Widefield North America and Pelican

[old_eyes]

The weather has been pretty appalling here for the last month or so (feels like forever). Either totally clouded out, or when there is a break in the clouds as windy as hell.

So this is an experiment in widefield imaging using a Canon 200mm F2.8 coupled to a QHY168C colour camera with an IDAS HEUIB-II filter, mounted on an old CG5-GT guided with an Evoguide/QHY5 IIL combination. I figured this is the most tolerant configuration I have at the moment.

56 x 120 sec subs collected over two nights chasing the gaps in the clouds, and with the moon high and over half full.

I am quite pleased with this, given the conditions.

Many of the subs were affected by high thin cloud, which bloated the brighter stars, but sometimes that contributes to the overall effect.

Captured in NINA and processed in Pixinsight (very simply!).

Shows that even under crap conditions you can get something from the brighter targets.

[callisto]

Lovely image 👍

[Ouroboros]

That is nice. Wide field really brings it out doesn’t it? 

[Ships and Stars]

Very nice! I like widefield too more and more. Often too windy here even for observing, so I imagine imaging must be challenging. Good call on the 200mm lens!

[old_eyes]

54 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

That is nice. Wide field really brings it out doesn’t it? 

Thanks. I have mixed feelings. The heavy Milky Way contribution at the top makes the image a bit confusing. I think a tighter view can work better to appreciate the nebula. For example (earlier this year with the same camera, but a 500mm Equinox ED80):

But it is nice to see it in context.

Edited November 27, 2020 by old_eyes

[old_eyes]

2 minutes ago, Ships and Stars said:

Very nice! I like widefield too more and more. Often too windy here even for observing, so I imagine imaging must be challenging. Good call on the 200mm lens!

Looking at the FOV, I reckon the effective FL with the APS-C sized sensor is about 180mm. So pretty wide. It is a nice prime lens that I was able to pick up 2nd-hand.

The mount and scope were sitting below the side walls of the observatory, so reasonably protected, but a big gust would shake the scope and wreck the sub. It didn't happen often.

I was imaging at about 5 arcsec/pixel, so as I said, a pretty tolerant setup.

Bigger problem was the classic - why are the stars in the first sub all spikey? Damn! Forgot to take the Bahtinov mask off, and by the time I have removed it I have lost the second sub as well 😲.

[scarp15]

Very nice presentation, concur with the remarks above, visual astronomers find wide field images such as this very appealing.