only a couple dozen lightyears away from us.

Also, another fun thing to consider; since diamonds and other carbon based materials are ridiculously common throughout the universe, statistically wood and tree materials are rarer than diamonds, and potentially, on a galactic trade scale, more valuable.

[tight sierra]

But at the end of the day, we are extrapolaring from one data point, Earth. So it feels likely that the universe is filled with life. And we see how life in our past has survived great disturbances. But maybe we underestimate how hostile the universe can be, and how unstable other worlds are compared to Earth and our Solar Systen as a whole. Of course, finding life or traces of past life in Mars, Venus, Europa would mean that life is common. Personally, I think the most common world with life in the universe are icy moon and planeta with an ocean mantle that get geothermal energy. And "open air" worlds with life like our own are incredibly rare due to the hostility of the universe. But I am also extrapolating from a sinfle data point.

[dire crag]

Images of the Triangulum galaxy without narrowband are nothing other than boring

[frigid adder]

I agree, however a few close ups in the core without it can be really nice too

[whole sequoia]

“Everything is meaningless and we’re all going to die”…

Regardless of your hot take; don’t think so much… it’s a waste of energy 🙂

[main apex]

Birdhouses are stupid

When is the last time you saw a bird in a bird house hmm?

[dire crag]

Bro in winter there are literally 10+ birds at once by my bird house

[halcyon path]

damn

[main apex]

Not in

[frigid adder]

Yours is one of the close up exceptions (:

[dire crag]

They only get food

I ain‘t paying their rent for them

[willow iron]

Bugs suck

[cerulean fox]

open source software is a gimmick

[soft oriole]

A gimmick which serves as the backbone of half of amataur astrophotography

[honest granite]

Backbone to half of all professional software too

[livid glacier]

I mean open source gets the job done at 80% so why even buy the premium ones?

[steep swallow]

now that i think about it, theres a shit ton of open source astro software

[dire crag]

Photoshop

PixInsight

Astropixelprocessir

[steep swallow]

photoshop is open source?
dont think so

siril, PHD2, NINA, onstep, EQMOD, ascom

[dire crag]

Seeing a nebula visually is cooler than imaging it

[unique sky]

seeing anything visual is cooler than imaging it but most things are only possible to image without going to a low bortle area

[light summit]

I think both are fun and cool for different reasons.

There is a real charm, to see something many many light years away from you. That light took dozens, hundreds, possibly thousands to millions of years to travel from where it came from, all the way to the aperture of your telescope. And you gave it a purpose, an awesome one at that. To be viewed and appreciated by the eyes of an intelligent species, now that's an amazing feat for a particle of light.

Imaging DSO's is cool too, in that your giving light another purpose, capturing it to be displayed permanently in a beautiful, awe inspiring depiction of the universe's unmatched splendor, to be viewed by countless people over and over again.

I seriously need to see the Orion Nebula through an enormous dobsonian someday, I can't imagine the view is anything less than outstanding.

[grave veldt]

I agree unless there's some weird drawback i haven't heard of, on paper it seems better

[willow iron]

Only if you have an old GSO model

GSO RC's have the focuser tube mounted to the back of the primary mirror which makes collimation a nightmare

Unless you have an Apertura Carbonstar RC6 and that's not the case

The worst downside to this scope is the fact that I have to add and remove extension tubes to reach focus depending on if I want to use the reducer or not, and that may involve adjusting collimation as well.

[cerulean fox]

its pronounced tun-e-shen atlas

no other pronunciation

[halcyon path]

Jokes on you I pronounce it as "comet"

[cerulean fox]

so real

[light summit]

actually guys it's pronounced "Greg"

[compact storm]

Doing hot takes is useless.

That’s my hot take

[upbeat crown]

nah it starts funny arguments

that's a use right there

[sweet obsidian]

Tzu-chin-shan

The T should be almost silent

And Tzu should rhyme with zoo

Pardon the video I just woke up LMAO

[cerulean fox]

i mean yeah thats probably the correct one

[solid spoke]

bro you woke up and forgot to look like wesley

[dire crag]

Sorry I had to 😭

Hot Take: being flooded with orion pics is the worst part of winter season in ap

(If it’s not a high res close up)

[sweet obsidian]

LMAO

[compact storm]

As a semi beginner in Bortle 8, no filter and an uncooled and non-moded sensor camera, I disagree.

It at least gives me results to compare to

[upbeat crown]

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1113032213018181743/1124036717637279845/ED6EFBC5-A68E-48C6-9103-B123B1ECC22D.gif

[honest orchid]

yes

And all the tiny M31's during fall

[livid glacier]

Hot take
Other than California Nebula or the Sadr region the Ha signal is way less interesting to have alone and it makes better photos with the Oiii Ηβ magenta

[compact storm]

Agreed

[livid glacier]

Second hot take
Discord doesn't even worth to install in the pc due to opening images in the browser.So it's better to have it in a tab in the browser

[steep swallow]

i prefer alt tabbing

[livid glacier]

https://tenor.com/view/star-trek-tos-a-taste-of-armageddon-anan7-monster-gif-23504959

[steep swallow]

what

[livid glacier]

Alt tabbing for what?

