MikeODay

Yes you do need to send a few sets of measurements for the MPC to check and make sure your measurements are within certain bounds. Once they qualify you they issue the code. The code to use for the qualifying sets is XXX.

Thanks! Although I'm pretty sure that the Pan-STARRS guys don't pay too much attention to the likes of me with my little setup - now if I find a comet one day, that might be different

Back in March I was granted an observatory code ( Q69 ) by the Minor Planet Center ( MPC ) and since then I have been spending all my available telescope time ( which due the weather has admittedly not been very much ) to capturing images of asteroids, that the MPC is interested in recieving data for, and sending in the positions that I have determined. Mostly I have been focused on asteroids that have not been observed/reported on during their current return to visibility. 2014 LA21 was my first after getting my code ... Here I was the first to report astrometry for 2014 LA21 since 2016 - not like discovering a new comet I imagine but still, a small achievement and a nice feeling You may have noticed that I don't as yet supply any brightness data; this is because I have not figured out how I can do this reliably ( most of the asteroids I am chasing are very dim and so my 4 minute exposures tend to spread them a little making them hard to compare to nearby stars ). I have been getting reasonably good position data though, with a "variation to average path" across the samples of sub 1 arcsec ( typically less than 0.5 and sometimes down as low 0.15 ) .... Anyway, I was just thought I would let people know what I have been up to and why you have not seem me latley over on deep sky imaging forum and also, I was wondering if there is anyone else here on Stargazerslounge doing the same thing ...

The great Barred Spiral Galaxy ( NGC 1365 ) in the constellation Fornax ( details and access to full size image here ) A Cluster of Pearls in the Southern Skies ( NGC 3766 " The Pearl Cluster" ) ( details and access to full size image here ) A deep look at Omega Centauri ( NGC 5139 ) ( details and access to full size image here ) The Cat's Paw Nebula ( NGC 6334 ) in Scorpius ( details and access to full size image here ) ............................................... And my favourite for the year ... Carina Nebula in HDR and full colour ( NGC 3372 ) ( details and access to full size image here )

Thanks and yes, I might end up printing this one - it is one of my favourites. An older version from 2017 even managed to get published as an APOD ( here ) -although I think this one is much better

Thanks Taff, much appreciated.

Thank you, but way to kind. Really, it's just what happens when you are on holidays and the sky is completly clouded over - rework followed by tweak followed by more rework, etc., etc. .....

Lovely image - I love the colours and the detail.

Both are great - I really like the detail in the dark clouds.

Very nice.

A further go at trying to get the colours right; the changes are subtle: - the colour across the frame is now more consistent; - the star colours are now are as close as I can get them to what I think they should look like ( with daylight white balance and light pollution removed ); and - the crop is a little less aggressive resulting in the retention of a few more pixels around the outside of the frame. The globular star cluster Omega Centauri ( NGC 5139 ) in Centaurus ( please click / tap on image to see larger and sharper ) The full size image can be found here

Thanks Guys, much appreciated.

Congratulations on your new scope, I hope you have lots of fun with it. I can't help much with describing how the Orion nebula should look; I use my scope exclusively for photography. But with regard to finding stars through the finder - I have the same problem. To the eye a bright star seems isolated in the sky but through the finder it is just one star of many. Perhaps you could try first finding the three stars of Orion's belt - these should stand out in the finder due to their arrangement - and then you could try jumping from star to star until you get to Nair al Saif ( it is in a bright little cluster of its own ); the nebula should be near by. Sorry, you have probably tried that but it is all I can think of.

I really like the way you have bought out the white smokey cloud from the background - I like them both but I see what you mean about the Ha adding more depth.

Stunning image - I've seen the object before but never like this - well done! I've also never seen the face before ( albeit one with spooky glowing eyes and a rather long nose )