Vixen DED108SS first light

[LewisM]

After fighting with PHD for 4 hours and losing my target - Antares - behind trees because of it, I finally chucked that in and guided with MaxIM DL on M45 instead.

I had almost 4 hours worth, but discarded over 3 hours due to fireworks from the University graduation (GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR), lights from the same event, then a neighbour deciding to leae her patio lights on. Ended up with just on 1 hour usable data!!!!!!! Lesson learnt that maybe leaving a setup to it's own devices and watching a movie and napping is not always a good idea.

Anyway, made the best of what I had. NO darks, flats or bias whatsover (need to take them with this rig), 1 hour light, through the DED108SS astrograph refractor (f/5), SXVR-M25C OSC CCD, Lodestar guiding through a Takahashi finderscope, Vixen GPD2 mount. Cropped to get rid of University lights bottom left and neighbour lights bottom right :( I really didn't nail focus exactly either (bring on robofocus!)

It's a start - needs a LOT more data, full calibration set, and a dark sky. I thoroughly THOROUGHLY love this scope. Takes about 45 minutes to equilibrate to ambient, but worth it (there's 4 lens elements in there)

[MortonH]

Good to see some results from the new scope :D

[LewisM]

And now with better processing.

Same data, nothing changed (no darks, flats, or bias), just a different processing routine. More data tonight.

http://www.astrobin.com/58769/

Got a bit of red cast across it still. More work...

[jsmoraes]

Except from problems with PHD, all the others remember the mine. The image is good, despite of background glow.
Do not surrender ! ;)

[tilbrook@rbe.ne]

Frustrating time for you Lewis!

Steep learning curve too, with all the new gear.
The image is coming along well, just needs the data.
Man all the that lost data!!

Cheers,

Justin.

[nebulosity.]

Great image :thumbsup: worth four stars in astrobin :thumbsup:

[strongmanmike]

Rotten luck about the lost data but hey, you got an image out, so that's something :thumbsup: Tell me though, how do you come to the conclusion about which lights affected which parts of the image...:question:

Mike

[LewisM]

I am ASSUMING based on the relative intensities and by upsidedownreversorefractoreflecto obfuscaton :)

Tried again last night, and footy oval 10 KM away was lit up like bloody New York, adequately showing me the layer of smoke in the air. By 11pm it was still there. Packed up without exposing a single photon.

When I got up to commune with nature at 3am, it was probably the best night I have ever witnessed here. BUT, I had put the stuff away, and I knew I only had an hour and a bit left to run before the biggest light polluter of all :)

[LewisM]

I think I like this one the best.