First light: a quick Dumbbell

[Horwig]

Question; does it still count as first light if it comes more than seven years after I started building the telescope?

This is the first colour image (that I'm fairly happy with) taken with my 40cm f3.5 Newtonian. I've been doing a lot of work on the scope and mount in the last year, and things are finally coming together, so this is really a test of the system.

Technical details: 40cm f3.5 scope on Sitech controlled fork mount. QSI 6120WSG camera with Astrodon filters and lodestar guider. Subs: 10x5minutes L, 5x5 minutes each RGB, processed in PI and PS.

Technical excuses: for pixel peepers, if you look at the stars, they are not round, guiding was not good in RA, RMS was 0.94" but peak to peak was 4.1", and imaging at 0.4" per pixel it shows. Also this scope is FAST, 5 minute subs are probably a bit on the long side, star cores are quite bloated.

 

Huw

 

[Demonperformer]

I think your long years of hard work on this scope are starting to payoff. You have some fun times ahead.

[ollypenrice]

A cracking first light - and of course it counts! It must be very satisfying to image with a self-built scope. Great stuff, Huw.

Olly