[steep swallow]

between my browser and disc

[cerulean fox]

L no double monitor

[compact storm]

L no multi window on one monitor

[cerulean fox]

L

[compact storm]

L

[main apex]

Nahh you did

[compact storm]

Nahh you did

[main apex]

Shiiiiiiiiit my fault

[main apex]

Z is sideways N

[livid glacier]

V+V=W

[main apex]

Zo

[light summit]

n + n = m

[compact storm]

> + < = x

[little warren]

A+E = Æ ?

[upbeat crown]

d + z = ʣ

l + s = ʪ

u + u = ɯ

т + τ = π

[honest orchid]

3 * . = …

[little warren]

n + ∼ = ñ

[honest orchid]

| + 7 - / + - + _ = E

[solid spoke]

i cant do maths but i think hamburgers and cheeseburgers go well with fries

[main apex]

Ketchup or mayo as well?

[solid spoke]

I stand by may original statement and only my original statement

[honest orchid]

Eggs are better with mayo

[cerulean fox]

im killing you

[steep swallow]

I LOATHE runny eggs

[main apex]

Frogs are the best animal

[dire crag]

Frogs are a pest

[crystal totem]

HOT TAKE

Veil Nebula is ugly

I hate it

[main apex]

Uhhh

Sure?

[crystal totem]

yes

[main apex]

I hate the tarantula nebula tho

[crystal totem]

from smc?

[upbeat crown]

lmc

[crystal totem]

oh

[dire crag]

I approve

[frigid adder]

I agree for Eastern, western is awesome

[light summit]

Not sure if there's any nebulae or deep sky objects in general that I'd say are outright "ugly", it feels wrong to say that about anything in space

[frigid adder]

Agreed, there is almost always a feature in that particular object that can make it beautiful, like in Eastern Veil i think the "Scorpion tail" (thats what i call it) is such a cool feature how the Ha and OIII wrap round eachother

[light summit]

Yeahhh absolutely

Messier 78 too, idk why people don't shoot it more often

[frigid adder]

M78 is a cool widefield long integration image imo, loads of outer Ha, loads of dust, got those cool orange nebulae that look like fire in the dust (forgot their names) but its overall a really nice target if the time is put into it

[crystal totem]

nah, west is ugly, east is better

on east u got that venom face

in west everything is chaotic

and too much

[frigid adder]

Nah east got too little for it, its just the nebula and thats it really, West got loads to capture around it. However i think having a wide field FOV on both of them at once its best

[crystal totem]

agree on the last statement

[unique sky]

what about elliptical galaxies

[low talon]

massive, graceful blobs

[crystal totem]

yeah they are overrated

[light summit]

Elliptical Galaxies are cool too honestly, a nice thing about them is that since they have no structure, you can see the relativistic jets in the center if they have an active Quasar, like M87.

Also, they make up the majority of the population of large galaxy clusters, like the Coma Cluster or Hercules Cluster, and it's cool to see tons of them all in one spot like a big gathering of galactic eggs

[unique sky]

I just don't find them and globular clusters interesting

I see both as a blob

and blob no interesting

Especially if it's smth like m32 like that's basically a part of andromeda

[light summit]

To be fair, globular clusters and elliptical galaxies aren't exactly interesting in visual astronomy unless you have a really big telescope.

With larger aperture and higher magnification, globular clusters can be ridiculously cool to observe, thousands and thousands of stars packed into one spot, with potentially dozens of thousands more that are just too dim to see with the naked eye, even with a big scope.

Elliptical Galaxies are alright when it comes to visual, not the most visually interesting things in the night sky, but I think the enjoyment of viewing them really comes more from knowing what you're looking at. It's when you realize that you're looking at something hundreds of millions of lightyears away, many times larger than our own galaxy, that you truly gain an appreciation and awe for them. Plus, some galaxy clusters filled to the brim with ellipticals are naked-eye visible through a large enough telescope, and I'm sure that's an interesting and cool thing to see.

[unique sky]

the biggest scope ive looked through is my 150mm 😭

ive never visually looked at any globs bc ik there is no point

[unique sky]

tho when i said this i didnt just mean visual, i meant ap too

i guess i dont see astro as what im actually looking at but if what im looking at looks nice

[light summit]

The biggest scope I've ever looked through was technically my 127mm powerseeker, but luckily that garbage is long gone. My biggest (and only) telescope I currently own is my 114mm StarBlast dob, definitely not big enough to make globular clusters and elliptical galaxies visually exciting.

