Hi Jase
To be honest I have to look really close to see any evidence of star elongation and unless it is so obvious that it jumps out and flicks my ears then I don't look for it as it would mean I am not looking at the most important part, ie the image itself and I think sometimes we are all guilty of looking at images to find out the faults instead of looking at the aesthetic points (as far as I am concerned there is no such thing as a faultless image). This is a cracker with loads of detail in the whispy parts of the nebula,lovely colour balance as well. As you said unguided for over 4m focal length and a scope that is actually above the recommended maximum load capacity for the Paramount ME (when you add on the weight of guider, cameras, accessories, etc. It really speaks wonders about the capabilities of the Paramount (that's why I've got one)
Best wishes
Gordon
