Tim, I notice you are using adaptive optics on a 20 inch scope. We would love to piggy-back on your expertise.
What AOX are you using? Is it a thing that you buy and put in the image train, or is it that the STX16803 can self-guide at that speed? What difference do you get in FWHM? How often do you get a guide star that gives you 8 frames a second? Is it different for the Milky Way versus somewhere around Cetus for example?
Hi All,
I have been working on getting more of the outer halo in to the image without losing the core detail.....I posted a version 2... a repro for comparison....how much power we have with processing to do good ...or bad.....!
Hi Mike,
Yes with my 0.39arcsec/pixel image scale, I have found the Adaptive Optics guiding helps my system significantly, especially as I still have a bit of residual hysteresis in the Dec axis on the PME2, that I have not been able yet to adjust out with adjustment of the spring plungers or worm block adjustments. I haven't formally tested the reduction in FWHMs yet though I do notice much better FWHMs in general - each night gives a slightly different FWHM and everything I do is automated through the night - since I have returned to using an AO.....I had to swap back from a FLI PL16803 to the STX16803 to get the AO again (I had enjoyed using a AOL with a STL11000 with the same scope on a PME back a few years ago).
It is the AO-X: http://diffractionlimited.com/product/ao-x/
A photo of my imaging train is attached showing the red AO-X in front of the off-axis guider which is in turn in front of the big black filter wheel in front of the STX.
I sometimes have to settle for a guide star that gives 3 to 4 Hz, but if I can get a guide star of better than mag 10.7, I usually find the AO guiding works well. I have a camera rotator, of course to rotate the FOV to hopefully get a bright enough guide star. Only occasionally I can't get a target with a guide star - usually in a sparse star field around a galaxy....
Wow thanks for sharing. Extra info on collection and equipment very interesting too.
Glad to see Savannah Skies is performing so well for you too - must be very satisfying after what must have been lots of work to get set up properly. Beautiful part of the world - visited the Undara lava tubes on the way back from the eclipse some years ago and realised should have made the effort to go west off the tableland years ago.
Love the repro Tim, great detail on the outer shell now.
It's probably nitpicking but the centre highlights look a little flat
As said above, a top shelf image
from me too.
Excellent Tim 
