M51, just processed and had to share

[myk68]

Hi All

So no work to get up for this week and clear skies. I can hardly take it.

working on getting the system working altogether and passing by M51 thought I'd give it a 'quick' try and am quite impressed with the results.

I wasn't expecting this level of detail from 20 second exposures, 93 frames of 210 used. Equipment old C8 and Atik 314L+. had to be short exposures as my guiding is playing up.

I'm happy with this even though I think the collimation needs more tweeking.

Thanks for looking

Mike

[Martin Meredith]

Great result! Nothing wrong with short exposures so long as there are enough of them 

Martin

[laser_jock99]

Nice.

[ollypenrice]

Good focus and image scale. What were the filters?

Since you won't be going for the outer halo on this chip size the short exposures won't be a big deal.

Olly

[myk68]

Hi Olly

only filter was a luminesence baader, uv/lr I think. thats all. the filter wheel wasnt loaded otherwise I may have gone colour.

If I add the FR 0.63 to the C8 would the view be big enough for the outer halo??

mike

[lensman57]

Very nice capture. I would give much longer exposure if I were you. % minutes subs will make a huge difference. Here is the FOV with an 8" SCT with 0.63 FF/FR.

A.G

[ollypenrice]

As presented that's not a greyscale image, it has a colour caste on the magenta side. Something odd has happened in processing to make it a non-neutral RGB image, I guess.

The focal reducer may open up the FOV enough to get the full halo but that would need long exposures and very good guiding. I think it might still be tight. Here's the halo. http://ollypenrice.smugmug.com/Other/Best-of-Les-Granges/i-Sc3kgzc/0/X3/M51%20DEC%20VERSION%20clip-X3.jpg

Olly