Solar Activity 5-11-24 - First Light the ASI174MM

These are the first images with my ZWO ASI174MM. It was the perfect morning to do this especially coming off of the aurora's the night before. I am very happy with this camera, even the live view was so much better than the ASI178. RThere will be more in-depth information later. I just wanted to get some images. One thing I will mention is that I don't have a good view of the morning sun from my observatory so I set the scope and all on to the AM3 Mount which is fine. However, I could not find the APP to run the mount so I had to scramble and use the hand controller which fortunately worked fine. I later found out that ZWO changed the name of the mount APP.

The ring structures visible on some of the images are an artifact known as Newton's rings. They can be corrected with tilt adjuster which I have I just have to play around with it, otherwise these are my best solar images yet. 

Solar Activity 5-11-24 - First Light the ASI174MM
Date: 5-11-24
Camera: ZWO ASI174MM-Pro
Telescope: Orion ED80
Barlow: Daystar Quark 4.2x
Focal Length: 600mm (2520mm w/Quark)
F/7.5 (F/31.5 w Quark)
Focal Reducer: none
Mount: ZWO AM3
Filter Adaptor: None
Filter: Camera UV-IR, Ha-Quark
Focuser: None
Autoguiding: None
Exposure: 100 x 6.1340 ms (100 of 500)
Gain: 100
Offset 0
Temp: 15 C
Processing: SharpCap, AutoStakkert, IMPPG, Photoshop

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Sunspots: Quark & ASI178

So this is my first closeup of sun spots with my developing solar setup. Based on when the data was collected, 2024 - April 27, I believe this sunspot grouping is AR3654 and the one on the left side is AR3655. It is not the best solar image as the detail and sharpness could be better but I am happy with it. This summer I plan to do more solar imaging with the setup I built a few years ago. It consists of the Orion ED80, Daystar Quark Chromosphere, and ZWO ASI178. Sharpcap was used for image acquisition while AutoStakkert & IMPPG were used for the main processing although I did a bit of final work in PixInsight and Photoshop. There is some type of artifact on the right that I was able to reduce a bit.


I did collect a series of five videos of a solar flare in an attempt to make a video using batch processing. It worked, however the detail was not good and it was not worth posting. The likely causes for the lack of sharpness are poor 1) seeing conditions, 2) scope not good enough, and/or 3) the camera not good enough. I can't do anything about the weather but the scope I think is fine as I took some lunar images with it recently and was quite satisfied. The ZWO ASI178 is a very good lunar and planetary camera with its small pixel size of 2.4 micrometers and capture speed of 60 fps (10 bit), however, for solar work using a Quark, a faster speed and larger pixel size would be better. I have ordered an ASI174 which has a capture rate between 160 fps (10 bit) and pixel size of 5.86 micrometers. Fortunately, since solar and planetary cameras are not cooled, they are not as pricey as deep sky cameras, relatively speaking. The other thing that could make a higher quality image is doing flats. Doing flats with solar imaging is a bit different than deep sky flats and I have not tried them yet although the method for collecting them looks fairly easy.

Sunspots: Quark & ASI178
Date: 4-28-24
Camera: ZWO ASI178MM-Pro
Telescope: Orion ED80
Barlow: Daystar Quark 4.2x
Focal Length: 600mm (2520mm w/Quark)
F/7.5 (F/31.5 w Quark)
Focal Reducer: none
Mount: Orion Sirius Pro
Filter Adaptor: None
Filter: Camera UV-IR, Ha-Quark
Focuser: None
Autoguiding: None
Exposure: 300 x 4.1910 ms (30% of 1000)
Gain: 200
Offset 0
Temp: 15 C
Processing: SharpCap, AutoStakkert, PixInsight, Photoshop

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Spring Moon (Camera/SharpCap Test?)

Seems like I am turning into a lunar photographer as of late since this is my second image within a month. Actually, like my last image, I was using the moon for testing once again. The moon is great for doing equipment and processing tests. In this case I was getting familiar with SharpCap again and testing my equipment for solar work.

My main solar setup consists of:

1) Orion ED80 - FL 600mm/F7.5

2) ZWO ASI178MM Pro

3) DayStar Quark Chromosphere

4) Orion Sirius Equatorial Mount

5) SharpCap capturing software

I used SharpCap to collect a video using the following camera settings:

Capture Area = 3096 x 2080

Gain = 290

Exposure = 0.2050ms

Duration = 20.189s

Frame Count = 496

Actual Frame Rate = 24.5680fps

I used AutoStakkert preprocessing processing software to stack the video frames selecting the best 20% or 99 frames. I did minimal final processing in PixInsight and Photoshop to produce this image. It came out pretty well but not as good as my single exposure shot from last month (https://www.astrobin.com/gv30xe/?nc=collection&nce=712). 

