WestCoastCannuck

Very nice images and well processed! Yes... the Cassegrains do indeed seem to punch above their weight! My Vixen VMC 200L has a similar open tube design and I really like it. Clear skies! Mike

Thanks much MLQ! Thanks much! I most certainly will check collimation first. haha. I expect it will be worth tweaking but I could be happily surprised. For a scope that has not been collimated in 5 years it is certainly close for sure! Maybe I will be lucky and not have to touch it. Cheers Thanks much Gordon. I was pretty thrilled with what I captured in my first efforts! Clear skies to all Mike

Top shelf work as always. I far prefer the larger 75% view!! Really needs to be looked at in the larger size to appreciate I think.

Thanks much TT! Thank you AstroL! Just need more sky time with it! :)))) Thanks a bunch my friend. Yes, I am pretty happy with early results. Need good seeing for this monster! lol Have to update firmware... was giving me some trouble this morning. All the best Mike

Aside from some smoke and light clouds the conditions have been decent the last two nights - maybe even a third night tonight. This was first night of imaging with my new-to-me CPC1100. Promising results given I have not even checked collimation and it was last collimated in 2018 I am told. Was not even planning on imaging with it yet, but I could not stop myself. I have Bob's knobs for it on the way - will not attempt collimation before I have them. First up my two piece mosaic with APM140 and 183MM. Darks on terminator were REALLY dark. Hope I have not spoiled the image too much by my brightening and adjustments. I added a little colour tone. Next up are my first images with the CPC1100. These were at prime with a 685nm baader and 290MM camera. First is a 2 piece mosaic of Mare Nectaris and area, the rest are singles. They could go together... and I did, but the results as singles are much better. All of them are stacks of the best 500 or 600 of 10,000 frames. Hope you enjoy..... I sure enjoyed making them! Good to be back. Been an abysmal many months for imaging. Hoping this weekend is a sign of things to come! Clear skies Mike

Really stunning work in colour. I could learn a thing or two from you colourwise! I have a colour cam, but have had little success so far getting any colour I like - still new to me, I have been doing mono for quite a while. Your colour is very appealing and a benchmark for me. Cheers Mike

Looks great here at prime!

Such a nice scope. And nice result!

Looks like you had a nice session! Myself I have only done mono on Jupiter, and not for a while. hoping for a chance soon! Clear skies!! Mike

I have a special attachment to these thin ones! Good on you waiting for a clear spot. Nice grab! Mike

Thanks Neil! Yeah, its nice when I can set up on the deck like this. Can only do this on rising moons due to the post you see at right. Otherwise, and usually, I have to set up in the driveway.

Had another nice morning yesterday. A result I am happy with. Viewing was great too! Easy with mount already to go on my front deck. Early morning setups are a bear otherwise. haha Some nice details in Copernicus when magnified... Was a lovely morning. :)))) Clear skies!! Mike

Wow Neil. Really nice work. I think you brought it down to just perfect resolution for your seeing here. I probably would have listed seeing like this as 4/5! haha. Ah well, we have to use what we have. You say not the best...... I say fantastic! I LOVE the processing. I could have imaged this morning... but just could not drag my butt out of bed. I did yesterday though! Had a nice session, which I am posting now. Clear skies!! Mike

Thanks so much Neil! Hope you are doing well. :))) Glad to see you are active! I will try planets eventually. Need more aperture. lol Thanks much! Thanks!

Thanks Sunshine!

Thanks Kon! Thanks Laurie! I appreciate the identification. Have added labels. :))))))

Long time my Lunar amigos! This year has been dismal. I have managed only a few sessions due to crap weather. Had two decent nights this past week though in our current heat wave. This one is the best of them, and the best so far this year. Detail pretty good on this one... feel free to zoom further than 100%. Hadley very visible and lots of other hidden stuff. 2 piece mosaic, 26mp. APM 140 F7 at F10.5. (Siebert Optics 1.5X Telecentric Barlow). ZWO ASI2183MM. 2 panels of 3000 frames, the best 300 of each stacked. Software: Firecapture, IMPPG presort to 1200 best with 1.3 gamma. AS!3 stacking. Astra Image: fine and medium wavelets. Finishing: Lightroom 6. Here are a few (poorly) labelled 200% crops with some features that caught my eye. 1. Apollo 15 landing site. 2. Hadley Rille 1. Hyginus Rille 2. Ariadaeus Rille 3. Hypatia Rilles 4. Lunar Domes Arago Alpha & Arago Beta. (thanks Laurieast! ) Abulfeda Crater and the Abulfeda crater chain - about two dozen little craters in a line possibly formed by a comet fragment impact. Clear skies everyone! Back to clouds here. SO glad I setup on my deck for this early morning session before work. Forecast was perfect so had too.... and it almost was perfect! haha Quite good enough anyway. :))))) Mike

Lovely fine detail and quality as usual Neil. As always a real pleasure to see your work. Me........ nothing for months. Worst run of weather ever for me. Middle of may.... still cold, still clouds and rain 90%. I have only managed a single imaging session in the last couple months - daytime. Results OK.... but, of course being daytime nothing to be excited about. Glad my friends are faring better. Mike

Wow! Really great stuff Trevor!

I took two sets of panels this night last August. I processed the first and have posted long ago and even reworked that data a few times now (was a steady night!) With nothing but rain yesterday and browsing through my stuff, I ran across the old data I never had processed and decided to give it a go. Slightly oversampled, it looks pretty good I think at full size. Actually... one of my best maybe. But.... then my eyes see different things at different times - one of the fun things about this hobby. Stuff I liked even last week, I may not like today. haha Wednesday it will be at this phase again...... but forecast pretty bleak. I am hoping though!

Nice! I like the colour. Mike

I have also started wading in the colour pool.... it IS fun. hehe. Nice image.... I think DSLRs have an easier time with getting good colour than one shot astro cams. I am certainly not there yet Mike

Looks good! Congrats on that new beauty! Mike

They look good Trevor! At F15 you are very oversampled, but the images are still pretty smooth - expecially the third one and the last with Clavius. Maybe consider trying the Mak and 178 using a reducer.... bring it in closer to matching potential of camera and scope. Got your note!! Very tardy I know in my replies..... its coming. lol M

I recently tried out THIS one, and like most Amazon Basics products I found it to be very high quality - a requirement it seems for astro cameras. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00NH144GK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1