I have been into astro now since last August, and things have been gradually coming together both knowledge and gear-wise, and tonight I have been able to take my first guided shots (see below) through my 8" newt - and it felt goo-ood!
My guidescope leaves a lot to be desired - but for the moment it will do the trick - just.
I started with a little moonage just after sunset and then tried to get M42 before it went behind the trees, but as it was my first time it took me a while to get everything going, so I swung over to eta carina.
Here are the best of my shots. Single subs only. Most of the others had issues with guiding, but for my first time I was glad to get one frame where the guiding went OK. I have cleaned them up a little in photoshop - just levels mostly to remove light pollution, and I ran the moon shot through the sharpener just to make those craters stand out a little better.
Thanks for looking - any feedback appreciated.
Cheers
Adam