2015-03-16 Early Spring Images from Danville Conservation Area

Post date: Mar 21, 2015 10:18:52 PM

The images were taken through a Meade LX90 ACF 203 mm aperture F/10 with 0.63x Antares focal reducer and Meade T-Mount. A Baader UV-IR cut filter was in the t-adapter. The imager was a Nikon D5200 with full spectrum modification, at prime focus. The optical tube assembly was mounted on a Celestron Advanced VX mount and guided with Meade ETX-80 and Orion Start Shoot camera for auto guiding using Stark Labs PHD2.

Wind cause variations in autoguiding of +/- 6 arc seconds

NGC2392 the Eskimo Nebula

NGC2392 imaged with a total exposure of 10 minutes 30 seconds at ISO-800 with 21 light, 10 dark, 20 bias and no flat frames.

NGC3031 (M81) Bode's Nebula

NGC3031 imaged with a total exposure of 36 minutes 12 seconds at ISO-800 with 12 light, 17 dark, 20 bias and no flat frames.

NGC3034 (M82)

NGC3034 imaged with a total exposure of 24 minutes at ISO-800 with 8 light, 10 dark, 20 bias and no flat frames.

NGC3587 (M97)

NGC3587 (M97) imaged with a total exposure of 30 minutes at ISO-800 with 20 light, 17 dark, 20 bias and no flat frames. The purple tint on the lower left is an artifact of poor dark current correction.

NGC5914 (M51) and NGC5915

NGC5914 (M51) and NGC5915 at a total exposure of 15 minutes at ISO-800 with 5 light, 17 dark, 20 bias and no flat frames. These were just test shots for some future images.