Remote Video Astronomy - Blog

Orion Nebula using RASA8 and DS8300c with LHDR & LPP

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

This past Friday night the Orion Nebula edged out from behind the pine trees in my neighbor’s backyard. This was my 1st chance using my RASA8 and DS8300c to view my oldest and most favorite video astronomy target! With this configuration, the field of view with the DS8300c was just right for M42 Orion Nebula and its neighbor NGC1977 Running Man Nebula. I have Bortle 6 skies in my neighborhood (with streetlamps) so I had an Antlia Quad Band Anti-Light Pollution Filter in place.

I used 2 different techniques. The first was a straightforward stacking of 40 images using 3 second exposure, 50 gain and 16-255 histogram.

M42 Orion Nebula - DS8300cTEC on RASA8

The second image used a combination of Live HDR (LHDR) and Live Post Processing (LPP). I started with the same 3 second exposures, 50 gain and 16-255 histogram like in the first image. After 20 images were stacked, I dropped the gain to 20 for 5 images, then dropped the gain to 1 for 5 more images (30 stacked total). This was a reverse sequence of most LHDR I have done where I normally vary the gain from low to high. This time I started with the most exposed stacked images, then mixed in 5 more images at half of the gain and then 5 more at minimum gain. This seemed to produce a nice image of the core while keeping the outer nebula portion intact.

At this point I snapped an image, saved it and opened it in Microsoft Photo Viewer to quickly make some Live Post Processing Adjustments for about 2 minutes and saved the results.

DS8300 m42 Orion Nebula - DS8300cTEC on RASA8 using LHDR+LPP

Live Post Processing (LPP) is a technique I have been using for a few months as part of my viewing sessions. After I snap an image in Mallincam Sky and save it, I then click on it to open the image in Microsoft Photos and spend about 2 minutes enhancing the image. When the image opens, I click on the Edit Image icon, followed by the adjust image icon and use the sliders (for Contrast, Exposure, etc.) to enhance the image. Here is a comparison of the Live HDR image (left) that I initially captured and the final results of using LPP (right).

LHDR & LHDR+LPP comparison

I find that using LPP helps me bring out the data within the image a little better and is a nice visual experience as well. Overall time is still quick enough to for a viewing session and then move on to the next target. I now use LPP as part of my viewing session after every image I capture to enhance the image and the viewing experience.

Resolution and Sensitivity field tests of DS26c, DS10c and DS8300c

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 08:00:00 GMT

I have been pleased with the results of using the new MallinCam DS8300cTEC on my RASA8 at f/2. It provides very good resolution due to its small pixel size of 2.9x2.9 microns – smaller than the pixels of both the DS26cTEC and DS10cTEC. Typically, smaller pixels may mean less sensitivity. Since I primarily pursue live video astronomy, sensitivity is important for keeping the exposure times short. So far, it seems to have really good sensitivity for its smaller pixel size.

Here are the specs of their CMOS sensor and pixel size (and max gain):
DS26cTEC: pixel size 3.76x3.76 microns, 28.3mm Diagonal Sensor, 6224x4168 (100 max gain)
DS10cTEC: pixel size 4.63x4.63 microns, 21.63mm Diagonal Sensor, 4096x2160 (160 max gain)
DS8300cTEC: pixel size 2.9x2.9 microns, 12.84mm Diagonal Sensor, 3840x2160 (150 max gain)

Due to its resolution and bigger sensor and field of view, the DS26cTEC is great for large Nebula such as the North America Nebula (NGC7000). What advantage, if any, might the DS8300cTEC provide? How does the DS10cTEC fit in between? It would seem the smaller pixel size of the DS8300cTEC should provide better resolution. However, the diagonal size of its sensor is much smaller than the others, which means it would have a smaller Field of View.

All three of these cameras come with the MallinCam TEC cooling chamber, which when turned on, essentially eliminates the need for darks for live video astronomy.

Some benefits can be subjective depending upon its use. The larger the pixel size, the more photons it can gather which results in better sensitivity (but with less resolution). Even though the DS8300cTEC has the smallest pixel size, it seems to be pretty sensitive. Stacking is noticeably slower when using the DS26cTEC full field of view at bin 1 which makes it less suitable for stacking during live viewing. However, its stacking can be noticeably sped up for live viewing when using the Region of Interest (ROI) setting since you are only stacking a portion of the sensor’s pixels.

I should note that I have seen very good results of each of these cameras when used for astrophotography by others producing amazing images through post processing. One day I hope to learn the techniques and skills required to do this as well. My current pursuit is still near real time viewing sessions with these cameras. I want to see images of deep sky objects as quickly as reasonably possible with color and details that far exceed visual viewing. I am interested in the wow factor of just seeing them and it does not matter to me if they are a little “grainy” or over exposed if it means I can see the target fairly well within 5-10 minutes of slewing my telescope to the target. This time restraint also includes a technique I have developed using a short period of “live” post processing after snaping an image, as long as it does not exceed about 2 additional minutes.

After all these considerations, I decided the best way to sort through this for my use would be to compare each of these cameras under live viewing conditions at bin 1 using the same field of view (and thus each processing the same amount of photons). Then differences in stacking time and in resolution, sensitivity and exposure settings is more readily apparent when the same FOV is used.

I could accomplish this by using the Region of Interest (ROI) setting to make the DS26cTEC and DS10cTEC field of view match the DS8300cTEC field of view. I picked the Pleiades (M45) as a good visual target to use for some initial tests. I found the following ROI settings for the DS26cTEC and DS10cTEC produced the same field of view as the DS8300cTEC:

DS26cTEC: 3054 x 1718 ROI
DS10cTEC: 2426 x 1364 ROI
DS8300cTEC: 3840 x 2160 native (no ROI)

I saved these ROI settings for the DS26c and DS10c so that I could easily load them as needed and reuse them in the future.

