Beehive Cluster in Cancer

Iconic open cluster in Cancer. I'd planned to image some emission nebulae but they were all too close to the waxing Moon. This was well away.

 

 

Technical Card

480/80mm f/6 Altair Starwave triplet refractor.

Altair Planostar 1.0 x FF with 2 inch IDAS P3 LPS filter

ZWO ASI2600MC; 75 x 90 second subs, Gain 100, Offset 25, Temp = -15c.

 

EQ6 R mount . EQMOD control. Primalucelab Sesto Senso electronic focuser.

 

Session control; SharpCap 4.1 on miniPC attached to scope. Ethernet cable to home network.

Automated plate solving GOTO and focusing.

 

 

30 dark frames

61 flat frames (electroluminescent panel A, 1600ms exposure @ 0 gain).

 

Post processed in PixInsight 1.8.9.

 

Light Pollution and Weather:

SQM (L) not recorded - 70% Moon

Clear throughout.

 

Polar Alignment:

Still adjusting to my new mount - guiding getting better.

Error measured by PHD2= 0.7 arc minute.

RA drift - 0.4 arcsec/min

Dec drift + 0.3 arcsec/min

 

Guiding:

PHD2 guiding with ZWO ASI290mm/Altair Starwave 206/50mm guider. Every 8th sub dithered.

RA RMS error 0.81 arcsec

Dec RMS error 0.55 arcsec

 

Astrometry

Resolution ............... 1.612 arcsec/px

Observation start time ... 2025-02-06 21:02:29 UTC

Observation end time ..... 2025-02-06 22:59:50 UTC

Focal distance ........... 481.24 mm

Pixel size ............... 3.76 um

Field of view ............ 2d 47' 49.1" x 1d 52' 9.9"

Image center ............. RA: 8 40 06.038 Dec: +19 59 44.91

 

 

 

Done