SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

..... scared Ya didn't I? It's May, time to stab your eyes with some mediocre Astro picturds.
Naw, with all the spit and polished pictures, I kinda feel like my drivel can wait.
But once in a while, something new comes into the pile... Like M-5 two nights ago.
So, as is typical for me, and loving the nirvana of EAA, PHD2 guiding, Click and Slew-To of Stellarium, no-touch electronic focusing; I can dabble around in Stellarium, located any of innumerable victims then go suck the light out of them.
I was fiddling around with the Sombrero Galaxy, did my worst with it, and was dabbling around when this little cluster caught my eye. M-5 it said on the screen.
I rolled the mouse's wheel to zoom in, and thought to myself, well, lowly little star mass, I don't remember catching you before. Tag! You're it!
So I spent some time dialing in my usual trapping with time, and fine tuning my focus by single micro-steps, and collecting photons traveling from Deep Space into the lens of my telescope.
So some first burnt offerings for May. (Even some rainbow sprinkels for Pilot Jim. )

Shot from the backyard Open Air Sleepy Dog Observatory, in my increasingly light polluted skies (Bortle 7, Red Zone)
Celestron AVX mount, Orion ED80T CF telescope, Atik Infinity color Camera, Badder Moon and Skyglow filter, guided w/PHD2.
Subject - exposure time - images in stack - total time - w=web image - Other notes.

M-5-5s-40-(200s)w Cropped

(Download)

M-5-5s-40-(200s)Raw-w

(Download)

Sombrero-Galaxy-5s-80-(400s)w

(Download)

Sombrero-Galaxy-5s-150-(750s)w Cropped

(Download)

Sombrero-Galaxy-15s-20-(300s)w-rainbow-sprinkles, For Pilot Jim.

(Download)

Europa Loc: West Hills, CA

Sombrero looks good!

I can’t believe how short of exposures you have to do tho, I guess M5 needed 1 second exposures. Nice job.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

You got under the stars! It is the thing that counts!!

bwa

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

Great job Sonny, both look good to me. Now save some money for a little larger scope and you will get a better resolution. 😀😀
Craig

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Thanks Brian. I was trying to do better with the center mass. Those are both 5 second images stacked 40 in the stack.
Less time resulted in losing the smaller, fainter stars. 5 seconds seemed to work the best for me.

I was looking at the Bortle Scale and we are in the same red zones now.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Yep, but I'm getting real picky. I have so much light pollution it isn't worth the time unless the sky is real clear.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Bah, Ha, Ha, there is always more to buy...
Thanks Craig!
I don't have the best conditions to work from, but it's close to the house, fridge, and pillow...

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

You can never have a big enough scope until we learn how to hack Hubble 😉😉
Craig

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Oh, the Hubble is easy!
No processing, just enjoy.

In fact, it was one of my quandaries about pursuing Astrophotography. Why buy anything to do it yourself, when so much is a mouse click away?
Ultimately, obviously, I wanted to take my own images was the final answer. And I had you, and other Hedge Hogs helping me follow that dream.
With "bottom dweller" equipment.

One of my simple trophy shots....

Wizard Nebula w/ Meteor 10/27/2017 Infinity Camera

(Download)

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

Beautiful work Sonny, I would much rather look at our Amature work instead of Hubble.
Craig