First light, kind of!

[dtokez]

Hi all!

Not been around for a long time due to work and family commitments. At the start of the year I enquired about getting into imaging, and a nice guy called @Bukko replied to my thread and offered to give me a  EQ3-2 mount! I collected it from his lovely wife Mrs Bukko all the way back in January, and it has taken me until now to get it set up properly and sort out a dovetail bar that I could mount a ball head on for my DSLR.

Well, 2 weekends ago I set up in the garden, following youtube videos along the way! When I looked through the polar scope there was  a star quite near the polaris mark!! I hoped that it was polaris, and spent the next 45 minutes attempting to fine tune the alignment, I didn't manage to get it perfectly in the spot but it was getting late / cold so I thought I would just try and shoot a few frames and see what happens. Wow I was lost for words, sharp looking subs! I tried a couple of minutes first with the 50mm f1.8 and they looked great on the camera! Weather has not been kind ever since really, but I can't wait to get outside with it again! I think I caught a galaxy on one image (IMG_4753.jpg), maybe someone could clarify? 

Next time I want to try a longer lense and see how the subs are looking. Thanks again to @Bukko, absolute legend!

 

Shutter: 191s
F-number: 8
ISO: 400
Focal: 28mm

 

Shutter: 631s
F-number: 8
ISO: 200
Focal: 50mm

 

Shutter: 119s
F-number: 8
ISO: 800
Focal: 50mm

[Yamez]

Brilliant first lights, astrophotography is very addictive. In the first image you caught M31 (Andromeda). In the same image you can see other wonders such as the double cluster. Very well caught. Can't wait to see more images from you.

[Starlight 1]

16 minutes ago, dtokez said:

! I think I caught a galaxy on one image

The top one is the best of the 3 images. and you are  right on the Galaxy in the top one . well done .

[dtokez]

5 minutes ago, Yamez said:

Brilliant first lights, astrophotography is very addictive. In the first image you caught M31 (Andromeda). In the same image you can see other wonders such as the double cluster. Very well caught. Can't wait to see more images from you.

Thanks very much  Thinking about it now, that image was actually one of the last subs that I tried, I stuck on a 28-135mm lense I think - I just skewed the camera around to try and different portion of the sky, I got lucky  Next time I would love to get in closer to M31
the other 2 images I think were some of the first that I shot, centred on polaris if I remember correctly.

2 minutes ago, Starlight 1 said:

The top one is the best of the 3 images. and you are  right on the Galaxy in the top one . well done .

Thanks kindly, can't wait to try some more

 

[xtreemchaos]

great shots mate, ive platesolved your first image at http://nova.astrometry.net/, its free you just upload your images and it dos it for you.  clear skys ,charl.

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Well done. I can actually make out 2 galaxies in the first image, M31 and, below it, M33 (the Triangulum galaxy), our two nearest large neighbours. Find M33 and there is a pattern of 3 bright stars below it, the bottom one is the red giant Mirach. Keep going down the same distance from M31 to Mirach and M33 is there.

I also caught the Andromeda by accident in my first Milky Way shot, taken by laying my camera down on a patio in Menorca, pointing straight up.

[Victor Boesen]

you caught the triangulum galaxy as well in the first image!!

you can see the two top stars of triangulum and the little smudge of it in your picture placed exactly where it should be according to stellarium.

Follow the three stars in andromeda, but instead of going up to m31, go down and you will find m33. do it in full size mode. then it is easier to spot.

Congrats!!!

Victor Boesen

[Victor Boesen]

6 minutes ago, Knight of Clear Skies said:

Well done. I can actually make out 2 galaxies in the first image, M31 and, below it, M33 (the Triangulum galaxy), our two nearest large neighbours. Find M33 and there is a pattern of 3 bright stars below it, the bottom one is the red giant Mirach. Keep going down the same distance from M31 to Mirach and M33 is there.

I also caught the Andromeda by accident in my first Milky Way shot, taken by laying my camera down on a patio in Menorca, pointing straight up.

i think we posted at the same time

[Bukko]

Well done Dan,

For a rough polar Align, you have done better than I would have expected.  I am really pleased you have managed to use my old mount, at the very least, it will help get you started and gain some experience, without having to shell out a lot of money up front. Hopefully, by the time you outgrow the EQ3-2, you will know what you want to do next.

Good luck and keep up the good work !!

 

Gordon.