I continue to get a bit better at getting where I want and what I want with regard to imaging. A few things I want to keep in mind below (i.e. note to self):
- Before beginning, use eyepeice and make sure image will be centered. StarSense will do this. Go to known star, center, and press Align - etc. After centering, press Back to continue.
- To focus, slew to object and focus on set of nearby stars. On my FeatherTouch focuser, the camera will be focused about 80 mm. Set Video mode to about 4 seconds exposure and make sure Stacking is OFF. Use the FWHM (Full Width Half Maximum) AND visual to optimize. Looking for the smallest FWHM (range 3 to 5 is good). Make sure to allow A LOT of time between focus adjustments - especially at the beginning of the session. Watch for the "jiggle" and the green status bar at the top to know the image on the screen is updated. Plan to focus a bit after moving.
- The Infinity software seems to freeze on me. I think it froze about four time during this session. A work around will be (maybe) to be sure and record the session so it can be processed later. Also, save images as they are stacking.
- To get best image, turn on the Fine Histogram option near the bottom left menu - select black, orange, white.
- Take care when slewing between objects. If there is concern telescope might run into mount, manually slew scope to approximate location and then use goto.
- One BIG thing I think I did find out is that the presence of wispy (high-level) clouds will add a grey / white background to stacked images - this makes sense.
All-in-all, I'm haveing a BLAST viewing "stuff" from home like this. Things just don't pop out or can't be viewed without stacking. It's SO enjoyable watching images "come alive". It's also "fun" playing around with the histogram while gathering those cute little photons =)
NGC 7662 Blue Snowball Nebula
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