I've just heard from those who have enormous telescopes that globular clusters and galaxies in general look fantastic

So that's my only reference point

[unique sky]

i mean ive looked at double cluster if that counts but there wasnt much to see

just two patches of higher star density

[light summit]

The double cluster is interesting, but it gets a little boring after a few minutes of observing it

The Pleiades is actually pretty cool, doesn't get boring to me atleast. You can actually tell the stars are blue, and they're super bright even in smaller scopes.

[unique sky]

i cant

for me the stars are white

[light summit]

What bortle do you live in?

That might be a factor

[unique sky]

like bortle 7 but i was told i may be near bortle 8

so id say higher bortle 7

and according to wikipedia i am bortle 7-8

[light summit]

Ah, that would do it. It's kinda the same thing for me, I just remember a few weeks ago when I was at a bortle 4, the Pleiades looked so blue and vibrant through my 114mm dob.

[unique sky]

i wish i could go to a low bortle area

[light summit]

I too live in a bortle 8

[unique sky]

just not an option for me tho 😭

[light summit]

Yeah, not really for me either to be fair. It's a vacation place for me, we only go there once a year and stay for 2 ~ 3 days.

[unique sky]

i could probably go to a bortle 6

but lower than that i def cant

its just too far

[unique sky]

and for the elliptical galaxy part, i get that its an entire different galaxy but like

it dont look cool

id rather put the very few chances i get to take my scope out into imaging a target that looks nice over a blob

[light summit]

It's sort of a built appreciation, the longer you're in the hobby the more you enjoy even the simpler things

A lot of the things I've looked at through my StarBlast haven't looked like anything more than greyish shapes, only recognizable because I know what I'm looking at, and I can make out the details from there

But it's really cool, to know what you're looking at and that you can even see it from here.

[cerulean fox]

define really big telescope, the 102mm managed to get the stars of m22 in a b3 or so

*although i was farther south than usual

[honest orchid]

The fact that you can capture objects so huge, too, is cool. These are some of the largest things

[light summit]

Ehh, anything sufficiently large enough that it can be seen visually, without needing to do long exposure imagery. So maybe an 8 ~ 12 inch dob, although bigger is always better when viewing fainter objects (dark sky site helps too I'd imagine), so maybe one of those 20" obsession scopes or even the monster 40" dobs that Orion used to make.

[main apex]

M45 is the perfect messier object

[unique sky]

except when your fov is too small for it

[frigid adder]

No such thing! so much dust around that region! even at 18mm its a amazing target

[light summit]

Can the dust plumes in the Pleiades be seen visually with a large enough aperture (and dark enough skies too I'd imagine)?

[frigid adder]

Like the main dust in Pleiades? Pretty sure yeah! In this video they talk about a guy who wanted to see if IFN was visible, and he has apparently been successful! which given that IFN is alot fainter than M45 dust im sure its possible

Heres the link about visually seeing IFN (Skip to 08:25) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq2VW1vLdYI

[light summit]

Oh wow, that's actually amazing. The visual sketch of the IFN surrounding M81 and M82 is so neat, I've always figured it's far too dim to see even with a large scope. Really fascinating stuff

[frigid adder]

Haha those are my exact thoughts! always believed it was way too faint to even see some spiral arms on galaxies, however its now something that someones done and beyond, makes me want to (in future) purchase a huge fast scope and go to dark skies, see these things for myself

[main apex]

When you're old and the astro tech has gotten so far that you don't understand it anymore

[main apex]

"Daaad! It's so obvious, just plug the dinglefombeller into the camera and watch it chroncinsate!

"

[dire crag]

Planetary is boring, if you aren’t Tom Williams (aka tw astro)

[unique sky]

very hot take

so it's only fun if you have the best images?

[steep swallow]

Coming from someone who hasn't done planetary?

[frigid adder]

Planetary is very fun, quick views, quick images, its like visual but cooler!

[fiery kestrel]

Spoken like a true 6” Newtonian user

[unique sky]

i like it because:
1, My mount is shit
2, unaffected by light pollution
3, like you said, its quick

its just a lot easier

much more rewarding for if you dont feel like doing much

[frigid adder]

8” actually 🤓

I prefer DSO tho

[halcyon path]

cold take: ice is pretty cold

[steep swallow]

no way

[cerulean fox]

apple pie is the best pie

[fiery kestrel]

Based take

[steep swallow]

Haven't had that in aves

[willow iron]

M42 in a large dob is unbeatable.

[dire crag]

< Zwetschenkuchen

[main apex]

Ngl

< Key lime pie

PHOOOOOOIIIIIEEEE

BOOOAAAH

Sorry

Ever since I moved to France I've been craving

[noble barn]

"You know, Theory seems like a great place to live, I hear everything works there."

