Another spring collection M53, M57, M64, M66

[windjammer]

Here is my spring collection - and first processing efforts with PixInsight.  Rig is a SW Startravel 150mm F5, 2.5x Celestron Luminos 2" Barlow,  Atik 460EX mono.  Location is London UK (deep inside the M25). Mammothly long exposures for the mount, a DIY GEM, and still ironing out guidescope sag and guide algo hunting around its equilibrium position.  Exposures this long on these kinds of DSOa are a bit of a first for me - 10 or 15 minutes is ample time for the gremlins to strike!

M53, a Globular Cluster in Coma Berenices

R 550-725nm: 17x 600s 1x1 binning
G 500-600nm: 12x 600s 1x1 binning
B 420-520nm: 13x 600s 1x1 binning

Total exposures 7 hours, 26 April 2020 to 21 May 2020

M57, Ring Nebula

R 550-725nm: 10x 600s 1x1 binning
G 500-600nm: 10x 600s 1x1 binning
B 420-520nm: 11x 600s 1x1 binning

Total exposures 3.5 hours, 30 May 2020 to 01 June 2020

M64, Black Eye Galaxy

R 550-725nm: 12x 420s 2x2 binning
G 500-600nm: 13x 600s 2x2 binning
B 420-520nm: 10x 600s 2x2 binning
Ha 656nm: 29x900s 2x2 binning

Total exposures 12.5 hours, 5 April 2020 to 22 April 2020

M66, a bit noisy unfortunately

R 550-725nm: 15x 300s 2x2 binning
G 500-600nm: 11x 420s 2x2 binning
B 420-520nm:  20x 420s 2x2 binning
Ha 656nm: 7x 900s 2x2 binning

Total exposures 6.5 hours, 22 March 2020 to 26 March 2020

Simon

[Datalord]

Pretty damn impressive to get this with 10 minute subs on a DIY mount. Do you have pictures of it?

[windjammer]

>>Do you have pictures of it?

Here are some views of it - it is 'agricultural', no lathe required.  I could never fabricate anything high precision, but coupled with closed loop guiding the electronics would fill the gap.  Main scope is the SW 150mm F5 achromat in DSO configuration with 2.5x barlow at F12.5, motorised Bahtinov mask  in front.  Blue thing is a SW 90mm F10 guidescope and 2x barlow at F20.  The guidescope has a motorised XY stage to move the guidecam around the focal plane to get a decent guidestar.  It needs a mag 9 or brighter to work best - the guidecam refreshes every 1/3rd of a second or so.  All the controls are slaved, an umbilical runs down into the office so you can be in for the duration in comfort.  Its called Kevin.

[Wyvernp]

Wow, that's a hell of a rig! I like the idea of mounting on the roof, I'm plagued by trees from my garden and have been thinking the roof would be a good vantage point. Did you need planning permission for that?

Edited June 18, 2020 by Wyvernp

[Datalord]

9 hours ago, windjammer said:

Its called Kevin.

I don't know if I should be scared OF Kevin or scared FOR Kevin. It looks like his insides are on the outside.

In seriousness, I'm in awe. Crazy amazing work, sir.

[tooth_dr]

26 minutes ago, Datalord said:

I don't know if I should be scared OF Kevin or scared FOR Kevin. It looks like his insides are on the outside.

In seriousness, I'm in awe. Crazy amazing work, sir.

Agreed.  That is truly magnificent. I like the flip up Bahtinov mask, and the aluminium holder for it looks like it will just about cope with the weight of the plastic mask.

[Datalord]

There's a meme waiting to be born here...

[Datalord]

[maw lod qan]

I'm a do it yourselfer, but no where near your league!

My only question is, how many worlds did you assimilate to get all that equipment and technology?

"We will make you part of our collective!! Resistance is futile!"

[windjammer]

Thanks all for your kind words on .... the FRANKEN scope :)

Re moving to the roof, just being out of the mud and bugs, and above the trees has made a huge difference to my hobby.  So I would heartily recommend it.

As far as planning permission goes, it is not a permanent installation and is no different really from putting up a satellite dish.  No-one has ever come back on it.  I think if you tried to put a dome or roro shed up there, then someone might object.  Kevin lives under green garden furniture covers so few realise it is even crouching up there.  Being a remote imaging rig, even in use there is no noise, lights or human activity to get people upset.

A couple of caveats:  the eyepiece end of the scope is usually out over the roof space, so you can't look through it.  Not great if you do visual stuff.  That depends on how much flat roof you have handy of course - my space is only about 1m by 3m.  For the same reason manual adjustments on bits that are out of reach are a hassle, so everything you want to fiddle with has to be motorised and remote controlled. 

Secondly, up on top it is v. exposed in winter so operating remotely from a warm room below makes life a lot easier.  So much so, the next thing after the roof move for hobby improvement is being able to sit down and watch the computer screens and monitors in comfort.  Much easier to concentrate.

Simon

 

[MartinB]

I think these are the most amazing images I've ever seen on SGL!  The DSOs are good too!!  What an incredible bit of kit.  I am in awe.

[Scott]

Well I'm damn impressed with that mount but tell me, what's your tv reception like
Thanks for sharing it with us. Do you have an engineering background?

 

[Ant]

Wow, my first thought was you were powering it with a V8.

That is without doubt the best mount I've ever seen!

Seriously top notch.

Ant

[barkis]

What an extraordinary collection of hardware. What are all those ribbon cables servicing?           You must be blessed with a great deal of perseverance and no small amount of skills to blend all that equipment into image producing robot.   I say well done, you must have overcome much adversity to achieve this, and the prize is, the fantastic images this engineering miracle has pulled down from the sky.

Just incredible.👍👍                                                                                 Ron 

[tomato]

Awesome! It looks like it should be in orbit and controlled by ESA/NASA. 

[windjammer]

Scott - background is physics and software but I've always liked the workshop...

Barkis 

Good question - what do all those cables do (go wrong mostly). I don't know how people keep their scopes so tidy:  this is what is going on with all the ribbons

1. RA and DEC fast slew DC motor drives
2. RA stepper controller
3. DEC stepper controller
4. RA/DEC transfer gearbox servo controls
5. Autoguider controller
6. 8 channel video feeds and switch
7. 4x SCB2000 daisy chain control cable
8. Bahtinov mask motor drive and camera
9. Filter wheel motor drive and camera
10. OTA focus
11. Guidescope focus
12. Guidescope XY stage controller
13. Narrow FoV finder focus
14. Setting circle encoder RA/DEC head ends
15. 1004x planetary camera control

Simon