As a side note, since my backyard observatory is under Bortle 6 skies and I live in a neighborhood, I have been using the Antlia Quadband Anti-Light Pollution filter as a good general use filter and left it in place for these tests. Most of my time was spent inside (where it was warm) performing these tests using Remote Video Astronomy. I used the maximum gain setting for each of the cameras. Using a lower gain and stacking more images can provide a less grainy image, but will lengthen the total stacking time to produce the final image. So, since I am interested in seeing images quickly, for consistency I chose to test all the cameras at their maximum gain.

So, I now had an easy way of repeating viewing sessions for each of the 3 cameras using the same field of view. My next step was to then view some targets such as a Nebula or Galaxy to compare their sensitivity.

For my first test I chose a combination of the Bubble Nebula (C11) and Scorpion Cluster (M52) in the same field of view.

TEST 1. The images below are of C11 and M52 as seen by each camera’s full field of view using all their sensor pixels in order to give a visual feel of each chip’s FOV. The exposure and histogram settings and number of images stacked are also indicated.

1A - DS26c c11 Bubble Nebula, m52 Scorpion Cluster FULL FOV 6224x416
5 second exposures, 10 stacked, 100 gain (max), 10-63 histogram

1B - DS10c c11 Bubble Nebula, m52 Scorpion Cluster FULL FOV 4096x2160
2.5 second exposures, 35 stacked, 160 gain (max), 35-180 histogram

1C - DS8300c c11 Bubble Nebula, m52 Scorpion Cluster FULL FOV 3840x2160
2.5 second exposures, 35 stacked, 150 gain (max), 45-160 histogram

I uploaded each of these full field of view images to “nova.astrometry.net/upload” to obtain the image stats shown below:

1sA - DS26c Full FOV stats
1.94 arcsec/pixel for DS26c

1sB - DS10c Full FOV Stats
2.39 arcsec/pixel for DS10c

1sC - DS8300c Full FOV stats
1.50 arcsec/pixel for DS8300c

The pixel scale for each camera on the RASA8 as shown from the Calibration section are as follows:
1.94 arcsec/pixel for DS26c
2.39 arcsec/pixel for DS10c
1.50 arcsec/pixel for DS8300c

This confirms from actual use the DS8300c has the highest resolution at 1.5 arsec/pixel.

For the remaining tests, I used the previously saved Region of Interest (ROI) settings for the DS26c and the DS10c that produce the same field of view as the DS8300c full field of view as follows:

DS26c: ROI= 3054x1718 used to match DS8300c full FOV
DS10c: ROI= 2426x1364 used to match DS8300c full FOV
DS8300c: 3840x2160 full FOV (no ROI used)

Using these ROI camera settings to produce similar images would indicate a measurement of its sensitivity when processing the same amount of photons from the same target area, given similar conditions. The test images were captured over a 5 day period with clear and cool conditions and no moon. They were captured in near real time video astronomy sessions where time to final image was less than 10 minutes after the target was centered and camera settings adjusted for the target in the field of view.

TEST 2. The following test images are comparisons of the C11 and M52 target images with all three cameras “seeing” the same field of view. Note that the DS26c exposure setting was set at 5 second exposures while the DS10c and DS8300c were 2.5 second exposures. The DS26c histogram was also set a lot more narrow than the other two.

2A - DS26c c11 Bubble Nebula, m52 Scorpion Cluster
5 second exposures, 35 stacked, 100 gain (max), 10-63 histogram

2B - DS10c c11 Bubble Nebula, m52 Scorpion Cluster
2.5 second exposures, 35 stacked, 160 gain (max), 35-180 histogram

2C - DS8300 c11 Bubble Nebula, m52 Scorpion Cluster 2.5s
2.5 second exposures, 35 stacked, 150 gain (max), 45-160 histogram

As an example of my “Live” viewing time, the DS8300c image of the Bubble Nebula (C11) and the nearby cluster (M52) consists of 35 stacked 2.5 second images. The total stacked time is 2.5 seconds x 35 images = 1.5 minutes. I measured that the time to actually process and stack these 35 images was 3 minutes. During those 3 minutes I enjoyed watching the image become more clear and detailed. When it reached stacking 35 images, I clicked on snap and saved the image. I then opened the image in Microsoft Photo Viewer and adjusted the contrast, exposure, brightness and shadow controls to my liking using my Live Post Processing method in less than 2 minutes and saved the image. This gives a better visual of the data contained in the captured image. So, the total time from initiating stacking to saving the final image was about 5 minutes (3 min actual stacking time + 2 minutes live post processing). Of course, using an 8” RASA helps a lot here (but even with a f/5 80mm refractor I experience seeing images reasonably quick for live viewing).

TEST 3. The next test images are comparisons of the M33 Triangulum-Pinwheel Galaxy with all three cameras “seeing” the same field of view. Again, the DS26c exposure setting was set at 5 second exposures while the DS10c and DS8300c were 2.5 second exposures to produce similar images, attesting to the similar sensitivity of the DS10c and DS8300c.

3A - DS26c m33 Triangulum-Pinwheel Galaxy
5 second exposures, 45 stacked, 100 gain (max), 10-63 histogram

3B - DS10c m33 Triangulum-Pinwheel Galaxy
2.5 second exposures, 45 stacked, 160 gain (max), 35-110 histogram

3C - DS8300c m33 Triangulum-Pinwheel Galaxy
2.5 second exposures, 45 stacked, 150 gain (max), 45-160 histogram

TEST 4. The final test images are comparisons of the NGC457 Owl-ET Cluster with all three cameras “seeing” the same field of view. For this cluster, the DS26c exposure setting was set at 5 second exposures while the DS10c and DS8300c were 1.5 second exposures.

4A - DS26c NGC457 Owl-ET Cluster
5 second exposures, 10 stacked, 100 gain (max), 5-175 histogram

4B - DS10c NGC457 Owl-ET Cluster
1.5 second exposures, 10 stacked, 160 gain (max), 15-200 histogram

4C - DS8300c NGC457 Owl-ET Cluster
1.5 second exposures, 10stacked, 150 gain (max), 25-200 histogram

With clusters, I might note the time to a final image is even shorter. With the DS10c stacking 10 frames of 1.5 second exposures, it took only 22 seconds to stack them. Add a couple of minutes of live post processing and you see a fairly good image in under 3 minutes.

