First attempts with new EQ6-R mount

[mikey2000]

I took delivery of an EQ6-R mount for christmas.  What a lump!  But what steady and predictable tracking - it is so guideable!   Here are a few samples I managed in the last few weeks.    Probably badly chosen targets as they are well into the western sky for the most part and the skyglow from Milton Keynes gets quite visible.

Still, it was fun to go for 10min exposures and get a near 100% keep-rate (excepting one very windy night where I threw away 3 out of 20ish)   No night was particularly 'transparent' either  - my phone app "Dark Sky Meter" occasionally records SQM of 23+ where I live but only managed max SQM20.5 over these nights.  So, I'm hopeful for better!

 

I use an unmodded APS-C sensor and 150PDS.

 

50% crop from A6000 shots:
Cocoon Nebula 12x10mins - Disappearing into the horizon light pollution at this time of year, this presented a serious processing challenge.

 

M74 7x10mins This is a *very* faint target...

M1 Crab Nebula 4x10mins

 

Almost the full APS-C frame:
NGC281 Pacman Nebula 7x10mins

 

And another using nearly the whole frame.  With some added flare from terrestrial light sources just out of view.  Over 10 mins, any unwanted photons can have quite a strong effect!
Flame and Horsehead Nebulae 6x10mins

 

 

Anyway, I'm deeply satisfied with my new mount.  I now definitely *need* darker skies and a proper astro camera!

[Skinnypuppy71]

Hi Mikey some great images their....I just got myself the 150pds but don't have that level of Mount as yet (star discovery).But good to know that the scope is that capable with a camera on board.

[Galen Gilmore]

Very nice images!

You should change your signature to add your new mount.

[RayD]

Nice mount and great first light images.

I'm actually more impressed that you've found enough clear sky between Christmas and now to take them 

[jjosefsen]

Nice work! I'm quite jealous of that mount.. ?

I read somewhere that Sigma clipping algorithms like to have at least 9 images in a stack to have good pixel rejection. So maybe be careful not to go too long on the exposures and too few subs.

Did you upgrade from an EQ3? I think I've seen your handle in the EQ3 thread?

[mikey2000]

Thanks all!   Yes, I upgraded from EQ3 .  I may possibly have 'over-upgraded' but I thought to myself, "buy once, cry once"  

 

I was also wondering about sub length vs quantity.  The received wisdom seems to be 'more subs' *and* 'longer subs'   So I'm trying for both - this new mount seems to behave itself so well that I have no problem leaving it unattended in the garden for longer sessions.  However, I keep choosing targets that end up sinking towards the western horizon (or my neighbours tall tree!!!)   I will have to learn from this :-)   I think I was too excited to compare results from objects I photographed at the end of 2017.  It's not a fair comparison really unless I can catch them in the same part of the sky -  definitely have a Good direction and a Bad direction. 

 

Still, if I can get these when aiming in the Bad direction and get better results than the old mount in the Good direction, I think I should start looking again at my target list <grin!>

[Craney]

They are  great images.    I'm very impressed with the suppression of the urban light, do you have a filter of choice ?

What software do you process with ?  Again,  is their any magic plug-ins that alleviates the orange and white smog !!

My favourite is M-74.   I have tried to lift this object from the background haze with a 200PDS but have failed to gather the detail you have. ( I used  shorter  10 x 2 mins subs though ).. So well done.   I must try harder.

 

Sean.

[jjosefsen]

39 minutes ago, mikey2000 said:

Thanks all!   Yes, I upgraded from EQ3 .  I may possibly have 'over-upgraded' but I thought to myself, "buy once, cry once"

In very interested to see if your "resolution" of detail improves with this better tracking. How did it compare to your other frames from the old eq3? Have you tried to compare frames of the same sub length?

[mikey2000]

Craney - I use a Baader Neodymium filter.  To be honest, I really should try a with/without comparison.  I was impressed the first time I put it on then never took it off!    (I can't bear the faff of setting up focus, shooting a sub, removing the camera to access the filter then doing it all again.)  I promise to try soon!  I then use DSS to stack the raw files (+darks, flats + bias) then PP in Startools, finishing with Photoshop.  It's quite an effort!

 

JJosefsen - I will try a comparison by reshooting an new version of an EQ3 frame.  Just from looking at the PHD guide logs, (particularly the scattergraph) the new mount is far more consistent with far fewer outliers.  Stars seem to be 'tighter' already and I hardly know this new mount yet.   Of course that isn't very scientific.  From the PHD2 logs, DEC is only slightly improved (but no more sudden lurches - the EQ6R steady for hours on end apparently whereas I never fully and consistenly conquered DEC lurches on my EQ3).  In RA, it is seemingly twice as good.    Looking at the scattergraph, I used to be pleased if the 2" circle seemed filled but I never like the look once I zoomed in.  With the EQ6R, it seems the majority of 'hits' are in the 1" circle with a few more in the 1.5" and almost nothing outside 2", ever.  All of this was done over two nights where apparently the seeing was quite bad (maybe due to very strong upper winds from Storm Eleanor)  I'm looking forward to a night with good seeing and better transparency :-)

 

I'll try and shoot some frames with the same sub lengths as I did this time last year with the eq3...

[jjosefsen]

Don't get stressed now mike ?

But if you get a chance, it would be interresting to know. I am saving up for an heq5 my self..