SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Holy Moly, just got in a groove and shut down the bars and chased the drunks home....
Well figuratively.... I surrendered to the pillow at 3:30 AM.
I blame part of that on Orion showing up late to the party, then a brief hide and seek around the top of the power pole.
So the night started off with some M&M's, M-32 and M-110. I just wanted to see what I could pluck out of the area around Andromeda. And NGC 1027 which looked inviting as a cluster in the Heart Nebula. I was disappointed I couldn't seem to pull the red out of it.
After a while, it lead me off to Pleiades to sample some darker nebula. Which is as hard as pulling hens teeth, or plucking frogs hairs. But by the time I was tired of that, Orion was soon to arise. So I set off in Stellarium to track Orion, and wandered off to watch the News. Or L.A.'s rendition of what they call news. Mostly interested in the fires...
Ta-Da! Orion creeped up through the Light Pollution to my ENE direction around Midnight. Gottcha! I started fiddling with imaging. I was looking for a lot of short exposures, so I settled on 5 second exposures, and let them build. That process is boring enough that I woke up to 450, 5s images. Woopee! I saved them and went after the Flame and Horse-head Nebula's with Alnitak.
I gathered a bunch of varieties, and I even was thinking of you! So I saved some FIT and TIF files in case anyone might like to play. Download and try your hand. FITs, TIFF, and JPG's to enjoy.
So here's mine, and you are welcome to try some of my files in case your conditions weren't working for you. Feel free, and have fun!

I went to bed early last night...

M32 15s 30 images Centered (Andromeda at 3 o'clock)

(Download)

M110 15s 30 images

(Download)

NGC 1027 Globular cluster, 90s, 20 images

(Download)

The Pleiades M45

(Download)


(Download)

Alnitak, Flame, and Horsehead

(Download)

Some naturally occurring spires on Alnitak during one run

(Download)

barbie.lewis Loc: Livingston, Texas

Great night's work!

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Thanks Barbie!
Great nights fun!

Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

Looks to me as if you are having way to much fun for a grumpy old fart..
Really nice work Sonny. Nice bit of nebulosity on the Pleiades.
You are getting very good with that new, well not so new now, camera.
Keep em coming.
Jim

Europa Loc: West Hills, CA

WOW, looks like you are having the time of your life. Great showing for one night.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Thanks Jim!
I wish I could catch more of the Pleiades blue nebulosity. Maybe a Mono camera with certain filters can dodat?
I haven't done good with two different color cameras. You should try your Skyris Mono some evening.

I've been in touch with Atik about the camera not seeming to get the color it used to. Sometimes it do, but often it do not.
I asked if a software update would help, did one on my own, and it didn't. Sigh. And their software engineer insists there can be nothing wrong with the software. No sense arguing with a Demigod.
But it has ranged from vibrant, to monaural, and back. Not something I'd put on a mechanical problem. But I've tried different USB configurations to make sure I didn't have a wiring issue. And the color matrix doesn't change. So software is the next thing to consider. The stars and details stay sharp.
But the support has been a bit less than hoped for. Grumble, grumble, grumble....

Other than that, I'm loving how the camera works, and how I can frame my object. Then set PHD2 and take images till I'm bored, Then move on to something different. I did 40 different series' that night, of 6 objects, and I haven't added up the number of images total taken. But it has to be astronomical.
My Nikon would have been a pile of worn out pieces by now if I wasn't using Astro Cameras.
I took the last two nights off, watched recorded shows, vegged, and went to bed early. But part of that is from helping take care of sick Grand Kids. So far I'm good, but Grandma is sick now. Fevers and strep throat. Lovely!
She's at the doctors now...

Tonight's another night.... Another chance to do good!
It's all fun! Better than fishin.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Thanks Brian! I just got into boppin around, some of this and some of that.
The wife woke up at ~3 AM and asked what I was doing, it's 3 AM!!!
I told her, "Taking pictures!"
I got 4 hours of sleep, and still was up and ready to unload the girls when she got her with them.

Europa Loc: West Hills, CA

Sometimes it’s hard to walk away...Orion came into view about 2:30am last night...plan to get the horse head tonight.

Odd about your color issue, I do get some variance with light cloud cover or smoke, but I assume you have fairly clear skies this week.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

You do have fun bouncing around the sky...

We've had a snow storm for past three days so no imaging!

bwa

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Orion, and the Alnitak area are favorites of mine. The Great Orion Nebula is what drew me into this game.
And even though very hard for me to get the kind of detail others do with Orion, I still like to try.
I have my 'spot' for shooting the flame and horsehead nebula's. It's an obscure little star that brings the trio to a nice centering for me and my pea shooter.

I've been having almost perfect skies here. One night was funky, then it was clear around midnight.
But centering and framing are a joy now with the Infinity. I think I'm narrowing down the color issue, which is very odd indeed.
The coloration was so wonderful at first. And at times, like the Eagle Nebula, it is still. I'll figure it out, or work around it.
I think I'll go do a run through of mechanical with my mount (Level tripod, and some checks.) because it isn't guiding like it use too.
So what the heck? May as well make things better, or break them more.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

I was thinking of you when I put those images up on JumpShare.
Snow... burr! But that's just a part of being in God's Country.
It's been a trying year for your sky conditions. If it isn't smoke, it's clouds, and now snow.
Damn Aunt Lucy!

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Mine too! bwa

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

I'm hoping for a nice clear winter...

bwa

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

The snow should nail down any ash, and finish the fires off.
Hope, hope...

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

I think that they are all worth the effort Sonny. What camera did you use on the Orion's Nebula that the reds didn't come through???
Craig