[idle fox]

ngc 4631 is not imaged as much as it should be

[cerulean fox]

mid

[steep swallow]

whale

[idle fox]

hubbles image is so cool

[honest granite]

I caught it earlier this year. Needs a proper process though.

[upbeat crown]

imho a lot of caldwell objects, especially galaxies, are underrated

only ones I consistently see are NA and Veil nebulas, plus some of the planetary nebulae up far north like Iris nebula etc

[main apex]

Ne pad ein Wahl anymore

IC is the best catalog

[main apex]

Uh sure bucko

Winnecke catalogue is obviously better

The melon catalog is also quite nice

[light summit]

Hot take: vignetting in the corners/edges of astrophotography images, when added intentionally, can be nice looking and help bring out your target (especially with smaller targets like some further galaxies, smaller/further nebulae, and even the planets if done right).

[crystal totem]

not rly a hot take

it really depends tho

[light summit]

Ah well, I just take it that the vast majority of astrophotographers despise having vignette in their images

[crystal totem]

yeah

[cerulean fox]

i will graxpert your final images

[dire crag]

Minutes are better than seconds

[unique sky]

only if it's a image through an eyepiece so it's a circle

[sweet obsidian]

https://tenor.com/view/взгляд-2000-ярдов-война-war-soldier-gif-3632617944134077161

If ykyk

[main apex]

H

Uuuh

I just want to eat it

[sweet obsidian]

https://youtu.be/jnrVd2BARx4?si=m2_kocqb2s5iQSwC

There are other videos too

Many

[main apex]

I would rather not

[sweet obsidian]

I haven't watched that one but it'll lead you down a rabbit hole lmao

[sweet obsidian]

It's an unsolved 4chan mystery

[tight sierra]

It's an artistic choice yes. I swing between "maping the skies" and "making it pretty" each week/month I process something

[main apex]

We NEED an aviation Fanclub in the leisure channels

[dire crag]

Nah

[vale lark]

#1013187817037365360 probably can discuss in there no?

[main apex]

Whoa;

!

Ive never seen this

Thanks!

[willow iron]

nebulae are just just star farts

[light summit]

stars are just extremely condensed fard

[compact storm]

Well then galaxies…

[light summit]

are just large collections of condensed fard

with one really big fard in the middle

[unique sky]

so our universe is a fard gallery

[compact storm]

And the Big Bang was explosive diarrhea.

[light summit]

nO-

[little warren]

we are fardust come to life ✨✨

[compact storm]

And to sustain that life we also "come"

[little warren]

https://tenor.com/view/writing-fire-gif-523038869044733220

[cerulean fox]

you gotta be a little honest to people starting out

a little mean

[unique sky]

y

ik you gotta lower their expectations most of the time but you don't need to be mean about it

[cerulean fox]

(mean compared to the average)

i dunno

mean wasnt the right word

[echo island]

I wish my scope was f/4.5 and not f/3.9

[frigid adder]

How come?

[cerulean fox]

mac and cheese isnt great

[echo island]

Collimating that thing takes surgical precision

Especially at my sampling

[frigid adder]

I collimate at F4/3.45 and found my only issue was fucser tilt, besides that its pretty easy lol

[echo island]

I never had to collimate my old f/5 newt, so im basically new to collimation

[steep swallow]

Wrong.

[frigid adder]

You sure it was fully in collimation? Like primary slips fairly easy even at F5

[solid spoke]

Your name could not be more fitting

[echo island]

My primary stayed dead still in the position i bought it

like 1yr or so

only the secondary needed adjustments

[unique sky]

i learned it as a very beginner and it was better than any other programs i tried

[fiery kestrel]

Finally someone said it

[steep swallow]

if made well, its amazing

but stuff like ezmac has gotton worse

[cerulean fox]

the celestron 102az is an exception to the general rule of thumb that "cheap celestron scopes are bad"

[unique sky]

which

[cerulean fox]

im guessing they are all identical but at least the starsense version

[unique sky]

the astromaster is way shortwr

[cerulean fox]

focal length is the same

[unique sky]

nevermind they're the same focal length it just looked shorter in the picture

yeah

neither list the stuff about the optics tho

all it says is fully multi coated

[cerulean fox]

optics are bobjones certified good enough

dragged it out to a b3 or so in georgia, resolved the stars of m22

was scanning around the milky way and found the omega nebula

(same b3)

[unique sky]

puch

ouch

moon looks fine tho

[cerulean fox]

certified good enough for visual

[unique sky]

better than other cheap celestron scopes but not an exception imo

it still looks pretty bad

[cerulean fox]

its good for visual at least

[unique sky]

ig

[unique sky]

are those elongated stars from the optics or trailing

[cerulean fox]

trailing

untracked lol

[unique sky]

ok good

[cerulean fox]

although it has since had some horrible event happen and now the stars actually do be like that

