My first ever DSO image...I am cruel

It looks pretty damn fine to me, Tej!

I encourage anyone looking at that pic to click on it to see some of Tej's other shots on Flickr. The sun photos are excellent (especially the ones with the airplanes!), some of the moon shots are just wonderful - and I'm envious as hell about your Jupiter and Saturn photos!

Poor little M92... whatever has it done to you to deserve such treatment 😉

Seriously though, Tej, I think this is a great effort given the constraints that you've put in your path! You are right that DSS can handle field rotation, but your 25 second exposures are inevitably going to cause bloated stars, which is exactly what you've got. I think you're going to have to get an equatorial mount if you are serious about this sort of photography (or you can get a wedge for your mount... though I'm not keen on wedges as they always seem horribly unstable).

I've given up doing DSO images in London... it's just too frustrating. When I have done it in the past, I created flats by shining a weak light source on to a collapsible photo reflector that I have for "normal" photography. It helps if someone can hold the reflector in front of your scope whilst you image. There are better methods, I'm sure.

As regards using light pollution filters... I've thought about buying one of these, but I'm not convinced they are worth it. Most of my astronomy is visual, as you know, so it's pointless using one... much better to use a narrowband filter for certain objects (e.g. OIII for the Orion Nebula). I'd probably lose half-a-magnitude, at least, for visual work by using a light pollution filter. For photographic work, I'd probably lose over one stop of light by using them... don't like that idea... I'd prefer to deal with light pollution in post processing.

And Tej, you are right, light pollution filters don't help very much with the new LED street lights which seem to be going up everywhere. The whole of Blackheath is now polluted with these bloody things. Yes, you will probably get better contrast using a filter, but they are becoming less effective as the old sodium lights are replaced.

My tip... get to a dark sky site!

Your tips duly noted, Mike...but here is the big twist...I do own an equatorial, a pretty decent one, an HEQ5 Pro Synscan.  And I have an Equinox 80 Apochromatic refractor which perhaps I should have used instead of my 8" SCT.  If you recall I used to carry two huge bags containing both telescope systems to the Blackheath stargaze sessions!  But like a fool, I hauls the damn thing around on bus and foot and never use it, lol.

You know what's more embarrassing, though, to have owned it for over a year and hardly ever using it!   Its not that I dont want to use it, I cant wait to but up to now, I have either been doing just visual observing outdoors or doing planetary imaging for which in both cases my Alt Az was very sufficient and also far far more portable and convenient in setup.  As most of my planetary work has been done indoors, I cant use the equatorial due to being unable to see polaris to align to.

However, now that I have begun the DSO astrophotography journey, you can bet I WILL be using it!  But not  ever at group stargazing events in Blackheath etc because at those events I want to do visual work and show visitors the views through my scope and mingle around with other people's telescopes ;).  As I don't have a car, its not easy for me to get to dark sights on my own and do imaging so what I tend to do is whenever I do have to go out of London for any reasons, be it work related or attending events, I would book an accommodation relatively far from light pollution but not too far for which I need to attend the event and practice my astrophotography or enjoy visual astronomy.  I dont know if you recall, my first Flamsteed Romney trip, I booked my own  accomodation nearby for a few nights to enjoy the dark skies.  So I had done that a few times last year and will continue to do so but this time with the confidence of doing DSO imaging on an equatorial.

So Next week in Brecon Beacons I will have a week of dark skies and will definitely use my equatorial mount.  I will have to learn how to do precise polar align before then though.  Oh and I didnt mention that I also have a complete Starshoot autoguider system,  again, I had it for over a year and never used it, lol.

The key thing for me is regardless of the light pollution obstacles, that I learn and keep practising the procedure of DSO imaging and as an extra endeavour to push the boundaries of the Alt az/light pollution limitations to show/encourage others with similar limitations that we can get results in the mean time before upgrading to an equatorial, albeit with cruel treatment to the DSOs true beauty 😉

Thanks both of you for your kind comments and Mike for your tips.

Picture of the twat hauling the heavy HEQ5 equatorial in the cricket wheelie bag and never using it 😉

So, just to be clear, you have a really nice, relatively portable, imaging kit... nice f/6 scope and an auto guider... a HEQ5 mount (use one myself as you know)... and you don't use it 😮 . Look, if you don't want it, I'll give you 50 quid for the lot 😉

As most of my planetary work has been done indoors, I cant use the equatorial due to being unable to see polaris to align to.

If you can get the mount level and pointing magnetic north, then set your latitude, this is usually near enough rough polar alignment for observation purposes only. Also, if you've updated your firmware on the HEQ5, you can adjust your rough polar alignment using any bright star. Not sure if you are aware of this?

[EDIT: Firmware you need is version 3.35]

£50!  wow, how can I refuse that offer! 😀

Regards to rough polar alignment on the HEQ5 for visual observation, I did know that but when it comes to just visual observation, from my personal perspective, my Celestron Nexstar 8SE wins over the equatorial for two reasons, portability, quick and simple setup and it tracks objects beautifully for visual observation.  Also, indoors, I can just use the mount, plump it on the table beside the window and peer into the cosmos, Galileo style, albeit with a Goto handset in my hand 🙂  I love love love this telescope.  It is my first telescope purchase and even if the day arrives, when I have a garden to build my own personal observatory with a 30" F3 (dreaming is allowed, right?), the Nexstar will still remain my trusted soul mate 🙂

However....Mike, I did not know I can polar align the HEQ5 Pro to any bright star!!!  That might very well turn the table around on my beloved Nexstar! Is this called Drift alignment that I hear about by any chance?  Does this mean I can even use it at my bedroom window?  I will certainly investigate this further as I very much want to practice DSO imaging with the equatorial as much as possible.

Picture of the twat hauling the heavy HEQ5 equatorial in the cricket wheelie bag and never using it

Tej, I haven't got the huge amount of technical astrophotography experience that you and Mike have got, but the one problem I can see is this: it's daylight! You're not going to see anything! 😉

Ha, you really drove the nail in, now I have to change my description from twat to village idiot!

I did not know I can polar align the HEQ5 Pro to any bright star

Check the firmware on your handset... if it's version 3.35 you can do it... if it's not, then do a flash update of the firmware using the instructions on the Skywatcher website. See here. (Don't use the v4 firmware... use the v3).

You'll find the option under "Setup -> Alignment -> Polar Alignment"

You will probably find you have to do it several times to get the mount very accurate, but it does work in my experience.

Is this called Drift alignment

God, no!!! I'd rather boil my head than do drift alignment. Tedious, tedious, tedious... takes an age. With a portable set up, you've lost half your session before you can even start.

it’s daylight! You’re not going to see anything!

He has a point, you know 😉

[EDIT: See page 35 of this manual for full details on how to use the polar alignment feature]

village idiot

Sadly, so many villages are losing their pubs, their post offices, their churches... and it can be really hard to find a top class village idiot.

Mike, that polar alignment is a real revelation. Thank you.  Cant wait to try it out tonight...will need to blow the cobwebs off...so embarrassing.

Andy, that really is sad 🙁

Hey Tej

Arriving to this late but not a bad first image.....

Don't give up on the LP filter, they are worth their weight. You just need to play with settings a little to get the most from them. You can clean up a lot in processing but you need decent signal to noise in the first place so getting rid of as much mush is worth it.

You can do a few things to improve your Alt-Az mount setup like using a field de-rotator but to be honest none are cheap and given your other hobby of lugging that rucksack around, its best to just get out somewhere with your HEQ5. For any thing half decent you will need to get the exposure up to at least 3-5 mins which will need guiding.

Polar accuracy is key. The Polar Alignment aid on the handset seems to work OK. I personally now use something called Alignmaster. With a GPS dongle this will accurately set polar alignment. Skywatcher seemed to have copied the idea for the handset but I don't think its quite as accurate. Drift aligning is very long winded and does not allow for refraction. A lot of people use it but its a bit tedious.

Anyway, I am planning to have a little practical workshop in the field now its getting dark covering all the basics of DSO. Will keep you posted.

Best

Rupert

I personally now use something called Alignmaster

Never used this, but have heard good things about it. Link is here.

You're right that the Polar Alignment feature on the Skywatcher is not as accurate... I normally find that I have to repeat the process 3 or 4 times to get it spot on. Still, it does work pretty well.

[EDIT: One thing that does throw out the procedure with the Synscan handset on the Skywatcher is if your mount is not completely level... even if you are slightly out, I find that I have problems. I'd recommend getting a simple boat level to ensure that your mount is level... don't rely on the bubble level built in to many mounts]

Thank you Rupert, Mike.  That Alignment software seems so relatively simple to use compared to the normal polar alignment routine.

I'll have a go with the handset and see how I fare with that first.  But I think the GPS dongle sounds like the more priority purchase because I dont feel my mobile phone GPS is reliable in getting the long/lat coordinates.  I expect a dedicated GPS unit will be more accurate?  Will go buy this one today:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/usb-gps-dongle-a73kf

Mike, I actually do use a spirit level and I am always checking its own accuracy by ensuring the bubble is in exactly the same position when i turn the spirit level around.  Its always part of my toolkit.

Thanks guys, will start using the HEQ5 more and will be in Brecon Beacons on Saturday for 4 days, so I hope to get a good grip on what I have learnt and no doubt learn more while I am there to shoot the dark skies.  I'll concentrate fully on ensuring the best focus (I think I am happy with my focussing with the Bahtinov Mask), collimation and accurate polar alignment.  I am not sure if I should also try autoguiding (I have all the stuff needed) or whether I should leave that for another time as a next step in my learning curve.