Improving 1 angstrom Stage 1 to .5 angstrom

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Starry Jack
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Improving 1 angstrom Stage 1 to .5 angstrom

Post by Starry Jack »

If a PST stage 1 is remains a 1 angstrom instrument, what's the best way to decrease that to .5 angstrom?

Thanks,
Jack


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Re: Improving 1 angstrom Stage 1 to .5 angstrom

Post by MalVeauX »

Double stacking it is the only way to narrow it down to 0.5A.

Very best,


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Re: Improving 1 angstrom Stage 1 to .5 angstrom

Post by Starry Jack »

Thank you, Marty. I love your work and follow you in Flickr.

So what is the angstrom level of your PST/Quark convo and did you find it worth it?

I’ll research here if double stacking can be done but I think I saw some posts indicating it is difficult.
Jack


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Re: Improving 1 angstrom Stage 1 to .5 angstrom

Post by MalVeauX »

Hi Jack,

The bandpass isn't what's important. 0.5A or 0.7A or even 1.0A compared to 0.3A isn't important really. More important is the transmission profile and the skirt around the wavelength. My Quark operates around 0.4A and my PST is 1A like most others. However, the reason I use the PST etalon is to shave off the skirt of the transmission profile to clip out any residual continuum leaking through. This leaking of the continuum happens even at 0.2A or 0.3A with ultra expensive etalons that are single stacked. Double stacking is ideal for the limb, where the continuum leaking is obvious. Otherwise, there's no problem running a 1A etalon on the surface without the the limb in the field of view. This is why PST etalons in a mod do well for the surface.

For surface, I'd rather have a good 0.4~0.6A single stack etalon, but it would be fine (imaging) to use close to 1A etalon.
For the limb, I'd rather have two 0.7A etalons double stacked, roughly, but it would be fine (imaging) to use two 1A etalons.

Very best,


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Re: Improving 1 angstrom Stage 1 to .5 angstrom

Post by Starry Jack »

Marty,
You encourage me. I’m going to focus on improving technique next such as etalon tuning and flat field shots. I just tried a super rough flat field by putting a clear bag flatly over the ERF and applied flat field on the fly in the camera software and that alone made a big difference in my image.

I still don’t think I tune the etalon well...it’s hard for me to tell what is good because of that big sweet spit changing the exposure balance in the preview. I get a bit confused.

I think tuning and focusing and post processing would all benefit from some learning on my part. And I see many comparisons and the PST mod seems to hold its own with a quark in image clarity and better contrast often. I look at your images though and see your super high contrast results.

Best,
Jack


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Re: Improving 1 angstrom Stage 1 to .5 angstrom

Post by Valery »

I can encourage you even more, Jack. Typical PST etalon is far not 1A. They mostly close to 0.6A - 0.5A and some of them are even narrover, up to about 0.4A!


Valery


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Re: Improving 1 angstrom Stage 1 to .5 angstrom

Post by Starry Jack »

Hahha. Love it! Thanks Val. And I do enjoy my ERF from you.

Quality product.


Explore Scientific 152mm f6.5 achromat
Aeries D-ERF
Quark Chromosphere f27 native, (f14 when focal reduced)
Mallincam .5x focal reducer (large format)
12nm Filter
ZWO174 (IMX249 chip 5um)
Huge Sense of Adventure Viewing Creation
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