M81

[lux eterna]

With 15 hours of 8-10 minutes exposures from different locations, this was my last trophy for this season. Captured with my modded D7000 and Meade LX200-ACF on a HEQ5 Pro, guided with NexGuide. With the reducer I used that was approx. 1600 mm FL @ F/8.

Ragnar

 

[FaDG]

Stunning pic, Ragnar! Great detail and nice colours. 

[JoshHopk]

Awesome 🤩

[MarkAR]

Beautiful and well balanced image.

[Craig a]

Cracking image that excellent detail and perfectly balanced 

[lux eterna]

Thank you all @FaDG @JoshHopk @MarkAR @Craig a for valuable feedback. I have hesitated a bit, shoud I stretch it more or not, but I find this is more comfortable for my eyes.

Ragnar

[MarkAR]

I wouldn't touch it at all.

[silentrunning]

8 hours ago, lux eterna said:

Thank you all @FaDG @JoshHopk @MarkAR @Craig a for valuable feedback. I have hesitated a bit, shoud I stretch it more or not, but I find this is more comfortable for my eyes.

Ragnar

I know what you mean, looks like it could do with a bit more stretching but then why bother as it looks fantastic! 

[Taman]

Beautiful image! Definitely no need to stretch it any further.

[lux eterna]

Thank you guys @silentrunning @Taman !

Ragnar

[SyedT]

12 hours ago, lux eterna said:

Thank you all @FaDG @JoshHopk @MarkAR @Craig a for valuable feedback. I have hesitated a bit, shoud I stretch it more or not, but I find this is more comfortable for my eyes.

Ragnar

No need to stretch at all, it's very easy on the eyes and very nicely processed. Very much frameable!

[lux eterna]

Thanks @SyedT, I´m glad you liked it !

Ragnar

[geoflewis]

Superb

[lux eterna]

Thank you @geoflewis !

Ragnar

[John Nodding]

Superb! 👍🏻
 

Noddy

[lux eterna]

Thanks John !

Ragnar

[Star101]

Very nice. A lovely image.

Detail is great.

Please leave

 

[Tommohawk]

Yeah that's very nice - amazed that the HEQ5 can do that @ 1600mm. I'm hoping to do something similar with mine but my guiding is way off. Out of curiosity, any idea what your guiding RMS was?

[alan potts]

Superb image, as good as I have ever seen,, very well done Sir,

Alan

[lux eterna]

5 hours ago, Star101 said:

Please leave

 

Thanks ! (I promise 😉 )

Ragnar 

[lux eterna]

16 minutes ago, alan potts said:

Superb image, as good as I have ever seen,, very well done Sir,

Alan

Thank you Alan, I am honored !

Ragnar

[lux eterna]

2 hours ago, Tommohawk said:

Yeah that's very nice - amazed that the HEQ5 can do that @ 1600mm. I'm hoping to do something similar with mine but my guiding is way off. Out of curiosity, any idea what your guiding RMS was?

Thanks Tom,

Me Too often gets amazed by this HEQ5 Pro. I have made some improvements to it, the simplest and one of the best is the DEC backlash killer. I also made an Arduino based device that injects pre-defined and very short ST-4 pulses into the autoguide communication stream (yes it´s true - and it works 😁 ) It does not make a huge difference, but when seeing is good I can notice a slightly better guiding. The point is to compensate for the very small speed variations in the RA motor during tracking (should make a separate post for that).

With the standalone NexGuide, I have no performance feedback from graphs etc so no idea about RMS.

Ragnar

 

 

[lux eterna]

On 14/04/2020 at 16:30, lux eterna said:

... I also made an Arduino based device that injects pre-defined and very short ST-4 pulses into the autoguide communication stream (yes it´s true - and it works 😁 ) It does not make a huge difference, but when seeing is good I can notice a slightly better guiding. The point is to compensate for the very small speed variations in the RA motor during tracking (should make a separate post for that).

Here it is.

Ragnar

[Tommohawk]

Well I like the Dec backlash killer, that's a great idea and easy to rig.

I think your practical electronic skills are way ahead of mine though, so I can't see me knocking up an Arduino device anytime soon.

Interesting that you feel the RA drive is variable - my PHD plot is really spikey despite the mount being well adjusted. 

[oymd]

That is absolutely stunning!!!

was that a 12” LX200?

i wonder if I could get anything remotely close to your result with a C11 XLT?

Please give us some insight into what you used for guiding?

That is really breathtaking!

well done Sir!

Chapeau..