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ASTRO: M65 and M66 Galaxies
Last night was one of those nights where you just gotta go for it: we had
some unforecast clear skies last night between monsoons of near-biblical proportion. We get hit again tomorrow :-( This time of year we can get rain and clouds for two to three weeks without any relief, so when I saw an opening last night I scrambled to get some time logged. I picked M65 and M66 because with the FOV I get with my ST10XME and my AP155EDF, it frames them both nicely. This is the first time I have shot any galaxies in a eon it seems. I actually put away the emission line filters and used my other filter wheel with the LRGB set (what's that dad?). After the rain we've had lately, I expected good transparency. Turns out to have been pretty dark, clear and the seeing was better than I expected looking at the jetstream map. I managed to log 5 exposures of 20 minutes each through my lum filter before the wispy stuff rolled through again. I decided to shoot a few darks and see what happened a bit later. When it cleared about an hour or so later, I decided to tear down, it was getting late and I was tired. So here is 100 minutes worth of luminance http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/m65_m66_page.htm |
#2
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ASTRO: M65 and M66 Galaxies
Hi Richard,
Nice shots! Thanks for sharing. Chuck Taylor Do you observe the moon? Try the Lunar Observing Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lunar-observing/ Lunar Picture of the Day http://www.lpod.org/ ************************************ "Richard Crisp" wrote in message m... Last night was one of those nights where you just gotta go for it: we had some unforecast clear skies last night between monsoons of near-biblical proportion. We get hit again tomorrow :-( This time of year we can get rain and clouds for two to three weeks without any relief, so when I saw an opening last night I scrambled to get some time logged. I picked M65 and M66 because with the FOV I get with my ST10XME and my AP155EDF, it frames them both nicely. This is the first time I have shot any galaxies in a eon it seems. I actually put away the emission line filters and used my other filter wheel with the LRGB set (what's that dad?). After the rain we've had lately, I expected good transparency. Turns out to have been pretty dark, clear and the seeing was better than I expected looking at the jetstream map. I managed to log 5 exposures of 20 minutes each through my lum filter before the wispy stuff rolled through again. I decided to shoot a few darks and see what happened a bit later. When it cleared about an hour or so later, I decided to tear down, it was getting late and I was tired. So here is 100 minutes worth of luminance http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/m65_m66_page.htm |
#3
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ASTRO: M65 and M66 Galaxies
Hi Richard
I moved FROM Castro Valley after 20 years about 5 years ago. How can you EVER get a clear night? Summer is the worse! It finally warms up and the fog rolls in. Anyway, your shots were great... Doink "CLT" not@thisaddress wrote in message ... Hi Richard, Nice shots! Thanks for sharing. Chuck Taylor Do you observe the moon? Try the Lunar Observing Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lunar-observing/ Lunar Picture of the Day http://www.lpod.org/ ************************************ "Richard Crisp" wrote in message m... Last night was one of those nights where you just gotta go for it: we had some unforecast clear skies last night between monsoons of near-biblical proportion. We get hit again tomorrow :-( This time of year we can get rain and clouds for two to three weeks without any relief, so when I saw an opening last night I scrambled to get some time logged. I picked M65 and M66 because with the FOV I get with my ST10XME and my AP155EDF, it frames them both nicely. This is the first time I have shot any galaxies in a eon it seems. I actually put away the emission line filters and used my other filter wheel with the LRGB set (what's that dad?). After the rain we've had lately, I expected good transparency. Turns out to have been pretty dark, clear and the seeing was better than I expected looking at the jetstream map. I managed to log 5 exposures of 20 minutes each through my lum filter before the wispy stuff rolled through again. I decided to shoot a few darks and see what happened a bit later. When it cleared about an hour or so later, I decided to tear down, it was getting late and I was tired. So here is 100 minutes worth of luminance http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/m65_m66_page.htm |
#4
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ASTRO: M65 and M66 Galaxies
"Doink" wrote in message ... Hi Richard I moved FROM Castro Valley after 20 years about 5 years ago. How can you EVER get a clear night? Summer is the worse! It finally warms up and the fog rolls in. Anyway, your shots were great... Doink Where did you move to, Doink? Are you still in the area? Glad you liked the shot. We moved here about 3 years ago from San Jose. You are right about the summers: the marine layer is tough. I end up doing Fremont Peak and some of the other mountain tops when the summer marine layer is back. The fall and spring and winter aren't too bad except for the rain. I guess I get 5-10 or so nights per month of clear skies; but obviously it varies. |
#5
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ASTRO: M65 and M66 Galaxies
"Richard Crisp" wrote in message om...
