orion

Since I moved homes 3 months ago I have not had much chance to get the scope outside due to the negative 30 temperatures, last night it was around just below freezing. The warmest in months.

To set up the polar alignment I used my iphone with Starmap to align the CGEM with Polaris as I have a 2 story house to my north a few feet behind me, I hold the phone flat on the pole finder and move the mount to line up with the star on the center of the phone screen. It seems to have worked.

I converted my C-11 to the Hyperstar 3 for 560mm f/2, I used an IDAS LPS-P2 filter as the light pollution is still bad in my new backyard location, on the north edge of a red zone.

I took 10 raws @ 30 seconds ISO 400 and 10 @ 120 seconds ISO 100 Canon EOS 5d mkii un-modified. Low ISO due to light pollution.

Yes 2 minutes in Hyperstar configuration with no guiding. Minimal star trails.

5 min ISO 400 plus 20 mins ISO 100, 20 bias, 5 darks in “deep sky stacker”

My first attempt at the Orion Nebula from the edge of the red zone.

The blue haze is light pollution from my laptop 

I flocked the inside of the OTA “Telescope” with prostar flocking recently. It’s like a black felt to reduce light reflections inside the telescope

 

Done