SUCCESS with Meade LX200GPS tracking! M 3

M 3 globular star cluster

DATA: One exposure, 7 minutes, 1600 iso, Canon T3i

UNCROPPED !  NO STACKING!

It may not seem like much but I was able to get my largest telescope to track it for this single shot for 7 minutes! And I could have gone much longer, only it would not have helped this subject matter.

First time ever being able track accurately with with my Meade LX200GPS 8" scope, prime focus for astrophotography!

I was also surprised by the high level of contrast which I did not expect from this kind of telescope.


I did encounter a problem getting the needed two computer programs to communicate simultaneously with the Meade mount. Turns out I needed to use TWO separate RS232 cables, one in each RS232 port, to connect to my laptop computer. Then I have each program use a dedicated cable COM port and WALLA! No problem!

New Celestron AVX mount Gives Longer Exposure Times

My old Celestron goto mount did fine for a number of years but now it was time to invest in a newer mount... especially since Celestron was have a $200 off sale on it!
While I have not yet given the mount a "dead on" alignment to the North Pole, the mount is doing great, especially with a new ZWO b&w guiding camera and the PHD2 program. I am easily getting 3 minute "subs" (individual shots that will be stacked later with DeepSkyStacker)... and sometime even longer!
With clear skies I headed out to the obs (even though I was fighting a cold) and, using the CATE telescope (480mm refractor) and a Canon T3i camera, I imaged a few galaxies.

M 101 galaxy

DATA: 19 minutes total stacking time

6 subs (about 3 minutes each)

ISO 6400

Image cropped in

M 102 galaxy

DATA: 23 minutes total stacking time

9 subs (about 3 minutes each)

ISO 6400

Image cropped in

NGC 5907 galaxy

DATA: 17 minutes total stacking time

6 subs (about 3 minutes each)

ISO 6400

Image cropped in

Oh, and one more thing...

I use a focusing mask to help get a precise focus. It is placed in front of the telescope

and is to be removed when focusing is done... unless one forgets to remove it.

That's what happened in the first image I took and this is what it looks like:

If you look closely you will see that the stars have 6 points to them

instead of being round as they should be.

It happens... LOL!

Attempt at the Leo Triplet galaxies under poor skies

The Leo Triplet of galaxies

It "cleared up" for about an hour last night just before the next storm system came in, still mucky skies.
Here are three galaxies in the constellation Leo, NGC 3628, M 65, M 66, form what is known as the Leo Triplet.
Due to poor weather conditions and other issues I was unable to pull out the delicate colors of these galaxies... maybe next time!
Data: Daystar 480mm scope, Canon T3i camera, ISO 6400, 20 frames at about 35 sec each, stacked with DSS for a total of about 13 minutes integration, image slightly cropped. Unguided as PHD2 seemed to have difficulties last night, too.

The Rosette Nebula: Before and After

Before star removal...

So... what is "behind" all the stars that sometimes get in the way of seeing the full extent of nebulas or the Milky Way? I just found a program called StarNet (freeware) that is capable of removing stars from an astrophotography image so all you see in the nebulosity!

Here is the Rosette Nebula looks like after the program removes the stars!

If you click on the first image you will be able to toggle between the before and after.

It gives one a whole new perspective of it! Can't wait to try it out on a Milky Way image!

My Secondary Roll-off Roof Over My Observing Deck

A while back I added an 8x8 foot observing deck to the side of my roll-off roof observatory.
It became apparent that more needed to be done to make it useable year round (as we have a lot of snow in the winter months that even make moving the main observatory roof nearly impossible to move.)
After much thought (and a few trips to my local Ace Hardware store) this is what I came up with.
Positioning this new roll-off roof under the supporting beams that hold up the main observatory roll-off roof, I was able to construct this for about $225 for materials.
I am not a carpenter or a mechanic (nor am I an athlete) so the plan was simple as was the construction and the operation.
Perhaps you will get some ideas from my project and make your own without having to spend $1,000 to do it!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me in the "comment" section below.

A Brief Imaging Session of the Moon and 3 Galaxies

The Moon - nearly full - March 17, 2019

Due to the brightness of the Moon I selected a few galaxies that were sufficiently far away in the sky from the Moon:

M 81, M 82 and tiny NGC 3077 (can you find the smudge?)

Here is the imaging data for the Moon shot:

• Scope: Daystar 500mm f/6
• Camera: Canon T3i unmodded
• Exposure: ISO 100 1/400 sec
• Post-processing programs used:RawTherapee, GIMP, Mac Preview

Here is the imaging data for the three galaxies shot:

• Scope: Daystar 500mm f/6
• Camera: Canon T3i unmodded
• Exposure: ISO 3200 - ave. 15 sec each
• Stacked: 87 frames = about 21 minutes total (plus 4 darks and 3 flats)
• Post-processing programs used:DeepSkyStacker, RawTherapee, GIMP, Mac Preview

The First Clear Sky in 20 days! Result: The Rosetta Nebula!

The Rosetta Nebula

Daystar 480mm f/5 telescope

Canon T3i camera at prime focus UNMODDED

ISO 3200

Total integration time: 51 minutes (18 frames)

Wiki info:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosette_Nebula

For the first time in 20 days I was able to open the observatory and do some imaging. The temp at 8:45 pm Sunday night was 24*F. By the time I ended (1 am Monday morning) the temp had dropped to 10*F ! Glad for my obs "warm room" where it was 43*F. Here are is the "best of the night" image with DeepSkyStacker: The Rosetta Nebula!

The good news here is that I was able, despite the deep cold temps, to get a few 6 and 5 minute "subs" (photos that are part of a stack of images in DeepSkyStacker 4.1.1). These longer exposures capture more photons and thus makes post-processing much more productive.