First Light with the Mallincam Micro Ex

The skies cleared just long enough Friday night to break out the Mallincam for a test run. Now, guys, we are too smart to have to read a manual on how to use something, right? WRONG! I discovered very quickly that there were a lot of potential settings on this wonderful little video camera. And believe it or not, I actually got a decent color image of M42, the Great Orion Nebula... for a minute, until I thought, "I could do better!" and I change a couple of settings and poof! The color was gone and I did not keep track of what I had done to get it!

• Live and learn! 
• Keep notes! 
• Read the manual!

Anyway, I turned it towards Jupiter (but left the focal reducer on, dumb move) and within a few minutes lucked my way to a decent rendition of it ! Would have been better without the reducer...
Then I tried the camera on a little telescope, lower power magnification, and turned it to M42 again.
Yeah, lower power is better!
So you know what that means? Yup, more money for a quality short tube telescope like this one:

It is a short tube Orion 80-T Refractor Telescope

Fully multi-coated 80mm refractor objective lens and short 400mm focal length give you bright and crisp wide-field views

Correct-image 6x26 finder scope makes it easy to aim the ShortTube 80-T accurately during the day

Features a cast-aluminum 1.25" rack & pinion focuser, and includes 45-degree correct-image diagonal, two Sirius Plossl 1.25" telescope eyepieces (25mm, 10mm), and more

Built-in short dovetail mounting bar with threaded 1/4"-20 holes allows quick and easy attachment options for equatorial mounts or field tripods.

Cost: $180 from Amazon

Anyone want to get it for me for a late Christmas present?  LOL

So, next week the skies clear up... and the temps go down... -5 degrees F at night or lower!

Can't wait!

Clear skies!