LMC: 80min 400ASA slide film shot

[rogerg]

Hi everyone,

I had a roll of film developed this week that had been in my astro camera since November last year. It's only got about 10 shots of the LMC and SMC on it, but each is about 80 mins of exposure time. Average results with some trailing in the longer focal length ones and the usual vinyetting etc.

Most turned out OK but not great. This is a prime example. You can see some trailing (less obvious in this small version) and it's not a high level of detial in the LMC. But it's still a nice image.

http://www.rogergroom.com/rogergroom/esh_rog_item.jsp?Item=258

Taken out in the wheatbelt last year on the first trip out with my Losmandy GM8 (got it in late June, didn't get much of a chance to use it for a while), so I hadn't got PEC working, and polar alignment was average. Guiding using an illuminated eyepiece. It was a fun couple of nights, doing a couple of all-nighter's of long exposure manually guided astro photography is a good way to test your dedication :) Actually I quite enjoy it, sit back and look up between checks on the guide star without the glow of computers (that's coming from a computer programmer!).

Anyway, enough from me.

Roger.

[[1ponders]]

I like it Roger. A very successful shot. You're dedication to sitting at the reticle has paid off. I certainly take my hat of to film users. I ended up giving it up I found it so difficult to get accurate focus.

[Robby]

80mins! Wow.... Results speak for themselves though! Top shot Roger. Good to see people still get great results from film! Roll over digital... :rofl:
Cheers

[ving]

top shot! andon slide too :)
congrats :)

[h0ughy]

excellent result, mate you would be excellent with digital!

[fringe_dweller]

completely hand guided? or hand/eye assisted/corrected? either way, 80 min would turn your eyeball into soup in its socket :scared2:
your in the superhuman catergory now Roger!
awesome shot mate :prey2:

[rogerg]

Well, I wasn't turning the RA wheel to make the telescope track, so it wasn't completely hand guided in that respect :) I used to do that with my old mount when the motor didn't work, have done many 20 minute exposures like that, believe it or not, but that is painful.

Most (like this one), I sit there looking through the eyepiece making corrections in RA and DEC to keep the star on track. It's not as hard as it may seem. You get to know the mount well, I know when it's coming in to a patch of bad PE so I pay more attention to guiding then, and when I know it's more steady I spend most of the time just sitting back looking up at the stars. I find it quite relaxing actually.

:)
Roger.

[iceman]

Nice shot Roger, I really like it. Great colours.

[robin]

80 minutes is a looooong exposure Roger! Looks great.

[fringe_dweller]

thanks Roger,
ah yes 20 min is as about as long as is humanely possible for us as well, old school hand guided..
Yes theres hand guided and then there's hand guided ;)