First light at new Observatory (M31)

[Alveprinsen]

Ok, so I got my new observatory up and running, and tonight I finally got a window of opportunity to try it out.

The following is my first try at M31. Info is as following:

Light frames: 60

Dark frames: 40

Bias frames: 40

Exposure time: 30 minutes.

ISO setting: 1600

Camera: Nikon D3100

Telescope: Skywatcher Evostar 80ED

Mount: NEQ6Pro

Tracking: None (couldn't get focus with tracking scope. Going to buy an extension for the tube.)

Stacked in DeepSkyStacker and finished in Adobe Lightroom.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Sincerely, Alveprinsen.

[jetstream]

Great image Alveprinsen!

[laser_jock99]

Great first light on obsy!

[Adamar98]

Nice one! Much better than my first try at M31.

[Daddystu]

Not bad. Try adding in some longer subs for the outer spiral arm detail. Mines ambitiously capping off 10 minute subs of M31 now. As you're not guiding just yet you could try for 3 minutes duration.

[lensman57]

Good effort but you have clipped the back ground by quite a bit, if you lift the back ground sky it might even reveal a little more of the outer regions.

Regards,

A.G

[Alveprinsen]

Here's a zoomed in version. This picture is a 2hour 13 minute exposure. Still I am nowhere near getting a really goot shot. I estimate I need a total of 6-7 hours exposure to really make M31 shine.

Anyhow, this is what I got so far.. And like I said, a bit zoomed in:

Sincerely, Alveprinsen.

[Alveprinsen]

Not bad. Try adding in some longer subs for the outer spiral arm detail. Mines ambitiously capping off 10 minute subs of M31 now. As you're not guiding just yet you could try for 3 minutes duration.

I am using the software SMtether in order to take my series of photos. It allows for a maximum of 30sec exposures. Anyhow, I've ordered a remote shutter control thingy for my camera which will allow me longer exposure times as well as longer series of pics. SMtether goes to 99 I think. I've yet to receive my new piece of hardware though, but I'm looking forward to checking it out. I should get extension rings for my guide-scope cam shortly after as well, so I will hopefully be able to do some quite longer exposures then.

[Alveprinsen]

Good effort but you have clipped the back ground by quite a bit, if you lift the back ground sky it might even reveal a little more of the outer regions.

I've done pretty much what I can in both Lightroom and Photoshop.

I guess I just need more exposures. I'm aiming at like 7 hours in total.

[Alveprinsen]

Ok, so I've had another chance at gathering some more data.

This is what it looks like at 4h 43 minutes with exposure:

Note that the image is heavily noise polluted at this point. I did not bother with dark and bias frames for the last 200 pictures, but simply used the old ones instead.

I will discart all of this data as soon as I get my heater strips for my two scopes, as well as the extension tubes for the guiding scope.

I will be doing all new shots of Andromeda, preferably all in one evening so I dont have to re-do camera positioning, and focusing.

Sincerely, Alveprinsen.

[laser_jock99]

Good to see your work is improving- nice M31.

[lensman57]

Hi,

Keep at it you are getting there.

Regards,

A.G