H-alpha questions

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

Greetings, with forecast clear sky but big moon tonight I am thinking trying my lumicon H alpha filter with my mono ccd camera (Atik 314L+)
I have had bloaty stars before with this camera, but am keen to try this combo.
Q1. Would Helix neb and Rosette neb be good targets for this with a small 80mm refractor?
Q2. What sort of subs should I be aiming for I(apart from as many as possible!) and
Q3. How easy is it to focus with the filter in situ-i.e can I focus on a bright star then move over to the neb?
Q4. Is there any point looking else where aprt from these nebs for piccies? (i.e is there enough H alpha around big galaxy like ngc 55 to give it a go?
Thanks for advice as always
Graz in Hobart

[bmitchell82 (Brendan)]

1. yes they are full of Ha
2. 15-20 min subs with a 80mm ED minimum
3. you have to focus insitu other wise you disturb your focus. go to a nice bright star shoot off a 1 second photo and look for a small star to focus on.
4. Galaxies do have Ha but not that much. Try NGC 254 i think it is (sulptor) it has a decent amount.

As for the exposures Ha is quite dim, so you need to give it a fair old amount. Most of mine with the 254 are 10 minutes and upto 15-20 minutes