M92, Wirlpool Galaxy, Hercules Cluster unedited

[Marshall1234]

photos taken on a skywatcher 10" newtonian on an NEQ6 goto mount, Canon 550D projected through skywatcher kit 25mm lens

hercules cluster

M92

wirlpool galaxy

Wirlpool galaxy

[Gina]

If I may make a suggestion, I think you have thin high cloud and also suffering from dew. Stars with "lamp shades" are what I get with dew on the onjective lens - I imagine it's similar with a Newt.

[Marshall1234]

yea possibly, but i also think the basic lens doesnt help. Unfortunatly the nice vixen lenses i have dont fit in the camera adapter and the 15mm celestron possi needs a the 2x barlow to get focus which doesnt really work with dso objects. so i got a feeling I may need to buy a another celestron eyepiece for 30 quid of about 20mm or 25mm to see if that helps. cant afford to buy the adapter needed for the vixen eyepieces. i didnt level the mount either before using it so might of had an effect but i shall keep trying lol.

[Gina]

If you're using a telescope with a DSLR camera you want an adapter ring to put the camera directly on the draw tube at prime focus. That is the only way to get good results. Sorry, I didn't read your first post carefully enough to spot that.

[Steve Ward]

Try one of these or similar ,

http://www.scopesnskies.com/prod/astro-engineering/astro-camera-adaptor/AC696-2inch%20to%20camera/DSLR.html

[rfdesigner]

Good try, at least you have something to show for your efforts.

Somewhere in a box, still unopened after a house move I have some film photographs with exaclty the sort of artifacts you are seeing here.

I found the coma free field of view dropped like a stone thrown at a neutron star compared to visual or prime focus photography. It's what got me into prime focus imaging.

Each lense adds artifacts, with your normal camera lense you get one lot, with the eyepiece you get a second lot, and with the telescope you've got a third lot. To get best performance if you can't get to prime focus, you could try using the camera lense set to infinity focus. That way it's looking for a plain light wave from the eyepiece which will be how your eyepiece is designed to work.

Getting to prime focus is the ideal and a pain on many scopes.

Derek

[Gina]

I think that Scopes-n-Skies adapter should be better than a lot. Some suppliers provide special bits for the draw tube for DSLRs that just need an adaper ring to suit the make of camera.

[Quatermass]

Nice set of targets you have captured there but was just wondering if your colimination is out giving you those comet shaped stars on the edges? I recently bought a Laser collimator which has really helped in giving me sharper stars.

[Marshall1234]

hmm steve how does that adapter work where do you put the eyepiece. Currently use a adapter with t ring with the eyepiece in the adapter and no lense attached to the camera so using the eyepiece as the camera lens. Your might be right about the collimination havnt really adjusted that since i got the scope 2 years a go. If i could get more clear skys id try again lol.

[Gina]

When imaging at prime focus you don't use an eyepiece at all. The scope produces an image directly on the image sensor in the camera. In fact the scope simply acts as a very long telephoto lens for the camera. Hope this makes sense.

[rfdesigner]

Nice set of targets you have captured there but was just wondering if your colimination is out giving you those comet shaped stars on the edges? I recently bought a Laser collimator which has really helped in giving me sharper stars.

Nope.. If it were collimation the 'little comets' would be mostly pointing one way, that they are generally all pointing to the middle of the image says it isn't collimation.

Derek

[Quatermass]

Well if its the way your putting the camera on then using a t adapter and bahtinov mask to achieve focus should produce better results for you

[Steve Ward]

The adaptor fits the camera and slides into the 2" hole in the end of your focuser.

[Quatermass]

http://astrocasto.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/lets-do-astrophotography-now-part-5.html

This might help