| OBJECT |
M51 - Whirlpool Galaxy (image above is reduced-size crop | other sizes: medium , large) Distance: 30 million light years |
|
| Telescope | Takahashi TOA-130F @ f/7.7 | |
| Mount | Astro-Physics AP1100GTO (on ATS pier) >>>> first light!!! | |
| Camera | QSI 690wsg @ -15C | |
| Filters | Astrodon Tru-Balance I-Series LRGB Gen 2 | |
| Guider | SX Lodestar | |
| Settings | 7x10min L (bin1x1); 2x5min ea RGB (bin2x2); AstroArt5, PI, CS4 (uncropped, 10xdarks/flats/fdarks/bias) | |
| Date/Location Notes |
7 May 2023 - Las Cruces, NM This image is LRGB. The new AP mount performed flawlessly - no "three-point alignment" needed. Once I used the RAPAS to do the polar alignment - I had it slew to this target (M51), and it was already in the FOV of the TOA-130 at 1000mm FL!! Notice this (the full size) is uncropped, this is because the tracking was incredible on this - not a single bad frame due to tracking - not one. |
