First clear sky of the new season M31 and relearning kit

[old_eyes]

So 27th Oct was the first day with a reasonable forecast after the summer break. So I dug out my kit, checked things over and set up. Inevitably the forecast was completely wrong; great swathes of cloud racing across the sky.

Sunday 28th was better and I managed, after much cursing and swearing, to get everything connected and working together (no small feat with my decaying memory). 

Pointed Equinox ED80 and QHY168C on CG5-GT at our old friend M31 (well first trial pick an easy target!) and captured 2hrs in 2min subs. There was a lot of haze and mist that kept coming and going, but not too many interruptions.

Fairly crude processing (I have forgotten how to use PixInsight as well) yielded this:

It's not a good M31, but dammit it's an image taken with my own fair hands. First of the winter season.

There is hope for me yet!

[Ronclarke]

There's nothing wrong with that, great M31 image!

 

Ron

[MarsG76]

I think it looks good.... I love Andromeda..... wish I could image it from down here.

[Craney]

AYe, that's a good shot.     I'm thinking about having a go before the Moon enters the situation.

[old_eyes]

 

13 minutes ago, Craney said:

AYe, that's a good shot.     I'm thinking about having a go before the Moon enters the situation.

The moon was already a nuisance for that image. Bouncing off the mist and murk that was around and generally adding its own form of light pollution. But in North Wales if you wait for a moonless night that is cloud-free and clear, you have to have an inhuman amount of patience!

[Craney]

 

2 minutes ago, old_eyes said:

 .......in North Wales if you wait for a moonless night that is cloud-free and clear, you have to have an inhuman amount of patience!

I used to live in Mid -Wales and know about that too well.   Those mountains are cloud magnets.

[Joeistotalycool]

Looking pretty good!

[Stu1smartcookie]

This is why im trying to get into astrophotography ...I think the image is great. Well done