Taking pictures of the Sun in H-Alpha! First Imaging Light of Solarmax 90mm DS!!

Well, this is not my area of expertise, but here it is, my first attempt at H-Alpha solar imaging using my brand new Solarmax telescope! I have no idea what I'm doing throughout this video, so don't use it as a reference or anything! Still, I think taking pictures of the Sun will be a new favorite activity of mine, especially since the weather hasn't cleared up at night for ages and ages...!
Raw stacked frames here: drive.google.com/drive/folder...
My Instagram: / cuivlazygeek
My Facebook page: / cuivlazygeek
#astrophotography

[@-Jeremiah-]

I love that the vignetting makes it look like the sun is reflecting the light in the image, rather than the source.

[@fazergazer]

That’s an amazing result and with the 178 mono and only 30 frames stacked at that! I have the quark chromosphere and will try this soon!

[@elmikol2443]

Very cool video Yannick! You should do more Pixinsight videos! I really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your Astrophotography voyage, buddy!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you! I am sure PI will make more appearances :)

[@Fam2014Ch]

this was really useful... specially on the layers on pix .. Im a newbie on it so helps me not to have to look and lear but... copy.... lazy way !!! Thanks Amigo !!! and Clear days and nights !!!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you! Apparently it's not the best method for solar though! I'll soon be updating with new solar videos!

[@TruckingMushroom]

Great work Cuiv, love the solar scope, not bad for your first attempt at Sol. I hope to do as well, Thanks for your video

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you AstroMushroom! I have still a long way to go... but I'll get there, hopefully :)

[@douglassmith1215]

Love your channel. I started doing solar with Alt-Az but found using an equatorial much better precisely because of the issue of often hitting the tube on the base. Another minor issue is if you do longer term imaging (like seeing the evolution of flares), there will be some field rotation, which will make doing a time lapse a little complicated.

[@MacGyverGTP]

Looking forward to more of your videos with the ZWO ASI533MC Pro, as I have one on order and waiting... Enjoying all of your vids actually, thanks!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you Sean! It's in the plans as soon as the weather cooperates! I haven't had a clear night skie since... well I can't remember when the last time I imaged was.

[@jacintoartigas3017]

Great video, thanks for share it

[@twigle3015]

Really cool project and cool new scope. This video has left me hungry for oranges though 🙂

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Mmmmh oranges are full of vitamins too!

[@cryptoalchemist10minutes44]

Grats on 1.5k Subs!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you!

[@fjbsolutions2446]

Loved your video! I am also trying to learn how to process pictures. I have the solarmax iii 70m double stack. What software will I need to process pictures like yours?

[@Cielosboreales]

Thats interesting telescope. I have the little uncle Coronado PST from 10 years ago and I'm very happy with it. I would like more images with better seeing with your telescope with more magnification. Great job.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you! Yes, it will come, as soon as I get clear skies - they are exceedingly rare these days!

[@AstroQuest1]

Hey Cuiv, great job o this, I just started tinkering with solar imaging as well - I am keeping the dust off my school's PST for the summer and I ordered a Daystar Quark for my old Orion ED80 that hopefully will arrive next week. I have taken some practice images with the PST and like you used Sharpcap and Autostakkart (I used to use Registax but AS is much easier). I did the processing in PS - I followed a method from a recent Chuck's Astrophotography video. I worked fine but I really like the way you did it with MLT - that is my favorite for noise reduction but did not know you could use for sharpening like you did - THANKS! I think it might be easier to get rid of that artifact on the of the top in PS. - Cheers Kurt

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks for the feedback Kurt! Solar is such a completely different ball game...! I don't own Photoshop, but it seems everyone doing solar uses it.... sigh! Still, IMPPG can apparently do a great job, so I will try that!

[@AstroQuest1]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Yeah, I downloaded that and played with it. It looks promising as well. I just went with Photoshop as I know it pretty well.

[@craiglowery4427]

Thanks Cuiv. Any tips on centering the sun within the FOV without blinding yourself

[@dexteryuen]

For focusing the sun, in sharpcap do an auto stretch on the live view and find a sweet spot by looking at any black edges...

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you, will try that next time!