However, it is not really comparable since the slightest seeing conditions can affect the quality. Also, and maybe more important, they were with two completely different setups. Another thing that Niall MacNeill pointed out to me last month, was that lucky-stacking may work really well for closeup surface shots but for whole moon images single exposure shots show more detail. The following table lists the specs of each setup. Column 3 is my Solar Setup with the Quark and Column 4 is with the ASI174 (which I currently do not have) in place of the ASI178.

	Edge800 ASI294MC	Solar Setup ASI178	Solar Setup w/Quark ASI178	Solar Setup w/Quark ASI174
Telescope	Edge800	ED80	ED80	ED80
Reducer/Barlow	0.7x	none	4.2x	4.2x
Focal Length	1432mm	600mm	600mm	600mm
Camera	ASI294MC	ASI178MM	ASI178MM	ASI174MM
Pixel Size	4.63µm	2.4µm	2.4µm	5.86µm
Resolution	4144 x 2822	3096 x 2080	3096 x 2080	1936 x 1216
Sensor Size	19.1 x 13.1 mm	7.4 x 5.0 mm	7.4 x 5.0 mm	11.3 x 7.1 mm
Scale	0.67 arc”/pixel	0.83 arc”/pixel	0.2 arc”/pixel	0.48 arc”/pixel
Video Rate	19 fps 10bit/ 16 fps 14bit	60 fps 10bit/ 30 fps 14bit	60 fps 10bit/ 30 fps 14bit	164 fps 10bit/ 128 fps 12bit

The image scale are very close at 0.67 vs. 0.83 arcsec/pixel but there is no way to make up the difference between a 1432 mm Focal Length and a 600 mm Focal Length system. The whole point of using such a large scope is to get more detail.

The other thing I noticed was that the frame rate was ~24 fps which indicated that I was probably using 14 bit and for solar imaging it may be better to use 10 bit to take advantage of the higher capture rate. Of course I have no idea how to do this at the moment. Lastly, I may purchase the venerable ASI174 which has proven itself to be an excellent solar camera. It seems the price has come down a slight amount for that camera over the years most likely because ZWO has a newer and slightly more expensive solar camera, the ASI432.

Spring Moon (Camera/SharpCap Test?)
Date: 4-16-24
Camera: ZWO ASI178MM-Pro
Telescope: Orion ED80
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 600mm 
F/7.5
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: Orion Sirius Pro
Filter Adaptor: None
Filter: Camera UV-IR
Focuser: None
Autoguiding: None
Exposure: 99 x 0.2050 ms
Gain: 290
Offset 0
Temp: 15 C
Processing: SharpCap, AutoStakkert, PixInsight, Photoshop

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Barnard 35 (LBN 878 & 879)

Barnard 35 (B35) is a molecular cloud that is within the Lambda Orionis Ring (a.k.a Sh2-264) a huge molecular cloud and also a hydrogen alpha region located northwest of Betelgeuse in the Orion constellation. One of my favorite parts is LBN 878, the bright rim portion on the top where violent cosmic winds are blowing hydrogen (Ha) gas around. Herbig–Haro (HH) 175 is found in the bottom center of the rim (HH objects are associated with newborn stars). The bright yellow-brown reflection nebula known as GN 05.42.6 surrounds the young star FU Orionis. This lower brown region is known as LBN 879 or Ced 59. Distance to Barnard 35 assuming it is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex is 1000 to 1400 light-years. The bottom right also has an interesting reflection portion rimmed in dense hydrogen gas (Ha).

I started imaged this in January imaging whenever it was clear and finished early March. I was originally more interested in an LRGB image with a bit of Ha but it only seemed to clear when the moon was out so I captured a lot of Ha and am glad I did. The most difficult part of processing was deciding what to bring out. From what I have seen, wide field images of this region accent the Ha whereas localized images focus on the reflection nebula. Although I was able to bring out a good deal of the reflection, my skies are not good enough facing the south to do reflection nebula justice - besides the Ha came out much better than I was expecting. I blended with the Ha and the LRGB until I wound up getting something I was happy with.

Hi Res: https://www.astrobin.com/vjujra/?nc=collection&nce=712

Dates: 1-14-24, 1-16, 1-17, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6, 2-7, 2-13, 2-14, 2-24, 2-25, 2-29, 3-3

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Barnard 35 (LBN 878 & 879)

Dates: 1-14-24, 1-16, 1-17, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6, 2-7, 2-13, 2-14, 2-24, 2-25, 2-29, 3-3
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: Antlia Ha; ZWO L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: L 232 x 90, Ha 221 x 300, R 84 x 90, G 88 x 90, B 55 x 93 (Total 30h 50' 30")
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: -20 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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Eclipse 2024

Progression of the April 8, 2024 Eclipse from Dallas, Texas. After a cloudy morning and not so good weather report (thunderstorms later), the skies cleared a bit for the show! If you are wondering why I did not take a totality image, well there are so many other people doing that, no need, haha 😃. In reality, I should have done a meridian flip a couple of minutes prior to totality like I PLANNED. However, it was tracking so well I did not want to mess with it and figured it would track for a bit longer. It was completely my fault - the AM3 worked perfectly. I highly recommend this mount as it is super compact and not much bigger than a star tracker. The mount and tripod easily fits in carry-on luggage.

