Introduction
These sessions involved the testing of the implementation of the ZWO EAF via INDI, the 66mm ED APO refractor the 2” SkyTech LPRO MAX broadband filter and also separately, an L-eNhance filter.
The equipment used
The equipment comprises a Stella Mira 66 ED APO refractor with a field flattener and Altair magnetic 2" filter holder with a SkyTech LPRO MAX broadband filter; a ZWO EAF and a SV405CC OSC 14 bit CMOS camera. For one session an Optolong L-eNhance duo-narrowband filter was used.
The equipment collecting data. AstroDMx Capture captured the data, controlled the mount and the ZWO EAF via an INDI server running on the imaging computer indoors.
Darks, Flats and Dark-Flats were also captured for calibrating the data.
Flats were captured using an adjustable brightness illuminated tracing pad and additional white plasticard filters.
Using the SkyTech LPRO MAX broadband filter
As usual, the mount was placed on marks on the ground which gives quite a good polar alignment.
PHD2 was used for multistar pulse autoguiding using an SVBONY SV165 guidescope with a QHY-5II-M guide camera.
AstroDMx Capture sent the mount/scope to Altair to focus with a Bahtinov mask and then M24, the Small Sagittarius star cloud.
AstroDMx Capture using Astrometry plate solving and centering Altair to within 5 arcseconds
AstroDMx Capture capturing 18 x 60s exposures of M24
The data were calibrated and stacked in Siril and post-processed in Siril and the Gimp 2.10.
M24 the Small Sagittarius star cloud with NGC 6603, IC1284, NGC 6590 and NGC 6589
AstroDMx Capture was used to send the scope/mount to NGC 6526. This is an insignificant patch of nebulosity almost midway between the Trifid nebula and the Lagoon nebula. This object was chosen to facilitate the composition of the image.
AstroDMx Capture captured 34 x 60s exposures, then performed an assisted meridian flip followed by 60 x 60s exposures of The Trifid and Lagoon nebulae.
With negative preview
The data were calibrated and stacked in Siril and post processed in Siril, and the Gimp 2.10 using star removal and replacement techniques, Neat Image, PhotoScape X Pro and Corel PaintShop Pro 2023.
The Trifid and Lagoon nebulae; M20 and M8
Using a SkyTech LPRO MAX broadband filter and also separately, an L-eNhance filter.
1 hour 45 minutes of data on the Eagle nebula captured by AstroDMx Capture using a Stella Mira 66 ED APO refractor with a field flattener and Altair magnetic 2" filter holder with 30 minutes worth of 5 minute exposures through a SkyTech LPRO MAX broadband filter and 75 minutes worth of 5 minute exposures through an Optolong L-eNhance duoband narrowband filter.
AstroDMx Capture capturing data on M16 through an Optolong L-eNhance duoband narrowband filter.
With a negative preview
The data were calibrated and stacked in Siril and post processed in Siril, and the Gimp 2.10 using star removal and replacement techniques, Neat Image, PhotoScape X Pro.
Image from the SkyTech LPRO MAX broadband filter
Image from the L-eNhance narrow-duoband filter
Image blended from the LPRO MAX and the L-eNhance filters
In conclusion, The equipment all worked together with AstroDMx Capture and the SV405CC OSC CMOS camera. The Stella Mira 66 ED APO refractor with the field flattener produced very good star images with excellent colour correction and a good flat field. The ZWO EAF worked flawlessly with the refractor to which it was attached as shown HERE. AstroDMx Capture worked perfectly with the ZWO EAF via the INDI server and the scope was focused perfectly using a Bahtinov mask. The SV405CC camera worked well without issue.
