The 30 Minute Challenge

[Dave_D]

Too prolific... Definitely!

Though that might just be a tad of clear-sky-envy rearing it's ugly face!

Where is Partington... The Nevada Desert?! How come you have clear skies what seems to be every night and I have managed 2 frames in three weeks, that being last night before rain stopped play!

Great pics though, keep at it! And yes, you'll love a guided set up if Santa deems you to have been good enough this year!

Happy Christmas to all the under-30-ers!

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Partington is south west of Manchester in not so sunny UK it's a far from ideal spot to be honest, got a huge paper mill half a mile away, 2 street lights overlooking the garden and the glow from Manchester kills anything to the north below 60 degrees. still, gotta make do with what i got. I usually end up staying up till 2 or 3am to get any pics. for some strange reason, it seems to clear at about that time so having to get the little girl up at 6:30 for school usually leaves me looking like something from the Walking Dead (not that us old goths complain at that :D:D)

[Dave_D]

Great pics though, keep at it! And yes, you'll love a guided set up if Santa deems you to have been good enough this year!

Happy Christmas to all the under-30-ers!

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I've actually got a complete autoguide package here in boxes (orion awesome autoguider package) but i can't use it yet as it completely kills my (already grossly overloaded by almost 100% of rated load) Vixen GP mount   at least i can use the starshoot camera and alignmaster during setup (i may het an adaptor so i can use my 9x50 for guiding but this seems a shame as i have an 80mm frac sat here doing nothing), just can't wait till i can get the whole kit and kaboodle running together but i really do need something in the EQ6 class of mounts. amd then that happens, i'll be hitting those faint fuzzies like a trojan

[Stevie P]

I was thinking of posting a master dark tonight ... 30 x 60s... best chance I have had in ages... LOL

[rjc404]

Here's my first effort at the 30 minute challenge.

My first go at the Orion Nebula between cloud chasing on 23 December (early morning).

About 22ish minutes of data  (15 x 30 secs, 11 x 45 secs, 5 x 1 min and 1 x 1m 30) plus flats, darks and bias. Levels stretched a little in Photoshop  plus my own little tinkering method in Photoshop.

Canon EOS700D on a Skywatcher 150PL EQ3/2 Pro.

[Stevie P]

Happy Christmas to all "30 minute Challenge" Followers, Posters and Viewers...

Thanks for taking part, Have a great Holiday

Steve

[Dave_D]

I must be losing it... didn't set up last night because of some obscure religious nonesense and it was crystal clear all night... 

[martin_h]

20 mins Ha and 2 mins each RGB so 26 mins total.............................

[lensman57]

Hi,

Well I don't know if this qualifies this thread as it is only 230 seconds of total exposure, it is a stack of 23 subs of 10s each and was supposed to have been used in the fina image of M42. As it can be seen the focus had either drifted or changed so I did not bother with the combine, but demonstrates the point that something can be salvaged with short exposures and fast scopes although very noisy. Atik 428EXC, WO ZS71 with 0.6X FF/FR @ F3.5, Idas P2 filter all on HEQ5 Pro.  Straight out of PI.

[lukebl]

Here's a variation on the theme. M42 in 30 x 1 second exposures. Yes, 1 second exposures. Total exposure time 30 seconds. No darks or flats. 250mm f/4.7 Newtonian, SXVF-H9 cam. A bit noisy but, hey, it's only 30 seconds!

[Stevie P]

Here's a variation on the theme. M42 in 30 x 1 second exposures. Yes, 1 second exposures. Total exposure time 30 seconds. No darks or flats. 250mm f/4.7 Newtonian, SXVF-H9 cam. A bit noisy but, hey, it's only 30 seconds!

Just need 29.5 mins more... LOL

[wxsatuser]

Here's a variation on the theme. M42 in 30 x 1 second exposures. Yes, 1 second exposures. Total exposure time 30 seconds. No darks or flats. 250mm f/4.7 Newtonian, SXVF-H9 cam. A bit noisy but, hey, it's only 30 seconds!

