Various DSO's First Attempt

[Digz]

Well, here is my first real attempt at DSO's. By no means perfect but Im pleased with them as a first attempt.

M13 - Great Cluster In Hercules

10 frames with a total exposure time of 11min 30s. Darks were also added.

M31 - Great Nebula In Andromeda

15 frames with a total exposure of 17mins 38s. Darks were also added. Nowhere near enough but its starting to bring out the dust lanes.

M82 - Bodes Nebulae

10 frames with a total exposure of 11min 21s. Darks were also added. This is my favourite.

All shots were done with strong moonlight and shot at ISO800 at prime focus on my SW250P DS with my D200. Subs were limited to 60s due to no guiding and the strong moonlight. Focussing probably isn't spot on but its difficult looking through the viewfinder especially with no live view.

Thank you for looking and comments / critique always welcome as I am keen to improve.

[Demonperformer]

Particularly like the M13 pic

[Glider]

I like the M82, you got the 'exploding joke cigar' effect.

[msinclairinork]

Well done on your first attempts!

I thing M13 is spot on! nice natural deffraction spikes on a few bright ones there too, allways makes a nice touch IMO.

Keep up the good work!

Thanks for sharing.

Michael

[Shibby]

Very good and very promising for your first DSOs.

As for focusing, get yourself a bahtinov mask or make one. Then you can check the focus with about a 6s exposure.

[Demonperformer]

Or a simple "Y" mask: same result, simpler to make ...

[eddy]

Got any tut's on making a mask? Or a printable version etc?

Thanks

Eddy

[Demonperformer]

Get a piece of black card.

Cut out a (4-5cm wide) strip that is long enough to roll round your scope to form a very short tube.

Cut out three narrow strips (4/5mm) just over 1/2 the diameter of this tube.

Attach these at 120 degree positions around this tube.

Fold them over and stick them all together where they meet in (roughly) the middle of the tube.

Tidy up the extraneous bits to make it as much like a Y, rather than having a big untidy 'glob' in the middle.

When you take an exposure with this over the end of the scope you will get an X diffraction spikes, with another pair of spikes through the middle. If you are unfocussed, this extra pair of spikes will not be in the middle, but to one side.

HTH

[Shibby]

Or a simple "Y" mask: same result, simpler to make ...

Didn't realise you could do this, might have saved me a bit of time! But the Bahtinov generator I used, if still interested, is here

[Demonperformer]

Here is one of my focussing shots, using the above mask:

[Shibby]

Here is one of my focussing shots, using the above mask:

Not bad, good enough to get it focused. Here's what I get with the Bahtinov:

[red dwalf]

i like M82, very nice

[Digz]

Thanks for the comments guys, very encouraging.

Getting a bahtinov mask is on my list, at present I am focussing on a nearby bright star which seems to be working reasonably well by eye, but I know a mask of some sort will help.

My favourite is M82 at the moment.