Quote:
Originally Posted by Bassnut
Geez, I gotta get a 17" ;-). Excellent pic there Greg, jumps right out, dont see this one too often. Top colour, detail etc.
Yes, the 17" aperture sure allows efficient work at that FL, I wouldnt bother with less than 8 hrs or so at 10" (at long FLs), so that means far less output when it takes 3 days or more of imaging, suddenly stuff like weather, moon etc become far more disruptive.
To be able to get a result like that in one night is a huge advantage and makes it all much more fun.
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Thanks Fred. I think also it will require one of the smaller chipped larger pixel cameras to do best in narrowband in a light polluted area. The downside of the Corrected Dall Kirkham design is vignetting. I suppose any compound scope is going to vignette to some degree with these large chips but this one definitely has a bright centre that requires careful flat fielding, Gradient Xterminator, background flattening routines to correct. I don't have that trouble with the 8300 chip but the 8300 chip has small wells and bright stars bloat easily from overflowing wells. So shorter exposures on a small well camera or larger pixel camera.
I think an ST10XME is proven camera with this focal length and would work well. Its kind of a compromise on pixel size (smallish at 6.4 microns) but the high QE and smallish chip just seems to work. I was thinking of getting a 3200 chipped camera or a 6303 chipped camera. I saw a 6303 CDK17 image of M13 which was amazing. I think that would be a very good combo with this scope. Perhaps better than the KAF3200 in some ways if you can handle the blooming (short exposures again unless doing NB). The 09000 chip with RBI control like FLI or Apogee would be good too but then you're back into vignetting a bit. The vignetting would be worse in light polluted areas but at a dark site this scope would be sensational.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doomsayer
Hi Greg. For an alleged 'quick and dirty' shot, that's a beauty  . One of my favourite galaxies. The 17 really cuts it - c/c Fred's comments.
cheers, guy |
Thanks for that. The aperture speeds everything up for sure.
I have an F4.5 reducer on order for it so that will make it even faster to get a good result in a night.
Greg.