SUMMARY

In all tests the exposure time used with the DS10c and DS8300c were shorter than the DS26c for the same FOV. This implies that the DS8300c is more sensitive than the DS26c even though its pixel size is smaller than the DS26c pixels. The settings for the DS10c and DS8300c were very similar, which also implies their sensitivity appears to be similar, even though the DS8300c pixels are smaller than the DS10c. The smaller pixels of the DS8300c also provide a little more definition to the target.

So, if I am going to be viewing smaller targets, I believe the DS8300c will be my camera of choice. For wide field of view targets, like the North America Nebula, the DS26c wins. The DS10c would be a nice intermediate choice with good sensitivity but less resolution. I think the most notable result is how sensitive the DS8300c is even though it also has the smallest pixel size, which also provides the best resolution.

DS8300cTEC First Light w C6 Hyperstar at f/2

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Last night I tried out my new DS8300cTEC video astronomy camera on my Celestron 6” telescope with Starizona Hyperstar at f/2. I have seen some great images by others using the DS8300cTEC on a Celestron RASA8 telescope using post processing that show what this camera can do on the high end of the scale. I plan to use my DS8300cTEC on the other end of the scale on a portable setup for near real time viewing and outreach. For this, you need the ability to “show something quickly to talk about” and to be able to see several Deep Sky Objects in one viewing that is much more impressive than looking through an eyepiece on a telescope.

The C6 with Hyperstar is a promising portable combination that I have used with my DS10cTEC. I used my AVX mount on my pier in my SkyShed for my DS8300c first light testing on the same C6 with Hyperstar. For portability, I would use this on my Evolution mount.

In the above picture the Hyperstar is hidden by the Dew Shield. The following picture shows the C6 before and after the Hyperstar is installed replacing the secondary mirror. The DS8300c (or DS10c) easily screws onto the Hyperstar. This also shows the C6 on my portable Evolution mount.

The DS10c had a very large field of view due to its fairly large sensor size, especially when used with Hyperstar. This requires notable zooming (or using ROI) for many typical outreach targets. I found the DS8300cTEC seems to work well visually to see objects reasonably well without zooming, and works well when zoomed in due to its small pixel size. The DS10c has 4.63 micron pixels and the DS8300 has 2.9 micron pixels. The DS10c is a 10.7MP camera while the DS8300c is an 8.3MP camera, which seems to make the stacking a little quicker with the DS8300c since less data is being transferred and the FOV is smaller on the DS8300c.

Below are some images from last night that confirmed for me that the DS8300cTEC should accomplish my objective. The small crescent moon was up at twilight when I captured my first image, which gives a good idea of the FOV with this setup. I was only able to do a quick focus just before the moon set below my rooftop. Before moving onto other targets, I performed a better focus using Vega and a focus mask. The following images include the exposure time in seconds, gain, histogram settings and number of stacked images. All images use bin 1 and a CLS filter.

Moon 1.6ms 1g 0-255h no-stacking CLS filter 8.25pm-twilight

M13 Hercules Cluster 1.1s 75g 0-255h 20stk CLS filter

DS10c: M13 Hercules Cluster 1.1s 160 16-255h 15stk CLS filter. This is a prior night's image using DS10c with same setup for comparison purposes. The field of view is much larger than the DS8300.

M29 Cooling Tower 1s 130g 0-255h 10stk CLS filter

ngc6633 Captain Hook Cluster 1.3s 65g 10-255h 10stk CLS filter

As an example to “show something quickly to talk about”, the Dumbbell immediately appeared on the screen when the slew stopped. This image was captured in less than a minute using 1.1 second exposures, 75 gain and 20 stacked images. It is followed by a zoomed image that shows more detail.

M27 Dumbbell 3s 105g 75-255h 10stk CLS filter (<1min) – FULL field of view

M27 Dumbbell 3s 105g 75-255h 10stk CLS filter (<1min total time) - Zoom/cropped image to see more detail.

Keep in mind that this is from my Bortle 6 southern skies in my hot and humid backyard in the summer. To combat the skyglow, I used an Astronomik CLS-2 Filter. I will probably need to wait for winter skies here to be able see fainter nebula (or use a different filter).

Based on this "first light" night, I expect my DS8300c will become the camera for my portable setup. Using the DS8300 felt like it was easier to get a nice view of a target.

Second Night

Amazingly I had a 2nd clear night to try out my new DS8300cTEC! It was a “little” cooler (79 degrees) and less humid (68%), but still not ideal viewing conditions in my backyard Bortle 6 skies. I decided to try some other filters that might help with faint nebula. I have a filter drawer on the Hyperstar C6 so it is easy to swap filters out. I just have to refocus whenever I remove or swap filters. I found the Crescent Nebula fits nicely in the DS8300c Field of View. It was easy to remove the CLS filter I used the previous night and try the L-Extreme filter followed by the L-eNhance filter. This is the first time I have used these filters and I need to learn how to adjust the colors a little better, but I was definitely pleased with how well I could see the Crescent Nebula without needing to zoom in.

Due to using these filters and my subject target, I switched to using 15 second exposures and stacked 10 images for the captures. Below are images using each of these filters. Even though each image took longer than the previous night due to the filters used, I timed it and found it just took a total of 3.5 min to stack the 10 images. This is still within near live “talking time” for outreach purposes and was interesting to watch as more images were stacked. Note: these images were “post processed” for 1 minute using MS Photo viewer to show up better on the web.

c27 Cresent Nebula 15s 150g 20-200h 10stk L-Extreme filter (=~3.5 min) pp

10 - c27 Cresent Nebula 15s 150g 14-200h 10stk L-eNhance filter (~3.5 min) pp

DS8300 moved to a small refractor

I saw posts where others have used the DS8300c on a small refractor. So, another night I decided to try my DS8300c on my small MCR-80ED refractor. Since my C6 with Hyperstar was set up on my equatorial mount on my pier, I just used my small portable SkyProdigy Alt-Az mount I had handy.

