M51 and AT2019abn

[drjolo]

I already imaged M51 four or five times. When spring comes and CdC shows me M51 high in the sky, I just cannot resist  This time I wanted to focus on galaxy detail and features, so I needed to wait for good seeing. In the middle of April a few nights happened with decent seeing and also quite good transparency. Unfortunately Moon was also present in the sky for most of the time, so I did not reach as deep as I wanted, and SNR is also not perfect. But if you take a closer look into the left part of image, below these three bright stars triangle you may spot some faint patches of light - I checked them in SDSS and these are galaxies located 3-5 billion light years away. There are a few more also to the right of M51. And AT2019abn (Intermediate Luminosity Red Transient) has also been recorded  

Meade ACF 10", CCDT67, QHY163M, EQ6,  LRGB 400:40:30:30x60 seconds (gain 100), seeing good, transparency good, Moon present.

And luminance only:

 

Edited May 8, 2019 by drjolo

[Craney]

That detail is something else.   Amazing.  

I wish my pictures got better when I zoom in .....   !!!

[Adreneline]

Really very nice - I love the colours and the detail they help to reveal.

Adrian

[souls33k3r]

My goodness! This is by far the best M51 I've seen.

[JamesF]

Yes, that is outstanding.

James

[Davey-T]

Excellent M51 Lucas, I've been busy hoovering up UMA galaxies with the 10"SCT and CCDT67 when the skies cooperate but only had one night of good seeing / transparency in months.

Dave

[Seanelly]

A sight to behold.

[MarsG76]

Great amount of detail... excellent image.

 

[kirkster501]

16 hours ago, Davey-T said:

Excellent M51 Lucas, I've been busy hoovering up UMA galaxies with the 10"SCT and CCDT67 when the skies cooperate but only had one night of good seeing / transparency in months.

Dave

...... tell me about it.  Dreadful.  I'm starting to lose heart with astro a bit in the UK, as much as I love it.  Cloudy skies 95% of the time and when not cloudy the seeing is rubbish.  The number of clear, steady nights per year can be counted on one hand.

Superb M51 Lucas!

[alan potts]

Stunning shot absolutely stunning. I am considering having a go at de-forking my 12 inch SC and mounting it up on my AZEQ 6 GT, but thought it was way too heavy to get anything, don't expect to compete with your captures but maybe it's worth a go. Feel it really needs a bigger mount though EQ8 or CEM 120.

Alan 

[drjolo]

Thanks a lot!

1 hour ago, alan potts said:

I am considering having a go at de-forking my 12 inch SC and mounting it up on my AZEQ 6 GT, but thought it was way too heavy to get anything, don't expect to compete with your captures but maybe it's worth a go. Feel it really needs a bigger mount though EQ8 or CEM 120.

SCT are short but pretty heavy, I think 10" ACF  is at the limit for EQ6 class mounts - at least for imaging. Also ACF and EdgeHD constructions are little bit heavier than "regular" SCT. I used to have Celestron 11" on EQ6 and it also performed well, but it weighs more less the same as ACF 10" f/10. 

Edited May 9, 2019 by drjolo

[kirkster501]

Meade  ACF 14" weighs in at 28kg.  Add another 2kg for the Moonlite focuser.  I have these two scopes side-by-side mounted with TEC140 on MESU 200 and works great.  I have yet to image with the Meade 14" in this arrangement though so the jury is out.  The TEC140 works fine in this arrangement.

I was wondering how the QHY183 would work with the 14" Meade with the CCDT67.

[alan potts]

38 minutes ago, drjolo said:

Thanks a lot!

SCT are short but pretty heavy, I think 10" ACF  is at the limit for EQ6 class mounts - at least for imaging. Also ACF and EdgeHD constructions are little bit heavier than "regular" SCT. I used to have Celestron 11" on EQ6 and it also performed well, but it weighs more less the same as ACF 10" f/10. 

I think my tube is about 17/18kg, can't find a figure on it anywhere, but then I have a Moonlite on it and then there would be the guider.

Alan

[drjolo]

My whole setup (with guider, cameras, etc) is about 15kg. I can balance it with EQ6 standard length rod, two 5kg counterweights at the rod end, and one small 1kg put somewhere in the middle of the rod. 

Edited May 9, 2019 by drjolo

[kirkster501]

15 minutes ago, drjolo said:

My whole setup (with guider, cameras, etc) is about 15kg. I can balance it with EQ6 standard length rod, two 5kg counterweights at the rod end, and one small 1kg put somewhere in the middle of the rod. 

Well, your results speak for themselves Lucas!  Great work.

[tomato]

Superb result, one of the best M51 images I’ve seen?