M51 21/03/07

[MikeD]

Hi all.

Got some clear skies over the last two days :shock:, though Tuesday was a bit windy and the results were not great.

I had better luck last night.

M51:

Taken through my 10" F4.8 newt with a HX916, guided with 80Ed and SC1 modded toucam.

1hr 55 mins in 5 min subs.

Just need some more clear skies to get the colour.

All the best.

Mike.

[Jamie]

Great image Mike.

You got to be happy with that....

[Caz]

Bl**dy hell!! That's fantastic... 8)

[GazOC]

WOW! Great shot!

[SteelRat]

Heheheh - woooowee! That's a flippin cracker that is Mike 8) Gotta love all that detail.

Great stuff.

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Awesome Mike. Superb image, can't wait for some colour on it, it's going to be on your wall soon.

Captain Chaos

[proflight2000]

Thats a great picture, id be happy with a grey blob let alone that sort of detail.

[MikeD]

Thanks people.

M51 is a target I hit every year and I am very pleased with this one ,just hope I can pull of the colour.

[geppetto]

Oooooh yummy but that's nice 8)

Good luck with the colour

[lunator]

Mike

Thats an excellent pic.

Congrats on beating the weather

Cheers

ian

[Saso]

Excellent image, lots of details.

Saso

[CELESCOPE]

Fantastic image that one Mike, real depth to it ,super stuff , lets hope u can get some colour for that one

Rog

[MikeD]

lets hope u can get some colour for that one

Rog

Looks like tonight might be the night. :rr:

[blinky]

I hunted about for an hour last night trying to find that! Could not even see a fuzzy blob

[MikeD]

I hunted about for an hour last night trying to find that! Could not even see a fuzzy blob

Are you using your setting circles?

If not try pionting the scope at Alkaid ( the star at the end of the handle of Ursa Major) then set the setting circles to: DEC +49.19'. and the RA +13 : 47 (h:m).

lock up the setting circles and unlock the RA clutch and move it until the setting circle reads 13 : 30 (h:m) and lock it up again.

Next unlock the DEC clutch and and move it until the setting circle reads +47 : 12 (deg:m)

If you don't have M51 in the field of view Pick a star in the centre of the FOV and move it around the FOV while looking for The Two fuzzy blob's that is M51.

Hope this helps and I am not telling you how to suck eggs.

Mike

[MikeD]

Or I can usually find it by looking through the finder scope (with both eyes open and putting the finder cross hairs (which by keeping both eyes open will by supper imposed on you naked eye view of the sky)in the position shown in the attached image By imagining the box as shown should get you pretty close.

Mike

[Martin 2]

Very nice pic mate, I would add a few swear words but Caz has pinched them.

M2

[Cloudgazer]

That's a beauty

Look forward to seeing it with the colour added

Scott

[MartinB]

Superb that one Mike. Fantastic resolution of the dust lanes. Well done!

[dazza1639]

Stunning

Darren