[@paths1111]

Really excellent first light! A whole lot better than mine. There are some really nice details of the small pore/active region at left on the partial disk, and at 3 o'clock on the full; and the faint wispy filaments and filament-prominences ("filaproms") at the 12 o'clock limb on the full. A few suggestions that perhaps might be helpful, sorry for the length: 1. For sharpening, a lot of folks are using Lucy-Richardson deconvolution. The LR in PixInsight isn't very aggressive, which is appropriate for deep sky objects, but not so much for planetary or lunar where lucky imaging is typically used. I like AstraImage however very similar results can be obtained with the freeware imPPG for mono images. Deconvolution attempts to mathematically "undo" blurring effects (from atmosphere, optics, etc) by shrinking light from a point spread function (the profile that a single spot of light gets blurred into) back into a point. The key is to get the right size for the PSF. Too small and you get speckles, too large and you get...well, tubes and worms. Hard to exactly describe, but you'll know. 2. For lucky imaging, shorter exposures have a better chance of minimizing seeing effects, particularly once the sun has been up for a while and thermals currents start kicking around. No longer than 7 to 10ms is probably near optimal. Don't worry about high gain if you need it, the stacking will take care of the noise. 3. Increasing frame rate is also helpful, as many features change significantly over the course of seconds and it is useful to grab as many frames as possible in the time available. It's been suggested to me to go no longer than 15-20 seconds on surface features, 10-15 sec on prominences. There is probably no advantage to 16bit acquisition, and it is slower than 8 bit. As long as you can stack at least 300 to 500 frames from your sequence you will gain back an effective 2-3 bits from stacking and the result will be smooth enough to tolerate fairly aggressive deconvolution. 4. Both the IMX178 cameras I tried produced a fine grid pattern in h-alpha and numerous other people have reported the same. There is a similar pattern visible at 13:15 with the aggressive stretch of the lowest wavelet level. Mine was annoying enough that I eventually gave up using it for h-alpha, I suspect that it is related to the back illuminated construction. 4a. There is some drizzle artifact in the ASI1600 image - it's possible that there weren't enough dithered frames to avoid holes. Some folks let the sun slowly drift through the frame during the sequence to produce the shifts needed to drizzle well. 5. The Image Stabilization anchor is a reference point that AutoStakkert uses to align the images - it is suggested that it be placed over a high contrast, easily recognizable feature. With relatively blank disks there sometimes just isn't such a point however. 6. I'm puzzled by the double limb on the images - this is thought to result from "parasitic continuum", which is off band photospheric light leaking through the filter (the large areas of double limb at the top and bottom of the partial disk I think are stacking artifact, I suspect there weren't alignment points that covered that area, but there is a thin double limb all the way around). This is typically only seen in single filter setups and may perhaps suggest that your double stack is not optimally tuned. I have a Lunt system but I think yours can be tuned using a similar strategy - remove the double stack and tune the first filter for maximum contrast; this will be shown by a minimum in the histogram as you tune back and forth. Then replace the double stack and tune it to achieve a maximum in the histogram; this should occur when the passband of the double stack is aligned with the passband of the primary etalon. 7. SharpCap certainly works well, I however prefer FireCapture for solar and planetary. It has a particularly handy scripting ability, which is useful if one is trying to do animations by grabbing short sequences every minute or so. You can also use it to do standard time lapses and even set up relatively simple filter sequences. It can also autoguide on planets and has a handy feature for tuning ADCs. 8. How to present the images is a matter of preference. It is really interesting how much more detail can sometimes be seen with a grayscale presentation, also sometimes an inverted image shows details not readily seen otherwise. Some people like to invert the proms but keep the disk normal. Lots of variations. 9. I find it useful to orient the disk so that it matches the orientation on GONG and SDO (north up, advancing limb to the left). Makes it a little easier to correlate features with the data on those sites. I took just quick swipes at your data, more to show the detail achievable with deconvolution. I used AstraImage for deconvolution, then the rest in Photoshop. I didn't do a very good job on the limb transition, you could probably do better with a little effort; I just used 2 layers in PS, one for the disk and one for the prominences. I've forwarded links to the images to you on CN. Looking forward to your next sessions!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Wow, thank you so much for all of that! In all of this, what worries me most is point 6: when I try to tune the DS part, it doesn't seem to be doing anything. I will try removing it to see whether I see a difference next time! I feel like I need someone local to help me get the actual tuning of the telescope correctly.... Then there is of course the 178 sensor... I think I need a new camera! I think many people recommend the 174 or the 290, right? I saw the images on your CN message, thank you so much for this! They look much better than what I achieved already. Does everyone use Photoshop for solar images??

