Lights Darks Flats etc Can ANYONE Help

[Allan the Plumber]

Hi

 

Can anyone send me a link or advise me where I can get a tutorial on how to do the Light Darks etc for DSO using APT, DSS and my Canon EOS400d

 

I seem to understand the very basic, Red Dwalf has helped in the past but when I sit down with APT I seem to go a little blank

 

I have watch the tutorial from Alastair Leith on APT where they are helpful he doesn't really go into the setting up of Lights, Darks, flats etc

 

I have tried reading some of the User manual on DSS but I tend to like the video instruction ( it goes in better and its easy to return too)

 

With that in mind has Dion done anything on Astronomy Shed?

 

I have tried puting in keywords searches into both EMS, SGL and Astronomy shed forums but the hits tend to be of a more advance nature   

 

My understanding is you set up APT to take the lights at what ever: OSI, Exposere length, Time interval, etc but I don't really understand the rest.

I know the darks are to eliminate pixel errors? noise but after that it's all double Dutch

 

Can anyone help     with links etc or if anyone fancy a evening of cakes, biscuits, coffee,tea,hot chocolate (Beer or Wine ) to take home of course. I would happy reimburse fuel costs if they fancied coming over one evening.

 

I would try to get over to a dark sky meet but I still haven't travelised my electronic package yet and have only really got things going set up here at home I live in Beeston by the way

 

Sorry to ramble on,  promise I won't ask too many questions

 

Cheers

Allan

 

[Perkil8r]

Darks just run exactly the same as you do for the lights but with the lens cap on. Optimum number of darks is 16-20 so no need to do hundreds.

 

Flats are tricky... I wouldn't use software to capture them TBH. With the camera and scope still in the exact same position (relative to eachother) and at the same focus point, with any filters that are used at the time you do your lights, point the scope at a brightly and evenly illuminated surface. That can be a t shirt over the end and pointed at a bright wall reflecting light off or a proper flat panel or a laptop screen with a plain white screen etc. Then set the canon to the same iso as your lights. Take a shot of say 1/400ths of a second and look at the historgram. You want the main peak to be around the middle. I aim to get it between 1/3 the way from the bottom end to the middle. If at 1/400ths it's under exposed crank it up one and try again, if over exposed crank it down one. Keep altering until the historgram is close to the middle or slightly less. Once there take around 21 of them.

 

In DSS open picture files (lights) then make sure you click the "check all" option. Then click darks and select your darks, do the same for the flats. Job done.

[red dwalf]

you can do dark flats the exact same way as you would flats but without the light of course and your lens cap on,

then no need to do bias frames as they do the same thing really,

thing to remember is not to move the focuser or anything else in the imaging train,

only the darks frames need to be at the same temperature as the light frames,

the flats and dark flats don`t need to be the same temperature so they can be done later or the next day, as said above though, don`t move anything in the imaging train.

When you have all the data, load them into dss and click, check all as said above and then let dss do it`s thing.

[red dwalf]

it`s a bit of a learning curve Allan, but you can have a play without all the data i.e. no need to do any darks, flats and so on, just load up the light frames and stack them to see what happens, or do lights and darks, the more data you put into dss the better the finished image of course.

[Allan the Plumber]

Cheers Mike and Rob will try that out think i can work out how to do the projects with APT to take the lights and darks

 

Offer still stands, Rob my chance to show you my set up now have got the Xbox handset finally and auto focus had it all working last night too

 

Thanks again

Allan

[Perkil8r]

Here is a link to a discussion from last year

 

 http://www.eastmidlandsstargazers.org.uk/topic/1709-lights-darks-flats-bias-as-i-understand-it/

 

There's a video and alsorts in there, might help, might not.

[red dwalf]

Cheers Mike and Rob will try that out think i can work out how to do the projects with APT to take the lights and darks

 

Offer still stands, Rob my chance to show you my set up now have got the Xbox handset finally and auto focus had it all working last night too

 

Thanks again

Allan

i`ll pop round when you`ve got time and have a look Allan, interested in getting some kind of auto focusser setup here

[Allan the Plumber]

i`ll pop round when you`ve got time and have a look Allan, interested in getting some kind of auto focusser setup here

I've gone for the SW and Hitecastro set up,  works with Stellariumscope and will link in APT too

 

let me know if your about this weekend if you want to pop round think they maybe clearish skies Saturday if you not shifted to work

[Allan the Plumber]

Here is a link to a discussion from last year

 

 http://www.eastmidlandsstargazers.org.uk/topic/1709-lights-darks-flats-bias-as-i-understand-it/

 

There's a video and alsorts in there, might help, might not.

Thanks Mike just what I was looking for,will read,reread, reread again and hopefully will get it !!!  thanks again

 

Allan

[red dwalf]

typical Allan, working lates till 11:pm this Saturday

[Allan the Plumber]

Doh,,,,,!!!!

[Allan the Plumber]

Nevermind will give all the advise a go Sat night