The graphic below shows how to calculate the size of the scale Earth to use as an overlay in DVS animations.
Click on image for full size.
Jun 202015
Jun 092015
I have just been testing DSSR5’s rewritten scan feature. This effectively triples the area covered by your imaging chip and also completely eliminates Newton’s rings. Here is how it works on a PST – DMK21 – PowerMate 2.5x setup.
Click for full size scanned result.
It also allows you to take full disk images of the Sun with a PST and DMK21 at prime like below.
Click for full size scanned result.
DSSR5 is currently only available to members of my user group but will be released publicly soon.
The scanner uses the same file format as DSSR captures so that DVS can automatically add the date and time like the 1123×673 pixel scan below.
Preview of DSSR5’s Solar Scan Feature
Solar HA
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Apr 172015
DSSR5 has a new scanning feature which enables cameras with small chips to produce images of the entire sun. I tried it with my DMK21 (1/4″ CCD) at prime focus on my PST which looks like this during capture.
Raw video frame
I then used the new scan function to automatically record a 5 minute video of the Sun while DSSR steered the scope to cover the entire solar surface. Registax then did its magic to produce this full disk image below.
Full solar disk produced by Registax 20150417 @ 09:30UT
This is a lot easier than mosaics and it looks like the method smooths out the PST hot spots as well. (It’s also a lot cheaper than a 1/2″ chip camera:-)
A very big thanks to Sylvain Weiller for suggesting this feature and helping me bring it to fruition.
Below are some recent scans – all taken with a 1/4″ DMK at prime focus on a PST.
Scan 20150418 @12:33UT
Review of Pipo X7 Win8.1 nanoPC
News
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Mar 282015
My old XP desktop in my garden observatory finally started chugging so I checked out the price of an upgrade to a newer version of Windows. Doing so, I found this little beauty which is a quad core PC with Win8.1 for a few dollars more than Win8.1 on its own.
Setup was a doddle and the stock SSD had 21GB free after updating Windows. I then installed ASCOM, DSSR, DVS, DFM, DSR, AstroKam, TIS driver, TeamViewer, Cartes du Ciel, AviStack, StarTools, Krita, Sony Vegas, Microsoft ICE, LibreOffice, VirtualDub, 7Zip, DeepSkyStacker, AdBlockPlus, Canon DPP and Utilities, AS2Cull, EQMOD, EQDIRECT and SPC900 drivers. This left the SSD with 14GB free.
It starts from cold in 20 seconds and is very nippy because all programmes are on the SSD. Power consumption is 8W with no camera and 11W with my DMK21 attached. I can afford to leave it running 24/7 which will cost me around $12 a year. There is no fan so it is totally silent which makes it great as a media player. The aluminium case doesn’t even get warm to the touch.
It is roughly 40% as powerful as my 8-core AMD 3.1GHz, 8GB, 64bit W7 desktop PC, based on these comparison processing times:
DeepSkyStacker image stack: Pipo = 34Min, AMD = 15min.
AviStack batch video processing run: Pipo = 36min, AMD = 13min.
However, the Pipo wins hands down on a bang per buck and bang per watt basis.
It runs my HEQ5 Pro and DMK21 under DSSR with no problems which is why I bought it. It can autoguide all day long while constantly capturing video clips with no dropped frames. One thing to note is that you need to be wary of how much power your devices suck from the USB ports. I have to run my DMK21 camera from a front port and a portable HDD capture disk from a rear port. A powered USB hub should solve this problem.
I added an un-powered 4 port USB hub which lets me add a mouse, keyboard and DSLR together with my EQMOD cable, DMK21 camera and 500GB capture disk.
Here is one of the its first capture and processing tests. Intermittent clouds makes for a jerky video with stacking artifacts but I think it performed to spec.
[vimeo 123507654]
I can see the Pipo being a lot of use in astronomy. You could strap it to your scope tripod with a battery pack (or solar cell) and control it via TeamViewer. Or, have a bunch of them running in a cupboard as a video and imaging processing farm.
