AbsolutelyN

Wow ... absolutely stunning images Emil! Colours are superb and love all the detail in m82. Cracking images.

Thanks, no I usually do that but this is just a straight stack per channel, lum is just the L filters 96 mins

This works brilliantly, can't thank you enough. It's just stuck on with Velcro. Might just need to centre it better as some stars at edge look to have a slightly flat top but very very minor issue compared to the original flare.

That's fantastic Arian, really well done.

Thanks. Yes it's a crop but M81 still pretty large in frame of the 1600 sensor. The scope is working at 1050mm focal length. Too big for the mount really hence can only use it on very still nights as slightest breeze renders it useless.

Thanks Lee. Yes really pleased with the reduction in flare, makes a big difference. Surprised Skywatcher don't add something like that to the scope or sell some kind of accessory add on, the PDS is after all for imaging.

The 600d seems very popular. My input would be if you are planning camera lens based wide field / landscapes then the full frame 6D is superb. Not many scopes can cope with full frame though so 600D probably better for telescope based imaging. Also recommend MPB for second hand canon bodies/lenses.

Finally the wind died down enough to try the 250PDS last night. It now has an aperture mask installed just above the mirror to help improve flare around stars caused by mirror clips. Many thanks to @tooth_dr for all his amazing help on that. 96x 1min Lum 59x 1min Red 57x 1min Green 52x 1min Blue 4.4 hours. Unfortunately about 2 hours of data lost to a slight breeze. 1600mm pro Example star before aperture mask shows significant improvements.

That's absolutely stunning, beautifully processed. Nice work. Was keen to try these two with my 105mm but it's not in view for long enough so will have to wait until next year.

Cracking image Adrian. I can't believe you're doing these unguided and getting such great results, I don't think I'd even dare attempt without.

This is one of my favourite areas of the night sky and first attempt at it with a very wide field. Quite amazed that I've captured so much IFN as when looking through the files this morning I found I'd lost about half the intended 6 hour exposure time to clouds. So this is just 3.6 hours at f/2 with the Sigma 105mm 1.4. Keep having trouble with coma with this lens but I'm finding that I can still manage it with reasonable results in post processing. 3.7 hours with 2600MC and Sigma Art 105 @ f/2. I'm using a Astromechanics adapter for focus which plays really well with SGP but have had a number of issues. First was power which comes from USB cable, fixed with powered hub. Second is inability to get focus with spacers or about 0.5 to 1mm. The lens easily reaches focus manually but seems to hit a hard stop before it reaches focus via software. So ended up without spacer which had awful coma but hopefully controlled in post. Full high res image on Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/kuibk4/?nc=user

That's stunning Lee, really well done.

Sounds great but feels too windy for my 10” to guide well enough.

Another plus for SharpCap but having seen @Adreneline's unguided images I'm very tempted to a polemaster!

My Esprit 80 back in late 2019. Unfortunately the sky was not very clear that night but made for a nice time-lapse.

Any chance you can an you provide a link? I've even run a powered 20m USB 3 cable to it, it worked perfectly during daytime but refuses to work at all at night.

That's not bad at all given guiding issues. Amazed you can even image this as this time of year, usually think of it as a autumn target but I can't image much to the north.

Not sure where to post this or even if it's possible but does anyone know if there is some gadget you can buy that you can add to the end of a long USB cable to inject more power? Basically I've got a very long (20m) USB2 cable which has a mini (non-powered) hub on the end. This generally nicely runs mount, guide scope, focuser and camera. However I'm trying imaging with a widefield lens and focus is with an astromechanics adapter. That adapter needs power pulled from the USB cable and at that length there is no power left. I have plenty of power from 12v cables from power supply (Nevada PSW-30) powering everything ... but is there any kind of adapter you can insert into the usb chain to add back the 5v USB power? I'm coming up blank searching but surely it must be possible. I had hoped the ZWO camera USB hub would power it but that doesn't work. Any thoughts appreciated.

I'm currently using a 250PDS as my main imaging scope. It's on a AZEQ6 and I've added losmandy mounting bar and a vixen bar across the tube rings to try to strengthen it. It's pushing the mount capability somewhat but you can absolutely can get very good images with it as long as there is very little wind as it's like a sail. I've got a skywatcher coma corrector attached which brings the focal length down a tad. It's semi-permanent but personally I'd be ok setting it up each night, though it is big and heavy. So it's certainly possible and it's a very good scope, I've been pleasantly surprised with images I've got with it so far. Not at all saying its ideal but at the moment it's what I have to work with so intend to make the most of it.

Thanks Craig. I've never come across RTV silicone adhesive before - it must be seriously strong to hold a mirror in place. Your DIY telescope skills far exceed mine, I'm not sure I'd dare attempt to do this approach in case I made a pigs ear of it. Much appreciated though.

That's a really good idea thanks. Never even occurred to me.

Wow - that's amazing thank you. I've not even had a chance to glance a making a model yet. Really appreciated thank you and yes I see no issue with 2mm as don't want it heavy. Cheers!

Thanks Julian. Much appreciated. Managed to find one designed for a 6" celestron on the site you suggested so that may do it upscaled. Quote from first printing service I found is about £35 when upscaled 160%. I've got an old version of 3d studio max hanging around somewhere so I can probably modify it in that to ensure all dimensions are correct - if I can remember how to use it after 10 years that is.

I'm looking to make an aperture ring to sit above the primary mirror of my 250PDS but I've never 3d printed anything before. Any recommendations for where to get stuff printed and what software to make things in please? It's just a simple item - inside diameter 249mm and outside diameter 273mm Any suggestions much appreciated as completely new area to me.

Thanks. Breakdown is: Lum - 79 mins Red - 11 mins Green - 12 mins Blue - 12 mins