Automation

Automation

I'm finally getting to the point where I can control everything from one spot. This is the first night I'm testing following setup: Mount, DSLR and guidecam (currently not using it) all connected to my older laptop which is running TeamViewer same as my current laptop (Acer Predator). 

On the laptop I'm running Astro Photography Tool which controls my DLSR and my mount through ASCOM Celestron driver and I could add guiding via PHD2 but I want to take one step at a time. The reason for me going slowly is simply because there hasn't been a lot of clear nights and I've wasted few of them already trying to get the guiding working. 

I've been fighting with the PHD2 for more than three months. It's funny that the first time I used it on my cottage it worked for about an hour. Then it started giving me different kinds of errors and after two really freezing hours I had to give up and switch my DSLR to the other telescope so I could shoot at least something. I was also really mad because I was so cold, it was about-7 °C and when you just stand next to the telescope and waiting for it to calibrate and it is giving you the same error whatever you do is so frustrating.

Other times were fortunately at home on my balcony where I could jump in anytime. The first error I was always getting was: Could not calibrate the calibration star did not move enough. Finally when I was going through the setting I found that I've put in the wrong focal length. Instead of 600mm for my Bresser I confused what telescope I want to use for guiding and I wrote 1500mm which is my Celestron. 

Another error I got was caused due to the bad focus of my guidecam. I didn't have a time to test it yet but I strongly believe that it was the problem. My camera doesn't like the Bresser too much since I can't focus it without diagonal mirror. Hopefully it'll fix my problems and 2+ minutes exposures will be finally possible. 

Tonight is not just about testing my gears automation but I'm also testing my last addition to my astrophotography gear. 

Astronomik H-alpha 12nm

Yes! Another step to better photos passed as I got last week my first narrow band filter. It is EOS clip on filter so it goes right in front of the imaging sensor and you can use it both with telescope or camera lens. 

I'm using the second variant and piggybacking my Canon 600Da on my Bresser. Tonight is my first try of H-Alpha imaging so I've decided for the Rosette nebula which is rich with this wavelength. 

Ugly balcony in the background