[cerulean fox]

i think it doesn't like thermal cycling

maybe it isnt a good scope

[unique sky]

i do that to my newt

it will get revenge on me someday

[cerulean fox]

rip to planetary ability

[willow iron]

Basically no features

That should be pretty detailed for a 102

[cerulean fox]

collimation went out

[willow iron]

Has to have

[cerulean fox]

did this with phone astro a while back

[cerulean fox]

?

can you finish your sentence it doesn't make very much sense.

like i know your probably going to say mirrors

[cerulean fox]

(refractors can get the elements out of alignment (source is gingercatmeow) so saying the collimation died is accurate)

[willow iron]

No like I mean is has to have gone out of collimation

I was just adding on to what you said

I'm well aware that refractors don't use mirrors lol

[cerulean fox]

oh im very stupid lol

this is why I have given myself the foolish name

[unique sky]

politely ask each glass element to return to its correct position

if that doesn't work throw a few bricks at it

[willow iron]

[cerulean fox]

I act stupid so I warn people beforehand

[cerulean fox]

astrobiscuit isnt even that good of a youtuber lol

[modern arrow]

pizza without sauce is actually decent

[golden pike]

I deserve Mini Nerd, ZEGERY

[slender torrent]

nyo :3

[modern arrow]

stop beggin, you'll never get it

[modern arrow]

besides your not worthy of it yet

[golden pike]

5 seconds is all i ask

[modern arrow]

no

[golden pike]

A man can dream

[slender torrent]

amma image needle galaxy untracked

trust

[modern arrow]

but can he achieve?

[modern arrow]

https://tenor.com/view/i-see-you-peek-uh-huh-yeah-right-gif-13358059985442788005

[slender torrent]

it would be funny if i actually did tho 😭

[golden pike]

Fact Take: Space and things is a pessimist

[slender torrent]

nah thats fact

not hot take

[modern arrow]

not so hot take: im being geniune and im just saying what the rules are

[golden pike]

Your right i dont deserve mininerd

i deserve mega nerd

[modern arrow]

https://tenor.com/view/thats-the-spirit-clapping-happy-enthusiastic-cheering-gif-15821978

[modern arrow]

fr tho mega nerd is hard to get

normal nerd even

[golden pike]

mini nerd is possible for me

[modern arrow]

whats ur rig?

[golden pike]

10 inch untracked dob with a dslr

[slender torrent]

watrs YOUR rig

[modern arrow]

seestar, fat borrowed not working 8 inch nexstar, and an old mount with a camera strapped to it and some elbow grease

also pixinsight

that helps

[slender torrent]

😭

[modern arrow]

hey i might not have money bc im 14 but im willing to make it work

best pic rn is this

[slender torrent]

doing better than me

i have 6" newt, soon to be tracked with 585mc

[golden pike]

ha im 7

[slender torrent]

soon to have a finder scope

[modern arrow]

oof you gotta be atleast 13 to be in this server

sorry bud

[golden pike]

im actually 5

[slender torrent]

pls report message aswell <3

BOTH

of them

[modern arrow]

wait are u actually?

cause you ain't supposed to be inhere

[golden pike]

yes

[slender torrent]

uhh

[modern arrow]

yikes

cya

[golden pike]

whos gonna tell him

[modern arrow]

we're not dum

a 5 year old wouldnt even know what a 10" newt is

let alone have one

[golden pike]

yea but a 7 year old would

[slender torrent]

doesn't mean i didnt report messages

[golden pike]

and my dada owns it

[modern arrow]

if you dont say your older mods will smite your ass

[slender torrent]

ur giving admission of guilt ngl

[golden pike]

woah woah woah im actually

[slender torrent]

where do u go to report something

bc i dmed a mod

[modern arrow]

ey give him a sec

[slender torrent]

and idk if thats allowed

[golden pike]

😱

[modern arrow]

we can't say for sure

[slender torrent]

fr

[modern arrow]

paint, be honest bro are you over 13?

[golden pike]

yea

[modern arrow]

for your saftey

[golden pike]

im

[modern arrow]

k good

whats ur best pic

[slender torrent]

an onion

[modern arrow]

amazing

[slender torrent]

frr

[golden pike]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/794651916646350859/1323833312594104362/image.jpg?ex=6775f359&is=6774a1d9&hm=535d1440aa3a38404e779f9b5262e197919c3366220e2131fe8bfa6a4d63dbcf&

[modern arrow]

that dont seem like a 10" and uranus c lol

[golden pike]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/794651916646350859/1323830954636349460/image.jpg?ex=6775f127&is=67749fa7&hm=cae7b1d5fdb56d0914f642356e8723e21b0f013b19e9ff1f565c01baec7acff5&

it was with a phone

[modern arrow]

and dob?

