Wednesday, October 9, 2024
FIRST LIGHT FOR MY NEW IMAGING SETUP
After a couple of years I'm able to publish a bran new photo!
This is a first light to my new imaging setup, it took couple of years to get it up and running.
I selected a relatively bright target since I wanted to test the system as soon as possible. The Pelican Nebula in constellation Cygnus, the Swan, is my first target.
The new system has a focal length of 2730mm with a massive 0.7 focal reducer for the Celestron EDGE 14" telescope. The new camera has 12 micron pixel size and it gives me an image scale of 0.91 arc seconds/pixel. (That's perfect for my seeing conditions.) The field of view spans 46.1 x 46.1 arcminutes of sky. (For a scale, Full Moon covers 30x30 arcminutes of sky)
The native resolution of the Apogee Alta U9000M camera is 3056x3056 pixels. I'm using a stacking method that doubles the measures by using the "Drizzle" while imaging. The final image is then 6112x6112 pixels.
Only five hours of light from an ionized hydrogen (H-alpha) is used for this photo. Other two color channels, O-III and S-II, are borrowed from my older long focal length photo of this target taken with Celestron EDGE 11" telescope.
Pelican Nebula
Click the photo to see a 2000x2000 pixel version
Click the image to see a full size version
This photo is in mapped colors from light from an ionized elements, hydrogen = green, sulfur=red and oxygen=blue. (H-alpha, S-II and O-III)
A Full Size H-alpha Frame
Click the image to see a full size version, 3056x3056 pixels
Click the image to see a full size version, 3056x3056 pixels
This is a stretched stack of fifteen 20min. calibrated H-alpha frames. Collimation wasn't perfect at the time so some oval stars can be seen in lower right corner. Now the collimation is under one arcseconds and the whole frame has pinpoint stars from corner to corner. (It's a large CCD, diagonal is 52mm) Optical analysis at end of this blog post,
Herbig-Haro Objects
Herbig–Haro (HH) objects are bright patches of nebulosity associated with newborn stars. They are formed when narrow jets of partially ionized gas ejected by stars collide with nearby clouds of gas and dust at several hundred kilometers per second. Herbig–Haro objects are commonly found in star-forming regions. (Source, Wikipedia)
I have labeled Herbig-Haro Objects in this closeup from my photo.
Technical details
Processing workflow
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 27 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS CS3
Levels and curves in PS CS3.
Imaging optics
Celestron EDGE 14" with 0.7 Focal reducer
Mount
MesuMount Mark II
Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U9000M and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AO Active Optics @ 6hz
Astrodon filters,
5nm H-alpha 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III
Total exposure time
H-alpha, 15 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 5 h (Data from new setup)
O-III, 3x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 1h (Older data with 11" Celestron EDGE)
S-II, 3 x 1200 s. binned 2x2 = 1h (Older data with 11" Celestron EDGE
Saturday, September 28, 2024
NEW SETUP FOR MY ASTRONOMICAL NATURE IMAGING WORK
I haven't publish much new images in past two three years since I have had some health problems. Now I'm good as new and can start working again. Past two years I have been slowly building a new imaging platform. I have done some shorter focal length work past six years, now it's time to go closer again.
OPTICS
System is build around Celestron EDGE 14" telescope, I selected this scope due to its light gathering capacity, 356mm diameter and 3910mm native focal length (This very large and heavy 0.7 Reducer is especially made for the EDGE 14") One main difference to normal Celestron EDGE telescope is that I have added a secondary mirror focuser (by Optec) to get rid of a mirror flop. It can be a problem, especially with a heavy mirror. Bottom line, this scope has an excellent optical quality. There is some optical analysis and a single full scale 20min frame at end of this post.
In future I can add a "HyperStar system" to replace secondary mirror and use this telescope as a fast f2 astrograph.
Secondary mirror focuser, Note a curved vane for the flat power/data cable, no diffraction spikes!
The focuser is made all aluminium, it's really robust and easy to collimate.
The focuser is made all aluminium, it's really robust and easy to collimate.
MOUNT
I ended up to a MESU Mount MARK II since it has 100kg capacity at imaging work with a periodic error less than 4 arcseconds peak-to-peak, impressive numbers indeed. It also has zero lash back due to its friction drive system.
The pillar I ordered with the mount is bended knee pillar type, that mean, no meridian flip is needed and telescope can track whole sky without stopping. The pillar came in easy to handle parts and assembly was very straight forward, the assembled pillar is very rigid under the weight of heavy telescope, counter weights and accessories. Mesu mount is absolute beautiful engineering work. Support from manufacture is also very good. I had some minor problems with settings at first but they get solved in no time after we went it trough with remote connection, while on site. Bottom line, money wise this mount is a real bargain, if compared its features to any other brand or model of mount.
