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Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 6:48 pm
by BGazing
OK, my Lunt 80 finally arrived, it was a bittersweet experience which I plan to explain in more detail in a CN thread, while I wait from Lunt and vendor to reply to a couple of problems that will need fixing (bad FTF, speck which seems to be inside of the doublet lens, missing caps, marred etalon anodizing during transport.
Other than that, the views are astonishing, I finally understand what a good etalon is and how convenient is a dedicated solar scope.
Now for the problem. I was always a visual guy and AP did not intrigue me, although solar was intriguing as it is so dynamic and I often wish to share what I see. A friend, who does only AP, was trying to convert me for years to the dark side, and finally managed to dump his ASI 120 mono 'to play with' while I am in countryside for a couple of days. I made a mistake and accepted.
What I have found out was that doing Ha AP was simple (I watch mono, switch to bino, then decide I will make a quick acquisition) and then the fun begins. Quite addictive and fits into my observing rhythm, it is not like you have 7hrs exposition at a dark site and abandon visual. He also dumped PIPP, Autostakkert and Registax on me and...that is it. I never did any of this stuff.
So I played, realized that focusing on prom is more difficult, that gains and exp on surface and proms are so apart, that I need to go darker, that he forgot to unlock full speed on the camera in max mode, that I should stack less images, etc. Also I just now realize that PM2.5 and this configuration do not play well because of NR and because of the oversampling (had to learn what that is).
Below are a couple of my firsts tries, that huge prom in varous stages and then some ARs and a flare today. I would most appreciate any suggestions you have - what should I pay attention to? Is this camera adequate long term, should I be aiming for something with smaller pixels? I use alt-az mounts exclusively (AZGti and Evolution, soon to acquire Rowan 100), my other scope suitable for some play on say Moon is Tak 100 (f/7.4). Any particular processing tricks? I do PIPP, ask it to halve the number of frames (I usually take 600-1000, but my FPS was usually below 30 when using full res because camera was capped) then go to Autostakkert, get as many stabilizing points, analyze and dump everthing but the best bit. Then play in Registaxx although I do not know what a particular wavelet does. :)

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 6:49 pm
by BGazing
Some more...

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 6:50 pm
by BGazing
Final one..

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 7:52 pm
by Radon86
Hello, I do not own a Lunt, but if I were you, I would consider not using the scope at all, and ask for a refund or exchange for a better scope !!

On your imaging, I would not hurry.
A few things are; a decent laptop with an SSD drive (NVME speed) and at least i5 quad core fast processor and 16 GB RAM.
You should also review the image scale so you are sampling at the correct image scale for your telescope and camera sensor pixel size.

And imaging takes time to learn. Don't expect things to work first time!
Please wait for good conditions, don't image in boiling heat or blustery conditions etc.

Best of luck.

Magnus

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 11:42 pm
by BGazing
Okay, watched Marty's tutorial but basically aped most of it without understanding what is going on. The end result is OK despite having a different acquisition. Other questions remain, though.

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 3:44 am
by Rusted
Your last image is pretty but very over-sharpened. Typical of Registax. Try using ImPPG instead.
Aim for a far more natural appearance without all those uniform artefacts.

This advice was given to me here and I value it as causing a major improvement in my own imaging.
It hurts to be criticised when you are just beginning at imaging but you asked for advice.
Hopefully you will see this as constructive advice. Your instrument shows huge promise.
As do your early results.

You don't say where you are based. How long did you have to wait for your Lunt?

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:07 am
by marktownley
Welcome to the forum!

My advice at this stage, ditch PiPP and Registax, stack in AS3 and sharpen in ImPPG.

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:41 am
by BGazing
marktownley wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:07 am Welcome to the forum!

My advice at this stage, ditch PiPP and Registax, stack in AS3 and sharpen in ImPPG.
Thank you, the one up there was touched upon by ImPPG. I already have AS3 if you mean Autostakkert, any particular reason why I should ditch PiPP?

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:43 am
by BGazing
Rusted wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 3:44 am Your last image is pretty but very over-sharpened. Typical of Registax. Try using ImPPG instead.
Aim for a far more natural appearance without all those uniform artefacts.

This advice was given to me here and I value it as causing a major improvement in my own imaging.
It hurts to be criticised when you are just beginning at imaging but you asked for advice.
Hopefully you will see this as constructive advice. Your instrument shows huge promise.
As do your early results.

You don't say where you are based. How long did you have to wait for your Lunt?
Thank you, that is exactly the criticism I was looking for. :)
What are the 'uniform artifacts' you speak about?
I am based in Serbia, I ordered from the US and waited about 10 weeks. EU prices are much higher, even with the US transport.

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:12 am
by Rusted
I am glad you saw my criticism as constructive.

The artefacts are an overall spottiness. Caused by over-sharpening the image in an attempt to bring out more detail.
An unnatural, uniform texture applied to every part of the image. It remind me of old-fashioned newsprint.
Newspaper images were built up from dots. Enlarging such an image just makes the spots more obvious.
Here is an example from Alexandra:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alexandra ... ed-public/

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:41 am
by marktownley
BGazing wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:41 am
marktownley wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:07 am Welcome to the forum!

My advice at this stage, ditch PiPP and Registax, stack in AS3 and sharpen in ImPPG.
Thank you, the one up there was touched upon by ImPPG. I already have AS3 if you mean Autostakkert, any particular reason why I should ditch PiPP?
PiPP only sorts images by global quality rather than local (alignment point) quality, you will get a better quality result.

