My First Ever DSO Images

[JamesF]

Taken last night using my LX-modded SPC900, ST120 on an unguided (and somewhat badly behaved) EQ3-2 with motor drives. Not exactly the kit you'd choose to image with, but that's what's easy to get at for the moment.

To kick off, a couple of M13. First, 33x16s exposures, no darks, stacked in DSS:

And second, 55x10s, again no darks:

I think the second is better because with the shorter exposures there's less star trailing.

James

[Gina]

Well, you've certainly captured the middle of it complete with propellor Pretty good for a webcam

[lardy]

excellent first attempt James .... bet your planning the second attempt already

[SJJ]

You've picked out some good detail in the image

[Rihard]

Taken last night using my LX-modded SPC900, ST120 on an unguided (and somewhat badly behaved) EQ3-2 with motor drives. Not exactly the kit you'd choose to image with, but that's what's easy to get at for the moment.

To kick off, a couple of M13. First, 33x16s exposures, no darks, stacked in DSS:

And second, 55x10s, again no darks:

I think the second is better because with the shorter exposures there's less star trailing.

James

Very good, that's what I wanted to see. To be a webcam the result is not bad!

AstroImaging is not easy and I would be happy to have a record of my observations of this quality,

taken with just a little webcam

[JamesF]

excellent first attempt James .... bet your planning the second attempt already

It's tempting The sky wasn't looking too hot when I went out just now to shut the chickens up -- lots of high hazy cloud. Perhaps it will clear up later. Given my failure with M27 perhaps I'll try M57 instead.

James

[Chris]

Great stuff for the kit your using James, I for one would love to see what kind of image of M57 you could get with a webcam?

[JamesF]

I shall see what I can do

My biggest problem at the moment is lack of exposure time due to star trailing. I have a feeling that the RA axis of the mount does not run perfectly true, I'm not entirely sure what's going on there.

James

[Chris]

I shall see what I can do

My biggest problem at the moment is lack of exposure time due to star trailing. I have a feeling that the RA axis of the mount does not run perfectly true, I'm not entirely sure what's going on there.

James

Well James as I'm sure you know the EQ3 is a very difficult beast to tame for DSO imaging, poor basic machanics giving backlash problems, ali tripod, and low weight capacity for exmaple. I think the ST120 is a big scope for this mount, also bad CA although I bet it sucks in the photons at f/5:) Hows your polar allignment?

[JamesF]

It's a very old EQ3-2, too. One of the Sky Scan 2001 models. Polar alignment is robably as good as its likely to get for an EQ3-2 that gets moved in and out of the house. Hopefully before the winter I'll be able to get my NEQ6 out of storage and things will be better. In the meantime I am quite tempted to fill a length of 100mm drain pipe with concrete and set it in an old car tyre also filled with concrete just to give a stable base to work off. It's all good practice, anyhow

James

[Quatermass]

Great results with the webcam love imaging on a budget

Sent from my GT-S5670 using Tapatalk 2

[davesparx]

Hey James,

I think that's a really good picture. I've not tried a cluster yet. I can't wait to see what colours I get :-)

[JamesF]

I have a feeling the colour is because I was using my ST120, which suffers from a fair bit of colour aberration. It's ok visually on DSOs, but I think the camera may not be as tolerant as the human eye

James