New Image: Project Milky Way Pics

[Petrol]

Do you use Irfanview as your initial graphics viewer? It can see CR2 images and does nothing to them until you tell it to.

https://www.irfanview.com/

Absolutely awesome, thanks. I had to install the 32 bit version and the plug in pack to read the Canon CR2 files but wow!





Again thanks,
Clear skies,
Pete

[Petrol]

Do you use Irfanview as your initial graphics viewer? It can see CR2 images and does nothing to them until you tell it to.

https://www.irfanview.com/

I have JT, I've tried everything I can to capture a vid of it but to no avail. I went to one of the darkest places in the UK which was a bit of a drive.



I checked the weather forecast and everything was looking good.



But the clouds rolled in. I've had several attempts at this from dark skies but it just seems to elude me. One particular night things were looking good because I could see it with the naked eye. The dew heater had packed up though and I ended up with nothing. Not one to give up, I did a lot of research and my astro modded Cannon 600D might not be the best piece of kit to capture it. The general concensus is that the Cannon 6D is the best budget camera for low light. I appreciate some of the mirrorless cameras, particularly the Sony's are better in low light but where do you draw the line with the budget? I bought a 6D and whilst it was in a different league than the 600D, it seemed to show the weakness in the Samyang 14mm F2.8 lens I was using. It had many problems if the truth be known, coma and astigmatism being the worst problems. Interestingly, I use a Samyang (Rokinon in the US) 135 F2 lens in one of my widefield astro rigs and it's awesome with none of these problems. So a lens upgrade was next, I went for a Sigma 14mm f1.8 DG HSM Art. It's getting kind of expensive now but I'm determined to capture it. I've also upgraded the Intervalometer to a wireless version to try to make life as simple as possibe. Less wires can only be a good thing right?

Here is the setup as it stands now








For what I've spent, I could have flown back to Big Bend / McDonald Observatory Texas and taken a pic of it on my phone
Thanks for looking,

Clear skies

Pete

[Petrol]

This is what I managed with this new cam / lens combo. F1.8, 15s, iso 3200
Not sure where to go from here



Thanks for looking,
Clear skies
Pete

[Robko]

Very nice work Pete! Looks like the new lens is pretty sharp. I like it how M31 rolls into view!
I use a Samyang 14mm and like yours, it's not tack sharp. Got my eye on the Sigma already and your timelapse realy makes me think...
but whats up with the yellow tape?

greetings
Rob

[Petrol]

Very nice work Pete! Looks like the new lens is pretty sharp. I like it how M31 rolls into view!
I use a Samyang 14mm and like yours, it's not tack sharp. Got my eye on the Sigma already and your timelapse realy makes me think...
but whats up with the yellow tape?

greetings
Rob

Infinity focus then taped it up Rob. I've knocked dslr lenses out of focus before
The Sigma is much better than the Samyang 14mm especially in the corners. The price is much better too so it should be expected. There's a MK2 Sigma I believe that's even better, but it's only made for mirrorless cameras.
Clear skies
Pete

[Petrol]

I stacked some of the pics from the timelapse posted above in Pixinsight and came up with this

MilkyWay by P Raymond, on Flickr

[Juno16]

Great image Pete!

M31 accents the MW very nicely!

[JayTee]

Hi Pete,

Here's another concept you can try. I've done it myself. I put my camera and lens (Canon T3i & stock lens @ 20mm f/4.5) on my homemade wedge with a Celestron GT mount attached. So what I essentially had was now an EQ mount to allow for longer exposures for each time-lapse image. I set up a sequence as a script in APT where I programmed APT to give me exposures of 60 seconds then a 15-second delay then the next 60-second exposure. I did this over a 3-hour period. Also, I was in a Bortle 2 sky in Maupin Oregon. This sequence could have just as easily been done using an intervalometer.

Here's the result. Toward the end, you can see me using my C11. I kind of forgot I was in the exposure!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/58cexeok ... l4rng&dl=0

Let me know if the Dropbox link does not work.

Cheers,

[Petrol]

Hi Pete,

Here's another concept you can try. I've done it myself. I put my camera and lens (Canon T3i & stock lens @ 20mm f/4.5) on my homemade wedge with a Celestron GT mount attached. So what I essentially had was now an EQ mount to allow for longer exposures for each time-lapse image. I set up a sequence as a script in APT where I programmed APT to give me exposures of 60 seconds then a 15-second delay then the next 60-second exposure. I did this over a 3-hour period. Also, I was in a Bortle 2 sky in Maupin Oregon. This sequence could have just as easily been done using an intervalometer.

Here's the result. Toward the end, you can see me using my C11. I kind of forgot I was in the exposure!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/58cexeok ... l4rng&dl=0

Let me know if the Dropbox link does not work.

Cheers,

Holy moly JT, that's awesome. Dropbox link worked fine btw and thanks. I could buy a star tracker or put the dslr on my guided eq5 but it's not an exposure length problem I have it's light pollution. With a 15 second exposure @ f1.8 and 14mm lens the skyglow is crazy. My timelape was shot at one of my dark sky locations with no moon which is claimed bortle 4..... I don't think so. I think led lighting has screwed up the whole bortle scale in Europe. I've seen dark skies on my travels particularly in remote areas of France and even better Texas. Super widefield imaging is more problematic in light polluted areas and looking at your vid, which was shot in what I really believe is a Bortle 2 sky, makes me think I might have to travel further. Thanks for your reply.

Cheers
Pete