Alchemy
28-05-2009, 02:59 PM
The new scope is up and running !
i was hoping to get more done this month but its winter and imaging is probably offline for a couple of weeks, so may as well as post now as anytime.
before i go any further, id like to say a public thankyou to Mark (wysiwyg), i purchased his Williams Optics 132 flt, and i couldnt have asked for a better transaction, he kept me informed all the way and the scope arrived exactly when he said it would, in absolutely mint condition, he has looked after this scope beautifully. AND NOW ITS MINE !!!!
I started by taking the scope to the observatory and installed it in its new home, Balanced the setup in all the axis, the G11 only has to contend with one counterweight not 3 so should perform much better.
My first image was just a simple 12 minute test shot on omega, my previous imaging with my last scope was 6 min exposures so i figured lets double that, a quicky process is below. following this i decided to have a 30 min exposure whilst i went and had tea....... the result was good, blown out in the core but no flexure evident, havent bothered processing that one.
so ive set an arbitary exposure time of 20 minutes for my future work, that might have to vary for bright subjects like Eta and M42, but given i havent bothered shooting these for at least a year, and not looking too thats ok.
the next shot was the Prawn IC4628 i had shot this with the 12 inch plus the ed80 so figured it was an appropriate target, i had some recent data to compare so would give me an idea of how its performing. this is a series of 11 x 20 min exposures, sadly the focus was off a bit so wasnt a perfect result (in hindsight im not sure i locked the focuser down)... ive since got one of those bhatinov screens so that should help, still im happy with the performance i could have made it different in the color, i think the color balance is a bit off as there is pretty much Ha all around this object but i like it so have left it there. full frame image at www.stormfrontobservatory.googlepag es.com/images2009 (http://www.stormfrontobservatory.googlepag es.com/images2009)
next image was corona australis again 20 min exposures, not as many as the prawn but enough to stretch and play with, would like at some stage to do it properly , i would put the glob further up into the rh corner next time.
the next is IC 4603 in Ophiuchus, its so close to scorpius and Ophiuchus seems to have such an arbitary border it creeps just into it. This image has great potential but will need heaps of extra data (2 nights maybee), i like the colors and the three dimensionality of the dust. clouds stopped this one and with the moon coming back it will be a while before i can finish it. there is an asteroid or something on the upper left, it was shot 26/5/09 between 21.00 and 22.30 EST anyone know what it is ?
i love this new scope just so easy too shoot, with a FL of 925 mm its easier than before, and im happy to leave the galaxies to the longer FL crowd.... anyone notice how there been an increase there lately ( 8 inch rcos crew) plus the odd 9.25, its become a bit crowded so with the majority at 500 or so using fsq106s and a bunch at 1500 im off doing my own thing, i intend to be chasing down objects that could do with the extra sub times as these have been so out of reach earlier.
thats about it for a month for imaging, i live in the wrong place as Melbourne although in a drought is soooo cloudy.
cheers clive.
i was hoping to get more done this month but its winter and imaging is probably offline for a couple of weeks, so may as well as post now as anytime.
before i go any further, id like to say a public thankyou to Mark (wysiwyg), i purchased his Williams Optics 132 flt, and i couldnt have asked for a better transaction, he kept me informed all the way and the scope arrived exactly when he said it would, in absolutely mint condition, he has looked after this scope beautifully. AND NOW ITS MINE !!!!
I started by taking the scope to the observatory and installed it in its new home, Balanced the setup in all the axis, the G11 only has to contend with one counterweight not 3 so should perform much better.
My first image was just a simple 12 minute test shot on omega, my previous imaging with my last scope was 6 min exposures so i figured lets double that, a quicky process is below. following this i decided to have a 30 min exposure whilst i went and had tea....... the result was good, blown out in the core but no flexure evident, havent bothered processing that one.
so ive set an arbitary exposure time of 20 minutes for my future work, that might have to vary for bright subjects like Eta and M42, but given i havent bothered shooting these for at least a year, and not looking too thats ok.
the next shot was the Prawn IC4628 i had shot this with the 12 inch plus the ed80 so figured it was an appropriate target, i had some recent data to compare so would give me an idea of how its performing. this is a series of 11 x 20 min exposures, sadly the focus was off a bit so wasnt a perfect result (in hindsight im not sure i locked the focuser down)... ive since got one of those bhatinov screens so that should help, still im happy with the performance i could have made it different in the color, i think the color balance is a bit off as there is pretty much Ha all around this object but i like it so have left it there. full frame image at www.stormfrontobservatory.googlepag es.com/images2009 (http://www.stormfrontobservatory.googlepag es.com/images2009)
next image was corona australis again 20 min exposures, not as many as the prawn but enough to stretch and play with, would like at some stage to do it properly , i would put the glob further up into the rh corner next time.
the next is IC 4603 in Ophiuchus, its so close to scorpius and Ophiuchus seems to have such an arbitary border it creeps just into it. This image has great potential but will need heaps of extra data (2 nights maybee), i like the colors and the three dimensionality of the dust. clouds stopped this one and with the moon coming back it will be a while before i can finish it. there is an asteroid or something on the upper left, it was shot 26/5/09 between 21.00 and 22.30 EST anyone know what it is ?
i love this new scope just so easy too shoot, with a FL of 925 mm its easier than before, and im happy to leave the galaxies to the longer FL crowd.... anyone notice how there been an increase there lately ( 8 inch rcos crew) plus the odd 9.25, its become a bit crowded so with the majority at 500 or so using fsq106s and a bunch at 1500 im off doing my own thing, i intend to be chasing down objects that could do with the extra sub times as these have been so out of reach earlier.
thats about it for a month for imaging, i live in the wrong place as Melbourne although in a drought is soooo cloudy.
cheers clive.