or just normal scope

[golden pike]

dob

[modern arrow]

ah

welp nice start

[golden pike]

i had to bare hand it

[modern arrow]

long road to go tho before even mininerd

[golden pike]

ik

[modern arrow]

good luck

[golden pike]

its possible tho

[slender torrent]

all except Orion is old

just to let u know :3

[golden pike]

its probably this one

[slender torrent]

out of focus

[golden pike]

ya kant expect much from an iphone with no telescope

[slender torrent]

just

get better

obv

[golden pike]

yea

[slender torrent]

sell iPhone buy android and telescope

[golden pike]

or keep dslr

[slender torrent]

or

sell iPhone

buy 40 onions

[golden pike]

i already have 40 onions

[slender torrent]

get 40 more :<

[golden pike]

38 yellow 2 white'

[slender torrent]

hot take

astrophotography is pigenous

[modern arrow]

thats actually really good for a phone

[slender torrent]

frr

[steep swallow]

wow an argumment

[unique sky]

this is not mininerd worthy lol

[golden pike]

ill fight u over it

[unique sky]

bro my first ever image is better than that

[golden pike]

i dont care, its good in my own mind

[unique sky]

ok but its not mininerd worthy

everyone can agree on that

[golden pike]

fine'

[unique sky]

this isnt mininerd either but its decent

not sure what this is tho

edge of andromeda?

[solid spoke]

This got me nerd back in the day

Luckily mininerd can be image based bc idk if I’ll progress through advice lol

[unique sky]

im not sure if im mininerd worthy yet but i think im close

i do try to give all the advice i can

[cerulean fox]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1167199155324715008/1322796742692831332/5starJuggler.gif

[golden pike]

how dare that get deleted

its was my motivation for a davind goggins transformation

[light summit]

I got nerd role for "being a kind and supportive member of the server" for some reason, then when the new mini-nerd role was added I got downgraded to that lol

[solid spoke]

you are always very supportive i agree

"no place for kindness" i guess

[light summit]

tbh I didn't really care in the first place, I didn't think I deserved the nerd role but having it being downgraded was a little odd

[solid spoke]

lol

[light summit]

I'm supportive to people because I know people appreciate that, and it makes me feel like I'm atleast contributing something, it makes me feel nice. And most of y'all are producing banger images anyway, so it's only deserved that you receive positive attention for it

I forget who specifically it is but I know there's someone here who refers to me as the glazer (derogative) because I'm just being a nice person lol

I mean, go off I guess

costs nothing to support others who deserve positivity

[solid spoke]

idk i always see you commenting first on peoples posts and liking them

[light summit]

I am also chronically online and I get some of my daily entertainment from seeing what the AstroBiscuit server is up to, so I do very frequently check the place out

[solid spoke]

same lol

[light summit]

not a good thing, not necessarily a bad thing either I guess?

[solid spoke]

igig

[slender torrent]

real

[slender torrent]

single frame of pleiades taken extremely short exposure from phone, is shit

taken before i had camera

im going to do pleiades next time

[modern arrow]

if the world thought like this we'd be dead

your too disregarding

[clear cobalt]

say what

ohhhhhh u said no telescope mb

but iPhones are SO UNDERRATED for phone ap, its just a skill issue, get good

bare iPhone no scope and in bortle 9 too:

[compact storm]

What? Teach me, I’ve got an iPhone 13 Pro

[clear cobalt]

just download astroshader and use it to livestack

[crystal totem]

@clear cobalt ik you are the best iphone astro user

should i get the 15 pro or wait almost a year for 16 pro

[clear cobalt]

i have no idea lol i think you should ask the astroshader guy himself

[clear cobalt]

i have a singular good pic, i dont think im the best, theres gotta be someone better for sure

[crystal totem]

lol still consider you good at it

[cerulean fox]

seestar > dslr and lens untracked

[compact storm]

I agree. Mostly because of the ability of the Seestar to track the night sky, so you can leave it for longer integration times without too much pain.

[unique sky]

you can get a dslr, lens, and tracker for the seestars price, but thats not just what the seestar is. try getting a goto mount, astrocam, lens/small scope, dew heater, and filters all for the seestars price and as easy to use and portable as it

the seestar is very good for its price

[compact storm]

You're saying that you can buy those used or new?

[unique sky]

im saying that the seestars price is very good since it has everything

[compact storm]

very beginner friendly too

[unique sky]

just the tracker lens and dslr would take up your budget if you wanted to match the seestars price, but then youre missing everything else the seestar has

yeah even if you did manage to get everything the seestar gives for the same price, your traditional setup is harder to setup and is less portable than the seestar

[compact storm]

there is something to be said though that getting the dslr + tracker + etc. can give you more of a learning experience

[unique sky]

yeah but if youre just comparing which is better, the answer is the seestar

going past that a traditional setup is better since vaonis is overpriced

[frigid adder]

I’d tend to disagree. Alt az tracking, can be worse optics than a camera lens, limited.

