M56 and M57

[Ant]

I've been really lucky to be able to get out with the new scope two nights in a row, immediately after buying it.

I think that it'll be the last DSO imaging session from me untill late July now. It's not properly dark at all, but in my location it's as dark a it gets by around 11:30, but by 2:30am it's starting to get light again!!!

Now the moon is past FQ and starting to get in the way...

Anyway a first for me last night, M56 a very lose globular cluster. I do not recall ever seeing it before, let alone imaging it.

I lowered the ISO to 400 as it was quite warm, I did a few test shots and decided that I could get away with 4 minute subs. Set it going and went to bed.

Got up at 3am to find that PHD had an argument with the ascom drivers at about 1:50 and I lost 17 frames...

I set it going with a sequence of 5 darks (is that enough?) and while I waited for that to run I watered the veg in the garden and listened to bird song.

Quite surreal !

Oh i nearly forgot... that focusing mask works a treat!

Any how this image is M56, ED100 & 300D. Guided using a DMK and ED80 (with FR) combo through PHD. Camera controlled with dSLR Shutter. Used Darks, Flats and Bias frames. Stacked in DSS processed in PS CS2.

On saturday night I also managed to image M57, this is reallt too small for the 300D, but what the hell it's only to get aquianted with the scope...

95 x 90 seconds, with Darks, Flats and Bias same set up as before (exactly the same in fact).

Hope you enjoy them.

Ant

[Tim]

Nice Ant, I especially like the M57 one. The mask has achieved perfect focus (aint they great!!) and I can see three stars in the centre of M57, so dead on there.

[ashenlight]

Really enjoyed those ant, I'm with TJ - really like the M57 one. Still to see that with the scope yet, hoping to get it soon.

...and TJ, in response to your signature:

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son.

great poem isn't it

[beamish]

very nice Ant and nice star shapes too !! Have you drift aligned ??

Karlo

[Psychobilly]

Glad you got to use the new scope straight away

Peter...

[Ant]

very nice Ant and nice star shapes too !! Have you drift aligned ??

Karlo

Drift align I forgot to polar align period!

It wasn't untill i saw just how far long the star trails were when the guiding failed that I remembered that I just plonked the mount down and got sidetracked...

Thanks for the comments everyone, I've enjoyed the last few days (nights).

Ant