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 11:03 am
by Radon86
Hi,

Very nice work so far, a good start. You have a Lunt 80mm solar telescope, amazing !

Magnus

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 9:31 pm
by BGazing
Radon86 wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 11:03 am Hi,

Very nice work so far, a good start. You have a Lunt 80mm solar telescope, amazing !

Magnus
I know...I am still stunned by the views. :)

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 10:14 am
by BGazing
Okay, tried what you have suggested, I think this is a bit better. Too bad I did not do the acquisition at the best settings and did not know that my FPS was capped at 30 for some reason.

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2022 3:06 pm
by BGazing
2022-08-10-1246_1-U-G-Lunt_Exposure=.9ms_Gain=0_Gamma=70(off)_lapl4_ap7063.jpg
2022-08-10-1246_1-U-G-Lunt_Exposure=.9ms_Gain=0_Gamma=70(off)_lapl4_ap7063.jpg (1.08 MiB) Viewed 2719 times
Rusted wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:12 am I am glad you saw my criticism as constructive.

The artefacts are an overall spottiness. Caused by over-sharpening the image in an attempt to bring out more detail.
An unnatural, uniform texture applied to every part of the image. It remind me of old-fashioned newsprint.
Newspaper images were built up from dots. Enlarging such an image just makes the spots more obvious.
Here is an example from Alexandra:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alexandra ... ed-public/
Is this the right direction?

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2022 1:20 pm
by BGazing
Kinda surprised I did not notice this first, I was overwhelmed by my 80MT arrival. But here it is...

I first noticed it during a recent full disc processing, there was more red glow around one side of the disc. Today we had some bad seeing conditions, but after 3 days of downpour I hauled the scope out for some play.

What I noticed visually (and is confirmed photographically when gamma is completely blown out of proportion, so normally it is not nearly as pronounced visually or on the photos) is a faint glow around one side of the limb. It is always that side, it does not change with turning around PT. Moving limb to the center removes glow. It appears only on the side of the full disc. I use BF1800. I remember that once during use before I thought that something is not right and redid those bolts fastening etalon to the lens unit, they can get a bit loose over time and that did the trick. But perhaps I did not pay much attention to this faint glow as I was used to a much stronger glow in the Quark.

As 80MT is not tilt-tuned and is a single stack, I am curious as to what is causing this.

Attached are also full discs as I have moved them over my ASI1600mm sensor, barlowed 1.8x.

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2022 8:06 am
by marktownley
Does it rotate when you rotate the blocking filter?

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2022 6:43 pm
by BGazing
marktownley wrote: Mon Sep 19, 2022 8:06 am Does it rotate when you rotate the blocking filter?
Hmmm, I have not tried that...we have overcast at the moment, so it will have to wait. Thank you for the tip.
Your question suggests that it should not be there. If it is BF, what is the likely culprit?

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2022 4:29 am
by DeepSolar64
Hey, These all look really good for a visual guy! I am new to solar AP myself and I think yours are great!

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2022 5:34 am
by marktownley
BGazing wrote: Mon Sep 19, 2022 6:43 pm
marktownley wrote: Mon Sep 19, 2022 8:06 am Does it rotate when you rotate the blocking filter?
Hmmm, I have not tried that...we have overcast at the moment, so it will have to wait. Thank you for the tip.
Your question suggests that it should not be there. If it is BF, what is the likely culprit?
You should try it. Definitely shouldn't be there, the size of the ghost relative to the disk size is very similar which suggests optcally the reflection occurs with 2 sutfaces very close together. My money would be on the blocker and if this is the cu[prit it is a retuen to Lunt.

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2022 9:03 am
by BGazing
marktownley wrote: Tue Sep 20, 2022 5:34 am
BGazing wrote: Mon Sep 19, 2022 6:43 pm
marktownley wrote: Mon Sep 19, 2022 8:06 am Does it rotate when you rotate the blocking filter?
Hmmm, I have not tried that...we have overcast at the moment, so it will have to wait. Thank you for the tip.
Your question suggests that it should not be there. If it is BF, what is the likely culprit?
You should try it. Definitely shouldn't be there, the size of the ghost relative to the disk size is very similar which suggests optcally the reflection occurs with 2 sutfaces very close together. My money would be on the blocker and if this is the cu[prit it is a retuen to Lunt.
Thank you...at this point I am wondering if there is anything NOT faulty with my delivery.

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2022 9:52 am
by BGazing
marktownley wrote: Tue Sep 20, 2022 5:34 am
BGazing wrote: Mon Sep 19, 2022 6:43 pm
marktownley wrote: Mon Sep 19, 2022 8:06 am Does it rotate when you rotate the blocking filter?
Hmmm, I have not tried that...we have overcast at the moment, so it will have to wait. Thank you for the tip.
Your question suggests that it should not be there. If it is BF, what is the likely culprit?
You should try it. Definitely shouldn't be there, the size of the ghost relative to the disk size is very similar which suggests optcally the reflection occurs with 2 sutfaces very close together. My money would be on the blocker and if this is the cu[prit it is a retuen to Lunt.
You choose your bets wisely, sir, it rotates with the diagonal. Sigh, now another round of emails with Lunt.

Re: Help! Lunt 80 arrived and I caught AP bug

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2022 3:24 pm
by marktownley
Sadly see this sort of thing too often 😕