50k Q&A - questions needed!
Added 2021-01-25 03:18:52 +0000 UTCLooks like the channel may hit 50,000 subscribers pretty soon (maybe even in time for my birthday on Feb. 6). To mark the occasion, I've decided to do a Q&A and giveaway. For the Q&A part, I'd like to receive the questions ahead of time, and then I will record a video with my answers (and details about entering the giveaway). So, please ask me anything below! Your questions can be about anything you wish.
Comments
Yeah, thanks man I'll take a look , I've got a digital intervolometer for my Canon. I'm thinking about the hack for the SD card
Darren M. Coleman
2021-02-15 15:48:29 +0000 UTCI'd suggest trying a different app then. Never tried it, but I've heard of it and might be worth a shot: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.qdd
Nico Carver
2021-02-15 15:44:42 +0000 UTCYeah there's nowhere to plug in a physical intervolometer. It's all WiFi.
Darren M. Coleman
2021-02-15 15:36:18 +0000 UTCThere is no port for a wired intervalometer on your Nikon? I would suggest getting a physical wired intervalometer. The wifi function you are describing where you press a button to start and stop will not work, as the darks have to be the exact same length as the lights, you don't want to have variable length for a few different reasons.
Nico Carver
2021-02-15 15:30:36 +0000 UTCNico if I take exposures that are ,say 2 or 3 seconds longer or shorter will it affect the registering and stacking , Nikon only has a press button on WiFi you press the button on your phone to start the exposure, then again to stop the exposure on bulb mode.
Darren M. Coleman
2021-02-15 08:29:04 +0000 UTCThanks I'll give it a try.
Darren M. Coleman
2021-02-07 15:26:07 +0000 UTCHello everyone , does anyone know of a stacking program, besides stakkart , or deepsky stacker? For moon's and planets?
Darren M. Coleman
2021-01-30 11:30:01 +0000 UTCWow 50k! Well deserved, and considering the high quality of content it will continue to grow :) I would be interested in understanding why some astrophotographers leave their systems up and running overnight. I didn't think it was a good idea considering the elements, and delicate natures of OTAs. Even with protection like the telegizmos 365 telescope cover I dont feel comfortable doing this. Stemming from that topic, I must use drift alignment instead of polar alignment. Is it possible to just leave the mount setup and remove the OTA? Have a great day, and keep up the awesome work to inspire us all!! Jason J
Jason Jendrusch
2021-01-29 15:37:28 +0000 UTCHello Nico, I'm curious how did you get to you level of skills ? Did you take photography in college or are you self taught , or do you have a mentor,like you are mentoring me and almost 50 thousand people , I want to be successful in this field and profecient so I can teach other's as you have taught me, I know if I keep that shutter clicking and learning , I will under your guidance. Like my Sensei John Jeffery taught me from white to black belt. I'd like to know you a little better like are you married where you studied etc. Nothing to personal , but I know at 55 year's old you have a giving heart to share your videos on YouTube etc. My teacher in martial arts taught me for free for being the sempei or helper so I want to give back as well, because of you I'm learning in leaps and bounds because of your teaching ability . God bless you and yours. Sincerely, Darren
Darren M. Coleman
2021-01-27 23:03:17 +0000 UTCAnother exposure question. How do I know the total exposure time when planning for shooting a target? I'm assuming there is a point where increasing integration time is not going to improve the image much. Is this just something that is learned from experience or is there some way to analyze our data to know when we have hit this point?
Steve Lockhart
2021-01-27 01:21:16 +0000 UTCI have 4 camera tripods so I think I may be in luck thanks for your feedback. Sincerely
Darren M. Coleman
2021-01-26 22:24:05 +0000 UTCYou just put the tracker on a tripod. You might be able to use the tripod from your equatorial mount if it has the right screw post, but most people use a regular photographic tripod. So it just goes from the ground up: tripod->tracker->camera. The relationship between a tracker and an equatorial mount is a motorized equatorial mount is a tracker, but designed for the weight of a telescope rather than a camera lens.
Nico Carver
2021-01-26 22:19:59 +0000 UTCI can send pics of my mounts
Darren M. Coleman
2021-01-26 22:17:33 +0000 UTCNot rent, aren't motorized.
Darren M. Coleman
2021-01-26 22:11:14 +0000 UTCThey Rent motorized, they have manual adjustments , don't I just need a equatorial mount for a motorized tracker ? I'm just trying to figure out what to put the tracker on. It's motorized isn't it. Sorry for asking such amateur questions but I'm only a 6 month old baby in this field. I haven't even seen a setup with a tracker only on the internet. I can find the DSO I just need to be able to track for longer exposures.
