Bye bye for a while......

[Skipper Billy]

This season just ending has been an unmitigated disaster weather wise and I have just been through my saved images and I have managed just 11 images this season and two of those were widefield nearby images of the moon and the Milky Way leaving just 9 deep sky images and one of those is particularly rubbish! We all must have a masochistic streak!! My rig gets taken down next week and packed away until August - lets hope for a better season next year. Here is the fruits of my labour from the winter season just ending......

[tooth_dr]

A great catch David.  I dont think I even got 11.

[PeterCPC]

Me neither.

[Paul M]

TBH, I'd had rated it a great season if I'd got any one of those in the bag!

 

 

[dweller25]

Those are excellent images @Skipper Billy 👍

Not trying to rub it in but I have had my best year for a while VISUALLY with my lightweight, quick to cool down 4” APO 🙂

[Spikey]

I'd have been ecstatic to get 11 images a year ! More like 3 or 4 when I've got the time and am not knackered enough to show an interest.

The IKI stuff has really got me interested again in processing so the mojo iss just about there still.

I would have liked some decent pics of the comet but c'est la vie.

[mog3768]

Lovely images its not quantity but quality and you  certainly achieved the  quality  

[iapa]

5 hours ago, Skipper Billy said:

This season just ending has been an unmitigated disaster weather wise and I have just been through my saved images and I have managed just 11 images this season and two of those were widefield nearby images of the moon and the Milky Way leaving just 9 deep sky images and one of those is particularly rubbish! We all must have a masochistic streak!! My rig gets taken down next week and packed away until August - lets hope for a better season next year. Here is the fruits of my labour from the winter season just ending......

I’ve managed nada.

If you want, I can provide a good temporary home until August. LOL

[Davey-T]

Better than me David, all I've achieved is lots of unfinished projects mainly due to all the clear skies wasted trying to get the SharpStar 150HNT sorted.

Dave

[kirkster501]

Your 11 images is a reasonable haul there mate.

The season has been an unmitigated disaster, the worse since I started buying astronomy gear in 1991.  We have had no clear nights without the moon with even semi reasonable seeing since Bonfire Night over four months ago and even since July it has been very poor.   A total cloud out.  I have tons of testing to do and gear to get set up if only we could get couple of clear nights to have a run at it.  The best I have managed is a few glimpses of M81 with my bins in between clouds.

[DaveS]

Like Dave I have several unfinished projects due to bad weather and borks. An hour here, a couple of hours there, a bit of Luminance, a few hour Hydrogen etc, etc. I think my last "completed" image was back end of Sept.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Time to dust down the Quark and Bresser 102. Its solar season soon.

[wookie1965]

Cracking pictures and I totally agree I am only visual but I have not had a dozen nights out. Only had two this year I have never known the weather to be this bad. 

[teoria_del_big_bang]

9 minutes ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

Time to dust down the Quark and Bresser 102. Its solar season soon.

Not my bag but still would love to see some sun 🙂 

Steve

[LukeSkywatcher]

1 minute ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Not my bag but still would love to see some sun 🙂 

Steve

It makes up for thr rubbish winter weather. 

[teoria_del_big_bang]

Some great images there David, Maybe I should have concentrated on some Lunar images as every dammed clear night I had was with an accompanying bright moon 🙂 

Steve

Edited March 19, 2021 by teoria_del_big_bang

[endless-sky]

I feel you. I have only managed 5 targets of the many, many more I would have like to capture, since October of 2020 when I finally got my imaging refractor.

Now dreaded galaxy season is coming and won't be able to do much until May, when the Summer arm of the Milky Way starts to rise.

And guess what? I had a whole week of clear, beautiful nights right across this last New Moon. Right when I didn't need them and couldn't do anything with them.

Ain't Murphy a b***h?! 🤣

[kirkster501]

18 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Some great images there David, Maybe I should have concentrated on some Lunar images as every dammed clear night was with an accompanying bright moos 🙂 

Steve

That is why I have gotten into lunar visual and imaging this last year.  Without fail, every time it has been clear this winter - on the very few occasions I might add - The Moon is beating down.

[teoria_del_big_bang]

1 minute ago, kirkster501 said:

That is why I have gotten into lunar visual and imaging this last year.  Without fail, every time it has been clear this winter - on the very few occasions I might add - The Moon is beating down.

Yes, I must admit my first telescope was a Dob and I used to love visual on the moon and not done any for a while since I started imaging. So not a bad idea 🙂 

Steve

[kirkster501]

12 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Yes, I must admit my first telescope was a Dob and I used to love visual on the moon and not done any for a while since I started imaging. So not a bad idea 🙂 

Steve

Yep, familiarity breeds contempt with the moon and unfairly so I think.  it is a fascinating object.  We get excited about details in galaxies and Mars etc. and yet we can see astonishing detail on another astronomical object, The Moon, and yet we curse it to high heaven when it is out!!!!! 🙈

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

19 minutes ago, kirkster501 said:

Yep, familiarity breeds contempt with the moon and unfairly so I think.  it is a fascinating object.  We get excited about details in galaxies and Mars etc. and yet we can see astonishing detail on another astronomical object, The Moon, and yet we curse it to high heaven when it is out!!!!! 🙈

Not to mention the Moon is also a very easy object to view. Expensive equipment and darkness not required. Uneffected by street lamps etc. Available all year round. Since last summer lunar observation has come to the fore for me, mainy due to the weather...

Great pics Skipper. Very impressive. 👍

Edited March 19, 2021 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[TakMan]

Totally agree David, a season that never really got started !

I have 2 images that I would say are (sort of) finished and one of those was started a previous year! Both would benefit from additional data, yet I did collect some new channels to add to previous images when the mood takes me. I think that's the secret to imaging in the UK, just have rolling projects.... or go back to a OSC...

Like you, I'll be taking the FSQ off the mount shortly and adding the TEC - ready for some solar, lunar and perhaps planetary imaging.

Autumn will come back around quicker than you know it... perhaps next season will be better 🤞, hey...?!

Damian

[tomato]

I have just added up my images captured since August 2020, 15 in total and that includes a 24 hr mosaic project, but obviously having a dual rig helps.

If you want to intensify your image capture I thoroughly recommend a “fast” scope like the RASA and one of the latest sensitive CMOS OSC cameras. 
 

Just look at @gorann’s results from a dark location to see what can be achieved with integration hourly totals still in single figures, and at the other extreme, reasonable results can be obtained on some NB objects when the moon is out in about an hour.

22 hours ago, endless-sky said:

 

Now dreaded galaxy season is coming and won't be able to do much until May, when the Summer arm of the Milky Way starts to rise.

 

‘Dreaded galaxy season’? My favourite time of the year mate! Plenty of choice up there for all tastes.👍

[DaveS]

If you haven't got dark skies then Galaxy Season is dead time. I dreaded it when I lived in Ruislip.

[john559]

On 19/03/2021 at 06:00, Skipper Billy said:

This season just ending has been an unmitigated disaster weather wise and I have just been through my saved images and I have managed just 11 images this season and two of those were widefield nearby images of the moon and the Milky Way leaving just 9 deep sky images and one of those is particularly rubbish! We all must have a masochistic streak!! My rig gets taken down next week and packed away until August - lets hope for a better season next year. Here is the fruits of my labour from the winter season just ending......

To be honest, you've got a great season