Messier 8 - a midsummer night treasure

http://www.astromart.com/common/imag...999/789304.jpg
http://www.astromart.com/common/image_popup.asp?image=/images/forums/789000-789999/789304.jpg

Shot in the city, last night, overlooking a brightly lit Home Depot parking lot, during a scorching Midwest summer night, thru thin clouds that glowed like Gotterdammerung. Thank goodness for narrow band H-a filters! Unguided I might add since I could not keep a guide star going thru those clouds that continually swept thru the field.

Image details:
6 x 5 minute exposure thru Baader 7nm H-a filter, 175EDF refractor working at F6 with TCC telecompressor, SBIG - STL11K camera, AP 1600 mount with precision encoder feedback.

Uncarollo

On Thursday, June 28, 2012 11:58:02 AM UTC-7, Uncarollo2 wrote:
http://www.astromart.com/common/imag...999/789304.jpg
http://www.astromart.com/common/image_popup.asp?image=/images/forums/789000-789999/789304.jpg

Shot in the city, last night, overlooking a brightly lit Home Depot parking lot, during a scorching Midwest summer night, thru thin clouds that glowed like Gotterdammerung. Thank goodness for narrow band H-a filters! Unguided I might add since I could not keep a guide star going thru those clouds that continually swept thru the field.

Image details:
6 x 5 minute exposure thru Baader 7nm H-a filter, 175EDF refractor working at F6 with TCC telecompressor, SBIG - STL11K camera, AP 1600 mount with precision encoder feedback.

Uncarollo

Nice, Thanks!

On Jun 28, 8:58*pm, Uncarollo2 wrote:
http://www.astromart.com/common/imag...images/forums/....

Image details:
6 x 5 minute exposure thru Baader 7nm H-a filter, 175EDF refractor working at F6 with TCC telecompressor, SBIG - STL11K camera, AP 1600 mount with precision encoder feedback.

Uncarollo

Stunning! :-)

Again, it's not a criticism, but I find myself mentally totting up the
total price of your equipment. Then asking myself why you didn't just
move to better skies? Isn't it rather like owning a wonderful boat but
deliberately living right in the middle of a desert? Or owning a
research submarine. Which you can only ever use in your swimming
pool. ;-)

On Friday, June 29, 2012 1:51:08 PM UTC-5, Chris.B wrote:
On Jun 28, 8:58*pm, Uncarollo2 wrote:
http://www.astromart.com/common/imag...images/forums/....

Image details:
6 x 5 minute exposure thru Baader 7nm H-a filter, 175EDF refractor working at F6 with TCC telecompressor, SBIG - STL11K camera, AP 1600 mount with precision encoder feedback.

Uncarollo

Stunning! :-)

Again, it's not a criticism, but I find myself mentally totting up the
total price of your equipment. Then asking myself why you didn't just
move to better skies? Isn't it rather like owning a wonderful boat but
deliberately living right in the middle of a desert? Or owning a
research submarine. Which you can only ever use in your swimming
pool. ;-)

Well, it cost less than a new Corvette, and won't depreciate. Also, I can't really move, my job is right here. Over the last 25 years it has become more and more difficult to find skies for observing. Using this equipment allows someone to do astronomy close to home, even if it's in an urban environment. We can't all live on some mountaintop in Kockaburra.

Uncarollo

On Jun 29, 10:21*pm, Uncarollo2 wrote:

Well, it cost less than a new Corvette, and won't depreciate.

Corvettes in Denmark are probably as rare as AP systems.
Conversely, we do have very dark skies.

We can't all live on some mountaintop in Kockaburra.

Just as well. The rapidly increasing light pollution would soon make
astronomy impossible.

I blame Edison. ;-)