Achrid in Cassiopeia: The star Acrid in the constellation Cassiopeia also in the Milky Way. Meade 8" Auto Guided by StarShooter on the Celestron AVX Mount. Nikon D800E, f/9.5, ISO 640...

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

The star Acrid in the constellation Cassiopeia also in the Milky Way.
Meade 8" Auto Guided by StarShooter on the Celestron AVX Mount.
Nikon D800E, f/9.5, ISO 640, 300 sec. PHD Guiding and digiCamControl.
This is my first real test of the Autoguider and the Mount working together.
The slight giggle in the stars I think is me scooting my chair back.

Achrid in Cassiopeia

(Download)

NormanHarley Loc: Colorado

:thumbup:

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

NormanHarley wrote:

:thumbup:

Thank you Norman for the thumbs up.
Craig

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Yeaaaaa!!!
Glad you got yours working now.

I found an open circuit in mine.
Seems my cord isn't long enough to reach Torrence, CA..... :?
But... the latest news is no news. ;)
They wanted to know what I'm using for a power supply. So I sent them (again) a link to the Celestron AC power supply I use.
I guess they just cannot believe the product has a problem. :hunf: :roll:

I'm going to try some shots done with my Macro, at Maxo tonight. Just for the fun of it, since it's clear.
I did watch the ISS fly by. :)

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

SonnyE wrote:

Yeaaaaa!!! br Glad you got yours working now. br ... (show quote)

Hey Sonny, thanks for stopping by.
If they are asking what power supply you use they are going to fix or replace it for sure.
Other wise they wouldn't bother asking.
They would tell up to climb a pole and sit on it.:lol:
Craig

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

CraigFair wrote:

Hey Sonny, thanks for stopping by.
If they are asking what power supply you use they are going to fix or replace it for sure.
Other wise they wouldn't bother asking.
They would tell up to climb a pole and sit on it.:lol:
Craig

Well, I figured so.
But why prance around? Here it is, it is fubar'd, send a new one.
Since they choose to replace, rather than correct an internal problem.

I don't think I was very successful last night. My macro lens was not behaving well for me.
But my ISS app did. It has an alarm feature and does a chiming thing when the ISS is coming into view. So I went out and started scanning around and BINGO!
There was a very shiny, very fast moving heavenly body streaking crossed my lower Northern view. :mrgreen:
I took 24 pictures of it. Not a one turned out. :lol: :roll: Wrong lens, wrong settings. But I saw it. :mrgreen:
I did find a drawback to the alarm mode... it woke me up several times during the night when other things came into view. :lol:
This morning I found the bell shape to shut it off.... finally. :roll:

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

I've learned that once I open the shutter (figuratively speaking for my camera), I need to sit really still. As still as I can.
It seems to help.

Trouble is, then I dose off.... :lol:

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

SonnyE wrote:

Well, I figured so. br But why prance around? Here... (show quote)

I don't know what len you used but I find my Tamron 150-600mm does a pretty good job at daylight settings with the VR on.
It is pretty cool to watch it go streaking across the sky at 17,000 mile per hour.
As for the alarms, just goes to show how much stuff we have up there.
Craig

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

CraigFair wrote:

I don't know what len you used but I find my Tamron 150-600mm does a pretty good job at daylight settings with the VR on.
It is pretty cool to watch it go streaking across the sky at 17,000 mile per hour.
As for the alarms, just goes to show how much stuff we have up there.
Craig

Well, I was trying to use my Macro, on Maxo. :roll:
I was wishing I'd had Big Tammy out there. But had I stopped to run get it, I would have missed the visual.
But I did enjoy just looking up at the heavens. Imagining all the things I know are out there, but I can't see.
Looks like it's going to be clear for a while. I think I'll just go into telescope on manual for a bit, just to get a star fix.
Maybe I can get some different kind of pictures... Smear photo's. :lol:

ISS Detector...
Yeah, every time it went off something had risen above the horizon. Planets was one I remember seeing through tired sleepy eyes.
:lol: I couldn't find the danged bell icon to shut it off, until this morning. :P
I'll have to make sure I don't leave that on again. :roll:

Your stars look really crispy in the download. I'm really glad the Autoguider is working for you.
Maybe you can show me some of the tricks you've found?
I think my settings are off.

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

SonnyE wrote:

Well, I was trying to use my Macro, on Maxo. :roll... (show quote)

A friend of mine was playing with it and got it all setup the way he liked it. I was totally baffled with the settings so I hit the default button in PHD 2 and bingo right on. Adjusted the little slider for Gamma at the bottom for the individual star I wanted. And don't pick bright stars they are to big for it to guide. It needs edges of the star close together. I picked the star about halfway to the lower left corner. Here is the original shot.
Craig

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

sorry for the double tap
Craig

(Download)

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Mine is Version:
PHD Guiding v 1.14.2

Is that the same as yours?

(Help>About=)

I'm wondering what PHD2 is and if I'm missing something here...
Like an update or something.

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

SonnyE wrote:

Mine is Version:
PHD Guiding v 1.14.2

Is that the same as yours?

(Help>About=)

I'm wondering what PHD2 is and if I'm missing something here...
Like an update or something.

Yes PHD 2.5
http://openphdguiding.org/downloads/

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

CraigFair wrote:

Yes PHD 2.5
http://openphdguiding.org/downloads/

Sonny you still with me???

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Oh MAN!
Thank You, Craig.

Here I've been behind all along.
OK, download is done on this one, over to the laptop now.
Thanks!

Whoa!
I've already ran across an error I made with PHD original, PHD2 sez I chose the wrong mount connection when I chose "On Camera".
It states the ASCOM interface is a good choice if you are running MS Windows.
But the dropdown gives 8 different ASCOM possibilities to pick from.
I just went through the Advanced VX manual, no mention of what's right for the AVX mount. Jeese!
Any thoughts?
Then it asks for AO, or adaptive Optics\. I don't think that applies to a refractor telescope.
Oy Vey!