[@paths1111]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek It's been a long time since I've used a tilt-tuned etalon so I can't help too much there. I know they tend to produce more of a "sweet spot" and ghost reflections than the pressure tuned systems; sometimes "clocking" the etalon (rotating to different angles, might need shims to secure in position) can help with that. You can just try by eye, tuning the first etalon for best contrast in the sweet spot, then add and tune the second for best brightness in that spot. The ASI290 is a great planetary cam, but the sensor is quite small. At 800mm FL though you could still get around 1/3 solar disk. With the 174 you would have a significantly wider FOV (looks like will barely fit a full disk) at the expense of being more undersampled in the SM90. That might not be an issue though if you grab enough frames to drizzle. You could also try ROI'ing down the 1600 a bit to increase frame rate, especially if there is a specific area of interest that you're trying to image - it won't be as fast as the 174, but at 1920x1680 (around 174 pixel dimensions) specs say you should be able to get over 50fps and sampling and scale would be between the other two cams.

[@vk2np]

Enjoying the down to earth videos being pretty new to all this, I do want to know how you balance the scope on the Alt/Az mount with the counterweights as i have the earlier version Minitower Pro. Cliff in cloudy Sydney

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you Clifford! So the balancing with counterweights followed a very scientific and precise procedure: I had two Vixen weights lying around. I knew I wanted to use a C9.25 and a Solarmax on the mount. So I put both on the shaft, and stopped thinking about it :D For alt-az it doesn't seem to be that important - as long as the tripod doesn't tip over or too much stress is put on the drive itsefl! Cuiv in rainy Tokyo :-( Let's hope for some clear skies soon!

[@vk2np]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Ok yep thats about the science I use too there is a method in which you shorten one leg by a small amount. Balance then return it. Anyway as long as it works a 9.25" is impressive on such a small mount. I use a 6" Meade SCT which I deforked and have in rings and dovetail weighs close to 8kg now. I think someone already mentioned but Firecapture is the goto for fast frame imaging of planets and our sun. Just bought a Coronado PST I blame you :) Look forward to the next video I live in a Villa complex so single storey no balconies but also little clear area to see the sky Clear Skies from Sydney Australia

[@vk2np]

I just remembered you.can't use that balance technique you don't have a clutch in Azimuth the Minitower Pro does .

[@FrootyRecords]

Cool Video Cuiv ( or should I say HOT! video :) ), I know nothing about solar imaging and I am actively trying NOT to watch these solar videos of yours because I know they could ultimately be really bad for my bank balance! :) I Know Chuck does a lot of solar imaging and produces some fantastic images. I would recommend having a look at some of his videos to see how he does it and with what software. Anyway, good job with this image considering the small amount of data and bad wind. Cheers Dave .

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks! Yeah, solar imaging is not cheap, although a Quark Chromosphere probably is the cheapest way to start! I will check Chuck's solar videos, thanks for the tip!

[@Diomedes642]

Great job Cuiv, my first solar image was continuously described to "look like an egg" by several people. So I think you did fantastic.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you Greg! Hahaha, yeah, I think this one looks like an orange and makes everyone hungry ;)

[@JamesPetruzzi_MyHawaiianImages]

Very cool! My astro club has an h-alpha scope, but I haven't had a chance to use it yet....after seeing that prominence I want to give it a try. Hey--are you on Twitter at all?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Oh you should absolutely try an H-Alpha scope! Before taking it out, you can always check how the Sun looks like with this: halpha.nso.edu/

[@newbee1016]

Hi Cuiv, Not bad for someone that does not know what he is doing, you obviously know your round the imaging programs, so I'm thinking that you have had practice. Ha ha ha. Robert, Cloudy Vict' Aust'

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you Robert! Yep, I've used Sharpcap for planetary, lunar, and polar alignment so I know how to use the software, but apparently not well enough yet from what I see from other YT videos on solar imaging! I will modify my workflow for next time :)

[@KhanGhilzai]

At 13:32 is an amazing view

[@spex357]

I'm always over exposed with my white light filter, will a H-alpha further back help?

[@bearlop]

Very good. Is that the SolarMax iii?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you Matty - this is the SolarMax II, as it's cheaper right now (relatively speaking)

[@jplorge]

H-α H-α H-α H-α now i am awake, very good despite this bad wind

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

H-a wakefulness is always good :0 Thank you!

