ZeroID
13-10-2015, 06:19 AM
So after a long hiatus I'm nearly back in action. The weather has been extremely uncooperative and I've been reworking my setup to improve guiding and reduce flexure. I've been using a SPC900 webcam through the F5 80mm for guiding but it has never been quite stable and I've not been satisfied with results, blobby stars, teardrops and small tails all of which reduce the definition.
So chucked the SPC900 and the F5 80mm. The ZWO 120mc is now the guide camera and using a converted 50mm bino optical unit all mounted on my own design adjustable guide mount. It's low and lightweight and the resolution and sensitivity of the ZWO over the SPC 900 means I can guide on almost invisible tiny stars and finally get something approaching those nice round stars.
Attached image is about 54 mins at ISO 1600 on the 450D (unmodified) of M16, the Eagle Nebula. Mostly 2 minute exposures, (unheard of previously) through the LUNT 102 ED @ f7. Not the greatest pic ever by a long shot, still fine tuning things but I have round stars and I can see The Pillars buried in all the nebulosity. Stacked in DSS, processed in CS2 and Noiseware.
Now the real work starts to get it tuned up. :rolleyes::rolleyes:
So chucked the SPC900 and the F5 80mm. The ZWO 120mc is now the guide camera and using a converted 50mm bino optical unit all mounted on my own design adjustable guide mount. It's low and lightweight and the resolution and sensitivity of the ZWO over the SPC 900 means I can guide on almost invisible tiny stars and finally get something approaching those nice round stars.
Attached image is about 54 mins at ISO 1600 on the 450D (unmodified) of M16, the Eagle Nebula. Mostly 2 minute exposures, (unheard of previously) through the LUNT 102 ED @ f7. Not the greatest pic ever by a long shot, still fine tuning things but I have round stars and I can see The Pillars buried in all the nebulosity. Stacked in DSS, processed in CS2 and Noiseware.
Now the real work starts to get it tuned up. :rolleyes::rolleyes: