First Pic post: Eta Carina

[tempestwizz]

After a couple of years of frustration with various arrangements, I feel I am finally getting close to a system that will be useful.
Eta Carina is not a very imaginative target I admit, but you have to start somewhere! I am still learning to drive my latest setup.

I have built an observatory with roll-off roof in suburban Canberra. Inside there is a concrete pier with quite an amount of iron inside. The base of the pier is in about a cubic metre of (hand mixed) concrete..... I was having trouble with the original tripod moving around, and achieving/maintaining polar alignment.

I have given up on a Meade LX90 drive on home-improved wedge, and replaced it with a Takahashi EM200 Temma.

The Meade OTA has been replaced (temporarily at least) with a Televue Genesis 500mm F5 refractor. For guiding, I have a Luke Bellami side-by-side mounting arrangement and an Orion ED80 fitted with a DSI Pro camera.
The guiding software is PHD, and it seems to work reasonably well.

The imaging camera is a Canon 20Da at 800 ASA.

I am using a Moonlite focuser with 9:1 reduction drive and focus lock on the Televue. I can now focus reasonably well!

For this, and most of my images, I am using an Astronomik UHC filter to clear up Canberra skies.


For the attached image, I have used 20 by three minute exposures. Flats and darks. Processed in Iris and PS.

Comments welcome.

[iceman]

Very nice indeed! You've done things the right way, by the sounds of it.

Did you do any masking of the keyhole neb or other bright areas? It's the only area in the image that looks a bit funny.. rather pinkish.

[Alchemy]

looks interesting but i would like a bigger image , i notice yours is only 114kb grab a bigger image and adjust the quality slider to suit make it 199kb

[tempestwizz]

Thanks Mike. No, I didn't do any masking as such, the anomally may have been brought about by the way I used individual colours in PS curves

[tempestwizz]

Just a bit larger.

[Ric]

Great looking images, very sharp and detailed.

A fine first post and I'm looking forward to more of your work.

Cheers

[leon]

For a first attempt that is some nice imaging, well done indeed, as said a little pink maybe, but hey, you cant have everything for the first go.

Leon

[dugnsuz]

I like this a lot! Great depth and 3D feel to the 'thicker' gaseous component.
Very nice - look forward to more.
Doug

[spearo]

Very nice
What a pic for a first pic!
Well done, and what can I say....20Da Rocks!
:]
frank

[peter_4059]

Great image. Nice setup too!

[Matty P]

A very nice image for a first attempt. Well done. :2thumbs:
Looking forward to more of your work! :)

[h0ughy]

great result, great first picture.

Love to see some images and description of your observatory?

[EzyStyles]

Wowww thats a very impressive image for a first attempt.

[robin]

Beautiful image. Well done:thumbsup:

[Alchemy]

Came back for another look, the tak mount must do a great job of tracking, the wide angle of the little scope gives you quite a bit of potential for some of these larger targets. look forward to seeing more.