jonathancd

I know what you mean, I am terrible at sticking to just one target! It is very rare I ever manage more than 2 hours on a single target. Will try to be more patient next time we get a clear moon free night and go for at least 3 hours on a single object. With stretching the pictures always end up a bit grainy which I mostly put down to the heavy light pollution (bortle 8/9) but I know more time would help too. Please with these though as they are the first images I have taken through a telescope for 2 and a half years. I have only been doing widefields for the last few years (mostly 135mm focal length at most) so temptation to do a few targets was too great! Thanks for the comments Jonathan

Just starting to get back into Deep Sky imaging after a gap of only doing very widefield imaging with Camera lenses. These 3 are from last night. Each have around 30-40 2 minute exposures at ISO 800 using a modified canon 1000D DSLR and William Optics 66 with 0.8 reducer/flattener. Unguided images using a Skywatcher AZ-EQ6 mount. Pretty happy with these as I image from very light polluted NE London Skies so a CLS filter was a must. Thanks for looking

Hello, just thought I would share a few images taken last night to try out my new AZ-EQ5 mount. Pretty pleased with the tracking as I managed 2 min subs at 600mm and 400mm with minimal needing to be discarded. These could all do with more time, Rosette is 45 Mins, M97 and M108 90mins and Markarian's Chain about 120mins stacked in DSS and tweaked in Photoshop CS2. These were all taken from light polluted NE London Skies (limiting magnitude about 4) with my modified Canon 1000D and a CLS clip filter. Thanks for looking. Jonathan M108 & M97 Markarian's Chain Rosette Nebula

After a longish break from Deep Sky imaging the warm clear nights of the last few weeks have seen me able to capture some good new objects. This is a relatively quick North American Nebula (NGC7000) using about 100 minutes of data from last night. Conditions were pretty good here in North East London and I am pretty pleased with how this has turned out. If we have some more clear weather I will try and add to this data. Shot using a modified 1000d through a William Optics 66 with a 0.8 flattener/reducer on a CG5 GT mount. 2 minute unguided exposures at ISO 800 Hope you like and grateful for advice/comments thanks Jonathan

Saw it today too. Amazing bit of kit.

Woke up to tidy up my gear from evening imaging around 6am and was greeted by a lovely conjunction of Venus and the crescent moon. Could not resist giving it a go with my Canon 1000D on a fixed tripod. lovely Earthshine too a really nice surprise. thanks for looking Jonathan and a close up

Hello, Just thought I would share this image of the Horsehead and Flame Nebulas from last night. I was really fighting the dew so this is only about 30 mins of data. Still really pleased with it though and it has fulfilled a long time imaging goal of mine. Hope t be able to build on this over the winter. The image is about 30 mins of 90 second subs using my modified canon 1000D along with my Equinox 80 and a William optics 0.8 reducer. v. v happy thanks for looking Jonathan

Thanks for all the advice looking forward to getting started. Jonathan

Very helpful thanks. I have a spare 12v supply so I will order just the plugs. how do they connect to the camera though do they need wires or is there a way of connecting directly? thanks again Jonathan

Hello, I am looking forward to entering the video astronomy and have just bough an SCB4000. The version I have did not come with a power supply and I am having troublye trying to find one. It does not have a normal powerinput but looks like you need to attach to bare wires into a slot. Also I cannot see which slot is positive or negative:icon_scratch:. Ideally I would like to have the option of running it off the mains and 12v jumpstarter. I would be grateful for any advice about how and where to get a suitable supply and about how to connect the wires. thanks for your help Jonathan

Thanks for all the kind comments, going to try somemore widefileds over the Winter I think. Jonathan

Hello, just thought I would share this widefield which I shot on my recent holiday to West Sussex. This was taken from a dark garden at the house we were staying in about 4 miles south of Chichester on the way to Selsey. Much darker skies their than I was expecting . This was a very equipment light trip so all I used here was a fixed tripod my astro-modifed 1000D, CLS clip filter and my Sigma 17-70mm f2.8 zoom at 17mm. Just 10 35 second light frames at f2.8 and ISO 1600 to get as much light grasp as possible and 10 dark frames. Stacked in DSS and a bit of a play with levels and curves in photoshop. Really pleased with the result and it shows that with simple equipment you can still get a pretty good result. thanks for looking Jonathan

I agree with Adam. I did not really think it was possible visually until I was at the Kelling Heath Autumn Star party last year. I had excellent views of it through my 80mm equinox using a 40mm 2" eyeoiece and a UHC filter. I could just about trace the whole outline and there was definite brightening around the central america/wall area. Keep having a go but I think a filter is essential and a widefield refractor/bins are the best instruments. thanks Jonathan

Hello, Here is the full moon from about a week or so ago, First light on the moon with my astro professional 102ed. As it was so bright I used a Oiii filter to improve contrast and it seems to have worked pretty well. Shot with my modded 300d at prime focus and the telescope was simply mounted on my Giro mount. Hope you like it. Jonathan Astro professional 102ed Giro mount Hutech 300D

Hello, first deep sky images for months (since May) this week. One first (the Pacman) and a second go at the North American. I have tried to use more subs and longer exposure time than usual (about 1hr 30mins). Pacman was 90 second subs with my 300d using the Equinox 80 and the North American 2 minute subs with a 55-200mm sigma zoom @200mm. Both were stacked in deep sky stacker and processed in photoshop 6, both a bit cropped too. Exposures are relative short as they were unguided with my Vixen Sphinx and sadly I do not have Deneb's awesome polar alignment skills. Taken as always from lovely light polluted north east London. thanks for looking Jonathan Hutech Modded 300D Equinox 80 Vixen Sphinx SXW