Flame and Horsehead

[Stub Mandrel]

It seems my 'fail' was as much to do with my crummy flats as moonlight!

I took some new flats, restacked, and while the end result is rather poor colour-wise, it isn't a complete write off although moonglow has washed out the horsey. Fascinated by how marked the dark patch is while most of teh background is very even. Have i been too aggressive with gradient removal? Sure I can do better with this one.

23 60-second subs (from 50) at ISO 1600, 150PL on unguided EQ3 mount on EQ5 tripod*.

*Interesting observation made later when videoing Jupiter with the same setup - when I shifted my weight from foot to foot jupiter moved up and down by about a diameter! This was with the tripod on grass and one of my feet about 9" from the tripod. Clearly this has implications for polar alignment because I'm squatting between two tripod legs while I align and the whole setup mayl move when I walk away.

[Pompey Monkey]

21 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

*Interesting observation made later when videoing Jupiter with the same setup - when I shifted my weight from foot to foot jupiter moved up and down by about a diameter! This was with the tripod on grass and one of my feet about 9" from the tripod. Clearly this has implications for polar alignment because I'm squatting between two tripod legs while I align and the whole setup mayl move when I walk away.

I wouldn't be unduly worried about your PA: Jupiter is less than a minute of arc in diameter. My PA is out by much more than this and I just get some field rotation at the same focal length with 20 minute subs.

I'd be more worried about vibrations from your plates mucking up the subs!

[Stub Mandrel]

Not worried about PA for Jupiter - more about when I do DSOs!

[MartinB]

21 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Not worried about PA for Jupiter - more about when I do DSOs!

He means that changes to your weight would only be throwing your PA out by less than an arc minute.

No idea what the dark patch it.  My favourite part of your image is that lovely area of reflection nebulosity beneath the HH

[Stub Mandrel]

Ah OIC!

Apologies for getting confused.

Now I know I can get minute-longs subs I need to have ago at a moonless dark sky site and take a few hour's worth.