Thank you all for the encouraging feedback.
From a tech perspective, i'm keen to push the limits and in this respect the benefits of a
permanent setup with automation have certainly revolutionised my imaging, as now all I have to do is queue up the targets and SGPro takes care of the rest (GoTo, plate solving, auto meridian flips, auto focus etc). In the morning all I need to do is close the obs roof - too easy!
All this makes it so much easier to rack up the subs on a target, which seems to pay dividends when using a DSLR, especially if the goal is to "go deep". The cooling mod also helps a lot, as now I can take longer subs without having signal swamped by thermal noise. Temp regulation also means that my subs and darks are well matched, resulting in better calibration and smoother images.
Speaking more generally, working as researcher and now more recently in higher education i'm passionate about 'discovery' and science communication (particularly to young people), and that's the inspiration for me in projects like this one: to catch a glimpse of the scale and abundance of our universe and to share that with family and friends (and perhaps even their friends and children) - that they might be also inspired by discovery and the wonder of our universe.