Star tracker and DSLR track in EQ mode, allowing longer exposures, larger FOV, possibly better optics, very versatile.

Not to say a SeeStar isn’t alright, it just isn’t something in EQ or upgradable in any way shape or form. Very good for price, but I’d rather use that money towards a better rig that’ll get much better images and that’s versatile

[unique sky]

wasnt zwo making an eq mode for the seestar?

i think they were or are working on one if its not a thing yet

[echo island]

well, they are takin their sweet time

[golden pike]

blurx is useless, and tons of stars in photos look good

[unique sky]

blurx is not useless but yeah in tons of photos the stars are good

but blurx still helps

[steep swallow]

wait till he learns about coma and astigmatism

[golden pike]

I like the deffraction spikes

[echo island]

That is not what coma or astigmatism do

[brittle sparrow]

That’s not what coma is lmao

[golden pike]

Ik coma is the when the star looks like a cone

[brittle sparrow]

Huh no

It looks like a cone because it’s not corrected

It will be like that at the edges

[golden pike]

Ive dug myself in a hole that was to deep, Blurx is not useless

[steep swallow]

legit this situation

[golden pike]

I was wrong

[willow iron]

short ride on the roller coaster

[worn trench]

starless >> regular astrophotos

[crystal totem]

Depends

You’re not going to do starless on open cluster

[cerulean fox]

yeah but like, who gives a crap about open clusters

[crystal totem]

I do

I need someone to process the images i did tho

[worn trench]

https://tenor.com/view/nuh-uh-beocord-no-lol-gif-24435520

[golden pike]

I hate this take, it should disappear

[golden pike]

space has stars

[light summit]

Everyone on Earth to ever live who's looked at, marveled at, wondered about, drawn, photographed, and loved the Pleiades

[light summit]

That would be a funny astronomy shitpost though, taking a really good image of M13 or something and including a starless version in post

[crystal totem]

[slender torrent]

I WOULD

[crystal totem]

[slender torrent]

hehehehehhehehehe >:3

[brittle sparrow]

Bet.

[solid spoke]

I’m waiting

[clear cobalt]

maaaaaaaaaan FCK STARLESS PICS

I will never like them

these starss be lighting up these beautiful globs of star dust and yall are like lets remove them

ruins the pic

[clear cobalt]

legend

[worn trench]

didnt say f stars, just that starless versions of astrophotos rockkkk

[modern arrow]

Yea

[light summit]

Hot Take:

It's more fun to observe the moon when it's visible during the day, as opposed to night

[echo island]

Looks more trash that way

[worn trench]

Moon in early mornings and late evenings when the sky is super colourful >>>

[upbeat crown]

I can get where you're coming from. The moon gets pretty damn bright during the gibbous and full phases, which can get a little uncomfortable when viewing with a telescope for a long period

[light summit]

Yeah. Plus, viewing full moons regardless of the time of day just isn't as fun as any other phase tbh. You don't get all the neat shadows with a full moon.

[limber cobalt]

Astrophotographers are ass at framing

[echo island]

Depends

[limber cobalt]

usually they are

[light summit]

they can be, sometimes it's limited by the actual size of their setup's field of view, other times it's just not having an understand of composition

rule of thirds is quite helpful

[limber cobalt]

haven't seen alot of rule of thirds in ap that worked ngl

[light summit]

aight hold on

[limber cobalt]

usually bc the subject is taking up soo much attention, framing it at a 3rd would look off

here it kinda works

this one is also good

[light summit]

these ones look nice, just some random images from my saved album

To be fair rule of thirds only really applies to the objects that benefit from it, other ones that are more singled out or don't have anything interesting nearby tend not to benefit as much

Like with the HorseHead and the reflection nebula nearby, you can get great composition and framing with those two

but with a single galaxy that doesn't have anything else infesting nearby, generally it's better to have it centered

Exceptions can be made tbf, like with M106, it's got some other neat stuff nearby, plus those two really bright orange and blue stars

[limber cobalt]

yea this is a good example of good framing

usually people just center stuff and don't think about it anymore

[light summit]

it's one of my favorite shots of M106

dk who imaged it, but I'm sure someone could figure it out

[unique sky]

1st and 5th aren't framed good imo

[light summit]

For the fifth one i personally would've tried to get the other galaxy in frame

[frigid adder]

Hot take: magenta stars are best stars in Hubble palette

Either you love it or hate it XD

[light summit]

I only included the first one since Rho and Zeta Ophiuchi kinda follow the rule of thirds, and you have the Milky Way core in the top left which looks kinda neat

[light summit]

they look cool I think

The original iconic Hubble image of the Pillars Of Creation highlight this especially

[frigid adder]

Exactly

[willow iron]

[cerulean fox]

you should be cast into fire

[unique sky]

its a hot take for a reason

[modern arrow]

HSS pallettes are underated

[echo island]

Colors are overrated

[frigid adder]

Colour shows specific wavelengths, while no colour is just all wavelengths, much more boring smh

[echo island]

You will need to try harder than that

[light summit]

would you prefer to live life in black and white, never to see the true color of anything again?