The tracking on this mount limited me to stacking 10 second exposures, which is fine for my outreach use. I looked at three targets: M13 Hercules Cluster, M27 – Dumbbell and C27 – Crescent Nebula. No filter was used for M13 and M27. I used the L-eNhance filter with C27. Again, these are at a Bortle 6 sky in a neighborhood with 80 degree night temps and very high humidity (95%+).

I mainly wanted to see the Field of View and image results on the 80mm f/5 refractor compared to using my C6 with Hyperstar f/2. This refractor and DS8300c seems to work fairly well for an extremely portable setup, and some typical targets fit nicely in its FOV. As expected, the C6/Hyperstar FOV will be better for larger nebula and f/2 exposures, while still being portable.

Below are 3 images using the 80mm refractor plus one image from C6/Hyperstar capture of m27 for comparison.

m27 Dumbbell 2.6s 140g 70-200h 20stk FULL field of view using no filter with 80mm refractor

m27 Dumbbell 3s 105g 75-255h 10stk FULL field of view using C6 with Hyperstar (comparison image)

m13 Hercules 2s 73g 42-255h 60stk using no filter with 80mm refractor

C27 Cresent Nebula 10s 150g 30-70h 10stk using L-eNhance filter with 80mm refractor

I think both of these setups will work for my portable use. If I need a really lightweight setup, I will use the MCR-80ED refractor and small Alt-Az SkyProdigy mount. I can run it all for several hours with the TEC cooling active using my ROCKPALS 250-Watt Portable Lithium Battery Pack with 12v DC and 110V AC Outlet.

The C6 with Hyperstar packs a lot in a small package and paired with an Evolution mount is also very portable. Since the Evolution has a built in Lithium battery, my battery pack could easily run the DS8300cTEC with cooling active and supplement my laptop with a 2nd monitor for a long time.

One other item I have come to appreciate about the DS8300cTEC is it’s power cable. It is noticeably smaller and more flexible than the power cables for the DS10cTEC and DS26cTEC that I have. The cable to the left in the picture below shows the small flexible portion of the power cable that goes into the back of the DS8300cTEC.

You can piggyback this small cable onto the USB cable (e.g. using Velcro) to make it seem like you are just routing a single cable to the back of the DS8300cTEC. One thing I have noticed with the DS8300cTEC is that I am not able to use it with my portable laptop with just the USB cable connected. Once I also plug in the power cable, MallincamSky shows the camera is connected. By having the small power cable paired up with the USB cable ahead of time, I can quickly route and plug them both in when assembling my portable setup and be able to use the fan and/or cooling as needed.

Below is a link to my post showing how to install the Hyperstar on the Celestron 6" telescope. It also shows my initial images using the DS10c on the C6 Hyperstar.

Click Here for more C6 Hyperstar details.

2024 Eclipse from Riesel, TX

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

When I woke up on Monday, April 8th, at our Eclipse RV site in Riesel, TX, I looked out the window to see if the prediction of clouds was true. It was! Clouds from horizon to horizon!! Then I remembered it was cloudy the morning of the 2017 Eclipse and it cleared for totality. So, I proceeded as planned and put my C130 Newtonian onto my SkyProdigy mount that was previously aligned. The C130 already had my Mallincam DS10c inserted with a 0.8x focal reducer and locked in focus from the prior CLEAR night test. I selected the sun and then slewed to it, or rather where it was behind the clouds. Here is what the skies were looking like mid-morning and me trying to stay optimistic next to my telescope that was dutifully tracking the fuzzy sun as the morning progressed.

It turns out it became less cloudy later in the morning with occasional breaks during partiality. Like 2017, it became reasonably clear during totality! I was capturing images every 2 minutes during partiality and switched to every 2 seconds just prior to totality. I did have to make periodic centering adjustments as you will notice in my images.

Below is an overview of a few of my best images during the eclipse...

Since I was using an Alt-Az mount, you will notice some field rotation. I used video mode with auto exposure to handle the changing cloud conditions. Here is a picture of my MallincamSky screen using the auto exposure box while cloudy … and you can even see a couple of sunspots (as well as the clouds)!

When totality began and I removed my solar filter, all I had to do was quickly move the box around on the screen until I saw a viable image appear. I then looked up and enjoyed seeing totality using just my eyes. Once again, I was amazed at what I saw. I believe there was some haze affecting how much of the corona was visible. But we could easily see with our naked eyes a noticeable red prominence extending down at the bottom of the sun! You can see it and some other prominences in the images. Below is an image where I have adjusted the color to approximate the view of the sun we saw with our eyes when we looked up (but without the cloudy background).

Since totality lasted 3 min 45 sec at Riesel, we also took time to view things around us during totality. We even felt a breeze at totality. Shortly after totality it began to get cloudy again.

I originally had another mount and telescope setup that I was unable to use due to focuser problems on the telescope, so I used my little SkyProdigy backup mount setup. As it turned out, it worked pretty well.

During partiality we used highly calibrated and expensive devices to also view the eclipse progress. Can you guess what devices produced these images of the eclipse of the sun?

We had some visitors to our RV site that we invited to see images on my screen of the eclipse as it progressed, in addition to their seeing it live through their paper solar glasses. Needless to say, they were astonished at what they saw live on my laptop screen. One person asked if he could take a picture of the image on the screen. I said sure. What we did not realize is their reflection on the laptop screen was also captured in their photo, turning it into a selfie with the eclipse. So, Sharon and I quickly posed for our own selfie with the eclipse. Here is our unique “selfie” on that day with the eclipse.

When Sharon and I were first married we lived in Austin, Texas for a couple of years. We enjoyed driving out into the hill country exploring what we could see. While we were in Reisel we took a day trip to drive through the hill country again. We were fortunate on this Eclipse trip to see a couple of our favorite things we remembered… fields of Indian Paintbrush flowers and Texas Bluebonnets.

