M3

Looking for objects to image I decided on Messier 3.  My first and only image of this Globular cluster was a terrible looking 3-minute 20-second total exposure taken over 3 years ago after I upgraded the stock focuser on the ED80 for a Moonlite Dual Speed focuser. M3 is Globular Cluster with about 500,000 stars and 33,000 light-years from Earth located in the constellation of Canes Venatici.  Like most most globular clusters it is not in the galactic plane but is found above it.  Ironically, M3 is known to be a metal-rich cluster whereas M53 which I imaged the same night is a noteworthy metal-poor cluster.

I captured M3 the same night I did M53 so again I used Stellarium to control my mount.  I understand this maybe old news to most but it is new to me.  I made a written tutorial and video (though not Astrobackyard quality) of how I control my mount using Stellarium and posted on my website:

http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/2018/05/controlling-go-to-mount-with-stellarium.html

It should work for most other mounts as well.  I think the next step in this progression will be using EQMOD to have total control of my mount and for plate solving but that will be while.

Crop

Wide Field

M3
Location: Happy Frog Observatory, Monroe, CT
Date: 05-08-18
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i(a), AstroPhotography Tool APT)
Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 600mm
f/7.5
Focal Reducer: Orion 0.8x Focal Reducer for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ (HEQ5)
Filter: Astrodon UV/IR
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: 46 x 90s
ISO: 1600
Temp: 10 C
Post Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop, Gradient Exterminator, Astronomy Tools
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/

Controlling an Equatorial Mount with Stellarium

This maybe old news to some (or most) but here is a tutorial of how to control an Orion Sirius EQ-G (Skywatcher HEQ5) telescope mount using Stellarium.  It should work for most other mounts as well.  I pretty much followed the directions form a video by Slymin on youtube which posted below.

Necessary Equipment:
Hand Controller
USB-to-Serial adapter

RS-232 Connector Cable (comes with mount)

Additional Equipment:

USB 3.0 Hub (with at least 5V/2.5A)

Hardware:

First Connect the hand controller to the mount as you normally would and then connect the RS-232 Connector Cable to the open jack on the back of the hand controller. Next connect the other end of the RS-232 cable to the USB-to-Serial adapter.  You can then connect the USB to the computer, however, I purchased a powered USB 3.0 Hub as I ran out of open ports on my laptop.  The hardware portion is done.

Connecting Software:

To get the system to work you must first setup and align your mount as you normally would.  Open Stellarium and have it the view towards the north since that is where your telescope is presumably pointing.  1) Open the Configuration window on the left side of the screen, 2) then select Plugins, 3) scroll down to Telescope Control, 4) check the Load at Startup box and configure box. 5) Add telescope 6) check Stellarium, directly though serial port and then name the telescope, 7) make sure your com port is correct and select your device (hand controller) for your mount (SkyView for the Sirius mount), 8) Lastly, select start and a circle with cross hairs appears on Stellarium where the telescope is pointing.

In order to move to a new object, simply select it like you normally would using Stellarium and then press the Control and number 1 key at the same time.

Start Stellariumscope

Connect

Open Stellarium in Stellariumscope

M53 - Revisited

I wanted image something other than a galaxy so I decided to re-image M53 since it was over two years since I last captured this object. I took about 55 exposures on May 1 thinking it was clear, however, there was lots of moisture in the air and there were very thin high clouds.  I processed the the data anyway and produced an image that was a bit better than the one I did two years ago but I knew I could do better.  M53 is a globular cluster located 60,000 light-years in the Coma Berenices constellation. It interesting in that it is metal-poor compared to other clusters. Also interesting, there seems to be a tidal connection between M53 and its diffuse neighbor, NCG 5053, which is in the lower left of my image (source: wikipedia).

My processing has improved significantly since then as well as my capture regime.  I choose to keep it wide field as I liked the background which I did not darken as much as I normally would.  Also, I again used APT for camera control.  The newest thing I did was controlling my mount with Stellarium. This was really cool and much simpler than I imagined.  I did not think I would like controlling my mount with Stellarium as much as I do but it is a big time savor for me especially since I have to change the orientation of my telescope in order to open and close the roof of my astronomy shed.

M53
Location: Happy Frog Observatory, Monroe, CT
Date: 05-08-18

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i(a), AstroPhotography Tool APT)
Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 600mm
f/7.5
Focal Reducer: Orion 0.8x Focal Reducer for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ (HEQ5)
Filter: Astrodon UV/IR
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: 37 x 90s

ISO: 1600
Temp: 10 C
Post Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop, Gradient Exterminator, Astronomy Tools
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/