Bended Knee Pillar angle at my location 65 degree North.
Counter weights are stainless steal weight lifting weights. (~35kg)
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CAMERA
The Main camera is a "new" Apogee Alta U9000M with Apogee Filter wheel. It's a second hand camera originally used for the microscopic work and it looks like a bran new, There wasn't any mechanical shutter but I moved a shutter from my old Apogee Alta U16 to this new camera. (My old camera died to old age)
It has 12 micron pixels and it's perfect match to this optical configuration giving imaging scale of 0.9 arcseconds per pixel. The full image spans 46.1 x 46.1 arcminutes of sky. (One degree is 60 arcminutes and Full Moon spans around 30 arcminutes of sky)
INSTRUMENT ROTATOR
At first time I have added an instrument rotator to the imaging path. I haven't use any rotator earlier since there is always some flexure. The Wanderer Astro Rotator Pro has absolute zero flexure by the manufacture. I was skeptical to this since if it moves, it will flex. It turned out, that there is a patented system based on neodymium magnets around the light path holding everything tightly together even when rotator moves. After measuring carefully everything with the CCD-inspector software from test exposures under the starfield I can say, it really has no flexures at all. It's only 18 mm thick and fit to my limited back focus nicely. It can handle flawlessly all the heavy load I have placed behind the rotator.
ACTIVE OPTIC UNIT
Maybe an overkill but I have added an active optics unit to the light path. It's SXV-AO from Starlight Xpress UK.
I have had really good experiences with long focal length imaging with AO unit during the years. It doesn't correct the actual seeing so much but it corrects every small or big error from heat bubbles and vibrations from heavy traffic, wind, etc. and it does that really really fast. It's as easy to use as any OAG, especially since I have a rotator now. With 14" scope I can guide around 10 HZ by using mag 11 guide star. The MESU Mount is really good but there is lots of mass to move when guiding corrections are made. With AO there is just a small refracting glass element to move instead of telescope and heavy accessories.
I have had really good experiences with long focal length imaging with AO unit during the years. It doesn't correct the actual seeing so much but it corrects every small or big error from heat bubbles and vibrations from heavy traffic, wind, etc. and it does that really really fast. It's as easy to use as any OAG, especially since I have a rotator now. With 14" scope I can guide around 10 HZ by using mag 11 guide star. The MESU Mount is really good but there is lots of mass to move when guiding corrections are made. With AO there is just a small refracting glass element to move instead of telescope and heavy accessories.
DATA & POWER BOX
An other new accessory is power and data box from Wanderer Astro. It makes the system less chaotic with all the data and power cords. Also controlling power and data connections can be done remotely in one software. It can handle nearly 20 amp at peak power.
DEW BUSTER
There is also my old Dew Buster installed to the telescope. it can keep the temperature just little over the dew point, this prevent the heat current. Raising warm air inside the tube will ruin the image, if heater is even slightly too warm.
FAN
I added a 70 mm computer fan to the telescopes air went to reduce the cool down time. There is an air filter in the went to prevent the dust getting inside the OTA. I can control the fan speed by the Power Box software.
QHY POLEMASTER
This is a new addition too, I was amazed how easy it was to use. Polar align took maybe 15 min and it's easy to redo at any time needed. here is a REVIEW about this little helper,
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Telescope elements labeled
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QHY Polemaster, lens cover removed and ready for the action.
LENS COVER
As a last item here is a lens cover for Celestron EDGE 14" telescope. It's a simple and a must accessory to prevent dust in the collector lens. How ever, in my case there is a secondary mirror focuser sticking out and it prevents to use the standard Celestron aluminium cover over the telescope.
I solved a problem by cutting a circular hole in the lens cover. After that I bought a steel bowl from local market ( it was just 5 € or about 5 $) I sprayed it matt black and glued it to the cover with an elastic, rubber like, superglue.
A steel bowl glued over the hole in the lens cover.
AN UPDATE, 09.10.2024,
THE FIRST LIGHT IMAGE
THE FIRST LIGHT IMAGE
Click for a full size image, ~2000x2000 pixels
https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2024/10/first-light-for-my-new-imaging-setup.html
OPTICAL ANALYSIS FROM THE CCDINSPECTOR APP
The optical collimation is as good as I get it in my seeing conditions and the optical tube hold it perfectly since the main mirror is always locked down and focusing is done with the Optec Secondary Mirror Focuser only.
This is a 3D-plot of field curvature from the CCDInspector app of Celestron Edge 14" with 0.7 Focal Reducer and Apogee Alta U9000M with 12 micron pixels. This configuration produce a very flat field and stars are sharp from edge to edge in the whole field. This is impressive especially since the CCD in Alta U9000M is so large, about 37x37mm.
A single full scale 20 min O-III exposure used for the optical analysis
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