clusters 35 and 44

 You know galaxy season is underway when you're struggling for anything else other than, erm, galaxies to image.

The old pn208 got a clean and a new focuser. The AAF. Who needs red?

Still in the learning-to-process-with-AI stage, so process everything twice.

open clusters m35 -top- with ngc2158 in gemini
atr533c on pn208    33x3min @ hcg100
process: startools

process: setiastro

open cluster m44 la colmena in cancer
atr533c on pn208    34x3min @ hcg100
process: setiastro

process: startools

Touptek AAF on ES-Bresser hexafoc focuser

intro
The hexafoc is an underrated 2-1/2" rack and pinion focuser. The pinion is housed in an enclosure secured by one pair of push and one pair of pull bolts. Both pairs are located centrally to either side of the locking screw. The push-pull system is used to control the pinion to rack backlash.

Adaption to the AAF is easy.

materials
m4 bolts, 2 off, 25mm long with associated washers.

method

1. Set tension and backlash correctly.
2. Remove the large central locking screw.
3. Remove the coarse adjustment focuser knob.
4. Remove the two diagonally opposed pull screws, leaving the push screws intact.
5. Fit the focuser bracket using the longer bolts (see photo for best slots) until the slack is just taken by the bolts but still adjustable longitudinally.
6. Locate the motor and coupling ensuring the flats on both the focuser spindle and the AAF spindle coincide with a grub screw.
7. Slide the bracket so that it is receives the AAF without distortion of the coupler.
8. Torque each of the long bolts alternately in small -say 1/8th.- turns evenly until the bracket is held firmly.
9. Finally, rotate the focuser until the two motor housing sockets align with the bracket slots and secure with the bolts and washers supplied with the AAF.

notes
You may wish to set the approximate focus position of the focuser and the absolute focus position of the AAF before tightening the coupling grub screws. Under INDI, we used an absolute start position of 10000.

AAF fitted to a hexafoc
ES-pn208 f3.9

gso focuser

You can see this. But noone laugh. OK?

Gemini EAF fitted to GSO linear rail focuser with reinforced (sic) 3mm aluminium strip, epoxy glue, bits of adhesive tape and 'modified' tension screw. It works well. Sometimes.

Anyway, here are the images. An experiment using the old faithful StarTools in comparison with Franklin Merak's new-kid-on-the-block setiastrosuite 2.10.12 incorporating CosmicClarity AI with the usual large contribution for calibration and stacking from Siril 1.3.6

the -rather nice- setiastrosuite interface

open clusters m35 below ngc2158 in gemini
atr533c on gso203    34x3min @ hcg100
process setiastrosuite

process startools

galaxy ngc3718 and friends in ursa major
atr533c on gso203    34x4min @ hcg100
process seti and graxpert

rafcamera review

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2403 streaks

 No idea. 67 frames. Frames 1 to 41 had a diagonal pattern (note PA was 45º). Impossible to process properly.

Fighting the dark artefacts, all 67 frames process to a not very nice...

galaxy ngc2403 in cameleopardalis
atr53c on gso203    67x4min @ hcg100

The strange bit is that the final frames from 42 to 67 are streak free:

Which is a doddle to process and get something a bit decent...

the 25 final frames

sv550 gso203

Comparison refractor : reflector.
Fitted a second gemini focuser to the gso. Not a good start. Wasted time until I discovered that I hadn't tightened the Crayford focus. DUH... It works a lot better with a bit of friction.

sv550 122 fl with 0.8 reducer: 683mm
gso203 fl with gpu cc 1000mm

open cluster m36 in auriga
atr533c on sv120    19x3min @ hcg100

atr533c on gso203    36x3min @ hcg100

Interesting to compare with Seti-Astro only version. AI meets old-school.

Then, by way of filling in time, to see how the sv did on colour:

emission and reflection nebulae ic405 flaming star in aurigo
atr533c on sv122    34x4min @ hcg100

Oh, and a few frames on something faint before the cloud came. But yes. I'll revisit.

galaxy ngc3718 and friends in ursa major
atr533c on gso203    7x4min @ hcg100

sv550 more trial

With the bf at 53.5 and a moon and skyglow filter screwed into the m63 to m48 adapter between ff and camera, even the autofocus seemed to work better; overscan only with backlash disabled. Oh, and with the exposure for focus set an extra second at 3s.

open clusters m38 with ngc1907 in auriga
atr533c on sv122    35x3min @ hcg100

galaxies m82 cigar with m81 bode's galaxy in ursa major
atr533c on sv122    35x4min @ hcg100