From 20th May 23

[M40]

First break in the clouds for what seems weeks, so blowing the dust off...

M101, 6 x 30 seconds using 85mm stellamira, zwo asi290mm, heq5 and asiair. Also managed to get a supernova which is going to be visible for the next couple of months and is the closest to us for a decade at a mere 21 million light years away.

M106, 15 x 10 seconds using 85mm stellamira, zwo asi290mm, heq5 and asiair. Also managed to get NGC 4248 to the upper right.

Well happy with this pair

Edited May 21, 2023 by M40

[RobertI]

56 minutes ago, M40 said:

First break in the clouds for what seems weeks, so blowing the dust off...

M101, 6 x 30 seconds using 85mm stellamira and asiair. Also managed to get a supernova which is going to be visible for the next couple of months and is the closest to us for a decade at a mere 21 million light years away.

M106, 15 x 10 seconds using 85mm stellamira and asiair. Also managed to get NGC 4248 to the upper right.

Well happy with this pair

These are really super pictures with a very modest sized scope - what camera and mount are you using? I love the contrast and detail that you get with black and white. 👍

Edited May 21, 2023 by RobertI

[M40]

Many thanks, edited the post now to include asi290mm and heq5. I have a very basic setup using no filters and i tend to leave the histogram as is, but my next baby step is to include darks.

[RobertI]

43 minutes ago, M40 said:

Many thanks, edited the post now to include asi290mm and heq5. I have a very basic setup using no filters and i tend to leave the histogram as is, but my next baby step is to include darks.

That’s great to hear, I’ve also got an asi290mm which i bought to replace the Lodestar I used for many years, but not had a chance to use it yet. Your results bode well. 🙂

Are you using a reducer and or flattener? I normally use an rc6 reduced to f5 ish giving a focal length of around 700mm, but with image scale you are getting I’m thinking I could use something smaller. 

Edited May 21, 2023 by RobertI

[M40]

17 hours ago, RobertI said:

That’s great to hear, I’ve also got an asi290mm which i bought to replace the Lodestar I used for many years, but not had a chance to use it yet. Your results bode well. 🙂

Are you using a reducer and or flattener? I normally use an rc6 reduced to f5 ish giving a focal length of around 700mm, but with image scale you are getting I’m thinking I could use something smaller. 

I'm not using either a reducer or flattener so the telescope is at it's native focal length of 560mm and f6.5. My thoughts are to keep life as simple as possible until I run out of targets but with the weather the way it is, I cant see me changing anytime soon 🤣

[RobertI]

6 hours ago, M40 said:

I'm not using either a reducer or flattener so the telescope is at it's native focal length of 560mm and f6.5. My thoughts are to keep life as simple as possible until I run out of targets but with the weather the way it is, I cant see me changing anytime soon 🤣

TBH with those results I don’t think you need a reducer or flattener! Keep up the good work. 👍