The next clear opportunity came with the intention to try for the Witchhead Nebula in Orion. This proved to be less than successful when I discovered that my current positioning of the guidescope wouldn't allow me to acquire a guide star for sufficient duration to expect a decent result. An unexpected visitor then occupied a couple of hours before I could return to any imaging. I noticed I hadn't previously tried M44 (Praesepe) with the apo so now was as good a time as any. The TV news had mentioned a chance of some auroral activity being visible so once I had started the imaging run I took myself off down the local fields where a decent north horizon was available. After 30 minutes peering at the sky with no signs of aurora I returned home to find the transparency had deteriorated a fair bit due to some washed out contrail drifting through so I stopped exposing after a dozen subs. Details: Megrez 88 apo. 12 x 5 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.24.1.12
M44 and auroral disappointment
The next clear opportunity came with the intention to try for the Witchhead Nebula in Orion. This proved to be less than successful when I discovered that my current positioning of the guidescope wouldn't allow me to acquire a guide star for sufficient duration to expect a decent result. An unexpected visitor then occupied a couple of hours before I could return to any imaging. I noticed I hadn't previously tried M44 (Praesepe) with the apo so now was as good a time as any. The TV news had mentioned a chance of some auroral activity being visible so once I had started the imaging run I took myself off down the local fields where a decent north horizon was available. After 30 minutes peering at the sky with no signs of aurora I returned home to find the transparency had deteriorated a fair bit due to some washed out contrail drifting through so I stopped exposing after a dozen subs. Details: Megrez 88 apo. 12 x 5 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.
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2 comments:
Hi Pete,
Nice image of M44. I quite like the colour of the stars. I notice you've been using your apo quite a bit recently. I could have done with its field of view last night on the Rosette Nebula.
I didn't hear about the solar actvity and the chance of an auroral display until my wife told me this evening. It would have been just my luck if I had been imaging in the South while a spectacular display was taking place behind me to the North!
Simon
Hi Simon,
Re. apo....haven't used it for a while so thought I'd go for some targets suited to its field of which there are quite a few at moment though the galaxy world is fast approaching so back to the Newtonian soon. Don't think we had any aurora down here according to reports so no tears to shed.
Pete
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