M8 Lagoon - 48 Minutes

[dylan_odonnell]

Here is my most successful image from last weekend and my second time imaging this target (the first time was an abject failure).

24 x 120s / f2 Hyperstar / UHC filter / QHY12 CCD @ -15c / Acquired and Stacked in Nebulosity.

Higher resolution here : http://deography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/LAGOON.jpg

[Flugel88]

Nice image Dylan you must be pretty happy with that :)
The Lagoon is to big for my system to give any decent field of view your F2 setup works well.

[dylan_odonnell]

Thanks! Yeh I considered trying to slip Trifid in but Lagoon stands alone quite nicely. I'd love to get a few hours data with they hyperstar setup then it would really smooth out.

[Camelopardalis]

Nice one Dylan :thumbsup:

[Robert9]

Great image Dylan. Really shows off your Hyperstar. Note the use of the UHC filter. Do you have a lot of light pollution at Byron Bay?
Robert

[Regulus]

Dylan, that's a really pretty image!
Well done.

Trevor

[dylan_odonnell]

I'm so sorry I missed this and didn't get back to you earlier!

Extremely low levels of light pollution here.. here is a wide field photo taken a block away from my backyard, though I am on the end of town. I've written articles about his unique precious resource (darkness), that the town should strive to protect.

http://deography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ByronMilkyWayStack.jpg

That said, there is a streetlight shining right into my backyard.. which I need to disable with a laser beam every time I image. It causes some green spill but not as much damage to my images as the streetlight itself!

d

[multiweb]

Very cool. The hyperstar rocks! :thumbsup:

[JimsShed]

How do you disable a street light with a laser beam? :confused2:

[dylan_odonnell]

Here's a little video showing how it works. The streetlight near me has a light sensor above it to detect if the sun is up or not, and turn on accordingly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBB_gIkx0tU

By pointing a laser at this sensor the streetlight will turn off. If you need to image though, you'll need keep the laser trained on this sensor to keep it switched off. It does introduce some light spill into the imaging if you are too close, so I use an eyepiece filter to dim the laser power a little and try to position away from it.

And here is an animated GIF showing the difference it makes ...

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DylanODonnell/photos/photo/6062968965017486178?pid=60629689650 17486178&oid=100619122869204212222

I hope this helps :)

d

[JimsShed]

:D Love it. It must be like channeling your inner Dr Evil

[Robert9]

Very fortunate that it's only one street light Dylan (ever thought of using an airgun? :lol: ). I have neighbours who insist on having their upstairs lights on at night without pulling down blinds. A green laser beam wouldn't help one bit, nor an airgun for that matter. Floods the back yard with light.
Good on you for bringing light pollution to the public's attention.
Robert