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Old 05-12-2018, 07:50 PM
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mynameiscd (Andy)
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A first try of Helix

I had a bit of a test last friday night on Helix nebula.
It was pretty west and through some branches.
I was actually amazed i got anthing.
Pretty well over stretched and got that gradient thing from my flats but it gave me an idea whats involved to get real faint objects.
Heavily cropped and a bit out of focus

Unguided
Canon 450d moded
800 ISO
20x 2 min lights
Darks, flats, and bias aplied

Cheers
Andy
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Old 05-12-2018, 10:00 PM
RyanJones
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Nice work Andy. Which OTA were you using ?
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Old 06-12-2018, 06:26 AM
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mynameiscd (Andy)
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Thanks Ryan,
I was using the Skywatcher BD 150 Newt.
I bought it here a few months ago and its made a huge difference in what I see.
Ive been a bit slack and haven't even done a proper collimation yet after Aus Post from Melbourne.
My laser is stuffed and i dont have a Cheshire yet but with an out of focus star it seems alright
I cant wait to try guiding but my laptop is a bit ancient and its bug season at the moment and even with the slightest glow it's like a magnet for millions of little bugs.
Its about the only negative about having a lot of water in this area.
Around here theres been the best hay harvest for years and the crops are looking really good, theres still plenty of water laying about so compared to most of Australia which is in drought a few bugs at night is really nothing to complain about.
Cheers
Andy
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Old 06-12-2018, 07:57 AM
RyanJones
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I'm just about to start a new adventure into the joys of a newt. I bought one here recently too, a vixen 130 f/5. All of my OTAs to date I've been running on my severely under capable 4se alt-az mount but the sheer size of the newt means it really is time to save for a new mount. I can't wait to give it a run though.

It's good to hear that somewhere in Australia the crops are good. Hopefully it won't be too long till the drought breaks in the rest of the country and everyone can have bugs. A small price to pay. Anyway, good work on helix and I look forward to seeing more from the newt
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Old 06-12-2018, 11:18 AM
casstony
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Nice colour coming out there. Poor old Canon doesn't like the summer temperatures though.
We have been fortunate with all the rain going through the middle of Victoria - feels like paradise compared to much of Australia at the moment.
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Old 06-12-2018, 12:55 PM
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Excellent effort Andy.
Alex
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Old 06-12-2018, 02:39 PM
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ChrisV (Chris)
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The helix has come out really well for such short integration. The stars look out of focus - have you got a bahtinov mask? Might make that easier
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Old 06-12-2018, 05:06 PM
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mynameiscd (Andy)
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Thanks Ryan, Tony, Alex and Chris.
It was not too hot that night. The image of m42 I took straight after didnt have the noise or focus issues.
I did a bahtnov mask focus on sirus (about 30° eatern sky) then went straght to Helix (about 25° western sky) through some branches.
I recon there was flexing or slipping and the focus was out because when i came back to m42 later i had to refocus.
Next time i won't try and image through trees and find a star nearby to focus.
Thanks for all the input because now I know my mistakes I can try and corect them.
1 Dont shoot through trees.
2 Focus on a close star ( not after a meridian flip! )
3 Check flats before packing up!!!
4 Keep camera cool
5 More subs = less noise
6 Even more subs
7 Keep buying better gear
8 keep on buying better gear.

The only thing I cant work out is how differnt the noise is from the two different images even though the second was twice as long.

I just answerd my own question.
M42 ( very bright ) total 80 mins stretched a little
Helx ( very dim ) total 40 mins stretched heaps
Should be the other way around or even better 2 hours plus for Helix
Cheers
Andy
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Old 06-12-2018, 06:07 PM
RyanJones
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Most of your list of planned improvements is spot on Andy. Just be careful what emphasis you put on each one. For sure, stay away from trees is a given. Focusing on a close star just means you’re not moving the scope around as much which is a bonus. Re: the focus change... as your OTA cools the focus will change as it contracts. Make sure you understand that this affects your focus too, not just excessive OTA movement. I move down the list to “buy more gear”. There is no doubt that we all do this one, however, my advice would be to learn the difficulties of a lesser set up first as they will help you understand the process of capturing DSO’s better for the future. As for two hours on helix, my advice would be to be happy with what you have now. Concentrate on other targets and next year come back to helix when it’s closer to the meridian, and aim for as much intergration time as you can with far more experience under your belt
You’re definitely on the right track
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Old 07-12-2018, 07:26 AM
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multiweb (Marc)
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You're out of focus on the Helix but your M42 is excellent. Top shot.
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