The Moon = First Light for 130PHQ & 2600MM (Gary JONES)

Contains: Solar system body or event

The Moon = First Light for 130PHQ & 2600MM

Acquisition type: Electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA, e.g. based on a live video feed)

The Moon = First Light for 130PHQ & 2600MM

Acquisition type: Electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA, e.g. based on a live video feed)

Although this image of the Moon is monochrome and not particularly remarkable, I was very pleased with it as the system's 'first light' debut.

After becoming familiar with the 130PHQ and AM5, I spent some time to design and build an auto-focus adapter for the 130PHQ, stability improvements for the TC40 tripod, and various improvements for the 2600MM.

After waiting weeks for good conditions, last night was their inaugural trip outdoors for 'first light'.

Imaging conditions were remarkably good - seeing was better than 1.0", with mild temperatures and virtually no cloud or wind.

Unfortunately, there were the inevitable teething problems ... achieving simultaneous focus for the OTA and OAG took some time, PA was made very difficult by the ever-increasing height of forest surrounding our back yard, and the WiFi connection to the ASIAir was unusually troublesome.

By the time I sorted those things out, 3 hours had passed and my intended target - the Horsehead Nebula - had disappeared behind the roof.

So, I decided instead to image the Moon as it set in the west, while it was visible for just a few minutes through a gap in the trees.

I photographed the RCW32 star field separately, capturing 36 x 3-minute subs, which forms the background for this image. This provided a good opportunity to test the system's focus management, tracking, guiding and flat field.

Autofocus was amazingly good, with HFD of just 2.6 pixels. Tracking and guiding were excellent, with guiding error < 0.25". Stars were round and crisp from corner to corner, confirming the quality of the 130PHQ's optics and flat field.

Fine Art Astrophotography
Australian Astrophotographers
Mac Users Group

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The Moon = First Light for 130PHQ & 2600MM

The Moon = First Light for 130PHQ & 2600MM

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The Moon = First Light for 130PHQ & 2600MM

The Moon = First Light for 130PHQ & 2600MM

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