Below are the full images of the 2024 Eclipse that were included in the overview.

Before eclipse began

Partial Eclipse of the Sun by the Moon

The Diamond Ring

Bailey's Beads

Corona

Totality

Partial Eclipse after totality

Eclipse of Sun by the Moon completed

When we headed home, we declared the trip to Riesel, Texas was a success!!

First use of Hyperstar 6 on Celestron 6” with DS10c

Sat, 17 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT

I recently received my Starizona Hyperstar 6v4 for my Celestron 6. My idea is to use my C6 on an Evolution mount for portable outreach at f/2 using my DS10c. I first had to install the Starizona secondary mirror plate with knob onto my C6 secondary mirror to enable it to be easily removed when using the Hyperstar 6. If your Celestron 6” secondary mirror does not have a plate with a knob, click on the link at the end of this post for further instructions.

To set up the Hyperstar, position your telescope tilted slightly upward. Then carefully unscrew the secondary mirror retaining ring.

Unscrew the can from the end of the Hyperstar and place it nearby. Grasp the knob to pull the secondary out and then place it in the can you removed from the Hyperstar. Then screw the retaining ring onto the can so the secondary mirror can be safely stored while the Hyperstar is in use.

Now carefully insert the Hyperstar where the secondary mirror was removed and screw it in place. Do NOT overtighten - just screw it on until it is slightly snug.

Now screw the camera onto the end of the Hyperstar. Again, screw on until snug, but do not over tighten.

Now attach the USB cable, and if using TEC cooling, attach the power cable.

First Light with Hyperstar C6

I had my initial HyperStar C6 + DS10c viewing session using the Evolution mount on Monday 2/5/2024. It was a clear night in my backyard and about 45 degrees, but with humidity here in the South of 85%.

After setting up the C6 on the Evolution mount and adding the Hyperstar 6v4 and DS10c, I performed a StarSense AutoAlign and then slewed to a bright star. Using a Bahtinov focus mask, I focused as best I could, knowing I would have to collimate the Hyperstar since this was its first time use. Having used a Hyperstar on my C8 I was familiar with the process of using the Hyperstar adjusting screws. After a period of time I had a good enough collimation to begin.

Even though it was clear, I did have to contend with humidity and my Bortle 6 surrounding Skyglow. Due to the conditions, I first checked out star clusters to get a feel of the field of view and exposure time. The DS10c was set at bin 1 for this session. Since this was my first time with this setup, I just have a few examples. With the Hyperstar on the C6, note that star cluster exposure time is under 1 second at bin 1.

Here are my “first light” image captures using the Hyperstar C6 with a DS10c Video Astronomy camera.

m45 Pleiades
Settings: 0.5 second exposure, 160 gain, 50-255 histogram, 15 stacked images

m36 Pinwheel cluster
Settings: 0.75 second exposure, 130 gain, 45-255 histogram, 20 stacked images

m37 Salt-and-pepper cluster
Settings: 0.75 second exposure, 135 gain, 45-255 histogram, 10 stacked images

Second Night

I had my second night with the Hyperstar C6 + DS10c viewing session on Tuesday 2/6/2024. It was also a clear night in my backyard and about 50 degrees, with humidity of 55%. The SkyGlow and humidity gave me some grief again trying to view nebula. So, I decided to give the filter drawer a try and inserted a 2” SkyGlow filter hoping it would help, which it did. The first thing I realized though was the added glass of the filter in the optical train changed my focus. So, I slewed to a bright star, used the Bahtinov focus mask and brought it back into focus. Using a filter also increased the exposure time some, but at f/2 it was still fast and definitely helped with my Bortle 6 skyglow.

I was pleasantly surprised that the exposure time was still within the crowd-pleasing range for outreach. Looking at the list below, you can see that my exposure time was still under 2 seconds even with this filter in place with the DS10c at bin 1. I did begin to notice some vignetting with the Hyperstar on the C6, but to me it was OK for outreach where speed of seeing a nice image is needed. What really made this effective was the use of ROI which produced a significant difference in stacking speed since only the pixels of the region of interest were being transferred from the camera to the computer and stacked. Also the image cropping when using ROI reduced the visible vignetting.

The Andromeda Galaxy image using ROI 2200x1700 enabled MallincamSky to stack 50 1.6-second images in 1.5 minutes. Even though the Crab Nebula was small, you do begin to see some detail in its ROI image. The Orion Nebula was also small in the full field of view image, but note that it was produced by a 0.6 second exposure with no stacking! I included two 1600x1000 ROI images of the Orion Nebula, each stacking 30 1-second images at a lower gain. I used LHDR in the last one to enable the core stars to be visible. Notice that I started it with same the exposure as the other one and then dropped the exposure briefly at the end using LHDR to populate the center core.

The SkyGlow filter was in place for all the following images.

m31 Andromeda Galaxy
Settings: 0.75 sec then 1.2sec LHDR, 160 gain, 95-255 histogram, 20 stacked images

m31 Andromeda Galaxy
Settings: 1.6 sec, 160 gain, 130-255 histogram, 50 stacked images, ROI 2200x1700, total time 1.5 min

m1 Crab Nebula
Settings: 2 sec, 160 gain, 80-255 histogram, 55 stacked images, ROI 1200x800

m42 Orion Nebula
Settings: 0.6 second, 160 gain, 20-255 histogram No stacking

m42 Orion Nebula
Settings: 1 sec, 110 gain, 60-255 histogram, 30 stacked images ROI 1600x1000

m42 Orion Nebula
Settings: 1 sec then briefly 0.2s LHDR, 110 gain, 60-255 histogram, 30 stacked images, ROI 1600x1000

I am pleased how the C6 with Hyperstar and DS10c work well together, and I believe it will be a good portable combination.

