Light Artifact in all my subs

I was hoping the brain trust at DL could help me figure out a problem I am having with (I believe) my STX-16803. I am using an SBI FW on a Tak FSQ106EDXIV. Camera is cooled to -20C.

On one side of my images, the first 8th of the frame (from about column ~60 to 550) has a prominent vertical light signal running from top to bottom.

This shows up on all my subs, with all my filters, on every subject I image, and is always on the same side of the frame (i.e. columns ~60-550), independent of where in the sky an object is being imaged, pre and post meridian flips. Problem shows up in 15 minute NB subs and 3 min LRGB subs.

I am attaching two consecutive subs (pre and post meridian flip) in case that helps in the diagnosis of the problem/solution. Happy to provide any more samples/info needed.

Any ideas what might be leading to this? I've read and reread the manual, but can't figure out what could be causing this or how to fix it?

Any help would be truly appreciated. At the moment, I am forced to treat the camera as if it were 25% smaller along the x axis than it is in order to avoid having any of the object fall into the problem area, which is defeating the benefit of the wonderfully huge sensor in this system.

 

Absolutely. Attached is a dark sub, and the link below will get you a master dark.

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AsHXUvMw3K77guN8w20cmvHRNaPHow?e=KUIqoV

 

Following up on this. I have little doubt that my problems stem from user error and/or a lack of understanding of the details of my camera, but after a fair number of hours of trying, I can't seem to get rid of the artifact.

I follow a standard calibration process for my subs - from each sub, I subtract the master bias and the master dark (which itself has been master bias subtracted). I then divide each sub by a master flat, which has itself been calibrated with bias and dark subtraction, register the files and integrate.

When I do that, the integrated file still shows the artifact.

Is there somethings special I need to be doing to eliminate this artifact?

In case it helps, links to the various files being used:

Integrated Ha: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AsHXUvMw3K77guQCkeB2-P_obEtWwg?e=Z3LCDX
Master Bias: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AsHXUvMw3K77guQD8wx6rXREHM6yew?e=2BKyoP
Master Dark: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AsHXUvMw3K77guQBHWO2LW5AJLNWmg?e=3cvL83
Master Flat: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AsHXUvMw3K77guQEehIk4Jx-hYr7yA?e=C8EDxP

 

My previous response seems to have disappeared. I am not asking you to comment on processing. To clarify, all the files posted above are unprocessed. They are simply the results of integrating and calibrating.

Please tell me what I need to provide you - I can provide several light, bias, dark and flat subs right from the camera, if that helps.

My problem is the when the calibrated subs are integrated, the "ripple" reappears.

 

Thanks for following up.

Below is a link to a folder that contains:

10 x 600s raw Ha subs,
10 raw flats,
10 raw biases,
10 raw 600s darks
10 raw 17s darks (used on the flats in calibration)

Binning at 1x1 on all, uncompressed, FITS header intact

If it is of significance, I use 100 flats to make the master, 200 biases for the bias, 100 600s darks for the 600s master dark and 200 17s darks for the 17s master dark

I can of course provide the full data set if needed.


This is a photo of my imaging setup

 

No, because I am an idiot. Here you go:

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AsHXUvMw3K77guQOK6PzItEakUciog?e=FJMeII

 

Thanks much! If you need anything, let me know.

 

So, first of all, thank you very much for looking at this so quickly and after hours.

Second, thanks on the image!

If I understand you correctly, the dark area on the right of the image above, which looks like the first 250 columns or so, is darker than the rest of the frame due to the fact that the dithering I am doing is causing the frames to be sligthly misaligned? I ask, because the area that is showing up dark in the image above, is the very same area that is showing up light in my processing. Still not sure what I am doing to cause that... If so, then I need to dither a little less and crop a little more to solve this problem?

 

Thanks very much for the attention and apologies for the delay in responding - life got in the way of astroimaging.

After about 10 hours of trying to find anything I was doing in my processing that might explain my inability to remove the Ripple (including getting help from much better processors than me), I finally took the image you posted above and applied a stretch. The Ripple appears in the image you posted fairly clearly under a stretch, so does not appear to be removed in the processing you did. I have highlighted the edges of the Ripple (more or less) in the stretched image below. Any thoughts on how to get rid of it?