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A very special object for me.

Ant

By Ant
in Imaging - Deep Sky

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Ant

Ant

Posted
Posted

It's over 20 years since I went to the TSP. Over 20 years since I had first light with my Parks Gold eyepeices in the Mcdonald observatory 107" (I think) scope.

The first object I looked at was M104.

It's stuck in my mind ever since. What an amazing galaxy. To see the detail that I saw with my eye at the eyepeice was awe inspiring.

I've always dismissed M104 as too small to image with the 300D, but tonight the moment took me and I decided to give it a few hours.

So set everything up, guiding (although fir the first time I had trouble getting a decent guide star) and started taking 3 minute subs at ISO800.

Came indoors to tidy up a little and went back outside to check everything was OK, to find that it had clouded over completely.

I had managed to get three subs :) before it clouded over. But for the record here is the resulting image. I used the Flat/bias/dark from the previous night (I hadn't removed the camera from the scope).

Quite happy for 9 minutes... 2 hours or more would have been better.

Ant

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johnh

johnh

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I remember my first view of this object in a 10" newt through an eyepiece similar to your field and it looked wonderful, but what did it look like through that big scope apart from WOW could you see mottling in dust lane/spiral arms? John.

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Ant

Ant

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It was a great feeling looking through that scope. We're going back a lot of years now, but I do recall it looking just like the pictures.

I had another bash at it last night, it's very low - it's maximum altitude from my location is 26 degrees above the horizon.

I started imaging at around 10:30 and finished at 1pm when it went behind the house... I may have been able to get another hour if I'd chosen a different position in the garden, but the scope had already gone past the point that a meridian flip was required (which I didn't want to do).

Anyway 43 x 3 minutes. lost the last one due to the house, another due to trailing and one to a plane.

So 40 x 3 minutes ISO800, used the dark from an earlier night (taken at ISO400 so not ideal), used darks and flats from the other night.

Stacked in DSS, processed in PS CS2. Spent ages processing this one - used a gradient removal process detailed here www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~mischa/ps/gradient.html .

Really chuffed with this one. I know it's not the best, but it's starting to look the way it should - which is GREAT.

Over the moon.

Ant

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CELESCOPE

CELESCOPE

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The first one was good , but this is a huge leap in quality Ant , a lovely wide field and 104 looks beautiful against the sky , excellent mate , you must be well chuffed with this result, Grrrr wish i could see this one lol .

Rog:)

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Ant

Ant

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Thats what you get going from 3 subs to 40 :icon_rolleyes:

Thanks for the comments Roger. I may even add some more to the pot over the weekend, but the moon is starting to get in the way now.

Ant

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saturn5

saturn5

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Great pic and story Ant,i have a similar connection with M94 as it was the first galaxy i ever saw through a scope,your story might inspire me to get of my lazy butt and give it a go.

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