AndrewSingleton
The Bodes and Cigar Galaxies (M81 and M82)
Bodes Galaxy is a grand design spiral galaxy about 12 million light years away. The Cigar Galaxy is thought to have at some point interacted with Bodes Galaxy, taking lots of dust and causing it to be become a starburst galaxy where stars are being born 10 times faster than the milky way. (Wikipedia)
60 300s Lights with 62 flats and 67 bias. Dithered.
Telescope: - Skywatcher 130PDS Newtonian.
Camera: - Nikon D3100.
ISO: 400. Automated white balance
Filters: - Baader Mark-III MPCC Coma Corrector. IDAS D2 Light Pollution Suppression Filter
Flats taken with a Huion L4S Light Box.
Wireless Remote: PIXEL TW-283 DC2 2.4G.
Mount: - Skywatcher EQ6R.
Guiding: Skywatcher EvoGuide 50ED & ZWO ASI120MM-Mini.
Polar Aligned with SharpCap Pro.
Control Software: - Stellarium Scope, Stellarium, Poth Hub, EQMOD, All Sky Plate Solver, PHD Guiding 2 and PHD Dither Timer.
Processing Software: Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker and edited in Star Tools.
Moon: - New
Light Pollution and Location: - Bortle 8 in Davyhulme, Manchester.
Seeing: - Good
Notes: - I have got to the point where I can just set up and get going. This has taken me a long time to get to. I did take pictures for 2 nights but in the end only kept the second nights work. I may at some point come up with a successful re-process with both days data. In the end I felt 5 hours is enough for this setup although I have read somewhere that this object benefits from as much data as possible.
I think the flats on the first night and prior shots I’ve taken had too much exposure. I still think I am overexposing these as I am getting rings in my pictures. I’ll go even lower on the next object.
The Bodes and Cigar Galaxies (M81 and M82)
Bodes Galaxy is a grand design spiral galaxy about 12 million light years away. The Cigar Galaxy is thought to have at some point interacted with Bodes Galaxy, taking lots of dust and causing it to be become a starburst galaxy where stars are being born 10 times faster than the milky way. (Wikipedia)
60 300s Lights with 62 flats and 67 bias. Dithered.
Telescope: - Skywatcher 130PDS Newtonian.
Camera: - Nikon D3100.
ISO: 400. Automated white balance
Filters: - Baader Mark-III MPCC Coma Corrector. IDAS D2 Light Pollution Suppression Filter
Flats taken with a Huion L4S Light Box.
Wireless Remote: PIXEL TW-283 DC2 2.4G.
Mount: - Skywatcher EQ6R.
Guiding: Skywatcher EvoGuide 50ED & ZWO ASI120MM-Mini.
Polar Aligned with SharpCap Pro.
Control Software: - Stellarium Scope, Stellarium, Poth Hub, EQMOD, All Sky Plate Solver, PHD Guiding 2 and PHD Dither Timer.
Processing Software: Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker and edited in Star Tools.
Moon: - New
Light Pollution and Location: - Bortle 8 in Davyhulme, Manchester.
Seeing: - Good
Notes: - I have got to the point where I can just set up and get going. This has taken me a long time to get to. I did take pictures for 2 nights but in the end only kept the second nights work. I may at some point come up with a successful re-process with both days data. In the end I felt 5 hours is enough for this setup although I have read somewhere that this object benefits from as much data as possible.
I think the flats on the first night and prior shots I’ve taken had too much exposure. I still think I am overexposing these as I am getting rings in my pictures. I’ll go even lower on the next object.