Further tests on the CEM25P/RC6 combo

[fwm891]

Continued playing last night with the new StellaLyra RC6 OTA in combination with my CEM25P. I've kept all the subs to 60s @ 800 iso using the monochrome modified Nikon D5100. No filters, no guiding and no cooling.

The Helix nebula (NGC7293) was first as it had pretty well crossed my south fov before I'd realised, this is just 5x 60s subs  processed in PI with darks, no flats or bias frames.

IC1805 (part of), few more subs on this: 15x 60s, processed in PI with darks, no flats or bias frames.

M76, I captured 10 subs on this and was able to use them all, again: processed in PI with darks, no flats or bias frames.

Finally M74. Twelve subs on this. I shot 16 but suffered some trailing and a satellite so just ditched those, all processed in PI with darks, no flats or bias frames.

Next will be sorting out some guiding and pay more attention to focus. I made the mistake of not checking focus after the initial start up.

Thanks for looking

[Adreneline]

Hi Francis.

Nice set of images.

Can I ask if you have made any adjustments to the collimation or are all your images so far just as the scope came straight out of the box?

Adrian

P.S. I tried to image Mars with mine last night using an old IMX225. My first attempt at planetary imaging turned out to be far more difficult than I imagined and no way am I posting the results on here! It was a good learning exercise!

[fwm891]

With the weather lately I did a daylight collimation on the RC6 using a peep sight (sight cap) and earlier tonight spent 20 mins fine tuning the collimation using Alpheratz as the target and x200 screen mag. I've fitted a set of homemade collimation knobs to the secondary housing which proved a bonus.

Just managed a few subs on NGC281 using the Nikon D5100, guided with a TS 60mm guide scope fitted with an ASi120mm.

Captured via SGP, processing PI, guided PHD2 and plate solved with SATAP - first time using this for plate solving, not sure I'll go back to Plate Solve 2 now. ASTAP is so fast.

[sloz1664]

That's looking good, Francis. It's nice that you have had clear skies this evening to fine tune your scope. Unfortunately, for me, the clear skies promised this evening have not arrived and therefore, my fully automated Dome final testing will have to go on the back burner

Steve