Why M27 is a target of choice for parties with non-astronomers....

[Tim]

You know the kind.... they expect to look into a telescope and see all the wonders of the universe in glorious technicolour (didn't we all??)

Anyway, I thought I would post this as it is exactly as it came off the camera and onto the screen, I have only reduced it in size. So it is one image (180secs) no darks etc and absolutely no processing. Hopefully it would give a decent bang for the buck, before they lose interest and go back to their wining and dining etc.

I did another whistle stop tour of the zenith/meridian last night, and this was one of the places of interest on the way, although it was so clear at first I was fairly lost in the Milky way!

[barkis]

A very pleasing result TJ. You got to be chuffed with it. It an incredible image if that has had no

massaging. I detect a Ha filter in there but you are going to say No.

Well done though, it is indicative of your progress.

Ron. :salute:

[Tim]

The camera is a modded 350D, and had a clip in CLS filter in place, eithout which, even in the sky which was as dark as it will ever get without a power cut, there would have been a heavy red glow in the sky.

The modded camera and the CLS seem to work very well together, at least, you can see that the colours are similar to those acheived using LRGB methods.

Ooops, my mistake, the exposure length was 240 secs @ F10.

TJ

[beamer3.6m]

Nice image.

However this fits with my other post under 'e.bay scopes', as this is not what you would see at a star party when you look through your scope at M27.

Through a scope you see a smudge, quite a large smudge I grant you but still only a smudge.

This is the image of a long exposure camera, not the mark 1 eyeball.

However, I do not want to detract from image itself as it is a good shot.

[MartinB]

It's the dim smudges that non stargazers are underwhelmed with. Hook a camera up to a laptop and it's back to the ooohs and aaahs you get with Saturn. That's the 21st century for you, it's all about the wow factor.

[Tim]

It's a funny thing, but apart from when aligning sometimes, I hardly ever LOOK through the telescopes used for imaging. If guests are around, I get the Dob out, show them the object in that, and say "wanna see it in colour?"

I have just bought from ebay a Meade thingy whereby the eyepiece is a little live picture device that hooks up to your TV, with an aim to showing the kids who cant reach the eyepiece of the big dob yet what they are missing out on. I haven't used that yet, but ill do a first light report on it when I do.

I suppose in all honesty, if it wasn't for the magic of digitally-ness, then the current surge in interest in astronomy which I think is fuelled by the abundance of pictures taken by ordinary folks, wouldn't be what it is? I dont think I would spend much time at a scope without a camera attached.

Objects of choice for observing only will be posted in the "observing section", but with so many great targets for the camera, that could be a while

TJ

[beamer3.6m]

Please don't think I was slating your image TJ as I was not.

Just thought the title of the thread did not reflect the true image seen at star parties.

[Tim]

It does at mine