Conical return

A long awaited milder day got me in the mood to wash the primary mirror on the Newtonian which had got a bit speckled and was losing its sparkle. Having re-assembled the scope it was looking as though there was a chance of a clear sky later after a very cloudy period so I decided to have another try at The Cone Nebula. Patches of thin cloud ruined the transparency so getting usable subs was a bit frustrating. Eventually I got six before the sky became impossible. The collimation was a bit out on the scope after servicing the mirror but not enough to show badly on the image though I must get it adjusted ASAP. The cone is at the extremity of NGC 2264 in Monoceros which is well known as The Christmas Tree Cluster. Needs another try on a better evening. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 6x 10 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.