M81 M82

[Fay]

Took a couple of images on 21st. Will ask Rick to put in gallery archive, but I quite like this one.  29 x 30secs SC3 via ED80.
M81 M82 Ursa Major
Fay

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/366921337_10582b46fb.jpg

[Fay]

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[JohnP]

Hi Fay,

That's a great image you really can see some fine details in the two galaxies. Well focused & framed. My only two comments would be longer/ more exposures to remove noise & also clean your CCD &/or filters... Did you subtract darks..?

I also just saw all your images on the archive - great to see you are getting all the equipment to work at long last - keep up the good work looks like you are main contributor at the moment...

Lets have some more - All the best,  John

[Tony G]

Lovely Image Fay,
I see its taken with the SC3 and not the starlight x, still a great image but would like to see some from the sx.

Tony G

[Rocket Pooch]

Well don Fay, thats a lot crossed off the list, actually M81 and M51 are on my "list to do" when I have a couple of nights to do them.

Actually I had also forgot how big M81 is and how much details it has.  Nice pictures, and as John suggets a little more exposure time and its going to start getting a whole lot better.

Chris

[Fay]

Thanks a lot everyone. Thinking of it, I did subtract darks, shouldn't they have cancelled the dust bunnies out?

Regarding the SX, I am finding hard to focus. I really need a lesson outside with my laptop, in case I have a wrong setting or something.

I spent 2 hours the other night trying to focus & in the end put the SC3 on & was spoilt for chioce with all the galaxies. Spot on in the middle everytime. Many that I have not seen before. I was like a kid with their hand in the chocolate box!

It was funny, I thought I had gone to Saturn, which was in the middle of a tree, & I thought, Saturn looks odd must be a twig in the way. I forgot, that I had gone on to M81 82, I was nipping about so much!!!!!

I have set up outside & hope to have another go tonight.

Fay

[Rocket Pooch]

Hi Fay,

I just went outside and have now realised I have lost my guiding port so I'm just about to give up and cry.

The dust bunnies will not go away unless you use Flat frames, but this adds further exposure time onto the imaging session, what might be a better idea for now is just to clean the filters very carefully.  If the CCD is dusty I'll do it for you, its high risk ..


Chris

[Fay]

I went out tonight, but could not find everything as easy as the other night. Although there was a lot of condensation on the scope.
That's the way it goes isn't it?

I got the SX out, just as I was getting frostbite, & I still cannot get a focus. I have had everything on the end except the hoover pipe !

I have done an EOS Pleiades  & M1. Don't know what they are like.


Sorry about your guiding port, Chris.
Fay

[Rocket Pooch]

ok found the guide port thingy, it dropped into one of the scopes.

Anyway, Fay, my HX916 focus distance is about an inch in from my SC1, if you add tubes you may be going away from the focus point.  out the thing on the ED80 without an extension tube point the scope at a very bright star and set an exposure of about 1/10 of a second, get the software to repeat image,  then focus back from full intravel to sull out travel, you will see a round disk appear, if by the time you get fully out and you don't get focus, put the extension tube in, focus all the way in, and start again.  My ED80 from memory need an extension, but the focus is very close in.  Mike you marked yours can you remember if you needed an externsion tube?

Chris

[Whitters]

Lovely shot Fay

[Whitters]

Fay, the dust bunnies will not go with subtracting dark frames, that's where you need flat frames then you will be able to get rid of them.

[Fay]

Thanks Chris & Paul.

I took M45 & M1, last night, with EOS but they were both failures. My polar alignment was off, so galaxies etc were few & far between. It is funny how one night to another can vary so much. I could see M1 on the screen & thought I would have a go. I did 30 x 60 secs, but it was not good enough to keep. The moon was around so perhaps that is why M45 was no good either. I changed my EOS parameter to 2 whereas I had always had it on 1. I have changed it back to 1 as I did not find it so difficult for me to process.


Fay