Wide Field Leo Triplet not so impressive...

[bamus]

...but with first successful guiding and first properly applied flat field images.

Last Sunday I have finally managed to get out and do test session for my unmodded webcam attached to SW finder to see how guiding is going to improve my astro imaging passion. And I have to admit I was amazed how well my cheap setup is handling guiding problems.

I have chosen Leo Triplet as bright star was nearby, so I could use it for guiding. I could easily get 4 minutes exposures with my Tamron Lens set to 200mm (before I was struggling with 2,5min). I could go for longer exposure, but as I was in my back garden, Southend LP was oversaturating my pictures. Here is guiding graph. I think my EQ5 is handling it well. Peak in graph is caused by hairdryer blow when I was removing dew from lens, but apart from that PE corrections are shorter than 2 – 3 arcsec – is it possible for this mount?.

Anyway, finished now with boring stuff. Here is my first picture with well to small galaxies for this focal length:

EQ5 GOTO Synscan, Canon 1000d, Tamron 70-300 set to 200mm, Samsung Netbook n150, guided with SW finder and unmoded Logitech 120 Webcam in PHD, Light Frames – 5x4min, Dark Frame 1x4 min. Stacked in DSS and processed in IRIS + Gimp

Only after processing I have noticed how dirty my lens was (could not see it with naked eye). So I have decided to give a try to Flat Field frames one more time after many unsuccessful attempts. I was using wide board my wife’s factory is making.

Put it on the kitchen floor and set camera to AV mode. 5 pictures have been taken abt 0,5 m away from board with focus in same position. Went through DSS stacking again and I was very happy with results – no dirty marks !!!!

Now I need to create list of DS big enough for my short focal length with bright stars close enough so I can use them for guiding. Weather permitting, you will see more from me

brg

adam

[mdstuart]

Its a nice picture. You can make out NGC 3628 quite well..

[Psychobilly]

Nice result with a webcam based finder guider

Same kit should work well on the Cygnus nebs Sadr would be an easy guidestar for the Butterfly Neb ... and you should be ok for NA and Pelicab as well...

Alnitak for the Flame and HHN ...

Go for it

[bamus]

I have made crop from original picturer. Some more details is visible:

[Tadakun]

impressive for me, very cool!

[Trull]

How many sub-frames did you take? I'd aim for 80-120 then stack, then fiddle to bring details out...

[bamus]

I was able to capture only 5 frames before clouds have covered sky again do you think 80 subs would improove details so much? I was thinking that LP would limit amount of details and adding subs would only decrease noise.

[Trull]

More subs is always better, shame about the clouds - but better luck next time!

[Trull]

Particularly on DSLRs, once you have your bias, and darks sorted its all about getting as much total image time, so I'd stick to 2 minute subs, but try and get at least 90minutes. Longer subs get risky! (aircraft/bumps/dew etc...)

[mdstuart]

I was out last night looking at the "fainter" galaxies. One of these was NGC 3593..It was close to M65 /66. I remembered your picture and I have cropped the area. You can see it!

So try it visually everyone its reasonably bright certainly compared to that third member of the Leo group!...

Mark