City9Town0

Nice and 'fresh' here... clear sky for a change! May try imaging despite the moon (limited to my modded 450D at the moment) and let's see how much I've forgotten.

Showery in IP12...

Allegedly clear here from midnight... doubt that I'll see it. I did see a few stars through a gap in clouds last night so they are still there (or at least photons from them were still arriving last night)

I've regularly toyed with the idea of a solar scope when finances have been good but as a very conservative person, the variation noted by some and 'issues' detailed on various sites have so far led me to avoid. As with so much in this hobby the cost is quite significant, and with my personal disposition I'm almost fearful of disappointment... Such a shame. Maybe one day I'll have a go.

I had a 450D for general use many years ago, upgraded to a 5D3 for general use. Had the 450D modded for astro. I have really enjoyed using it and am now looking at moving to astro narrowband. Absolutely no regrets about modding the 450D.

Westleton/Darsham is good for a dark(ish) sky.

+1 for Sharpcap.

Welcome back.

Good luck... look forward to hearing about it. Almost biblical downpour here.

.... and it is cloudy. Oh well.

Clear here for the first time in ages... How much have I forgotten... About to find out. Hurrah!

I'm only a few years into this journey. I used to think that the hardest part was the waiting... until I actually got to the frustrations of difficulties 'setting up' on the rare clear nights!!! On a cloudy night I know that I cannot get good images... on a clear night when 'it' goes 'wrong' I used to find it incredibly frustrating and annoying. ('It' can be trips/cables/focus/guiding/power etc.etc.) But as I'm addicted I wait for the next clear night... and when it does all 'click' and data is collected it is a joy! ... and then there is the processing! Once you have got some data many a cloudy evening can be spent processing. Whilst fiddling and adjusting your astrophotography gear an a clear night don't forget to look up!!! I've been guilty of missing the beauty of the skies when sorting out the gear.

My only 'accidental aurora' from 52.1 N; in October 2015 is sadly not a patch on yours... Not visible to the naked eye.

Plenty of Administratium about...

Sharpcap uses 'about 90 degrees' but manages with less....

Fabulous part of the world. Lovely image.

Some dark(ish) sites near Boyton/Sudbourne/Orford Suffolk, and also near Westleton Suffolk.

I too hope to return to the far North in better times for the Aurora. Love these.... It is a special thing... beautiful sight and amazing science.

140 seconds in Pixinsight... no noise reduction done. Colour is there.

+1 for Pixinsight DBE and Background Neutralisation, although I found that DBE does take some time to get to grips with. OFF TOPIC. wimvb... interesting perspective on the aurora. Having travelled into the Arctic Circle four times for the delights of the aurora I'd never considered the inconvenience in imaging! For me those rare visits are significant moments of my lifetime. It has once shown up in my images of the Northern horizon at 52 North. Thanks.

I also tried to image M57 this week and found a smudge that I subsequently identified via the web as IC1296. Very similar results. Isn't imaging a delight.

I used 1/4" BSW WHITWORTH SELF COLOUR STEEL HEX HEAD FULLY THREADED BOLTS from ebay to fix the aluminium bar the top of the rings.

I use a 'custom drilled' aluminium bracket that fits on top of my scope for the guider. Cannot remember if the ttop holes on the rings are metric or imperial. Helps move the centre of mass forward. I'll try and send you an image.

Having just 'belt-modded' and 'fettled the worms' of my HEQ5PRO I had thirty minutes of 'playtime' last night. Got a quick polar alignment, PHD2 calibration, and very short PHD2 guiding asistant run. Tried this target just to see if the alignment/belt mod/guiding was OK. ED80 DS PRO with 0.85 reducer/FF, Canon 450D (modified). Bortle 4. Only 4 x 300 seconds... edited (abused) in PI. I've seen much, much better images, but more importantly this one is mine (and that is what it's all about!) Now I've found it, definitely somewhere I'll return to and look for improvement.

Up in the hills from Lake Vyrnry... Spent one night at Bwlch y Groes car park I think 52°79N 3°61"W... plenty isolated enough, plenty dark enough (and cold enough!)