Secret Still Observatory

'Star, star teach me how to shine, shine'

Mark

4 minute read

    Integration time:
    * SII 75 x 300s (375m)
    * Ha 86 x 300s (430m)
    * OIII 53 x 300s (265m)
    * Total: 1070m/17h50m

    Integration time target
    * Target: 20 hours
    * Progress: 89%

Notes

28th April 2023 I recently acquired a more capable processing PC which has opened the door to re-processing of lots of old data which was languishing untouched due to the unreasonable length of time required for the old PC to run Pixinsight. Nine months after the initial acquisition, the…

Mark

4 minute read

    Integration time:
    * SII 38 x 300s (190m)
    * Ha 50 x 300s (465m)
    * OIII 134 x 300s (670m)
    * Total: 1325m/22h05m

Notes

9th August 2022 Gathered more Ha data to take total integratime time over 20 hours. Only two dropped frames on a night of varying transprency where I nearly closed the observatory prior to imaging because of the amount of approaching cloud. I decided to let it run and let NINA handle re-centring etc should it be required. Now ready for processing.

Mark

3 minute read

    Integration time (running total):
    * SII 25 x 300s (205m)
    * Ha 21 x 300s (175m)
    * OIII 23 x 300s (200m)
    * Total: 855m/14h15m
    
    Integration time target
    * Target: 20 hours
    * Progress: 71%

From latitude 52° North this target is at it optimum altitude now and will continue to be available for several hours per evening well into the darker nights of autumn.

Mark

1 minute read

2nd July 2022 I ran the 200PDS on the Cave Nebula in narrowband and the Askar on the Cygnius Loop in OSC. Amazingly my tweaks to the AZ-GTI mount seem to have made the guiding work and although the guiding standard deviation was horrible the result was very tight round stars on the Askar. The guiding on the Newtonian was awful too and I think that the extreme humidity was affecting the seeing quite badly.

Mark

1 minute read

While the M51 project still has plenty to do to complete, a new project was started - the Iris Nebula (NGC7023) in broadband. Around eight hours of integration time were logged on the 8th, 10th and 11th June and this will be augmented over the next few clear evenings. Unfortunately in summer in the UK we have only 3 hours of semi-darkness and no astronomical darkness whatsoever.

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