Last night was one of those nights where you just gotta go for it: we had some unforecast clear skies last night between monsoons of near-biblical proportion. We get hit again tomorrow :-( [snip] So here is 100 minutes worth of luminance http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/m65_m66_page.htm Very nice shot. I particularly liked the detail you were able to get. I remember last spring trying to locate M65 and M66 with my 60mm. Not a very good scope, mounted on a camera tripod (the one included fell apart within 3 months). But locating them was satisfying, even though I had to verify with my starmap that the two small fuzzy dots that I saw were galaxies and not stars! I have since upgraded scopes, and if the rain in socal leaves soon (though we do need it), I will see what they look like in a 4.5" scope. Erik socalsw |
#6
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ASTRO: M65 and M66 Galaxies
"socalsw" wrote in message om... "Richard Crisp" wrote in message om... Last night was one of those nights where you just gotta go for it: we had some unforecast clear skies last night between monsoons of near-biblical proportion. We get hit again tomorrow :-( [snip] So here is 100 minutes worth of luminance http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/m65_m66_page.htm Very nice shot. I particularly liked the detail you were able to get. I remember last spring trying to locate M65 and M66 with my 60mm. Not a very good scope, mounted on a camera tripod (the one included fell apart within 3 months). But locating them was satisfying, even Thanks, the seeing was better than average the night I took them, even though I shot them fairly early in the evening before they rose very high. The transparency was good too, we'd had about 7 days of rain/clouds preceeding it. The day or two before had been pretty windy too, so my theory is the weather swished the smog out of the valley.... |
#7
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ASTRO: M65 and M66 Galaxies
Hi, Richard,
Another great image! Keep them coming! You are keeping SAA alive. How is your CPT18 working out? I understand you have found a way to have it function as both a Newtonian and a Cassegrain? When you have a chance, could you post pictures of this set up, or pictures taken with it? When you have a chance. Ciao, Bill Meyers Richard Crisp wrote: Last night was one of those nights where you just gotta go for it: we had some unforecast clear skies last night between monsoons of near-biblical proportion. We get hit again tomorrow :-( This time of year we can get rain and clouds for two to three weeks without any relief, so when I saw an opening last night I scrambled to get some time logged. I picked M65 and M66 because with the FOV I get with my ST10XME and my AP155EDF, it frames them both nicely. This is the first time I have shot any galaxies in a eon it seems. I actually put away the emission line filters and used my other filter wheel with the LRGB set (what's that dad?). After the rain we've had lately, I expected good transparency. Turns out to have been pretty dark, clear and the seeing was better than I expected looking at the jetstream map. I managed to log 5 exposures of 20 minutes each through my lum filter before the wispy stuff rolled through again. I decided to shoot a few darks and see what happened a bit later. When it cleared about an hour or so later, I decided to tear down, it was getting late and I was tired. So here is 100 minutes worth of luminance http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/m65_m66_page.htm |
#8
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ASTRO: M65 and M66 Galaxies
"Bill Meyers" wrote in message ... Hi, Richard, Another great image! Keep them coming! You are keeping SAA alive. How is your CPT18 working out? I understand you have found a way to have it function as both a Newtonian and a Cassegrain? When you have a chance, could you post pictures of this set up, or pictures taken with it? When you have a chance. Ciao, Thanks Bill. Actually just yesterday I took delivery of the CPT18 frame. The optics are on order with expected delivery in May or June. I am working on solving the problem of how to support the instruments and baffle tube with a rear endcap sort of thing. The frame is a monster, but it fits in the backseat of my wife's car: I snapped a couple of shots before I unloaded it. Mark Wagner of Resource International, the maker of the frame, had requested I shoot these. They show that it really is portable. Full Resolution: http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...8_bmw540_1.jpg http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...8_bmw540_2.jpg VGA resolution (640x480): http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...40_1_small.jpg http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...40_2_small.jpg |
#9
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ASTRO: M65 and M66 Galaxies
Hello, Richard,
