With all the talk about spending $500 on acquiring a single image using a proffessional rent-a 24" mega scope over the internet (with great results of course), it is really quite sobering to think that Scott took this image from his suburban backyard in the coal captial of the world Newcastle, setup on a slopped and lumpy grass backyard, under a clothsline, with a garage, house and fence sqeezing him in on all sides and on a 25 year old AstroOptical Samson mount complete with cookie cutter RA drive wheel, guiding by hand while watching a CCTV screen
Great stuff Scott!! You are a bastion of normality (and great nostalgia). You should serve to, at least momentarily, ground some of us who continually strive to have or use the best and most sophisitcated equipment to image the sky
Although, it sounds like your new computer isn't from the dark ages of TANDY Electronics?
Mike