Hi All,
This was my first ever (and only) attempt at the Helix Nebula.
Took this one in pristine dark skies at Siding Springs Observatory NSW last September. A difficult object to capture but very satisfying to see the detail in this stunning nebula considering it is only an 18 minute combined image. Dark, unpolluted skies do make the difference.
The Helix does not quite fit on the little Meade DSI chip even at f3.3.
Celestron GPS 11, unguided in altazimuth mode with f3.3 focal reducer.
Meade DSIc in Drizzle mode to de-rotate the image.
36x30 exposures (total 18 minutes) auto combined on the fly.
Saved in LRGB fits format, liberated and processed in Photoshop.
Clear Skies
Gerry
Member: Western Sydney Amateur Astronomy Group (WSAAG)
www.wsaag.org