Note: If your Celestron 6” secondary mirror does not have a plate with a knob, for further instructions click: installing-secondary-mirror-mounting-plate-wknob-on-celestron-6.html

Installing Secondary Mirror mounting plate w/knob on Celestron 6”

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT

It is stated that all Celestron 6” telescopes are compatible with the Hyperstar 6. However, some C6 (like mine) need a new plate installed on the back of the secondary mirror to make it easy to remove and store it into the supplied Hyperstar container. So, I had Starizona include their secondary mirror mounting plate w/knob and appropriate screws in my order. Once installed, it makes it easy to remove the secondary mirror and insert the Hyperstar in its place.

I learned most 6" Celestron telescopes are factory compatible with the Hyperstar and come with a knob you can grasp to pull the secondary out after you remove the retaining ring. Then it fits nicely into the little can that you remove from the Hyperstar before inserting the Hyperstar in place of the secondary mirror. Then the retaining ring screws onto the can so the secondary mirror can be safely stored while the Hyperstar is in use.

However, I purchased my Celestron 6" separately from other equipment and it had no knob for me to grip to slide out the secondary after removing the retaining ring. If you look closely at the following image, you will see that there is a serial number stuck on my secondary mirror back plate where most C6’s have a knob.

Without a knob, the only way to get the secondary out is to use a knife to pry along different parts of the lip of the secondary after you remove the retaining ring. Once you have it out it would be risky handling it and trying to put it in the container. So Starizona provides a replacement mounting plate w/knob that solves this issue.

Now, here is a word of caution. Do NOT try to replace the plate when the secondary mirror is still in place on the C6! You must remove it from the C6 to perform the simple modification procedure.

To begin, keep the telescope tilted slightly up, carefully unscrew and remove the retaining ring. The following picture shows that the lip of my secondary mirror plate sits flush and it would be very hard to remove just using your fingers.

Using a sharp knife, ease the secondary mirror out and place it mirror down on something very soft (e.g. stack a few plain Kleenex on a table - ones without lotion).

Note the location of the side index screw. Then carefully remove the top 3 screws and remove the plate from the mirror. Use the new screws provided to attach the new plate with the knob, with its side index screw in the same orientation as shown below.

This process is pretty easy if you just take your time, and you never have to do it again! You will have to re-collimate the secondary the first time you use the telescope with the secondary mirror back in place.

Starizona also recommended when installing the new plate to adjust the new screws so the plate is approximate parallel to the secondary mirror to make it easier to collimate later. When you first attach it, just lightly screw the new plate in place. Then look at it from the side and adjust the screws until it is approximately parallel (loosen other screws before screwing one in further). Having it about parallel to begin with means it doesn’t take much adjusting once installed on the telescope to collimate it.

In the following picture, the secondary mirror is now back in place and shows it now has the new plate w/knob, just like most standard factory C6 telescopes.

Arkansas Starry Night Viewing Site

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT

A little over a week ago I was getting ready for a week-long camping trip under the Arkansas skies near Mammoth Springs. In the past this has been primarily a camping/fishing trip for some men (and some of their sons) from our church and any others who wish to attend what has come over the years to be known as the annual Knucklehead Family Reunion. Since I had not had much luck with fly fishing, I had not been in a few years. I found out there was a good open sky area on a hill in a field right across the road from some of the cabins at the location they have used for the last 3 years. And I learned it also has good dark skies there (Bortle class 3!). Hmmm, I said to myself. Maybe it is time for this to become a camping/fishing/video astronomy trip. As I discussed it with some of the guys, they encouraged me to come and bring along my astronomy gear. And that’s what I did.

I was limited on packing space in my Jeep Cherokee, so I took my basic portable video astronomy setup. I carried my small Celestron Alt-Az SkyProdigy mount with built-in StarSense AutoAlign Camera, my Mallincam 80mm refractor telescope and Mallincam DS10c camera. Here is a daytime picture of my setup with my laptop inside a bin turned on its side on the table.

Starry Night Viewing Site in process of being set up in field across from cabins. Battery power used for telescope, laptop and viewing monitor.

This refractor telescope and camera work great together without the need for a focal reducer and are well balanced when mounted on the small SkyProdigy mount.

MC DS10c on Mallincam 80MM Telescope using Celestron SkyProdigy Mount with built in StarSense AutoAlign

Here is a night picture with an external monitor connected to my laptop and set up on the table so everyone could easily see the “near real time” live image from the video astronomy camera “looking” at the sky through the telescope. The telescope was pointed at the Andromeda Galaxy when this picture was taken.

KFR 2023 Starry Night Viewing Site with telescope in background, viewing monitor on table, Laptop control inside bin also on table

I had 4 straight nights (Oct 7-8) of clear dark skies with various interested men and boys watching my monitor, discussing what we saw and asking questions. Some really good questions were asked like “can we see stars outside our galaxy?” (Basic answer - all stars that we see are in our own galaxy, unless you have a Hubble or Web telescope and a gravity lens handy). For the first time some saw the Dumbbell Nebula, the Hercules Cluster, the Ring Nebula, Andromeda galaxy, etc. appear on the screen shortly after slewing to it. Then after making a few adjustments and just a little stacking they were amazed at what they saw. We discussed distances to objects inside our own galaxy, and galaxies far, far away – millions of light years away. I decided afterwards the trip was a success.

I kept my exposures to a max of 5 seconds and used the histogram to keep the background dark and quickly bring out features using LHDR stacking. Due to the Alt-Az mount you can see some field rotation at the edges of an image when the target was high in the sky, but the centered object is the main attraction. As I went from one target to another, they quickly got the idea that this is more like looking at objects in the sky through a telescope rather than taking pictures. In fact, I sometimes forgot to do screen captures before jumping to show them something else. When I said “I think there is a galaxy here on the screen... I’ll zoom in and make some adjustments to see what we can see”, they really got the idea it's near real time viewing.

The following are some of the images that I did capture. Most of these images are zoomed in with the target centered to show the detail like I do on the monitor. For reference, the first image is the Dumbbell Nebula shown in the full field of view for the DS10c camera on the refractor telescope before I zoom in. It is followed by its “zoomed in” image of the Dumbbell Nebula. I have found that captured images sometimes don’t show up as well on the web, so I take a couple of minutes of post-processing per image later on using the Microsoft Photos adjustment sliders before posting them here.

