Wide field objects

[namreg]

Hi guys

Are there any interesting wide field objects up there at this time of the year (preferably before 3am!) that I can take using a 30mm or 50mm lens on a piggybacked DSLR? I think I've now managed to get a decent polar alignment so I should be able to get a reasonable exposure with a wide field. More of an experiment than anything else, but a nice result would be good.

Thanks in advance

Doug

[mark7331]

Hmm. What about the Bubble nebula and M52 in one shot (they fit into about 80 x 55 arcminutes), the Veil nebula and perhaps M81 and M82 as one shot?

EDIT: Oh and NGC7000 (North American Nebula) which is pretty huge and in Cygnus.

I hope it helps

Mark

[Andrew*]

You can get whole constellations in the FOV with a lens like that. Centring on Cygnus in the early evening will get you a nice Milky Way shot showing lots of dark and light nebulosity. It should be fairly easy to get 5-minute exposures on a tracking mount as well.

[Andrew*]

For example, I took these with a cheap 50mm lens, and with only 1 min exposures:

http://stargazerslounge.com/imaging-deep-sky/89559-cygnus-region-widefield-kielder.html

http://stargazerslounge.com/imaging-deep-sky/89560-california-nebula-pleiades-kielder.html

Andrew

[namreg]

Thanks guys. I'll try and ignore that irritating silver disc in the sky!

Andrew, in your Cygnus shot, with the North America Nebula, is that bright star near the centre Deneb? Also, you used a modified camera - I won't get the colour with my unmodified DSLR will I?

Doug

[Andrew*]

Hi, Yes, it's Deneb. Your camera won't be as sensitive to the red nebulosity, but it will pick up a bit of it.

[namreg]

Cheers Andrew. Just come over cloudy here, and the moon is low in the sky at the moment as well. Buggeration!