I did not try to hurry up to flip the mount and recenter because honestly observing the eclipse is so much more of a reward and I did not want to miss it. Besides, there are many excellent images of totality already and one more will not be missed. If you have never witnessed a total solar eclipse from totality, it is worth doing.

Eclipse 2024
Date: 4-8-24
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D modified
Telescope: Orion ST80
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 400mm
F/5
Focal Reducer: None,
Mount: ZWO AM3
Filter Adaptor: None
Filter(s): Astronomik OWB, SvBONY UV-IR
Focuser: None
Autoguiding: None
Exposure: white light 1/800s
ISO: 200
Offset 0
Temp: 24
Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT

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Eclipse Test & Playing with the Quark

I did a quick setup test with my camera (Canon EOS Rebel T3i) attached to the Orion ST80 400mm telescope mounted on the ZWO AM3. While focused on the sun I attached the Quark Solar Filter and observed some flare activity. I attempted to attach the camera to the Quark which was quite interesting. The T-adapter for the camera was a threaded 48mm and the 1.25 inch (31mm) step down adapters I had were 42mm. Fortunately when you purchase astro cameras they give you a bunch of extra threads and spacers so I was fumbling through camera boxes when I found a 42mm to 48mm threaded adapter that I could use. By the time I got the camera attached the sun was in the trees which is why the surface looks goofy. 

I have used and will use this Quark more at some point. In fact I already have a dedicated camera for it (ASI178) but I have too many other things going on right now. These images are the best I could do with 10 minutes of processing. The first image is with the traditional solar filter and the second image, with the flares, is with the Quark.

Sun with Daystar Solar Filter (ND 5 Solar film)

Sun with Daystar Quark

Eclipse Test & Playing with the Quark
Date: 3-24-24
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D modified
Telescope: Orion ST80
Barlow: None, Quark - 4.2x 
Focal Length: 400mm 
F/5
Focal Reducer: None, 
Mount: ZWO AM3
Filter Adaptor: None
Filter(s): Astronomik OWB, SvBONY UV-IR
Focuser: None
Autoguiding: None
Exposure: white light 1/800s, 1/2s 
ISO: 200
Offset 0
Temp: 15
Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT

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Trapezium Cluster (OAG Test2)

The Trapezium Cluster is a cluster of stars located in the center of the Orion Nebula approximately 1600 light-years away. The stars of the cluster formed out of the gas and dust of the nebula. The four brightest stars in this image are within 1.5 LY of each other and are designated as A, B, C, D.

I captured this image while I was trying to use the autoguider so it was only a 4-minute total exposure image (51 x 5s). The guide camera was unable to pick up any stars so it is unguided - more about that in a minute. I did not do much processing on this especially since the goal was to check the autoguider and not do any imaging but I did capture Trapezium. 

After using the moon to set the focus of my new Askar Off Axis Guider (OAG) for the Edge800 setup, I slewed the telescope to M43 to see if it would actually guide using the ZWO ASI120 guidescope. Not surprisingly there were no stars - there was a dim smudge that may have been one. I slewed the telescope to the home position and was able to see stars and guide. I then went to the Pleiades and again was able to guide. Although I was able to guide, a new guide camera was definitely necessary. As mentioned in a previous post I went with the ZWO ASI220 because of its greater sensitivity and larger sensor size. It is on backorder so I still have time to switch to the ASI174 which has the largest sensor and largest price.

ASI120 mini
Sensor: 1/3″ CMOS AR0130CS
Size: 4.8×3.6mm
Diagonal: 6.0mm
Resolution: 1280×960
Pixel Size: 3.75µm
QE: 80%

ASI220 mini
Sensor: 1/1.8″ CMOS SC2210_BW
Size: 7.68×4.32mm
Diagonal: 8.81mm
Resolution: 1920×1080
Pixel Size: 4µm
QE: 92%

ASI174 mini
Sensor: 1/1.2″ CMOS IMX174LLJ
Size: 11.3×7.1mm
Diagonal: 13.4mm
Resolution: 1936×1216
Pixel Size: 5.86µm
QE: 77%

Trapezium Cluster (OAG Test2) 

Date: 3-19-24
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC-Pro
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 800
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 2032mm (native), 1400mm
F/10 (native), F/7
Focal Reducer: Celestron 0.7 Reducer Lens
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: Camera UV-IR
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ZWO ASI120 & Askar OAG
Exposure: UV-IR 51 x 5s
Gain: 0
Offset 0
Temp: -20 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, Bill's Color Masks, Bill's Stretching.

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