The Needle Galaxy NGC4565

[mackiedlm]

I have been moaning on and on about the coma in the old LX200 GPS and how it is not fixed by the meade 4000 F 6.3 Reducer. Then I read post on here 9sorry cant find it now) which suggested that modern refractor FF / FR 's may work better than the specific Meade FF / FR . So I stuck the SW 80 ED 0.85 FF / FR on the Big Blue Trash Can last night and thought "in for a penny...." So bolted the ASI2600mc on and sent it off to find the Needle. Now its giving me 1700mm FL (although plate solve says 1900), and with the 2600 mc that comes to a image scale of around 0.4". So I binned it 2 X 2. I got this...

about 4 hours of 120s (gain100, Offset 50, Bin 2x2

Now, the stars are still not the best but I think its now down to seeing and guiding because the horrible U shaped coma in the corners and the smearing as you come in further is pretty much gone. This is a slight crop (awful gradient) but not near as tight as needed when I use the 0.63. I am both astonished (the received wisdom is that refractor reducers will simply not work with SCT ) and delighted. With some better seeing and some tweaking on the setup for better guiding I think this is going to work!

Edited April 10, 2021 by mackiedlm

[Allinthehead]

Another fine image from Galway.😃

[Padraic M]

Great image!

[tooth_dr]

Fabulous image. Been a good spell of weather. Have about 5 galaxy images to get around to processing from the past week  

[mackiedlm]

Yes its been great. I've still a few from the short FL to do and the big scopes on the cross eye right now.

[Gerr]

Not sure on your rhetoric but it’s the image that counts and I like it. Nicely detailed and dusty galactic arms bisecting the central bright galactic core. A small object that you’ve captured well with pin point stars too. Your guiding must of been good. Impressive image. Well done.

Gerr.

[mackiedlm]

54 minutes ago, Gerr said:

Not sure on your rhetoric but it’s the image that counts and I like it. Nicely detailed and dusty galactic arms bisecting the central bright galactic core. A small object that you’ve captured well with pin point stars too. Your guiding must of been good. Impressive image. Well done.

Gerr.

"Rhetoric" ??

But thanks.