scotty38

Ah ok thanks, makes for an easier life then I guess....

Blimey, another great image. I'd have had to start years ago to get 18hrs of data 🙂

That's a wonderful image, I'd be very happy with that.

Nice image. Did you choose to not take darks purely and simply based on the time it takes or other reasons? As an aside I built myself a dark library "offline" as it were to save this exact issue.

Thanks, hoping so as I've been having issues with guiding etc and last night that side of it all seemed ok other than the first two subs

Nice. I went for this last night too, trying 210 seconds but for some odd reason I had small tails in the first two subs then all was fine until my guiding stopped on sub 7.... Yep clouds.....

Very nice image!

1 hour ago, alan4908 said:

Thanks - if you are going to attempt this just be aware of its small apparent size.  

Yes thanks, I did think it wouldn't harm much if I took off the .8 reducer to give me a whopping 480mm 🙂

I’ve not posted many pictures, in fact just one I think, but yep let me know if I’m in the club please 😀

Fantastic image and great write up too. My list of "must try this one too" just keeps getting bigger, I should perhaps write them down....

Thanks and yep mine is just under 400 with flattener so as below. Mind you I do get M82 in the fov 🙂

Nice one, for the last few years we've had a regular wren visitor in my greenhouse but she flies out if I go in to water the tomatoes and pops back when I've done... This year (assuming it's the same one) they've decided to nest in one of the barns instead...

Wonderful image and is it cropped at all? I know I have a much smaller fl scope but wow yours is huge 🤣

That's a great image!

Here's my (still a beginner) attempt:

Thanks for that @tomato, @Clarkey much appreciated and I think I will have another look at APP too

@tomato and @Clarkey (and sorry to go slightly OT but think it's relevant) but you both use APP and AP so which bits of processing do you tend to use each package for?

I have got bogged down trialling APP, StarTools, PixInsight etc so I'm trying to stick with Affinity for now but curious as to the bits you do in APP...

Yeah probably but lots of other factors too as you know but he makes a good point of not blowing out the core so I'd try a few experiments and see what it looks like. At least with short exposures it won't take long to try a few different times to see what you get.

Don't forget he was using his RASA at f2 so you'll need a bit longer anyway all other things being equal

Here you go Neil but don;t forget this was my first image ever. I'd have a search on Astrobin for proper attempts with a GT81....

11 hours ago, Neil27 said:

Thanks for the info @scotty38, I’m intrigued by the WO and it gives lovely options at both focal lengths and it sure looks pretty! Interested to know if you or anyone has imaged with the WO GT81?

I have taken a few but have been plagued by (possibly self-inflicted) guiding issues over the last week or so. I think I have some reasonable data for M13 and IC1848 from the one evening it came together 🙂 Bear in mind I'm only a few months in to this hobby so my results will leave something to be desired.  I'll dig out my very first image as it's on here somewhere...

Fantastic image!

9 hours ago, Neil27 said:

Thanks everyone for the contributions, appreciated.

I’m closely looking at the WO GT 81, triplet 53 glass.

The other option is the esprit 80, triplet and slightly faster at F5 but a well liked and great performing scope.

Both are also checked and tuned for peace of mind.

Great choice, but I would say that... The Flat6AIII reducer is available which takes it to just under f5 but also down to roughly 380mm too, that's how I use mine.

I have one, and have had nothing else, so take that as you will but what about a WO GT81?

Slower scopes are easier on eyepieces than fast(er) ones so I have no reason to think it'd be anything other than just fine.

BTW I am assuming you have a scope slower than f6