[@dexteryuen]

Check out IMPPG for processing... the lucy-richardson deconvolution should work better than wavelet transformation for common planetary processing, and that should work better than multiscale linear transformation.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you Dexter! Yes I saw that on one of the videos linked to in the comments, I will try IMPPG!

[@rexgeorg7324]

anyone know what the sun is ?? I'm really opened minded (no wiki info pls)

[@alasdairblackmore2592]

People who work on the outside of buildings with scaffolding use a plastic mesh cloth to cut down / eliminate wind ... it's a bit like super heavy duty net curtains for lounge windows. Can you not make a free standing wood frame [or have someone make it for you] and cover it with such cloth to help block / cut down / eliminate the wind that is effecting your telescopes ?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks for the suggestion! I've been wanting to do something like that, the difficult part is in how to secure the actual frame, and easy removal of the cloth for typhoons. I don't have the skills to do it myself, and I really have no idea what businesses in Japan could help me do it...

[@alasdairblackmore2592]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek : Any good Carpenter or metal rod worker could make you a portable freestanding bi-folding frame that could be easily stowed indoors / elsewhere till you needed it. He / she might even know where to source the heavy duty mesh cloth that scaffolding companies use, or you could keep an eye out for scaffolding companies that use it and ask them if they could spare you some ... they might even be willing to trade for some nice space / star / nebula / planet prints if they're not in a sharing mood, but you would probably need to ask about that nicely. As far as I am aware you can buy 70lb Kevlar string cheap enough in Japan that could be used to secure the mesh to the frame [or strong 100lb breaking strain fishing line] ... if you knew someone who can make or sells heavy duty fishing nets some of that could be stapled or woven on the frame for extra support for the mesh. Sorry, but I live on the other side of the planet, super poor and far too ill to travel anyway ... so I am unable to pop round and do it for you. What do your friends in Japan do ? can any of them offer any help in this matter ? You will have to ask ... as maybe they have a relative who is bored and wants something to do. Have you considered adding a taller [in height] railing to go around the top of the walls of your outside space ... ? all you would need then is to tie / untie the mesh as required.

[@backgammonbacon]

Why didn't you just rotate the tri-pod so the leg wasn't in the way?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I was too lazy! Also, I had little time, and would have needed to reslew and align the mount...

[@whatmattersmost6725]

Hi Cuiv, checkout Firecapture, 1 of the best FREE planets & solar program. Great video, how would you take a pic of the whole Sun with the first camera, since it has a smaller sensor then the 1600?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Not possible to take a whole sun pic with the first camera, unfortunately. I'm currently looking at what camera would be best for solar, so will soon be asking around!

[@user-yf6uv6xq4l]

سبحان الله أشهدو ألا إله إلا الله وأشهدو أن محمداً رسول الله

[@yangyunbo1]

hey cuiv！maybe you could compress your video a little bit,sometimes not a huge fan in astronomy does not care about the progress rather anther the result，or you can post your way to acheive that goal for real fan.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks for the feedback Charles! It is difficult to find a right compromise - I've received feedback that say exactly the opposite... I think I will keep showing the process for solar as I fine-tune it over the next few sessions, and start cutting it later one, once my viewers are used to it anyway!

[@dankahraman354]

I thought you'd be sleeping in the daytime.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hahaha, well, I'm a lazy astrophotographer, so I sleep during the night while the automated equipment is doing my work!

[@dankahraman354]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I am moving in that direction, but my Pods are not automated.

[@ziggyziggy5489]

Take the Effen picture already

[@BrokenPik]

Thanks' for sharing your data. check your Email lol my first procc of a sun

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks! Very nice! It's much more different than what we're used to, right!

[@BrokenPik]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek no kidding , but its worth it !!!!

[@AcmeAstro]

Only men have things in their beards. :)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Or more precisely, only bears can have things in their beards! (wait, what? :D)

[@gabycorban]

Can be much better. Sorry...

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Of course! This is my first attempt, I have no idea what I'm doing! (The whole theme of the video :-) ) Hopefully I'll get better results soon!

[@gabycorban]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Ok, wishing you much success in the future. Even to be invited here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaXQlqd-rt6CgMk

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hahaha, I don't think that would ever happen! Right now, I have no idea what the double stack module even does - tuning it doesn't seem to do much. So it's a big discovery journey for me.