NGC891 ......Frame Filler

[Craney]

Using the very capable Orion Optics Mak 140  at a Focal length of  2000mm   I captured the edge-on galaxy  NGC891 last night.

Cloud cleared after Mid-night  and so I left the Atik 414ex mono and   EFW2  on automatic mode to blat away into the wee small hours.

Lum 32x2mins

RGB  35 x 1mins (bin2).    Stacked in DSS then a bit of digital massage in PS.

 

Lucky coincidence in orientation meant that I just got the full span of the dust lane across the frame.

 

Sean.

[don4l]

That's a good night's work!  Your set up must be working well.  I would be very happy to get an image like that in a single sitting.

[Star101]

Very nice 

 

[Craney]

Thanks  @don4l  ,   but prior to midnight I noticed one the Azimuth bolts on the HEQ5 was a bit loose.   Further investigation revealed that the internal metal thread has slowly been stripped away.  ( The alloy used for the structure of the mount is not particularly robust).   Oh dear... there goes any possible accurate Polar alignment.    Unless I start to tap a new thread into the mount, without taking it off the pillar and in the dark ...... which seems ( fingers crossed) to have (sort of ) worked  !!!!......   I was so annoyed at detecting the issue on the stroke of twilight, and didn't want to lose a precious night of cloud free skies.

Desperate measures...

 

Edited September 5, 2019 by Craney

[don4l]

18 minutes ago, Craney said:

Thanks  @don4l  ,   but prior to midnight I noticed one the Azimuth bolts on the HEQ5 was a bit loose.   Further investigation revealed that the internal metal thread has slowly been stripped away.  ( The alloy used for the structure of the mount is not particularly robust).   Oh dear... there goes any possible accurate Polar alignment.    Unless I start to tap a new thread into the mount, without taking it off the pillar and in the dark ...... which seems ( fingers crossed) to have (sort of ) worked  !!!!......   I was so annoyed at detecting the issue on the stroke of twilight, and didn't want to lose a precious night of cloud free skies.

Desperate measures...

 

You're not the first person to have this problem, so you should be able to find some good suggestions easily.  I've been very careful with mine ever since I bent one of the altitude bolts.  On the plus side, it just seems to carry on for ever, and it doesn't seem to matter much if you forget to balance it properly.