May be short but you got a very nice Trapezium.

[wxsatuser]

Caldwell 14

SW 80ED Pro......Canon 600D 5x30secs@ISO 1600

[PhotoGav]

Here's another Double Cluster, but I post this as a warning to everyone...

Don't Forget To Focus - Your Images Will Suffer If You Don't...!!!!!

The image is 5x300s subs with darks, flats & bias. HEQ5, ED80 with Focal Reducer, modded 60D and a IDAS D1 Light Pollution Filter.

[PhotoGav]

Sorry, posted jpeg by accident... Here's the png.

[frugal]

On New Years Eve I spent about 2 hours playing with the AstroTrac. My wife wanted me to find Andromeda, and as she bought me the AstroTrac who am I to argue:
 

 
As I was playing it is a stack of 1x60s, 1x120s, 1x300s and 1x600s (the 10 minute was just to see how good the alignment was), which makes 18 minutes in all. Stacked, cropped, and heavily over processed 
 
The only problem was that there is a great big streetlight that shines across onto the patio where I was set up, so I spent all of the exposure time stood still between the light and the camera holding up A4 sheets of black craft foam as as a light shield from the various light sources.

[laser_jock99]

Here's a variation on the theme. M42 in 30 x 1 second exposures. Yes, 1 second exposures. Total exposure time 30 seconds. No darks or flats. 250mm f/4.7 Newtonian, SXVF-H9 cam. A bit noisy but, hey, it's only 30 seconds!

Only 30s but shows the Trapezium well- always burned out in my efforts!

[RikM]

The only problem was that there is a great big streetlight that shines across onto the patio where I was set up, so I spent all of the exposure time stood still between the light and the camera holding up A4 sheets of black craft foam as as a light shield from the various light sources.

I lean a patio umbrella up against the fence to block out the light from a streetlight. It works well unless it's a bit windy.

[edjrgibbs]

After an intensly frustrating 3 hours with PHD, ASCOM, Stellariumscop and Stellarium problems I got 10 x 3m subs of orion using my D3100 and Equinox 66 on a SmartEQ pro with 9x50 QHY5 finderguider.

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Here's another 30 second effort - a first light image from a modified Canon 100D, lens at 18mm, f3.5, ISO 1600 in hazy conditions.

A close crop of Orion's belt and sword shows the shape of the nebula clearly, despite the bad trailling.

Taken at Caradon Observatory over Christmas.

[Davey-T]

Had a go at NGC2395, Thors Helmet, last night, not easy imaging anything with minus Dec from my obs'y, this object appears for about an hour and a half between houses and trees , taken with a10" SCT, 6.3f/r and Atik 314 L

single 30 minute HA sub on fork mount on a wedge,       dont tell Olly

Dave

[laser_jock99]

Another shorty- just 180s worth of the Rosette Nebula

Rosette Nebula, Monoceros 12" F2.9 180s @ ISO3200 Fuji IS Pro camera

[bodtwo]

I was a little confused and that's a great image with the Astrotrac.

[Stevie P]

I will be lucky if I get 30s tonight.. started well but lots of cloud interference

[Hawkeye]

Well last night I actually managed to get out and grab some images last night before the clouds rolled back in.

M81 & M82 (everyone's target atm)

6*180 second lights

20 darks frames

50 flat files

100 Bias frames

Stacked in DSS and then levels and curves in PS.

Still need to learn to process these images better but slowly getting there!

Cheers

Paul

[Stevie P]

Well last night I actually managed to get out and grab some images last night before the clouds rolled back in.

M81 & M82 (everyone's target atm)

6*180 second lights

20 darks frames

50 flat files

100 Bias frames

Stacked in DSS and then levels and curves in PS.

Still need to learn to process these images better but slowly getting there!

Cheers

Paul

 Well done for getting one on here, It was my target for last night.. But had disasters with power supplies and fuses, end up just observing.. stilll we have to early Feb for a clear sky...

Steve