Very first go at the M31

[Milliways]

First go at the Andromeda galaxy 2 X 1 1/2 min exposures

[MartinB]

That is a very fair representation of how M31 looks through the scope. You've got some training which is blurring the galaxy a bit as well. so 60 secs may work better for you and get more off them. Much better than my first shot of M31 I can tell you!

[Milliways]

Thanks for the advice mate I'll give it another go when it isnt cloudy. How many 1min images do u reacon?

Dave.

[MartinB]

As many as you can is the simple answer. Really, if you have the patience, you should aim for at least an hour. So 60 sub frames. Signal to shot noise ratio is improved by the square root of exposure time. So doubling the exposure gives approximately 1.4 times the improvement in the ratio. 60 minutes will improve things by a factor of 7.5! It's a bit more complicated than that (surprise surprise) but the it still equates to a massive improvment. You will then be able to some dust lanes. My last M31 was 4 1/2 hours!

[MartinB]

Having said all that, I can still remember the thrill and enjoyment of just going out and capturing lots of different stuff. Just have fun, sometimes I think we take it all a tad too seriously!!! Keep the images coming Milli

[Talitha]

Excellent first attempt.. I'd be very pleased!

[Milliways]

!! thanks guys, it can get very obsessional lol but i always have a smile on my face while i am doing it.. Thanks for all your advice I didn't realise that you can get a decent image by taking lots of sub images. I am guessing that having 6 X 1min exposures is like having your camera constantly taking a 6 minute exposure. 4 1/2 hours my god! now thats goin some hehe.

[thing]

Nice first shot. The best 30 or so quid I ever spent on astro gear was an intervalometer for my camera. In other words a bit of kit like a remote shutter release that you can program. I took an hour of M38 last night while sat in the warm watching telly.

[Milliways]

Nice first shot. The best 30 or so quid I ever spent on astro gear was an intervalometer for my camera. In other words a bit of kit like a remote shutter release that you can program. I took an hour of M38 last night while sat in the warm watching telly.

OOOO that sounds cool where can i get that from??

[Psychobilly]

Nice to see the progress your making Millways

Its ineveitable that we all spend a fair bit of time in what i like to call "tourist" mode when we first start out... as techniques and results improve you will start to spend more and more time on objects...

I tend to aim for one hour exposure the first tiem on a new object as thas enough to give me a feel for it - framign etc.. then add another hour at the next opportunity - after that if its looking worthwhile i'll got for 4 hours and on some targets i'll got up to 8 hours... gatehrewd over a few "clear" nights - a few weeks/months at the moment

You have certainly got the bug

Billy...

[thing]

Nice first shot. The best 30 or so quid I ever spent on astro gear was an intervalometer for my camera. In other words a bit of kit like a remote shutter release that you can program. I took an hour of M38 last night while sat in the warm watching telly.

OOOO that sounds cool where can i get that from??

Try fleabay? That's where i got mine from.