I was very pleased with this image of the iconic Sombrero Galaxy - my first image using the CEM70 mount.
My first image using the Askar 130PHQ was
this monochrome image of the moon, which I thought turned out pretty well.
Moving to a new mount was a significant step, with a lot to learn about the new equipment and software.
Clearoutside predicted three successive nights with almost ideal conditions, a perfect opportunity to try the CEM70 mount with the Askar telescope.
I experimented with focus, polar alignment, slewing, plate solving and exposure - that all went pretty well. Although seeing was not great, I decided to capture a few subs, to make sure I could get a reasonable image.
The Sombrero was in a good position, transiting at about 80° at around midnight, giving a few hours of clear imaging either side of the meridian. Unfortunately, the automated meridian flip failed, so I had to be content with the 35 subs captured before transit.
This image was stacked from 35 x 180s subs, combined with 20 x 180s subs captured the following night.
Although the stars are saturated and the image is only monochrome, I was very pleased it turned out as well as it did.
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