City9Town0

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!)

I used https://www.cheapastrophotography.com/ for my 450D. very pleased.

Thanks for the reply. Nice spot, I've used top of the RSPB driveway as a dark(ish) site; have been up the hill in daylight but never after dark. It's only 15 minutes from me; I'll possibly give it a go sometime.

Is this from up on the hill fort near Boyton RSPB?

I attended a family wedding and stayed in Bromley, and have relatives there... The night was orange and LED white! Horrible... Horrible... Horrible... Horrible... I'm looking to go from my Canon 450D modified to mono in Bortle 4 in Suffolk.... Where I am even Bortle 4 is a dark(ish) sky is a joy I'd struggle to live without. Any clear night I'll take a thirty minute walk with my dog and it is an absolute pleasure. Neowise beautifully clear naked eye on any recent cloudless night re-affirmed my choice to avoid any city hustle and bustle!

Thank you for posting... A stunning image.

I know that I've given this a 'like' but I'd like to add that having been to Bromley it is stunning!

Sigma 150-600 at 150mm, Star Adventurer. Five 20 sec exposures. Star Adventurer sat in a cupboard since I got the HEQ5 PRO secondhand. I'd forgotten the fun of a quick 'grab and go'.

Data over-stretched....

Den Thankyou for the reply... I've been keen on getting a Quark... nearly got a second-hand one recently... though there seem to be 'variable' reviews. You have some fabulous images on Flickr. Certainly haven't put me off my aim... quite the contrary.

Den Beautiful images.. may I ask what imaging kit you have, allied to your processing skill?

+1 for Sharpcap

I found this a great help when starting out two years ago... https://www.lightvortexastronomy.com/tutorial-pre-processing-calibrating-and-stacking-images-in-pixinsight.html

My kit bought off this website last summer (HEQ5PRO ED80 DS PRO) is manoeuvred into the garden and brought in each session with much mud on the carpets.... Has stayed in the lounge by the patio doors Sept -now. Have just this afternoon taken it all apart and put in in the spare room upstairs... Some serious carpet cleaning tomorrow a.m. Dog wondering where to lie now it's gone! Wife less impressed with me suggesting that the guitar(s) amp/kit comes down to occupy the space... may well cost me a significant amount of flowers/chocolate/cleaning/cooking.

Good luck. I've been thinking about getting a solar scope... but haven't been brave/stupid enough to 'pull the trigger'. Will watch this with interest.

Having spent the afternoon yesterday adjusting (and re-adjusting!) the worm drives (thanks to astrobaby guides and the internet) on my HEQ5PRO with marginal success I set up yesterday evening to give it all a whirl. It was all a bit erratic... and more fettling followed. Still not really satisfied as there are a few 'bite points'. Will be busy trying to improve further today. I was just checking star alignment and came across M3 on Carte de Ciel (never gone there before and had no idea what it was until I checked on the internet) so had a quick aim and bashed off four 240 second images (16 minute total) via my ED80 and 450D. Blasted through Pixinsight... Result attached... Thanks to Steppenwolf's post/image and a bit of research I'm pleased/interested enough to want to go back and spend another hour or two imaging it. (Assuming that the mount behaves!)

Very nice Steppenwolf. Funnily enough I imaged M3 for the first time last night (total 16 minutes)... I'll put my image up as well...

Fabulous...

Steve They fly pretty good formation!

I'll image until about 23.30... any later and my wife is miffed in the evening and I'm a very grumpy bear in the morning.... I've probably finished until September... Have been seriously looking into solar. I'd love to be able to stay up all night!

+1 for this. I set up HEQ5 Pro every time from fresh... Roughly align mount by compass. Sharpcap polar align (brilliant). Launch EQMOD I've Red dot finder/guidescope/ main scope all aligned....Carte du ciel for a few alignment stars. Launch PHD and calibrate near celestial meridian and eqautor Aim at target, run guiding assistant... Fire up APT... Start imaging May not be the best/most efficient but takes 25 minutes and works for me...