The name of the target object is listed beneath the image along with its distance in light years from Earth (ly = light years, Kly = 1,000 ly, Mly = 1 million ly). For example, light from the Dumbbell nebula at a distance of 1.4 Kly takes 1400 years to travel to Earth. So, what we see now is the Dumbbell nebula as it looked 1,400 years ago!

M27 - Dumbbell/Apple Core Nebula - 1.4 Kly - Full Field of View using MC DS10c on Mallincam 80MM Telescope Stacked 5 sec exposures

M27 - Dumbbell/Apple Core Nebula - 1.4 Kly – “Zoomed” image from MC DS10c on Mallincam 80MM Telescope Stacked 5 sec exposures

M13 - Hercules Cluster - 2.3 Kly

NGC891 - Edge on Spiral Galaxy – 32 Mly ... what we see now is how it looked 32 million years ago!
Note: Targets that are millions of light years away are outside our own Galaxy.

M45 - Pleiades/Seven Sisters - 430 ly

M31 - Andromeda Galaxy - 2.5 Mly
M110 (upper right) - Elliptical Galaxy - 2.7 Mly

M103 - Open Cluster (micro-dipper) in Cassiopeia - 7.2 Kly

NGC7293 - Helix Nebula - 790 ly

As a backup telescope I brought the 5” f/5 Newtonian telescope shown below that came with the SkyProdigy. It provided a slightly larger field of view than the refractor, and I used it the last couple of nights.

MC DS10c on 5" Newtonian Telescope Celestron SkyProdigy Mount with built in StarSense AutoAlign

Here are some images using this camera/telescope combination.

NGC253 - Sculptor/Silver Dollar Galaxy - 12 Mly

M76 - Little Dumbbell/Cork Nebula - 5.8 Kly

NGC6946 - Fireworks Galaxy - 22 Mly

M82 - Cigar Galaxy - 12 Mly

M57 - Ring Nebula - 1.4 Kly

There were a little over 20 campers including the boys. Over those 4 nights many of them came up a hill in small groups to gather around the monitor and telescope. Below is a picture of the KFR Starry Night Viewing Site with a few gathered around in the viewing area in the glow from red led lights I had on the ground.

Campers gathered around monitor and telescope setup in open field

I bought a red led string the day before I left and also grabbed my Christmas tree extension cord containing a foot switch. I put the string of red leds around the telescope which effectively kept everyone outside the “red ring of fire”. I would tap the foot switch to turn the red leds on when I slewed to a new target so they could watch the telescope as it moved and stopped. It was fun for them to watch it slewing to its target, and it also allowed them to see which way the telescope was pointing when it stopped. I would then tap the foot switch to turn the red led string off so they could focus on watching the image beginning to show up on the second monitor I had set up on the table. I was able to show how I could control the mount and slew to targets using the telescope hand controller, the laptop connected to the hand controller, or my phone (with SkyFi).

Laptop inside bin on table to protect from dew. "Ring of Fire" red led string around telescope area to protect against accidental bumps.

Below are a couple of photos of my favorite daytime viewing site next to the Spring River in a recliner with my Kindle and lunch at hand.

Step 2 – Build SkyShed around Pier Location

Sat, 24 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT

I needed a neighborhood friendly approach to having an observatory in my backyard that looked like a nice garden shed (but with a roll-off roof). I purchased SkyShed plans from SkyShed Observatories and selected their 10’x10’ plan. The plans have great step by step details which enabled me to hire Austin Barnes who had very good shed construction experience and enjoyed the challenge of this unique SkyShed design. He obtained most of the materials locally and built it on site in my backyard in approximately 2 weeks of work. We used pressure treated lumber for the construction, which was readily available and typically used in our area.

The result of my prior blog “Step 1 – Install a Pier” is shown below on the left with a fully operational pier, mount and telescope in my backyard.

Although it was great having a pier, a backyard observatory was still my goal. The concept illustration of a SkyShed observatory is shown on the right. The trellis attached to the SkyShed provides the rails needed when rolling off the roof.

This following is a pictorial walk through showing how a SkyShed was constructed in my own backyard…

Since the concrete pier is an immovable object, you need to carefully plan how the SkyShed and trellis will be oriented on your site around the pier. Painter’s poles from Lowe’s were very helpful planning my layout. I originally thought I would build an 8’x10’ building, but then realized I could build a 10’x10’ with the pier offset a foot from center and still have the same space around the mount plus some extra room. I picked the angle orientation so the roof rails at the back stopped right at the required setback from the fence. There are tall pine trees behind the back fence, so it also made sense for the roof to slide back toward the fence since I would never view in that direction.

I knew I would have to get help to build the SkyShed, but I figured I could buy and place all the blocks in the right places and level them with one another myself before the construction began. My site has a slight downward slope that required more blocks on the low end, but the slope provided good drainage so no water would accumulate under the SkyShed.

I also bought and added a layer of drainage rock around the support blocks before construction began to ensure it drained well. Work began by installing and squaring up all the 4”x4” supports. Then the floor planks were nailed onto the supports making a very rigid and solid floor.

A circular hole was cut around the concrete pier to allow the metal pier to be bolted down and isolated from the flooring. I realized that having a hole in the floor would be a construction hazard, so I put a small table upside down over it to avoid accidentally stepping in the hole. I also assigned a yard gnome to warn others not to step there.

Using the plans, the 4 sides and 2 gables were constructed in our garage and smart siding nailed to them while the panels were lying down. Each side panel was adjusted to be square before nailing on the siding. The side panels were then carried into the back yard next to where the floor had been installed. The gnome kept falling asleep, so I replaced him and the table with a piece of plywood painted black and screwed to the floor over the pier hole so you could safely step where the hole was.

Now we were ready to install the 4 sides that had been built. I played an important role by holding the first wall in place while he raised and nailed the adjoining wall in place. I also helped with placing and holding the other walls when they were installed.

