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M31
On Thursday night I experimented by piggybacking a modded Canon 550d using a Tamron 500mm f8 Mirror lens, on a Saxon 500mm f5 achromatic refractor with an unmodded Canon 550d.
The outfit was mounted on an EQ5 with a RA motor. Exposures were:
Tamron lens - 15 x 30 secs @3200 iso, unguided.
Saxon Refractor - 18 x 30 secs @1600 iso, unguided.
Flats and Darks applied.
I forgot to change the unmodded camera to Raw format and shot in Jpg mode but DSS can stack Jpgs, so it was no real issue.
The picture is the result of the two optical configurations combined in Photoshop.
M31 can be a real challenge, especially from 80km north of Melbourne. High cloud spoilt the transparency but seeing was good.
I nearly had a heart attack at one stage when a deer made a close approach and 'barked' only metres from me. I cursed the elusive animal and shone my torch into the darkness but it was nowhere to be seen.
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