New Images for the Messier Quest

Testing out a new autoguider and obtaining new shots for my quest of imaging all 110 Messier objects with an ED80. My old autoguider was the Orion G3 Color Imaging camera. This did work but it took a while to go through the alignment process in PHD guiding and since I never used it for general imaging, I decided to sell that on Ebay and get a monochrome camera that was dedicated as an autoguider. I chose the QHY-5L-II-M, which is equivalent to the Orion Starshoot Autoguider Pro only less expensive. This camera aligns much quicker than the G3 ever did and I can use it for solar system objects and star clusters.

M15 and M52 were both visible from my front lawn for few hours the other night and I was able to get some pretty decent shots, although I had to set up a screen to block my new neighbors three flood lights that they installed. A bonus with M52 was the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635) which I was not sure I would get with my Orion ED80. Since it came out better than I expected, I will revisit the Bubble sometime in the future.

M15 - Globular Cluster (33,600 LY, 100,000 stars)


M15 - Globular Cluster
Location: Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 11/3/15 9:27 pm
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i, Backyard EOS
Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to and Orion Short Tube 80mm
Focal Length: 600mm
f/7.5
Exposure: 9-60s, 9-90s (total exposure, 22.5 min)
ISO: 800
Post Processing: DSS, PS, Picasa3 (crop)

M52 - Open Cluster (~5,000 LY, ~193 stars)


M52 - Open Cluster
Location: Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 11/3/15 10:44 pm
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i, Backyard EOS
Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to and Orion Short Tube 80mm
Focal Length: 600mm
f/7.5
Exposure: 30-90s (total exposure, 45 min)
ISO: 800
Post Processing: DSS, PS, Picasa3 (crop)

NGC 7635 - Bubble Nebula (7,100-11,000 LY, emission nebula)


NGC 7635 - Bubble Nebula
Location: Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 11/3/15 10:44 pm
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i, Backyard EOS
Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to and Orion Short Tube 80mm
Focal Length: 600mm
f/7.5
Exposure: 30-90s (total exposure, 45 min)
ISO: 800
Post Processing: DSS, PS, Picasa3 (crop)