Once all 4 walls were in place and secured, the trellis supports were added in back with tracks that would enable the roof to roll off from the shed.

The plans show how to make an adjustable “foot” for the two back support poles that allow you to easily adjust them by turning a nut to make both posts level with the shed and with each other. My son-in law built the adjustable foot for each pole according to the plan specifications and they work great! You can easily adjust them as needed over time to ensure the structure remains level.

Next the massive roof support rails were built, and a roller installed at each end (the left photo is rotated to match the perspective of the installation picture). This was lifted up into place (with 2 people) and carefully inserted into the side rails. The portion that extends out over the rollers wind up extending out over the side walls when installed as shown in the picture on the right. Once the rail is in place the remaining rollers are inserted and installed at the appropriate spacing between the two end rollers.

The two roof support rails were then rolled into position over the walls and the rear gable was lifted into place and installed. Then the front gable was installed, making the square rolling roof frame a single unit.

The top cross beam was installed stabilizing the roof structure. The side rafters were then installed that would support the metal roof.

The roof structure could now be rolled back onto the trellis to make it easier to install additional roof supports as needed.

The completed roof structure was then rolled back onto the shed to enable roofing felt to be installed over the trusses. However, instead of roofing felt, I obtained locally a thin Low-E Peel & Stick 1/8” R10 insulation roll for tin roofs that was stuck into place over the trusses with the metal reflective side up and cut to fit.

The underside of the tin roof insulation is white as shown in the picture on the left. Next the metal roof was put in place on top of the insulation and nailed into the roof support trusses.

Side note: I had plenty of this insulation left over and later used it on the inside walls and roof gables between the studs with the reflective side against the wall and the white side toward the inside. This provided an effective insulation layer on all the walls that was both thin and neat.

Next the door that had been constructed in the garage was installed. Then all the outside walls were painted to match our garage to complete the project! Austin did a great job!!

This design enables you to roll the roof off and back on by hand. I added some flowers beneath the windows and some hanging plants on the trellis to complete the garden shed effect.

After a few days I used a laser level to check if any leveling adjustments were needed. (I only had to add two small shims).

The first telescope I used in my new SkyShed was my ED80 on my SkyProdigy mount. When finished for the night, I just rolled the roof back on, turned everything off and went inside the house. It was great!

I decided to use rubber interlocking squares to go over the floor inside the sky shed. I cut a hole for the pier mount and bolted my metal pier back onto the concrete pier below. I refilled the metal pier with sand and bolted its top back on.

The completed SkyShed observatory fits in nicely as a backyard garden shed. The picture on the right shows the same setup as the first picture in this post, but now with the pier, mount and telescope in its new cozy home with the roof rolled off for viewing the night skies!

To view my first post click here: "Step 1 - Install a Pier"

For more information about SkySheds click here: SkyShed Observatories

Cool Breeze 2022 mini-star party in honor of Michael Carnes

Sun, 25 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Michael Carnes was a good friend and fellow observer of the night sky using video astronomy equipment. Michael passed away earlier this year as a result of a very unexpected heart attack. Michael and DiAnne had moved to one of the park homes at Cool Breeze Campground in Galax, Virginia in April 2021. Cool Breeze had become a great dark sky location for small star parties that my wife and I attended. Michael built a great observing deck and place for his astronomy equipment after they moved there. It was fitting that, with DiAnne’s encouragement, we had another mini-star party in Michael’s honor on his deck. Some of the deep sky images I captured there are part of this post.

I learned that Michael had a PhD in Plant Sciences and, as part of his career, he was hired by Monsanto Company in St. Louis, MO, to head up a research lab. He developed techniques that led to significant scientific breakthroughs to help make crops more productive and resistant to disease and weather. He travelled often to Switzerland and Japan for research collaboration. Michael also founded a company to provide greenhouse technology to poultry farmers.

After retiring, Michael became extremely interested in the advances in Video Astronomy that enabled someone to see on a screen during an observing session what we never would see just looking through a telescope. He met other amateur astronomers as DiAnne and he travelled in their small RV to night sky sites. This is how Sharon and I met them since we were doing the same thing.

I have included in a prior 9/1/2022 post a great article that Michael wrote for those who might be considering Video Astronomy. In the article he discusses suitable telescopes, mount characteristics, Video Camera considerations and software.

I brought my 8” RASA telescope and DS26cTEC camera to use on my Celestron AVX mount with StarSense AutoAlign while at this special star party on Michael’s deck. Below is a picture that shows his storage shed for his equipment on the left and the open deck on the right.

You can see three telescopes set up on the deck (my RASA is on the left). This was the first time I used my RASA away from home. I really like going to Cool Breeze because it has Bortle 4 dark skies, low temps and low humidity. Below are several images I captured while viewing on Michael’s deck at night. As I have done in the past for smaller deep sky objects, I include both the full FOV image and a zoomed (cropped) image. These are the actual images I captured with no post processing or enhancements. The key exposure information is listed below most images.

Hercules Cluster m13 – 1b 1s 100g 0-255..150..100h-lhdr 35stk 5.78 magnitude 23 Kly

Eagle Nebula m16 100g 2s 50-150h

Dumbbell Nebula m27 100g 2s 20-150h

Andromeda Galaxy m31 100g 5s 30-150h 50stk

Whirlpool Galaxy M51 - 1b 4s 100g 30-150h 50stk 7.92 magnitude 28 Mly

Bode’s Nebulae/Cigar Galaxy M81/M82 - 1b 2s 100g 20-150h 20stk 6.77/8.02 magnitude 12 Mly

Owl Nebula/Spiral Galaxy m97/m108 100g 5s 70-150h 30stk

Spiral Galaxy in Ursa Major m101 100g 5s 15-150h 30stk

North American Nebula NGC7000 4 magnitude 2.6 Kly

Considering Video Astronomy?

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMT

The following article was written by Michael Carnes for those who may be considering Video Astronomy. It is included here with permission by his wife DiAnne.