Bode and Garland with a Cigar under Winter Moonlight !

[GalaxyGael]

With a few clear nights I had the chance to test the primary mirror mask on the Hypergraph 6. 

M81, 82 & Co. are low in the winter, but was a good opportunity being the furthest from the 98% moon at my Bortle 6 location. the moon really was like a bulb in the sky but the night was clear and calm.

190 x 120 s using the TS Hypergraph 6

ASI2600 MC Pro at -10C, Gain 100.

Stacked and processed in APP and PS (CS5), guided with ZWO OAG on iOptron GEM45.

Quite a bit of atmospheric dispersion evident with 'french flag' stars with the first 3 hours so low the sky, so galaxy season might be a better time for the deep exposure and better overall data quality. There is quite a bit of IFN in the background, but given the moonlit gradients, stretching was no so effective without more data and darker skies.

This is the fist of a couple of galaxy targets over the last few nights and the scope is now stable, holds collimation really well and looking forward to clear moonless nights with it.

 

[AKB]

41 minutes ago, GalaxyGael said:

Quite a bit of atmospheric dispersion evident with 'french flag' stars

Have you tried separating and aligning the RGB components with each other, as an early processing step?

[GalaxyGael]

I did and it helps a little but some of the edge stars had too much dispersion - it didn't disappear with alignment as it often does when there is just a little red/blue coloration either side of some stars for object in a good position. APP has a nice tick box that does exactly this while debayering and calibrating light frames. Not too bothered given its location in the sky right now - I got right of the asymmetric flaring form the turned down edge which was a big win