I’m starting a journal of my astrophotography journey, and allowing me (and others) to share and help improve. It also serves predominantly as a record of what works and doesn’t work for my kit, capabilities and location.

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Overview

Time Start: 9pm | Time End: 2.30am
Weather: Clear, but not great seeing. Clouds rolling in at 2.30am.

Targets
M31 Andromeda Galaxy
IGC6960 Witch’s Broom in Veil Nebula
Sadr in Cygnus

Equipment Used
Mount: SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro
Telescope 1: Altair Astro Starwave 102ED-R (AA102EDR)
Telescope 2: TS Optics 65mm Quad Apo (TSAPO65Q)
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro Cooled
Guidecam: Orion 50mm + Altair Astro GPCAMv2 130M (AAGPCAM130)
Focuser: Pegasus Motor Focuser
Filters: CLS-CCD or None

Software Used
Telescope Control: CDC + EQASCOM
Image Capture: SharpCap Pro 3.1
DSO Processing: Astro Pixel Processor (APP)
Post Processing: Adobe CC (Lightroom, Photoshop (AstroFlat Pro, DeepSkyColors HLVG, Astronomy Tools)

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Notes

First light for my new ZWO ASI294MC Pro Cooled camera and it performed brilliant.

I recently upgraded from my very trust Altair Hypercam 183C V2 to the bigger brother, cooled version – the Altair Hypercam 183C Pro TEC (AA183PROTEC), however I struggled to remove some severe edging (in addition to vignetting). I originally did some tests with the camera and learned the hard way that Flats are a must for a cool cam. To counter-this, I proceeded to take Flats the following day and couldn’t remove some extremities that appeared to be the way the sensor was very slightly clipped through the unique round heated window of the AA183PROTEC. I went from a very forgiving 183C to a cooled version, at an increase in time and cost, and was not able to reap the benefits – not without significantly more time invested in troubleshooting, so I eventually returned the camera, and unfortunately a delay on repair/troubleshooting meant I’d be without a camera for 2 weeks. I decided to go all in on an alternative instead – the ZWO ASI294MC Pro. On reflection, had I processed the Flats after my first night out, I probably wouldn’t have noticed the subtle flaws in the corner, and opted for post-processing removal.

The ASI294MC Pro didn’t let me down, however it isn’t without its own learning curve. That said, I was able to capture a number of good images for its first outing under skies that were not crystal clear.

The night was also the first test of my new ZWO EFWmini (Electronic Filter Wheel). In this I have various filters: CCD-CLS, UHC, IR Pass, 12nm HA and None. After swinging to the star, Altair and focusing using a Bahtinov I calculated the offsets for the other filters so I could quickly change filters remotely, and get pin-sharp focusing again.

9pm – 10.30pm: M31 Andromeda

Telescope: TSAPO65Q | Camera: ASI294MC Pro | Filters: CLS-CCD
SharpCap Pro: 10 x 90 Seconds @ Gain 130, Temp -5C, RAW14, WB(R) Auto, WB(B) Auto

Astro Pixel Processor 1.062
Imported into Lightroom and Photoshop for small finishing/cropping edits

Problems

Sensitive camera meant light pollution was more prevalent than with my previous none-cooled camera. ZWO’s native driver (not ASCOM) in SharpCap has additional White Balance controls (for Blue and Red). I battled for the first hour trying to work out what these should be. In the end I left it to Auto, however with no filter, each frame had considerably different colours so may have to review the implications here. I ended up switching to a CLS-CCD filter and got the capture below.

Problems with Astro Pixel Processor and calibration.

Result

Better quality: https://www.flickr.com/photos/131464972@N05/44358938442

11.00pm – 12.30am: Sadr

Telescope: TSAPO65Q | Camera: ASI294MC Pro | Filters: None
SharpCap Pro: 20 x 60 Seconds @ Gain 130, Temp -5C, RAW14, WB(R) Auto, WB(B) Auto

Astro Pixel Processor 1.062
Imported into Lightroom and Photoshop for small finishing/cropping edits

Problems

None

Result

Better quality: https://www.flickr.com/photos/131464972@N05/44409854171/in/photostream/

1am – 2am: NGC6960 Witch’s Broom in Veil Nebula

I hadn’t attempted see this target before and was very pleasantly surprised at the ability of the camera on this target!

Telescope: TSAPO65Q | Camera: ASI294MC Pro | Filters: CLS-CCD
SharpCap Pro: 10 x 5 Mins @ Gain 130, Temp -5C, RAW14, WB(R) Auto, WB(B) Auto

Astro Pixel Processor 1.062
Imported into Lightroom and Photoshop for small finishing/cropping edits

Problems

None

Result

Better Quality: https://www.flickr.com/photos/131464972@N05/43493245785/in/photostream/