Comet C/2020 F8 SWAN

This was my first ever attempt at comet imaging and it was an interesting learning process.

I tried to use a sequence for the LRGB I needed for this, but I had an issue with the guiding. Because I wanted to use the comet tracking in PHD2 (with the rate supplied from CdC), I set this up and running before starting the sequence. However one of the first actions the sequence did was to stop the PHD2 guiding I had setup. Makes sense in normal circumstances, of course.

As I didn’t have time to work through the issues to see if I could get the sequence right, I made a quick dragscript instead to do the imaging for me (simple repeat block of each LRGB image I wanted). For this process, since I was at the scope anyway, it worked out fine.

While I would have preferred to use the sequence (it makes nice folders, file names, etc), it’s not the end of the world.

I processed in PixInsight, which was entertaining. :slight_smile: More details on astrobin: https://astrob.in/umb5iz/0/

6 Likes

Great result and clever workaround! :+1: At least Swan has a tail, when I imaged Atlas in March it barely showed one.

Roberto

Hi

Very nice image.

I was looking at comets last night as well. What sequence did you try to use for LRGB? I took a few images manually last night but now have things setup in a Research & Survey sequence. Like you I would like to use PHD2 comet tracking. So presumably you focused, set PHD2 running then set your drag script running. I have almost everything turned off in R & S and just want it to take the images. I’m not sure if it will work without a target being set. Otherwise I will use your dragscript workaround.

Anyway great shot.

Regards

Graham

Really nice, congratulations. Voyager already stop the guide at beginning of a Sequence you cannot remove.

All the best
LO

(Roberto) Great result and clever workaround! :+1: At least Swan has a tail, when I imaged Atlas in March it barely showed one.

Everyone was saying how bright it was, that I thought it would be a good choice to make my first attempt on. I probably should try a tougher comet sometime and see how that goes. :wink:

(Graham)I was looking at comets last night as well. What sequence did you try to use for LRGB? I took a few images manually last night but now have things setup in a Research & Survey sequence. Like you I would like to use PHD2 comet tracking. So presumably you focused, set PHD2 running then set your drag script running. I have almost everything turned off in R & S and just want it to take the images. I’m not sure if it will work without a target being set. Otherwise I will use your dragscript workaround.

I was just using the normal sequence setup, I didn’t think about the R&S version at the time since I have tried it yet.

I used Voyager to OnTheFly goto the comet location, then focus in position. Then got PHD2 running, etc. Essentially as you mentioned. As I mentioned originally, once I realised the guiding issue, the workaround was good enough as I expected a more “hands on” approach for the comet imaging vs normal DSO imaging.

(Leo) Really nice, congratulations. Voyager already stop the guide at beginning of a Sequence you cannot remove.

Yes, maybe an option in the future to not touch any guiding would be good, but really, it’s an unusual situation, so if it never is available, I won’t be upset. The key thing though is the flexibility in the system via dragscript for an alternate path.

To me, perhaps a more important request would be to have a better way to name and store images when capturing via dragscript instead of a sequence.

Chris

Chris

Sorry Im late with a reply. Im a liitle bit all over the place at the moment

Thanks for for you detailed reply. I now have a DS ready to go when the weather improves again.

Graham