NGC2239 (G11 first light)

[peter_4059]

Finally had some good conditions last night to get a first image with the G11. Decided to start on something big and bright so here's another Rosette taken with the 10" Newt/QHY8. 29x5 min subs. I'm very happy with the guiding performance and I've also been tweaking the paracorr spacing and think the coma correction is a bit better.

It's been a long time between images so my processing is very rusty. Comments/suggestions welcome.

[RobF]

Looks nice Peter. With the care you put into quantitating your tracking performance I've been itching to see what you thought of the G11 with the Newt on top.

Was planning to PMl you Sun on expectation you'd finally had it out but no need to hassle you now! :) Will be interested in future updates versus you're highly tweaked EQ6.

Rob

[peter_4059]

Rob,

The G11 is working very nicely - the pHD RMS value is always below 0.1 and it is often achieving 0.06 (without pec). It seems to be happy with the 10" newt and I've had no issues with motor stalls during slews. I needed 40 lbs worth of counterweights to balance it.

The only thing I don't like is the backlash in the dec axis as it makes centering the object painful and it takes a while for the guiding to settle however once it is guiding I've not had any problems. I will probably have a go at adjusting it some time.

I haven't tried to measure the PE however the curve that Adam posted showed it was quite good (+/-3 I think). This is quite a bit smaller than what I was seeing on the EQ6 however the rate of change was small so it was easily guided out.

Peter

[troypiggo]

Gorgeous stars. Think you've nailed the coma correction.

[multiweb]

Gotta be stoked with that. Terrific shot Peter. :thumbsup:

[ozstronomer]

Lovely image Peter, looks like the tracking is spot on with that G11 and the coma corrector is now working nicely. Well done

[kinetic]

Peter,

you epitomise everything I admire about some amateur astronomers....

test....measure...quantify...adapt. ..test measure...quantify...share....

Lovely Rosette....inspiring.:thumbsup:

Steve

[clive milne]

Nailed it.

[DavidU]

Very tidy indeed !

[h0ughy]

Peter, you must be happy with that. I would be over the moon. Lovely snapshot to boot

[allan gould]

That's a really sweet image Peter. Sharp, well composed and nicely processed and I'm glad you're happy with the G11. When I get back to Brisvegas I'll have something to compare.
Allan

[Hagar]

Looks good Peter. It has been a while between image. Istill find the G11 to be enough mount for me at the focal length I work at.

[peter_4059]

Thanks all for the encouraging comments. I've had my eye on a G11 since I first got into this and it has been a while coming but sure worth the wait.



Cheers Troy. I was a bit more careful inserting the camera in the focuser tonight and the stars are looking good in all corners so happy with the spacing now. It was quite an ordeal to check the different spacing options but worth it in the end.



Thanks Marc. I'm looking forward to trying some longer subs (10 mins on NGC2264 tonight).



Cheers Geoff. It is good when everything behaves.



Thanks Steve. Thats what I really like about the hobby. There is so much scope to tinker. I've learned a lot from IIS so happy to share!



Thanks Clive



Thanks David. Some longer subs next time should tame the noise.



Thanks for the advice Dave. It has turned out to be a sweet mount.




Cheers Allan. You are missing some cracker nights up here!

[TrevorW]

Nicely done Peter

[allan gould]

Rub it in while you can!!!
I'll be back

[strongmanmike]

Well done Peter

I like this crop, it showcases the central cluster very nicely :thumbsup:

Sounds like you have the G11 purring :thumbsup:

Mike

[h0ughy]

no problems there Peter - got a pic on your setup now? Did you get the power worked out?

[Ross G]

A beautiful photo Peter.

Nice colours and great stars.


Ross.

[peter_4059]

Cheers Trevor.



Thanks Mike. I had intended to go after the dark features at the top of the image but didn't quite get the framing right. The central cluster does make a nice image though.



I'm running the mount and dew heater off the 13.8V ps and the QHY8 off it's original 12V supply. So far no issues with ground loops. No pictures of the kit yet but I'll probably set it up again tonight.



Thanks Ross. I'm happy with the way the stars turned out. It's taken a long time to get the colimation, focus, coma correction, flexure and guiding worked out.

[RobF]

You realise you'll have to repaint the Newt black now and put some reflective silver strips around it :P :D

[peter_4059]

I was thinking a nice gloss white to match the Borg. I do like the silver strips though.

[midnight]

That is fantastic Peter. Worth printing from what I can see.

The G11 is a lovelly device once all the little aspects are ironed out.

Mine's collecting dust since December having being seconded away from home and just can't wait to get back home.

Thanks for showing!
Darrin...

[peter_4059]

Thanks Darrin. It's been a long time since the weather has been suitable here but it seems to be improving. I've been ironing bugs out for a few years now so it is great to have some success for a change. I am happy with the G11 although it is going to take a bit to get used to it after being spoiled with EQMOD.

[midnight]

Are you using the Maxon motors or standard? I'm half inclined to upgrade to Maxon for the RA.

Good luck with G11!!

Darrin...

[stardust steve]

Great shot, looks like the result of a lot of work and hours. I love this image of this Nebula how there seems to be a window opened in the middle to let you see those brilliant stars behind. Love those dark veins running through aswell:thumbsup:

[peter_4059]

I've got the standard motors. It looks like the Maxon ones stick out more and constrain the RA axis limits more so I haven't considered changing.



Thanks Steve. Just a few hours of imaging preceeded by years of tinkering with gear to get things playing nicely together. The rosette is a great target at this time of the year with a lot of interesting and diverse details.

[telecasterguru]

I am impressed. Great image and very tight.

Frank

[alan meehan]

Nice and sharp Pete good to have the g11 going so well
AL

[peter_4059]

Thanks Frank. It sure is nice when things all come together.



Cheers Al.

[richardo]

Congrats Peter on the new mount, looks and sounds as though she's a winner!
Gotta love things when they, well, just work!
Very nice image of the Rosette. Nice round stars and from what I can gather cranking up the image, your spacing on the corrector is doing its job.

Well done
Rich

[peter_4059]

Thanks Rich. Can't wait for some better weather so I can try some longer subs. I don't have a lot to show for the few clear nights we have had as it has been spent messing around with the paracorr spacing and some issues with the camera dewing. I've just recharged it with argon so hopefully I'm good to go.