Author Topic: Persisted Dust Mote, Problem With Flats  (Read 3161 times)

Offline AstroScience

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Persisted Dust Mote, Problem With Flats
« on: 2013 January 27 11:12:05 »
I used Batch Preprocess script with 30 x 1 minute subs, 30 bias , 30 darks and 30 flats. Imaged with Canon T3i from very light polluted area, just for testing.
Flats were shot with white T-shrt and dawn sky with 1/6 th shuter speed. I switched to Av mode and let the camera decide the shutter speed with histogram in the middle.
Then i switched to Manual and continuously shot the rest of the Flats with the same settings.

Now i can't rid of that persistent large dust mote as you can see on the image. In the bottom i opened Calibrated light frame and the mote is barely seen, i have to move my head around the screen to notice some resemblance of it. But when Integrated it's very strong. Also the Vignetting corrected in some weird way, my flats and all 4 of the corners were vignetted, but on the stack it seems that only right side were corrected.

I got that result with the BP script, but then tried and Integrated Lights my self with the recommended settings.
Is clear that my Lights wasn't Calibrated with flats? Do i have bad flats or settings?

Offline pfile

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Re: Persisted Dust Mote, Problem With Flats
« Reply #1 on: 2013 January 27 12:08:05 »
are you talking about that artifact at the top of the window, or the thing in the middle of the window? that looks like it could be a DSO so i'm just asking.

in my opinion, letting a DSLR auto-meter a flat leads to a very underexposed flat sub. i always expose the flats so that the histogram is in the middle of the range when you look at the data in linear mode. the back of camera histogram represents a nonlinear stretch that the camera (or your terrestrial processing software) applies automatically. because of the whole 14-bit vs. 16-bit thing, i would make a completely overexposed flat and see where the histogram lies, then shoot for half of that.

if the thing you are talking about is at the top of your frame, i'm afraid that the embossed "3d" look means that the dust shifted between the light subs and the aquisition of the flats.

Offline AstroScience

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Re: Persisted Dust Mote, Problem With Flats
« Reply #2 on: 2013 January 27 12:27:40 »
Yes, i'm talking about the blob at the top of the frame, in the middle it's the Planetary Nebulae inside the M46...

Hmm... i think i had the Sensor Cleaning left ON and i did turned OFF and in the morning back On the camera. That would explain it?

Offline pfile

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Re: Persisted Dust Mote, Problem With Flats
« Reply #3 on: 2013 January 27 12:32:45 »
probably that explains it. i never tried to see how effective the sensor cleaning was (and i'm not sure it still works on my modified 50D...). if it only succeeded in moving the dust a little bit then you're SOL.

i just turn all that stuff off and leave it off.

rob

Offline AstroScience

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Re: Persisted Dust Mote, Problem With Flats
« Reply #4 on: 2013 January 27 12:56:47 »
Thank you, Rob, that mote drove me crazy for the past two days....

As for the flat being underexposed, please take a look at the image, i loaded CR2 FLAT frame into PI, applied Auto stretch and HT showed me the data "mount" being very close to the left,
which is looks like underexposed...

Is that what you mean? If that so, i really should overexpose them...