Details

• Rig: ZWO ASI294MC Pro + Orion Optics CT8 + EQ6R-Pro
• Accessories: ZWO ASI220MM Mini guide camera + ZWO OAG v2
• Software: NINA/PixInsight
• Filters: Antlia ALP-T Dual Narrowband
• Constellation: Cygnus

    Integration time (running total):
    * OSC 21 X 300s (105m)
    * Total: 1h45m

    Integration time target
    * Target: 6 hours
    * Progress: 29%

Seeing index: OK/Poor (3/2)
Jet stream: Average (11 m/s)
Transparency: OK (3)

Notes

The deployment of the Orion Optics CT8 seems to have been long and drawn out. I have found what I think is a broken primary mirror clip which was causing the mirror to flop as the telescope slewed to different points of the sky. Some delicate and judicious tightening of all three clips appears to have almost completely fixed this but the issue remains to be fully addressed. I collimated the optical train in the daytime and then spent some time getting a precise star collimation once it evetually went dark. This revealed the optical collimation to be some way out. The Baader MPCC MkIII coma corrector doesn’t fix coma completely but Blur Xtermninator resolves any remaining traces of eccentric stars. I would like to resolve this fully but for the time being the results are good enough.

The new StellarDrive upgrade to the mount continues to impress and the addition of an OAG with a ZWO ASI220MM mini has given dramatically better guiding consistency. There is still much refinement to be made but the skies were bouncy last night and precise adjustment was more or less impossible. The short summer night left only 1h45 left in which to image but the final result from what is a true light-bucket of a scope were surprisingly good.