I went to the web site and there are great images by you but nothing on the CPT18 seems to have arrived yet. A couple of years ago, Ray Gralak was using a CPT18 and he achieved some remarkable images, but there has been silence from that quarter as far as CPT images go, as far as I know. But there is a lot I don't know since I was turned down for membership in the TAC imaging mailing list. (This was actually a high for me, since I had hardly ever been turned down for anything before, except the time I flunked the Army draft exemption because of too low a score on the written test.) I feel I know Mark Wagner well, though we have never met. Our email correspondence has been extensive. He is a classy guy and stands behind his products. I own a CPT10. The quality of the CNC machining work on it is excellent. The First Base mount works wonderfully. The CPTs do indeed collapse into a very small volume for transport, and they are easily set up for observing. I think you will like the CPT18, but as you imply, the folding aluminum OTAs are not lightweight, just a remarkably compact precision OTA with a remarkably compact and very stable First Base mount, in the case of the CPT10.. I look forward to the arrival of the CPT18 photos on darkhorizons, and to hearing your experience with it. Clear skies to you. You use them well. Bill Meyers Richard Crisp wrote: "Bill Meyers" wrote in message ... Hi, Richard, Another great image! Keep them coming! You are keeping SAA alive. How is your CPT18 working out? I understand you have found a way to have it function as both a Newtonian and a Cassegrain? When you have a chance, could you post pictures of this set up, or pictures taken with it? When you have a chance. Ciao, Thanks Bill. Actually just yesterday I took delivery of the CPT18 frame. The optics are on order with expected delivery in May or June. I am working on solving the problem of how to support the instruments and baffle tube with a rear endcap sort of thing. The frame is a monster, but it fits in the backseat of my wife's car: I snapped a couple of shots before I unloaded it. Mark Wagner of Resource International, the maker of the frame, had requested I shoot these. They show that it really is portable. Full Resolution: http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...8_bmw540_1.jpg http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...8_bmw540_2.jpg VGA resolution (640x480): http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...40_1_small.jpg http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...40_2_small.jpg |
#10
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ASTRO: M65 and M66 Galaxies
I am puzzled that the links below did not work for you. Is that what you are
saying? Full Resolution: http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...8_bmw540_1.jpg http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...8_bmw540_2.jpg VGA resolution (640x480): http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...40_1_small.jpg http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...40_2_small.jpg I sent you an email separately addressing some of the other comments you made. Best Richard "Bill Meyers" wrote in message ... Hello, Richard, I went to the web site and there are great images by you but nothing on the CPT18 seems to have arrived yet. A couple of years ago, Ray Gralak was using a CPT18 and he achieved some remarkable images, but there has been silence from that quarter as far as CPT images go, as far as I know. But there is a lot I don't know since I was turned down for membership in the TAC imaging mailing list. (This was actually a high for me, since I had hardly ever been turned down for anything before, except the time I flunked the Army draft exemption because of too low a score on the written test.) I feel I know Mark Wagner well, though we have never met. Our email correspondence has been extensive. He is a classy guy and stands behind his products. I own a CPT10. The quality of the CNC machining work on it is excellent. The First Base mount works wonderfully. The CPTs do indeed collapse into a very small volume for transport, and they are easily set up for observing. I think you will like the CPT18, but as you imply, the folding aluminum OTAs are not lightweight, just a remarkably compact precision OTA with a remarkably compact and very stable First Base mount, in the case of the CPT10.. I look forward to the arrival of the CPT18 photos on darkhorizons, and to hearing your experience with it. Clear skies to you. You use them well. Bill Meyers Richard Crisp wrote: "Bill Meyers" wrote in message ... Hi, Richard, Another great image! Keep them coming! You are keeping SAA alive. How is your CPT18 working out? I understand you have found a way to have it function as both a Newtonian and a Cassegrain? When you have a chance, could you post pictures of this set up, or pictures taken with it? When you have a chance. Ciao, Thanks Bill. Actually just yesterday I took delivery of the CPT18 frame. The optics are on order with expected delivery in May or June. I am working on solving the problem of how to support the instruments and baffle tube with a rear endcap sort of thing. The frame is a monster, but it fits in the backseat of my wife's car: I snapped a couple of shots before I unloaded it. Mark Wagner of Resource International, the maker of the frame, had requested I shoot these. They show that it really is portable. Full Resolution: http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...8_bmw540_1.jpg http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...8_bmw540_2.jpg VGA resolution (640x480): http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...40_1_small.jpg http://www.rdcrisp.darkhorizons.org/...40_2_small.jpg |
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