Never to see a crisp wintry sunset, nor a lush spring bloom? Never again to witness the striking shades of autumn, neither the warm inviting summer's glow?

Would you really abandon the visible spectrum, never to see a vibrant rainbow after a late afternoon's rain, the birds of paradise in the trees, nor, most notably, the fantastical and unbelievable colors of the cosmos, dim to our eyes but fascinatingly vibrant with the aid of a camera and telescope?

Life in black and white would be dull, everything would look the same. You'd lose your sense of reality.

-# or something, idk.

[limber cobalt]

crazy rage bate

[echo island]

Not ragebait just an opinion

[unique sky]

bate

[limber cobalt]

🤓 ☝️

[golden pike]

Is he gone

[limber cobalt]

he got banned for his opinions

[halcyon karma]

I thought he just left

[steep swallow]

he did

[limber cobalt]

if you buy the ZWO ASI2600MC-Duo your just wasting money

prob not a hot take lol

[fiery kestrel]

Any apsc colour camera is a waste of money.

[steep swallow]

if someones selling it dirt cheap then i dont see whats wrong tbh

but yea i wouldnt buy new

[fiery kestrel]

I would rather a minicam 8 over a 571c, unless I had a huge focal length, like over 1m.

[gaunt belfry]

Untracked is better than tracked

[worn trench]

Explain yourself mister 2957394 subs man

[halcyon karma]

this is not a hot take, its copium

[steep swallow]

Liar.

[unique sky]

this isn't even a hot take its just false

[light summit]

Untracked is more challenging than tracked, so I have more respect for those who're good at it

[prisma island]

hot take: green

[empty jacinth]

Green is the worst pixel value

[light summit]

it's also the color our eyes are the most sensitive to

[crystal totem]

Its also the color of disgust

[worn trench]

But nature is green too

[crystal totem]

Good point

[gaunt belfry]

[gaunt belfry]

Basically, I get a lower SNR since I take more frames at a lower exposure

[prisma island]

Hot take: if you're making an astrophotography Instagram post, pick literally any music to accompany it except for Hans Zimmer.

No shade on Hans Zimmer, but everybody and their mother has a post with Cornfield Chase lmao

[halcyon karma]

No time for caution on top

Mountains too

[empty jacinth]

It's a wonderful song...just overused in here

[prisma island]

Not sure how hot of a take this is: I hate how much of the language around processing is specific to Pixinsight.

[steep swallow]

yea

[prisma island]

(On a related note, does anyone have that one meme about if Pixinsight developers built Microsoft Word?)

[halcyon karma]

[prisma island]

[worn trench]

:TeamDSS:

[unique sky]

[low talon]

i use a lot of retrowave music in my posts

[prisma island]

Hell yeah. I usually pick drum n' bass, breakcore, or trance

[steep swallow]

i really like the green on skywatcher telescope

the green and white combo i quite like

[unique sky]

thats a hot take?

i haven't seen anyone who dislikes it

[steep swallow]

yea people hate it

[solid spoke]

I think that basic human rights should be universal including the right for free movement or whatever it is

Australia was built on immigration

[steep swallow]

for a long time it was built off the 'White Australia Policy'

was only after WWI and before WWII when it got removed

[empty jacinth]

Ok then show me an starless image of the milky way

[solid spoke]

I mean the Australia we see today lmao, it started as a hole, then a cheap place for white people ‘one pound poms’ and all of that, ignoring the immigration during the gold rush, multicultural immigration really started after ww2 but Australia built itself around that, also the white immigration is the same as any other

I’m just getting sick of one nation minded people

[worn trench]

Hey hey now why are we digging for messages before I matured in astro 😭

Besides star clusters look best in starless

[solid spoke]

What’s next? You eat an eggless omelette?

[solid spoke]

Looks great but incomplete

[steep swallow]

na looks soo much better starless

its not high integration but it looks nice tho

defo excited to pull 3min subs on the milkyway

[worn trench]

HEY >:(

Nah Im just a hater of star clusters

[soft oriole]

Stars look better when you do them right. I feel like thats harder than most people give it credit

[prisma island]

Hot take: green.

[prisma island]

On this same note: I think lots of people suppress stars far too much in astrophotos, particularly galaxy images. IC 10 looks spectacular swarmed by the stars of the Milky Way in Cassiopeia.

[light summit]

what's that green data?

[prisma island]

H-alpha

[light summit]

Ah ok, odd seeing Ha color-mapped to green instead of magenta

[prisma island]

It's an IRG image

[light summit]

Ah

[prisma island]

So the red filter data is in the green color channel