First Light: Solar Imaging w/ the ASI174

[@tamrich7762]

Congratulations on first light Kurt! I enjoyed watching you processing your image in Sharp Cap ❤️

[@AstroQuest1]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kajouman]

nice job !!! asi 174 is also perfect for deepsky galaxies,its so sensitive,but it needs good amount of darks because of the ampglow. greetings.

[@AstroQuest1]

Thanks for the tip! Those larger pixels really help out for long Focal Length setups. Cheers

[@garyrear]

Awesome job Kurt, I was doing some visual with the Daystar solar scout last week . Rain clouds smoke and wind here in southern Manitoba the last few days

[@AstroQuest1]

Thanks, I was just thinking about if the fires will be starting up like last year. I guess it has. I really like just viewing the sun with the filters. Cheers Kurt

[@Astro_George_]

Awesome video and hello from Scotland! I have actually just bought the 174mm to use with my Quark & SW Esprit 80ED. Also I’m pretty new to Sharpcap so was great to see how you worked that. ✨☀️

[@AstroQuest1]

Thanks george, sounds great! Good Luck with it.

[@JuanCarlosLosadaDiaz]

Amazing, the 174mm lives on my C8 Edge´s OAG, now you have created a need in me, much appreciated... 😅

[@AstroQuest1]

Haha, Great to hear! It works really well for solar stuff. Good luck

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Kurt, Interesting. Awesome view of the solar prominences on the edges along with the sunspots. I didn't know the ED80 came with different focal lengths ... Mine is f/6 with a focal length of 480mm. By looking at your view of the sun, yep, sure looks like f/7.5. Clear skies ... or is that possible in Connecticut?

[@AstroQuest1]

Haha, Yeah you begin to wonder if we ever have clear skies here. Yes, the Orion ST80 has a FL of 400mm at F5 and the ED80 was a FL 600mm at F7.5 or it used to be 10 years ago. I did not know they had a 480mm size... Cheers

[@legacysearches4481]

After watching your 174 vs 178 vid I decided that I wanted the 174mm. I stalked cloudy nights for a while but no one was selling the 174mm until right when I was going to buy it new…. Seconds before I ordered I checked cloudy nights again and someone listed a 174mm cool new in box for less than the uncooled. I had to jump on it. Thanks again for your knowledge!

[@AstroQuest1]

Wow, awesome story. I guess it pays to wait a couple seconds...

[@AZ4Runner]

pretty cool Kurt. I wanna get a quark but I'm afraid the the Arizona sun will melt it! CS

[@AstroQuest1]

Haha, Yeah they are pretty resistant - even in AZ. Cheers

[@bartsali]

Great video! I think your quark was off band this time ... Did you try to move the knob and test which position is working the best ? My for example is best cranked all way anticlockwise (looking from the eyepiece end down, 5 steps form the middle position ) - others my vary and has to be found out . All depending on seeing, but you should be able to get much more detail from 80mm scope no question. the washed out surface details are indicating Quark is not on band . With regards to Newton rings - tilting camera is the best solution in my opinion .

[@AstroQuest1]

Cool, I'll play with the knob to see how it affects the surface detail. Cheers

[@TelescopeGreg]

Very interesting. I've never seen a quark in action. Was the circular pattern Newtons Rings?

[@AstroQuest1]

Yes it was. Those Newton rings are common in solar setups which is why they recommend getting a tilt adjuster when doing solar work. Sometimes flats can remove them as well. In my case I think I made it worse as I was just playing around - I was just happy the camera worked. Cheers

[@TelescopeGreg]

@@AstroQuest1 I used to get Newtons Rings and had to use a ZWO tilter then I tried using an asi174mm mini guide camera and the rings were eliminated. So that's why I was so interested in your video (the 174). Do you have the mini guide version?

[@AstroQuest1]

@@TelescopeGreg Hey Greg, Actually I have both versions however, the mini is used for a guidecamera. I am not too concerned with the rings yet and I have a tilt adjuster. I just have to play with it whenever it gets clear again. The day I made that video was was the firt time I used the camera. I am very happy with it so far. Cheers Kurt

[@TelescopeGreg]

@@AstroQuest1 Yes the mini is a guide camera, but it turns out to be perfect for Solar imaging. $400 is quite pricey for just a guide camera! Click on my name to see what I mean 🙂

[@deltahobbyaeromodelismo4785]

muito bom 👏👏👏🇧🇷

[@AstroQuest1]

Thanks for the comment! Cheers

[@mikehardy8247]

Very kool. I capture the solar flare with my Seestsr Friday. I want to get into solar imaging, just not sure best bang for buck. Do you have a video on using Stelarium mobile to do daytime PA? Also, I couldn't find a sky Atlas APP. For android.

[@AstroQuest1]

Thank Mike. That is cool you gotit with the SeeStar. There are plenty of options for Solar Imaging. If you already have a scope you can get the quark ($1,100) like did or for about the same price you could get a good Coronado or Lunt system. I have not done Stellarium Mobile to control or PA I just did a rough alignment which takes a few seconds because that is all you really need. Also, Sky Atlas & ASI Mount Control (play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zwoasi.mount&hl=en_US&gl=US) Good Luck

[@mikehardy8247]

THANKS. I get a "400" error with that link. As you said, if I can buy an entire dedicated solar scope for same price as quark, why not a complete scope? Also the brands you mention Lunt for example have solar scopes for around $800. What am I missing?

[@AstroQuest1]

@@mikehardy8247 Not much however the quark can be used on any refractor with any aperture/focal length. Sure you can get an $800 dollar solar scope but they 40mm/400mm or something like that. If you want a 70mm/400mm Coronado solar scope you will need $3100. Thats where the Quark comes in handy. Sorry about the link. Cheers Kurt

[@mikehardy8247]

Okay. Now I sort of understand. How difficult is it to pop in the imaging train? I mean, right now I roll my rig(s) out, PA, and I'm imaging. If l have to tear everything apart, I'm less likely to use it after "the thrill is gone".

[@AstroQuest1]

@@mikehardy8247 Thats right so in your case a dedicated solar telescope like the Coronado or Lunt would make sense. Do some research to find out what size you like since the prices vary. For me, I already had the Orion ED80 which was sadly collecting dust so I purchased the Quark and made it a solarscope. Good Luck

[@SydneyDunk]

If you tilt your camera slightly, you can get rid of the newton rings

[@AstroQuest1]

Yep! Thanks for the info.