Would I buy it again? I already have, and #2 is my new media PC. Netflix, YouTube, iPlayer, etc all play 1080p video without a hitch. The great thing is I can also do video or image processing on it overnight.
ps I have heard rumors than Win10 will be offered as a free upgrade to Win7 and Win8. This would make the Pipo even more of a bargain.
More DSSR EzyTrak Jupiter
Planets
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Mar 222015
More EzyTrak testing on Jupiter with my NexStar 4SE/DMK21/PowerMate 2.5x combo.
[vimeo 122306917]Solar Eruption 14th March 2015
Solar HA
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Mar 152015
It was a gorgeous, clear sunny Spring day in the Scottish highlands yesterday and I captured this time-lapse. Lots of crackling and a nice eruption about 2/3rds in.
[vimeo 122228068]This was capured using DSSR’s new EzyTrak guider which is in development. The full 5 hours DSSR session can be seen below speeded up 600x.
[vimeo 122190081]First Test of EzyTrak
News
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Mar 112015
DSSR’s autoguide module seems to cause most problems for new users so I am now revamping it to make it a foolproof guider. The new guider is called EzyTrak and is currently only available to my user group but will be released soon with DSSR5. Below is the result of a trial run on Jupiter (animated in DVS).
[vimeo 121874966]Feb 282015
Here are some pics of my second observatory which is an HEQ5 Pro mounted on a small table outside my garage. The control cables run into the office in the garage corner and are stored coiled in the empty gas meter cabinet on the wall. The hardest part of making this was drilling a 55mm hole thru the wall for the cables. It only takes a minute to remove the cover bag, install the scope and connect the wires. The mount is on the south-east corner of the garage so it can cover the whole sky except the north-west quadrant. Perfect for solar, lunar and planetary work.
DSSR Eclipse Notes
Tutorials
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Feb 282015
The next eclipse of the Sun will occur on March 20th this year and here are some tips on how to use DSSR to guide your scope during it. First, here is a white light simulation of what the eclipse will look like from Inverness, Scotland. Note that this was created in CdC and is an alt-az view, which is why the Sun is rotating and the Moon follows a curved track.
General Tips
If your camera is in auto exposure mode the sky brightness will vary during the eclipse which is maybe what you want. I intend to use a fixed manual exposure which I think will look better in the time-lapse animation.
Do a dry run on the Sun before the 20th.
Use new or recharged batteries and have spares ready.
Use a remote release cable or intervalometer as a backup to DSLR usb capture.
Use DSSR’s recticle to centre the Sun before you start guiding.
White Light
I have tried to get DSSR to do a virtual guide on this animation but it breaks down near the point of maximum cover. What I suggest for WL is that you guide for as long as you can on a sunspot and then stop guiding. Then, right-click on the 6 or 12 o’clock position to begin monitoring. Stop monitoring and then right-click on the picture in the guider window to show the monitor box in the main video window. Then use your HC buttons to keep the monitor position lined up with the red box. You can start guiding again when a surface feature reappears (remember to click in the guider picture to hide the monitor box).
H-Alpha Light
You might be luckier in h-alpha if there is a prominence or surface feature in the uncovered portion of the Sun. DSSR should be able to guide right thru the eclipse on it. If there is no feature then follow the procedure for white light above.
Poor Man’s Guider
I don’t have a full disk video camera so I can’t use DSSR for the eclipse. My plan is to use a Canon 1100D DSLR connected to a NexStar 4SE and use Canon’s utility app to capture a full-disk WL still every 5 seconds. My guider will be a sheet of cling film over my monitor on which I will draw the dotted outline of the Sun in the Canon preview window. I can use this with the HC buttons to keep the Sun aligned.
Construct Time-Lapse Animation
Coming soon – how to use DSV to create a time-lapse animation with your results.
DSSR Now Supports ZWO Cameras
News
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Feb 282015
DSSR version 4.10 adds support for cameras from ZWO Company as shown in this screen shot.
I don’t have a ZWO camera myself which is why the video screen is black, but several users have confirmed that their ZWOs display and capture fine.
This was only possible thanks to the support offered by Sam of ZWO Company and the generous help given by Robin (author of SharpCap) who even donated some SharpCap code for DSSR. A big thanks to both of them.