Darren M. Coleman
2021-01-26 22:10:26 +0000 UTCGreetings Nico - After watching your video's on taking pictures without a tracker, I understand how you calculate the maximum exposure time (depending on the focal length and Aperture). With a tracker it looks like you can extend this exposure to say 30 seconds, however what isn't clear to me is how many lights to actually take? For example using my 85mm F/1.4 Prime Lens, I took 500 x1 sec exposures Untracked. Using BackyardEOS, this added approx 6sec to each light, to transfer from the camera to the Laptop. So 500sec of actual lights ( 8.3minutes) and took over 1hr1/2 (moving camera, re-focusing, re-framing etc. But if I was able to do 30sec exposures then in the same time I would have got 150 lights ie 75min of actual lights. The question is, how many minutes of exposures, do you need? I guess the fainter the object the more exposures you need, but is there a rule a thumb? I can see that many minutes of exposures of say the Orion Nebula, would result in a over exposed core. Cheers John
John Silver
2021-01-26 22:04:44 +0000 UTCMaybe. Are they motorized? What brand/model specifically?
Nico Carver
2021-01-26 22:03:25 +0000 UTCHello Nico I have a 4 1/2 " newtonian and a 70/700 refractor with a dovetail receptacle will I be able to use those equatorial mounts for the tracker in place of the telescope
Darren M. Coleman
2021-01-26 16:45:30 +0000 UTCQ. what safety precautions should you tajlke when going out alone on location (hillclimbers tell local people etc) we go out in dark when family in bed etc..but also blanket, hot drink etc? spare mobile/battery
michelle ronald
2021-01-26 09:05:14 +0000 UTCCongrats on 50K! I am new and a bit confused. I understand that three lenses are necessary to build an apochromatic telescope but I often see duplex telescopes advertised as APO. Are they truly Apochromatic?
Richard Swartz
2021-01-25 22:01:00 +0000 UTCHi Nico, As a retired electrical engineer, I really appreciate the technical detail you put in your videos. I'm new to astrophotography ... started about 6 months ago, but I'm a long time landscape photographer. I live in a suburb of Austin, TX so the light pollution is pretty bad (not from sodium vapor street lights, but just from the bright glow of the city about 10 miles away). Equipment/software wise, I'm at what you call "Level 4" (what do you expect from a nerdy engineer), so long exposures are not an issue for me. I have, however, seen a couple of videos where folks have presented data showing that there is a point of diminishing returns in exposure times in light polluted areas, so it is better to take light frames at 30 sec- 1 min rather than 2 to 5 min exposures because the light pollution overrides the data you are trying to capture during long exposure times. Just curious if you have experience in this area ... thanks.
Johnny LeBlanc
2021-01-25 21:31:17 +0000 UTCTell us about yourself. Where do you work, how long have you been in this hobby, single or married, do you follow other astronomy youtubers, single best advise for beginner imagers?
Rick Cudmore
2021-01-25 19:21:14 +0000 UTCQ5 (these are all beginners questions like me lol) what do you do to prepare for going on loction to a remote dark sky and dont get mobile reception so no apps work?
michelle ronald
2021-01-25 13:04:02 +0000 UTCfor drift align..maybe word it how do i polar align without polaris
michelle ronald
2021-01-25 12:46:07 +0000 UTCQ4 can i reuse subs for other times on the same DSO
michelle ronald
2021-01-25 12:05:39 +0000 UTCQ3. why are flats, bias, darks inportant and so they nees to be done on site (temperature etc)
michelle ronald
2021-01-25 12:04:48 +0000 UTCQ2. what apps are good for eg.planning, polar alignment, processing, where are the constellations, where is moon, where is milky way at set date etc
michelle ronald
2021-01-25 12:03:13 +0000 UTCQ1. at what point do you stop stretching during post processing
michelle ronald
2021-01-25 12:00:49 +0000 UTCWoooohoooooo!!!!! 50K!!!! <br> Are there any lenses that without being stoopid expensive, perform better for astrophotography? <br>or at the very least easier to focus?
JC Nieto
2021-01-25 10:40:32 +0000 UTCCongrats on 50k - it's just the beginning I'm sure! Some question ideas: 1) How do you do drift alignment? 2) What are the best Northern Hemisphere targets for an untracked, unmodded DSLR setup? 3) What's the best way to start to learn about locating Deep Sky objects in the field?
James Palmer
2021-01-25 09:36:17 +0000 UTCCongratulations on 50.000 that's awesome I am grateful to be a part of what you teach.
Darren M. Coleman
2021-01-25 09:18:22 +0000 UTCP.s Happy birthday to you Early in case I forget.
Darren M. Coleman
2021-01-25 09:10:38 +0000 UTCHello Nico I've been studying finding different nebulae and I'm asking could I get the thors helmet using a 2 or 300 mm lens once I get my tracker.
Darren M. Coleman
2021-01-25 09:09:58 +0000 UTCNico, what a great idea. Will your “ Andromeda without a telescope” technique work with Jupiter and Saturn ?
Trevor Buckley
2021-01-25 03:44:29 +0000 UTCHi Nico, I always wondered what is the best way to continue imaging the next night or whenever is clear. I always try to finish my imaging session on the same night because I am really not sure how to get back to he same part of the object on future sessions. I use APT for capturing but I am open to other tools that can do the same or more for me. that would be my question. congrats on hitting this mile stone, many more as you are a great teacher and astrophotographer. Cheers and clear skies!
Edwin Sanchez
2021-01-25 03:41:33 +0000 UTC
