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I just wondered what few things had improved your ability to take good astrophotographs? For me, so far, the journey has been: * adding a coma corrector to my Newtonian ... stars went from horrible ovals to round all of a sudden * adding an autoguider .. went from 30s captures to 300s * adopting ASCOM and dropping the hand controller * using SharpCap to polar align * using APT to automate everything * replacing my mirrorless camera and moving to a dedicated mono camera and filter wheel * adding an autofocuser * learning PixInsight at last * sorting the cable management so that I don't worry about cable snags any more * finding a way to control my mount/scope from inside rather than sitting in the cold all night (active USB cable in my case) I have a lot to learn, but it would be interesting to know what other key things have made a difference? |
6.77
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Money. But, more serious. the same things. obviously spending the money to upgrade your acquisition helps. mounts, guiding, etc. For me the ZWO ASIAIR has been the biggest upgrade. Running on mas iOS I always had issues with drivers, connecting, compatibility. So I very quickly went for the ASIAIR solution. Has everything in it, gave me plate solving, polar alignment, assists with darks, flats, etc, guiding. + the comfort of sitting inside. Everything else is improvements in the post processing part. Learning what works and what doesn't. |
3.31
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All of the above * The community, no question is a dumb question. I've even had authors send me some of there tips. * Mount probably the most important piece of equipment. *.Building my own observatory, god this has allowed me to save a huge amount of time to explore. And yes it's got a warm room, my house is to far away the shed. Lastly having patience, and an understanding wife |
11.09
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All except one of the above cost nothing. |
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7.22
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I wonder... Never felt the need for an autofocuser so this is definitely a no-no. Cable snags? I barely recall ever having had one, so no. CC is a must, this goes without question. Autoguider, yeah. It took me few years but eventually came around the idea. Still I wish I didn't have to (fantasy mount). Sharpcap polar alignment routine was a revelation to me as well and greatly appreciated (not that I use that often though). APT is a very good tool but I abhor automation, there you go I've said it. So no. Controlling everything remotely? And were is the fun in that? A big NO NO there. You are expected to suffer for the sake of the hobby and I had my derriere frozen stiff for too many nights to count (this night too, although my oldish bones aren't quite that happy anymore). PI is good, in fact very good but there are alternatives. Biggest improvement of all was when I set up the rigs out permanently. |
4.72
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Clear skies. Really, nothing can replace and no money can buy a good, dark clear skies where you can practice and learn this hobby. Until recent few years and, I would say, revolution in amateur astrophotography in terms of good cheap astrocameras, easy to use software, etc. learning curve was very long and difficult with imaging process being hard, automation almost not possible and so on. Those who is in this hobby for more than 10 years will understand.  And AstroBin ofc.  Ability to share your photos, learn from your mistakes and check what and how others are imaging - is priceless !
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3.15
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lots of the same things mentioned above. I love of automation so electronic field rotator and deepskydad flap panel being the latest additions that made the biggest upgrades for me. No more time lost on optimal framing or going outside with flat panel in the morning. Can now plan everything inside and make my sequence in NINA. At night setup and PA in about 25 minutes and let rip throughout the night. In the morning pull out USB drive and transfer all data including automated flats to PI computer and get going. Permanent setup would be the next thing but is kinda difficult living in an appartment with only a roofterrace available. Also preferably a permanent setup in bortle 4 or better location. CS, Sean |
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4.40
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In no particular order: Cooled mono with filterwheel. Autofocus. Learning collimation (work in progress). While it has not improved my pictures directly (the mounts before it tracked mostly well enough when they did), the 10Micron mount has allowed me to focus on other areas than the mount and improve on those. |
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What has helped me the most is not running over my mount and scope after countless nights with no results. Next most important was using Astroberry. I have all Mac computers so this allowed me to get set up and do remote imaging from the comfort of my home. Still working on processing but I think that is a life long pursuit. A good scope and mount is tied for #1 on the list as well. |
15.85
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I’d have to say 95% of everything mentioned above. 2 others above mentioned AB and for me this site has been instrumental in learning AP better. I think that @Salvatore Iovene has put together a site that everyone regardless of there knowledge level and experience can learn something here. People like me that are complete nobs to the professionals. Dale |
1.20
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My list: 1. a "check list" to avoid the mistakes during setup that I made in the past (ie: lens caps left on, usb cables unplugged) 2. get a grip on processing 3. putting cement blocks in ground for in/outside setup 4. checking with Astrobin during processing for idea what my results should look like 5. using N.I.N.A. |
