This was just a test image, while waiting for the Moon to set so I could hit The Dark Doodad.
Since installing the FSQ-FLI16803 rig,
side by side with the AG12 F3.8 Newt last year, I have been happily banging away with wide fields and I am quite happy with the results.
So last session I decided to swap over to the high resolution AG12-SXH694 rig after a 6 month hiatus, just for fun while I waited.
Had to be something bright given there was a 50% Moon up...so I decided to shoot the bright open cluster NGC 3293 in Carina near the Gabriela Misteral Nebula and known as
The Gem Cluster. It sits amongst some nice HII as well so thought it might make for a nice quicky image
I shot LHaRGB but the seeing was pretty crap so I ended up ditching the Lum because it was just too soft and bloated and went for a straight RHaGB of just 1.5hrs total exposure.
Certainly not ideal conditions and way too little data for a good colour image but meah... it turned out ok considering and it was good to know that I can swap to using the AG12-SXH694 rig anytime in a matter of minutes
I might need to tweek collimation too as I haven't since re-positioning and mounting all the FSQ-FLI hardware and massive counterweights..in fact I haven't touched the collimation since Sept 2014 actually
One cool thing, the finder, mounted on the side of and aligned to the TakFSQ, placed my alignment star just 5min from image centre using the much longer FL and much smaller FOV of the AG12-SXH694....sheesh
, I couldn't have got all three OTA's this parallel if I had tried! and I was fully expecting to have to use some iterative trial and error to get an alignment star in the small FOV..Ha!.fluke
NGC 3293
Slightly bigger file
here