I left
the C11 set up, and then just powered it back up and checked alignment. It looked good. I was helping Miqaela a bunch though, and
didn’t really get started imaging for a while.
I couldn’t get the guide camera to give me good signal – it was noisy as hell,
and at the focal point I couldn’t see any stars still – so I shut it off and
just did my normal unguided imaging.
First, I imaged the Sagittarius Star Cloud through the C11. You can see a cluster in it, but none of the
nebulosity. Perhaps I need a larger FOV
to see it. It’s mostly just a massive
star field, but I like it because there are so
many stars.
M24 Sagittarius Star Cloud, Nikon D3100 on my C11, f/6.3 focal reducer
11x30s, ISO-3200
I’m also
happy that you can see the many different colors of stars. Such diversity.
There were patchy clouds moving
around the sky, and time was passing quickly, so I slewed over to the challenge
object – the Veil Nebula. One of the
things I definitely needed a faster focal ratio and larger FOV to do
properly. The Orion ST-80 did the trick! This is the Eastern Veil Nebula.
Eastern Veil Nebula, Nikon D3100 on my Orion ST-80
16x60s, ISO-3200, no flat
For this
one, since I still don’t have a functioning intervalometer, I timed them myself
using the remote shutter and the stopwatch on my phone. It was tedious. I had to time the darks too, so I only took
ten. It’s looking like I’m going to have
to get a different DSLR body, one that can be controlled by the computer. This will let me not only be able to automate
long exposures in bulb mode, but also do Live View on the computer, record
video directly, and use a plate solver like Astrotortilla to center my images
and, eventually, an autofocuser. So lots
of benefit. Still just a temporary
measure until I can save up for a high-quality astro camera. But that’s further down the road; I’m still
doing well with the DSLR. I just need to have more patience and take more light
frames so that I can beat down the noise.
Sure, I’ve figured out how to get rid of background light using GIMP or
Photoshop, but the graininess in my images is all from read noise, shot noise,
and thermal noise, which can be beaten down by having a lot more light
frames. We’ll get there. I’m also buying a QHY5 guide camera from another club member, which I can also use for planetary.
Will says I can use it for DSOs too potentially, especially if I shoot
black and white instead of using filters.
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