first AP run in.. a long time

orly_andico · Post by **orly_andico** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:10 am

I'm sitting on the balcony working on a powerpoint. :-)

The CGEM is sitting next to me with the tiny Z70ED and Canon 40D. I am using BackyardEOS to do capture while doing my powerpoint.

My polar alignment ain't good, and I can't use the ASPA because I cannot cross the meridian (the balcony has a limited view of the sky). So due to my poor polar alignment I can only do 15-second subs. I have no guiding either.

I just got a ton of M13 shots. Not great at 15 seconds. Now doing M27. I am amazed that the unmodded 40D pulled it out when I could not see it through an EP. I basically did a GoTo M27 then took a single 15-second sub, and M27 was right there.

Time to shell out $24 for BackyardEOS. Great camera control tool.

kaomoo · Post by **kaomoo** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:46 am

hi bro
i just got home from work. just about to set up for tonight too! ha ha ha.

orly_andico · Post by **orly_andico** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:27 am

BackyardEOS is great. I got an evaluation license in April, never used it, got another 30-day license today..

here's a screenshot capturing The Ring.

I'm so happy with it I have forked out the US$24 for it. Just a mid-range lunch...

cataclysm · Post by **cataclysm** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:49 am

Looks like a good software, display is all red except the captured image, negate the need to use another red screen to preserve night vision. Thanks for sharing Orly.

shirox · Post by **shirox** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 11:32 am

wow the phd is integrated in the backyard eos? that's cool!

Post by **rcj** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:58 pm

guys! get it! :-)

shirox · Post by **shirox** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:01 pm

just downloaded it!!!! hoho

orly_andico · Post by **orly_andico** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 2:20 pm

Have not tried the PHD integration though... maybe only if using the Canon EOS as the guide cam?

I notice that on recent Canon DSLR's Backyard EOS can do Live View focusing (even my old 40D can do it). Technically no more dicking around with Bahtinov masks because the software displays the realtime FWHM.

It also has a drift alignment tool which I can't figure out yet. I was hoping it was like PEMPro which tells you exactly how far off the pole you are.

The Celestron firmware has an All Star Polar Align (ASPA) but it requires that you do a 3-star align first (2 stars west or east of the meridian, the 3rd star across the meridian). Since my balcony faces west, I can't do the 3rd star so no ASPA for me.

Another nice thing about BackyardEOS is that it also records the sensor temp in the filename of each sub. Useful for those dark frames..

full-frame (APS-C) M13 at 336mm, so its teeny tiny

this was a lot of subs, 80+ (each 15 seconds only though). Took more than an hour for my dual-core notebook to crunch through them.

teeny-tiny dumbbell (doh!) about 130 subs but 15 seconds again.

moral of the story, less subs, but longer subs. And a narrowband (or at least UHC) filter.

sad story.. my modded DSLR is a 300D, which is too old to be supported by Backyard EOS. Time to buy a Live-View capable Rebel... and then mod it. Somehow my modding bravery fails when the camera costs more than $200. Oh well..

maguro77 · Post by **maguro77** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 7:01 pm

Orly, the pictures have a reddish cast - presumably from the modification. Do you set Custom white balance with say white card or keep it at daylight setting ? Or it doesn't matter which setting ? Thanks

kingkong · Post by **kingkong** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 11:29 pm

thanks for the link. seems like a great tool. i'm getting it! :-)