My very first attempt!

[JonH]

Well today the rest of my mount arrived and amazingly the stars were on view so out came everything for my very first attempt at using a proper telescope!
I think I managed to set up the mount and polar align ok with the help of youtube. I think!......
Managed to get it to slew to a few places without too much trouble, if they were the right places or no is another question altogether. Unfortunately where I set the scope up the only view I have is north thanks to a honking great big beach tree and turns out everything worth looking at is everywhere but north!
Things went kinda ok, focusing is proving a little tricky but think I will get the hang of it with practice.
The biggest problem I had was with the guide scope so let's address that first.
No matter what I tried I just couldn't see anything with the guide camera (QHY5 on a Startravel 80) I pointed it in all sorts of directions, tried messing with the focusing, exposure time, everything I could think of but no matter what there was simply nothing in view! So put simply what am I doing wrong here? HELP!!!
Despite this I couldn't resist taking a few pics of what I think was supposed to be M13, let's just say we will address that problem when I get the guiding to work! haha


Jon

[JonH]

And here we have said very first picture.
No flats or darks etc
4 images 30secs each at 800iso with modified canon 450D of M13
Stacked with Deep Sky Stacker, don't have a clue how to use it but just about managed to figure out how to get it to stack the images. To be honest I'm really quite happy with the result!

Jon

P.s
Where is the option to add attachments?!

[Carole]

This has to be some kind of record Jon, just over a week ago you had no equipment, and no knowledge of imaging, and here you are with your first image, and not at all bad either for a first DSO.  You should see some of my early attempts - utter rubbish, but it's how you learn.  

Well done coping with all that lot for a first attempt.  Stars look nice and round.  

Ah yes, the dreaded focus with the QHY5.  I think it needs an extension tube to get focus.  
I am using a barlow lens (1.25") without the lens in it and that finds focus fine.  Sorry this was one thing I forgot about.  Nearly every-one who buys a QHY5 has this problem, so get yourself a 1.25" extension tube and you'll be away.

Carole

[JonH]

Well I'm not the most patient person and I have spent a lot of time reading up on it and getting a lot of help off you in particular.
I'm really happy with it for a first attempt, especially as I had spent about 3+ hours getting the mount and scope all set up plus who knows how long trying to get the guide scope to do something useful, but just before I took it all apart figured it would be a shame not to at least try and take a few pics.
You can't zoom in on it at all, the quality just isn't there. But at least you can see what it is supposed to be.

An extension tube you recon huh, well in that case I know what I'm doing at lunch time.


Jon

[Carole]

Once you get longer subs and more of them, plus your darks flats and Bias frames Jon you'll be able to take a crop.

Carole

[Mac]

Carole why would he want to take a photo of a field of wheat? 

Once you get longer subs and more of them, plus your darks flats and Bias frames Jon you'll be able to take a crop.

Nice image for your first light, and now its all downhill from here,
Your images will improve as carole said, its a steep learning curve,
but your hunger for bigger faster scopes, cameras, mounts will never stop.
add to that guide cameras, ect, the list is endless,
as for seeing other images your to do list will also grow at an alarming rate.   

Above all, you have a photo and thats what you set out to achieve, Excellent.

the other advantage now, is that the nights are drawing in, so you can get out earlier,
and the winter skies are full of wonderful objects.

Mac.

ps, still waiting for a new set of keys for the observatory.

[The Thing]

A 50mm t-mount extension is what I had to buy. No doubt you will make one in your lunch hour as you say!

Great image for the first time out. My first M13 was atrocious.

[RobertM]

Jon,

Well done, that's a really excellent first attempt.

One thing I would say is to try to image objects that fill more of the field of view so you can avoid cropping.  Cropping wastes imaging area, precious captured photons and field of view.

Robert

[JonH]

Thanks everyone

When I looked at the individual subs I thought it was a total fail, they didn't look like much more than white noise, but after I stacked them suddenly that appeared! Pretty chuffed is an understatement!!
Was hoping to have another go this evening but annoyingly after it being clear all day now the clouds have appeared. At least the weather for the rest of the week looks good!

I would have liked to point it at something bigger but there really wasn't very much, I could see north and a little bit west and not up too much. Bloody trees, can't wait till I move!


Jon

[Rick]

0Was hoping to have another go this evening but annoyingly after it being clear all day now the clouds have appeared.

Welcome to the astronomer's world.

[JonH]

Now thats the bit I'm not liking the idea of! All this fancy new kit and all i can do is look at it rather than threw it....
Fingers crossed the weekend is better. Sleep? Who needs sleep!! haha

Jon

[Fay]

Jon that really is superb, you look like you are a natural!!!!!

Fay