Posted: November 7, 2024

8 minute read

In the past few years the tools used to process astro-images have made a generational leap. Tools built into PixInsight, like WBPP (Weighted Batch Preprocessor), have simplified calibration and integration, while other free tools, like Generalized Hyperbolic Stretch (GHS), and SetiAstro’s helpers are making processing in PI easier (once you learn them). Other, paid tools, like RC-Astro’s *XTerminator tools have amplified the leap. In this post I’ll walk through a high-level overview of how I process images. It’s repeatable, pretty streamlined, and I think that you can get pretty good results without a lot of theory or math.
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Posted: November 6, 2024

5 minute read

I use PixInsight to process my images and I’ve gotten to a point where I feel that I have a pretty repeatable workflow (note that I didn’t say that I’m good). I’ve created a few tools along the way that make things easier for me, which I figured I’d share with the community.
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Posted: October 13, 2024

less than 1 minute read

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Posted: June 9, 2024

less than 1 minute read

Another quick post. I have finally had my first night imaging remotely, and everything actually worked!
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Posted: May 31, 2024

less than 1 minute read

Still working out the kinks in my full automation routine but making progress
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Posted: April 15, 2024

less than 1 minute read

In my quest to image remotely I needed a dry run.
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Posted: February 19, 2024

2 minute read

I’ve been (very) slowly getting my imaging rig and shed up to snuff for some remote imaging. I’ve got various stages of automation underway, including Slack notifications for when my control computer (a PrimaluceLab Eagle) reboots or if the retrieval of weather data from the club’s sensor fails. Early December I noticed an uptick in reboots but didn’t think anything of it, but it turns out that it was the beginning of the end, signaling the death of an Eagle.
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Posted: November 20, 2023

5 minute read

Astrophotography is a pretty data-heavy hobby. One night of imaging can result in dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of images. In this post I’ll go over my plans to keep them organized, especially now that I’m starting to image remotely.
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Posted: November 6, 2023

1 minute read

If you’ve been following us you’ve likely noticed that we’ve changed our name and URL, we’re now simply theAstroShed.com. The near-term plan is to be able to image remotely. The weather that we’ve been having lately has been very flaky, often not worth the 45-minute drive (especially in the summer, when it feels like there’s only a few hours of darkness) Out with the old (pier).
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Posted: August 1, 2021

1 minute read

Undersampling: that’s what happens when the camera you use has pixels that are too big for your focal length and seeing conditions. It’s also something that can cause soft images.
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Posted: April 1, 2021

less than 1 minute read

One issue that I had early on was getting to the astroshed. Not the drive (well, the South Carolina roads do leave a bit to be desired). No, it was the little OSB plywood walkway.
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Posted: March 22, 2019

1 minute read

A beautiful night at the Astro Shed. The plan? Image as many of the Messier objects as I can.
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Posted: February 17, 2019

less than 1 minute read

With the Astroshed nearly complete I thought that it was time to post some pictures of the progress and what all has gone into this project.
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Posted: December 16, 2018

5 minute read

This post isn’t about astrophotography, but rather a place to do it from. My yard is pretty much out of the question, trees all around, with only a view of the northern sky. You know what else is north? Uptown Charlotte. I was thrilled when I learned that our local astronomy club had an observatory with much darker skies than I have.
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Posted: November 10, 2018

2 minute read

It’s been quite a while since I was able to get out to the observatory and actually manage to capture some photons.
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Posted: July 14, 2018

7 minute read

After waiting so long for the equipment, I finally had all the pieces of the puzzle. Miraculously, the first Saturday (July 14, 2018) after finally getting the last piece (another counterweight) it was clear with a fairly new moon. I packed up the family truckster with my stuff (I really should take pictures along the way!) and headed out to the observatory.
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Posted: July 3, 2018

6 minute read

I ordered pretty much the entire rig at the same time– the mount, OTA, camera, filter wheel, filters, guide camera, tripod, and an extra 10 lb weight for good measure. I already had a guide scope that I planned to use. About half of the equipment was in stock when I ordered, but I was aware that my mount wasn’t going to arrive at the same time as everything else; it was quoted as about a six-week lead time.
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Posted: June 3, 2018

4 minute read

The last chunk of stuff from the initial bullet list (see “Pulled the trigger…”) I want to talk about together. I needed a way to control all of this stuff I needed a way to power all of this stuff And definitely needed a way to prevent dew from wreaking havoc on everything
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Posted: April 19, 2018

2 minute read

As far as the filter wheel is concerned, the frontrunner was actually one by FLI (I read several reports of folks having trouble with Atik’s EFW2). After talking with Larry at OPT I learned that Atik released a new filter wheel, specifically for the the 16200, the EFW3. That made the choice easy. I was quite glad that he mentioned it, since it wasn’t yet on OPT’s website. It’s really good to have someone help you with this process!
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Posted: April 12, 2018

2 minute read

After selecting the telescope other things started clicking into place. I had a telescope with a huge image circle, I needed to use it. When it came to selecting the camera there really weren’t many choices– I started with a pretty short list. Initially I was looking at at the QSIs - in particular, the QSI 683wsg-8, an 8.3 megapixel (3326 x 2507) KAF-8300 sensor with 5.4 micrometer pixels, also sporting a built-in, 8-position filter wheel for 1.25-inch filters. Unfortunately, a death in the family put QSIs in limbo for quite some time. I believe that Atik as helped ramp back up operations, but I haven’t looked into availability.
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Posted: April 10, 2018

5 minute read

This post goes over my my thoughts when selecting the telescope for my imaging rig. Trying to follow the advice of the masses, my requirements for the telescope were: Small(ish) refractor, preferably apochromatic, either with a flat field, or a flattener available. Bonus points if the system allows threaded (vs compression) connections in the imaging train.
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Posted: March 30, 2018

1 minute read

That brings us to today. Like many aspiring astrophotographers, I had my dream setup planned out. Like many plans, it was somewhat “fluid”.
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Posted: September 3, 2017

1 minute read

I am now a member of the Charlotte Amateur Astronomers Club, which has an observatory near Kershaw, South Carolina. The Gayle H. Riggsbee Observatory (GHRO for short) has several member pads, along with a good variety of telescopes for club members.
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Posted: June 1, 2012

1 minute read

Fast forward a few years… My second scope, purchased in 2012, was an 8” Celestron CPC Edge HD. This was a beautiful telescope. It was much easier to align than the ETX-90 was, and its longer focal length was fantastic for planets and the moon.
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Posted: June 1, 2004

1 minute read

I got into astronomy back in 2004 when I bought a Meade ETX-90 (which, astonishingly, they still make). This was a go-to scope, able to find things in the sky and automatically move to them. It came with a tripod and a couple of eyepieces. The plan was to get my feet wet, see some things, and hopefully take some pictures.
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