My first with Daystar Quark - seekind advise

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lbim
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My first with Daystar Quark - seekind advise

Post by lbim »

Dear SolarChat Members
Few months ago I’ve had a chance to purchase discounted two Daystar Quark filters for Questar telescope, so I did.
Thing is I don’t have a Questar telescope and I want to use them with Orion ST80. I’ve gander all needed components including 2x and 5x Barlow, battery pack for Quark, etc.

Today was nice weather so I tried to use it and obviously didn’t succeed. Those are my first steps ever in Astrophotography, until now it was a time for gathering things and reading. It takes much more of the time and off course many times more of funds, like you guys don’t know it, right.
I’ve use Logitech C615 modified camera and there was nothing to look at, just dark screen.
When I used 25mm Eye Piece there was a little bright red object about 2-3mm diameter.

I am hoping that some member of this knowledgeable forum will be so nice and it make clear to me if the setting like this is possible: Orion St80 > 2x (or 5x) Barlow > Quark Chromosphere > eye piece or video camera.

Seeking you wisdom needed to make another step in this endeavor.
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Orion ST80 > 5x barlow > Quark Chrome > diagonal > Logitech C615
Orion ST80 > 5x barlow > Quark Chrome > diagonal > Logitech C615
IMG_20151114_135411a.jpg (105.19 KiB) Viewed 3652 times


Solar B
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Re: My first with Daystar Quark - seekind advise

Post by Solar B »

Can you talk us through your chain of components

Starting with the OTA focuser to Barlow etc

Also you shouldn't normally require any Barlow and Quarks are usually
but not always installed "after" the diagonal like an eye piece holder.

Right so it is a questar quark ... I've no experience of using that type I'm afraid.

Brian


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Bob Yoesle
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Re: My first with Daystar Quark - seekind advise

Post by Bob Yoesle »

The Questar 3.5 has a FR of 14.8, the Orion ST 80 has a FR of 5. 14.8 / 5 = 2.8. So the ideal barlow to use would be about a 3 x. I would also consider the 2.5 x TeleVue Powermate.
When I used 25mm Eye Piece there was a little bright red object about 2-3mm diameter.
"2-3 mm in diameter." I have no idea of what this means - was this with the 2 x or 5x barlow in place? The Questar Quark would seem to have a built in telecentric (barlow) lens of about 2x (as opposed to the standard ~ 4 x) to achieve the F 30 FR typically needed for the filter with a Questar 3.5..., so even with a 25 mm eyepiece, the image should be as follows:

If just used by itself with the ST 80, the EFL should be about 400 mm x 2x Quark built in = 800 mm; 800 mm / 25 mm = 32 x magnification, 32 x 0.5 degree = 16 degree apparent diameter, which would be the same as 32 x the diameter of the full moon, or what the full moon would look like in the ST 80 with a 2 x barlow lens and the 25 mm eyepiece. Adding your 2 x or 5 x barlow will make it proportionally bigger by 2 or 5 times.

For visual use I would try as Brian suggests, and use the Quark after the diagonal. For imaging, I would remove the diagonal completely. But since you are using multiple amplification lenses to get to the ~ f 30, you have selected a pretty complex system for your first "ever" imaging foray!

Your picture with the barlow-Quark-camera appears to have the focuser racked out quite a bit - perhaps you are having a focusing issue as well. Since this is your first attempt at imaging, if the image is significantly out of focus it will also be quite dim, and if your camera exposure settings are not correct, you will have a very dim out of focus image, which will make it appear as if nothing is on the computer screen. This also might explain why you visually see only "a little bright red object about 2-3mm diameter."

Just a thought... You might want to get more familiar with imaging the moon or sun in white light first to learn the camera system, focusing, etc., and then try H alpha with the more complex Quark system. Be patient and try some different set-ups and it should eventually work.


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lbim
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Re: My first with Daystar Quark - seekind advise

Post by lbim »

Bob,
Excellent dose of information, really appreciate this.
Your and Brian’s respond is pointing me in right direction. I am experimenting with equipment
I have and what I’ve read till now so the information from you is really important.
Will use your suggestion soon and report how it goes, for now the sky is high above thick layer of clouds.


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