Fast & Dirty M27 Dumbell

[Tim]

This is the processed version of the image posted below, albeit a fast and dirty one. As I was doing a whistle stop tour I was only taking 5 subs of each target, so the noise etc from iso1600 is well in evidence.

Thought it was worth posting though as it shows what can be done in 20 mins with a simple DSLR.

Cheers

TJ

[RobH]

Certainly worth posting TJ

Cheers

Rob

[Plastic chicken]

Very nice TJ, only 20 mins!!!? 8)

PC

[barkis]

DSLR on the end of what TJ.? Whatever, It is still a great result in the time you gave it.

5x4 mins, tracking decent, and loadsa detail with not too shabby colour.

This will encourage others a lot.

Ron.

[Tim]

5x240secs @ iso1600 @ F10 (C9.25). One of the images had a bit of trailing and im not certain DSS used it, how do you find out???

I have never yet had what I would call "success" whilst guiding at f10. Always after 250 secs the stars start to trail a little, so I was trying to see how far I could get away with. I have bought a new camera for guiding (Meade DSI Pro) and it has made a huge difference already, it is many times more sensitive than my old guide camera. For instance, I could clearly see on the PHD screen the ring nebula whilst imaging that, and could even get a glimpse of the dumbell on live screen too. Before, I was lucky to get even a SINGLE star!!!! I am hoping that with this new camera I can finally do what I really want to do, which is get in close and personal to the DSO's with the C9.25, and take really long subs at F10. I am still finding focussing very tricky though, I am very tempted with the new live focussing Canons, but without being modded, they just wont get the Ha detail at all.

I have just last week fitted bobs knobs for collimation, and I think that is getting somewhere it needs to be now. I dont know if there is a way to post an out of focus star image and get the comments on it, would that work? Because I get very sore eyes, I have a job to keep an eye at the eyepiece for very long, and I'm never sure by the end of it if the thing is symmetrical or not!!

Cheers

TJ

[barkis]

Well lets hope you have cracked the guiding anomaly now. Have you not got an electric focuser.?

And what software do you use, Maxim has a read out in the form of an intensity graph, and numbers which indicate when you have your test star in sharp focus.

Operating the focuser from your computer has to be easier.

I have Maxim myself, and from what I have learned of it, I like, but I have not used it operationally yet, but some of the other guys have, and I hope they come in and rectify anthing I've said that may be incorrect.

You may already have it TJ, I don't know. If you do, just ignore this post.

Ron.

PS. You might think you have spent enough already. Maxim is not all that cheap.

Well, not to me anyway. Electric focusers are not give aways either.

[Tim]

No Ron, it's all manually done at the moment. I just cant afford any more kit at present.

One area it really shows, the central star in the ring neb. I can never get that damned thing to focus nicely

Am hoping to collar one or two of those who know their stuff at Kelling and get some extra guidance on it all.

I wonder if there is a way to get an eyepiece parfocal with the CCD in the camera????????????????????

TJ

[barkis]

You can make an eyepiece parfocal with your camera. Attache the camera to your scope as for imaging. You can use the moon for this. focus on a small feature of the moon as sharp as you can get it. Once you do, lock the scope focuser as best you can so it doesn't move when you take the camera off. Use a medium power eyepiece, and carefully with finger and thumb, focus the EP on the same object until it too is in sharp focus. You then need a ring with a lock screw that will slide on the EP barrel. The ring needs to be locked on to the barrel butted up against the focuser at the focus point. The eyepiece is now parfocal with the camera. The ring has to be left in place permanently of course, or the whole thing has to be done again.

Oh yes, the ring bit should be acquired before you start this procedure.

You can now use the eyepiece to focus the scope, lock the focuser then put the camera on. Wallah!.

Hope this makes sense.

Ron.