M42, my first attempt.

[TidaLpHasE]

I had a go at M42 on Wednesday night, as the moon out to the west ruined any hope of trying for my favorite, the Milky Way.

Settings on the 350D, 10 second exposure, 5.6 Av, ISO 1600, noise reduction 0n, lens 90-300mm at 300mm, shot in RAW mode and processed with RawShooter Essentials and Neat Image.

No tracking, just fixed on the tripod and hoped for the best focus.

Soon to have the EQ6 and ED80, so this will be a definate target for me to capture, and the Milky Way of course;)

[RB]

Good start Trevor,

You're going to have fun with the new setup.

Cheers.

[TidaLpHasE]

:)Thanks RB, should have the mount next week, will order the scope during the week, can't wait for the real pics to start showing themselves on my screen.

I am looking forward to all the fun and frustration with astro imaging:P

[Itchy]

It's a good start Trevor. As good as most first efforts with M42. I bet you can wait to get that EQ6. I'd like to see the same shot tracked (don't worry about the ED 80 just yet). M42 will be real nice at 300mm.

Cheers

[TidaLpHasE]

:)Had another go at M42 last night with the new EQ6 and Orion ED80.

I couldn't get a polar alignment, so i decided to get a couple of prime focus shots of Orion and the moon.

I am happy with the results after processing out all the star trails i think came from camera shake, or the focuser tube moving when i clicked the camera, and slight adjustment with brightness and contrast.

It isn't even in the same league as the M42's posted recently, but it's an improvement on my first effort.

10 second exposure, ISO 1600

[h0ughy]

well done for no real polar alignment!

[Itchy]

:cool: That's a real improvement! Keep working at it!


Cheers

[RB]

Already a great improvment mate! And just 10 sec too.

Oh your hooked now :lol:

Keep em coming Trevor.

:party:

PS: Does the 350D have mirror lockup? It will help the shake when you click.

[ballaratdragons]

Coool Trevor! Hope I can get pics that good soon.

[xelasnave]

Here is a site for polar alignment.. I had problems with it cause I was adjusting in the wrong direction to the point where I would have to repossition the tripod and unwittingly pick it up coming the other way..if that makes sence. here is the link
http://www.darkskyimages.com/gpolar.html
alex

[TidaLpHasE]

:)Thanks for the tips and comments, RB yes the 350 has mirror lockup, i will have to set this function up and see if there is any difference, i also think i might have had the focuser tension nut a little on the loose side, which wouldn't have helped.

And you betcha i'm hooked, i can't wait to get a decent polar alignment and shoot this target again, and also my favorite, the milky way.;)

Thanks for the link Alex, i now have plenty of reading to do while the clouds are about.:)

[Itchy]

Hi Alex


I think this site provides a drift alignment method for Cassesgrain scopes in the Northern Hemisphere. That could explain why you had trouble.

Interestingly, it is also the method that I use to drift align my Newtonian here in the Southern Hemiphere.

Wierd stuff this drift alignment.

Cheers

[JohnH]

Great shot for a start! You may find the timer mode more use than mirror lock if you are pressing shutter release manually and getting vibration from that - though you can use mirror lock also if you wish - it is most useful for short duration shots eg .25s etc.

Good work keep it coming.

[TidaLpHasE]

Got another chance to get a polar alignment this morning, only thing is it got the better of me again:sad:

I decided to give in and get some more shots of orion through the ED80 prime focus with the 350.

Getting better everytime, if only i could see that elusive asterism in octans:mad2:

Maybe one day i will have this mount up and running for some longer exposures.....


First pic adjusted slighty light/contrast, second pic ran through neat image.

[atalas]

Your getting there Trevor keep at It !

[TidaLpHasE]

Thanks Louie i am trying, but it is easy to give in finding the asterism through the polar scope, and use the mount as a tripod, mind you it's an expensive tripod:P

Another pic from this morning.....

[Itchy]

Trevor,

Can you find Sigma Octans in binoculars?. For me that is the first step if I am not at home. That then helps me get the mount pointed in roughly the right direction. I find that you have to become very familiar with Sigma Octans and learn how to find it quickly. Once found in binlculars the rest is routine.

Cheers

[TidaLpHasE]

Tony, i can find Sigma Octantis, but not sure of the other stars needed.

Is the asterism Chi, Sigma, Tau, and Upsilon.

Or is it Rho, Sigma, Tau, and Lambda:confuse2:

If the cloud holds out tonight, i might drive to a darker site and give it a go, if i can get it going with darker skies, it might help me with getting my bearings here in the light polluted city.

Just a quick question regarding the latitude scale on the mount. Do i set it in meters height or degrees latitude?

I think it would be degrees, but when out in the dark looking through the polar scope, i think i have it all wrong.

Thanks again for your advice.

cheers.

[Itchy]

Ok Trevor,

I'm not sure of the names, so I've attached a picture with the 4 stars indicated. This will be the orientation at about midnight (it will be inverted in the polar scope).

The Altitude scale is your lattitude in degrees. They are usually not very acurate though and your mount needs to be level for it to even be close. It will give you a rough guide only.

good luck

[TidaLpHasE]

Thanks Tony, that helps alot, i did think it was those four stars, but it seems a little different on the polar scope.

Still hoping for clear skies tonight for a drive to some dark sky.;)