4.42
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On the topic of equipment though, in addition to a mount / camera / autoguider, and taking darks / flats / bias (a must…never skip), I recommend the following:
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5.77
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My 2 cents: 1. Autoguider 2. A really sturdy tripod (Berlebach) 3. Don't just buy a telescope off the shelf, have a professional check and tune it! 4. Robert Gendler's book "Lessons from the Masters"; and in general: reading a lot about image processing and trying out different techniques 5. Plate solving (not in terms of image quality, but for saving a lot of time and getting better results e.g. for mosaics) CS Chris |
1.81
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| Remote imaging. I love being under dark skies, but accepting light pollution allows coziness while imaging, and frankly, that is a game changer. |
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6.89
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| Quitting guiding. |
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0.00
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Spending a lot of time making sure I have good focus. I thought a Bathinov mask would get me perfect focus but I have found it is not enough. Gets you in the ballpark but not good enough. I take subs and magnify a smallish star as much as possible. Then the art is to make it as small as possible. OAG for my Edge8HD with a guidecam with a large sensor (174). Purchasing and learning (this is the kicker) PixInsight. |
0.90
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Die Launische Diva: While I agree with many things you said, I don't quite see why YouTube should be a bad source, or Photoshop is unfit for astronomical image processing. The reality is that when it comes to non-linear processing, Photoshop can do the majority of the standard tasks programs like PixInsight utilize. I personally do most of my processing in PI, but as soon as the first stretch is performed, it is just a matter of preference which you use. The result is the same to beginners to intermediate imagers. In my experience, understanding the technical aspects behind astrophotography was THE most determining factor for me. Understanding the importance of sensor sizes and aperture. Your goal should be to create absolutely fawless raw data. Beginning with the right exposure time and ending with perfectly calibrated raw files that look like a processed image after removing gradients. Once you understand that the first autostretch will show you most of whats in the image, it makes setting expectations a lot easier. If you can't see the nebulosity/dust after your first stretch, its highly unlikely that you will get a clean image of it. Most of all: Never acquire the mindset "I know enough". |
5.44
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| My ASI2600mc pro. The step up from my previous DSLR is simply astonishing. |
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11.09
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Julian Shroff: I totally agree with you, but unfortunately there is more probability to find bad advice in a YT video than in a book. I am worried because for some of the videos there might exist an underlying youtuber/hardware vendor relation. This may drive the novice to a need for spending more before mastering the fundamentals. On the other hand, books soon become outdated, especially regarding software... |
7.61
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| My somewhat obsessive refusal to let Murphy win..... |
7.75
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Die Launische Diva: Certainly number two on my list. #1: The revelation that astrophotography is possible at all from within a bortle 7 zone. #3: Stepping back to way shorter focal lengths after trying to start with a MAK 127 #4: Managing my expectations what I can achieve at my current beginner level with my current gear #5: Reading a lot and checking the youtube videos for credibility #6: Joining astrobin and studying the top pics, in particular those taken with equipment similar to mine and with integration times within my comfort zone. #7: Learning not to depend too much on my goto mount (work in progress) |
1.81
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| Post processing is everything. There are so many people with highly expensive equipment but the pictures are looking like crap, sry to say that. They aren't learning new techniques for years but they are buying more and more expensive stuff. Useless... On the other hand there are great pictures with low budget equipment. But it takes most of the time to learn it. Money isn't the key. |
10.10
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1. Practise 2. Practise 3. Practise 4. Practise 5. Practise |
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4.42
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Post processing is everything. There are so many people with highly expensive equipment but the pictures are looking like crap, sry to say that. They aren't learning new techniques for years but they are buying more and more expensive stuff. Useless... On the other hand there are great pictures with low budget equipment. But it takes most of the time to learn it. Money isn't the key. A thousand times this, as I said in my post above. Processing makes *all* the difference. Study images on astrobin that you like. Read the captions to see if they talk about how they did it. See if they have websites where they teach techniques. You absolutely can make incredible images with relatively inexpensive equipment under light polluted skies (particularly if you do narrowband under the latter). |
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1.81
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Die Launische Diva: *** all my pictures are made with Photoshop  I also still can learn :-P ***
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