ICEINSPACE
Moon Phase
CURRENT MOON
Waxing Crescent 11.3%
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03-04-2012, 10:01 AM
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Galaxy hitchhiking guide
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The Shire
Posts: 8,475
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A few southern galaxies...
While going through the process of "squaring on" my STX, I decided to point the scope at a random galaxy and take a few subs.
Thin cloud and a half moon, so no colour.
The resulting image caught just a few more faint fuzzies than planned !
....displayed below at full-res and uncropped.... (O.K.... I did crop the bottom few rows due a small registration error)
It's big! Around 3meg.
I hope you enjoy looking at the galaxy zoo
The link is here
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03-04-2012, 10:03 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 4,485
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Peter
That really shines! What an awesome machine for doing Sn patrols on galaxy clusters.
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03-04-2012, 10:10 AM
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Galaxy hitchhiking guide
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The Shire
Posts: 8,475
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Quote:
Originally Posted by allan gould
Peter
That really shines! What an awesome machine for doing Sn patrols on galaxy clusters.
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Thanks Alan. I gave up counting after around 60 galaxies....
I have to say it's inspired me to do my own "Hubble deep field" around the next new moon
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03-04-2012, 10:49 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 4,485
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Peter that would be impressive and I will look forward to it eagerly.
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03-04-2012, 10:55 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,998
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A smorgasbord from my point of view. Sensational work!
PeterM.
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03-04-2012, 07:12 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Canberra, Australia
Posts: 1,346
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That scope rocks Peter
Question: What focus mechanism does this scope come with, or are you using a third party solution?
If its the native focusser, it seems to be quite solid (no sag evident?).
cheers
Martin
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03-04-2012, 07:59 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Sydney
Posts: 18,183
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Fantastic performance.
Roland has created a masterpiece there.
Greg.
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03-04-2012, 08:07 PM
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Galaxy hitchhiking guide
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The Shire
Posts: 8,475
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Pugh
That scope rocks Peter
Question: What focus mechanism does this scope come with, or are you using a third party solution?
If its the native focusser, it seems to be quite solid (no sag evident?).
cheers
Martin
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Thanks Martin.
It's the standard AP 3.5" focuser the 'scope came with.
It shares the same 10:1 feather-touch worm as AP 4" drawtubes.
I've not noticed any sag, but the focal plane needs to orthogonal within 5 micron...hence the application of a little shim stock.
For convenience, I will be installing the feather-touch electronic focus motor. The standard focuser has been designed to be unbolted completely to make way for third party units if required.
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03-04-2012, 08:08 PM
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Mostly harmless...
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 5,735
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Just amazing. Can't wait to see the images that follow "sea trials".
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03-04-2012, 08:26 PM
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Galaxy hitchhiking guide
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The Shire
Posts: 8,475
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gregbradley
Fantastic performance.
Roland has created a masterpiece there.
Greg.
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Ta Greg... In some ways it is a little too good. The field correction is so perfect that even the slightest camera tilt can become glaringly evident.
On the upside, guide stars some 65mm off axis are as tight as... and perfectly circular.
To date I've never struggled to find suitable (guide) candidate even in NB. The STX really purrs with this scope.
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03-04-2012, 08:32 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 3,784
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There must be 100's of galaxies in that photo.
One of them even looks like a more distant version of the Sombrero.
What an amazing picture.
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03-04-2012, 09:51 PM
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Galaxy hitchhiking guide
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The Shire
Posts: 8,475
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alpal
There must be 100's of galaxies in that photo.
One of them even looks like a more distant version of the Sombrero.
What an amazing picture.
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Thanks. Best guess is about 300+.
I linked the image to SkyX and there were quite a few "fuzzies" in the image not listed in the PGC catalog.
As Carl Sagan liked to say: billions and billions....
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03-04-2012, 10:01 PM
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Automation nut
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Bathurst
Posts: 667
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My iPad hates you.
Nice blue box!
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03-04-2012, 10:13 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Sydney
Posts: 18,183
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Ward
Ta Greg... In some ways it is a little too good. The field correction is so perfect that even the slightest camera tilt can become glaringly evident.
On the upside, guide stars some 65mm off axis are as tight as... and perfectly circular.
To date I've never struggled to find suitable (guide) candidate even in NB. The STX really purrs with this scope.
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That's cool. With a MMOAG I notice guide stars are often a bit elongated being outside the scopes corrected field on the CDK.
Greg.
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03-04-2012, 10:59 PM
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Billions and Billions ...
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Quialigo, NSW
Posts: 3,143
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Way cool!
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03-04-2012, 11:08 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 3,784
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Ward
Thanks. Best guess is about 300+.
I linked the image to SkyX and there were quite a few "fuzzies" in the image not listed in the PGC catalog.
As Carl Sagan liked to say: billions and billions.... 
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Perhaps 300.
You'd have to invert the picture & count the black areas.
You must be imaging well out beyond a billion light years?
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04-04-2012, 07:23 AM
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ze frogginator
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Sydney
Posts: 22,080
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Loads of faint fuzzies.  Looking forward to the deep field. That's definitely the scope for it. Gotta put this beast in altitude eventually, NZ comes to mind.
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04-04-2012, 01:05 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 9,991
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I would have said something like a thousand galaxies in that frame. Probably too much but imagine this under dark skies with a 10 minutes exposure and no moon.
Huge field of view, more data though for smoothness (yes I know this is a test  ).
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04-04-2012, 09:10 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waitakere Ranges, New Zealand
Posts: 2,260
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That's very cool! And it just shows there is interesting stuff no matter were the scope is pointed.
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04-04-2012, 09:46 PM
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Mostly harmless...
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 5,735
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I've had a friend nag me to do a "hubble-esque deep field" long exposure effort, but I'd never seriously contemplated with so much other stuff to do and so many clouds. Would be VERY interesting to see one from the RHA though
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