2016-01-04 17:30-19:00
High clouds followed by low clouds, no wind, -5 degrees C
Exposures:
9x300s LIGHT
2016-02-03 19:00-03:30
Clear, no wind, no moon, moist, -2 degrees C
Exposures:
8x480s LIGHT
120x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2014-04-27 23:00-03:30
High clouds, no moon, no wind, 10 degrees C
M81+M82
Exposures:
28x480s LIGHT
2016-02-03 19:00-03:30
Clear, no wind, no moon, moist, -2 degrees C
M81+M82
Exposures:
24x480s LIGHT
2016-02-12 20:30-01:30
Clear followed by cloudy weather, no wind, setting moon, -6 degrees C
M81+M82
Exposures:
8x480s LIGHT
2016-02-28 19:30-23:00
Clear followed by fog, no wind, no moon, -3 degrees C
M81+M82
Exposures:
26x480s LIGHT
Total:
86x480s LIGHT
448x480s DARKS
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2016-02-29 19:30-22:30
Clear, no wind, no moon, -4 degrees C
M46+M47
Exposures:
30x240s LIGHT
116x480s DARKS
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2016-02-04 18:30-23:30
Clear, no wind, no moon, -2 degrees C
M78
Exposures:
10x300s+28x480s LIGHT
2016-02-12 20:30-01:30
Clear followed by cloudy weather, no wind, setting moon, -6 degrees C
M78
Exposures:
21x480s LIGHT
206x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2016-01-05 19:30-03:00
Some low clouds and ice crystals, no wind, -10 degrees C
Exposures:
8x480s LIGHT
2016-02-03 19:00-03:30
Clear, no wind, no moon, moist, -2 degrees C
Exposures:
14x480s LIGHT
169x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2016-01-05 19:30-03:00
Some low clouds and ice crystals, no wind, -10 degrees C
M42
Exposures:
6x480s+11x240s+10x60s+11x30s+10x15s LIGHT
2016-01-13 21:00-23:00
Clear, turbulent, low clouds, no wind, -11 degrees C
M42
Exposures:
8x300s LIGHT
2016-01-14 20:00-00:00
Clear, setting moon, no wind, -13 degrees C
M42
Exposures:
2x480s+18x300s+12x240s LIGHT
Total:
8x480s+26x300s+23x240s+10x60s+11x30s+10x15s LIGHT
79x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2016-01-06 20:30-01:00
Clear, no wind, -12 degrees C
IC434
Exposures:
35x300s+18x240s+2x120s LIGHT
2016-02-26 19:30-22:30
Clear, no wind, rising moon, -3 degrees C
IC434
Exposures:
2x120s+14x300s+12x480s LIGHT
Total
12x480s+49x300s+18x240s+4x120s
303x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
Testing the PixInsight GradientMergeMosaic tool.
IC1848:
2014-04-03 22:00-05:00 (2 hours lost due to a combination of hardware and software problems)
Clear, moon at the horizon, no wind, 0 degrees C
Exposures:
8x480s LIGHT
28x480s DARK
200 BIAS
IC1805:
2015-12-13 17:30-21:00 (2 hours lost due to Canon driver issue with Windows 10 and USB 3.0 setting in VMWare Fusion 8.1.0)
Some low clouds followed by fog, no wind, -3 degrees C
Exposures:
9x480s LIGHT
60x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2015-12-13 17:30-21:00 (2 hours lost due to Canon driver issue with Windows 10 and USB 3.0 setting in VMWare Fusion 8.1.0)
Some low clouds followed by fog, no wind, -3 degrees C
IC1805
Exposures:
9x480s LIGHT
60x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2014-09-26 22:00-01:30
Fast moving low clouds, windy, 10 degrees C
M31 – Andromeda Galaxy
Exposures:
20x60s+13x180s+5x480s LIGHT
2015-10-14 21:00-03:00
Some high clouds, no moon, some wind, 5 degrees C
M31 – Andromeda Galaxy
Exposures:
10x60s+40x480s LIGHT
48x60s+20x180s+100x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
The supermoon lunar eclipse photographed from my backyard.
6 s exposure at ISO200.
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO200
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Software: BackyardEOS, Photoshop
I’ve also made a short timelapse movie of the event from my images taken that night:
2015-08-14 23:30-03:00
Very clear, no moon, some wind, 14 degrees C
NGC7023
Exposures:
27x480s LIGHT
2015-08-18 23:00-03:00
Clear, no moon, some wind, 14 degrees C
NGC7023
Exposures:
25x480s LIGHT
85x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2015-08-13 23:30-01:30
Few high and low clouds, no moon, some wind, 14 degrees C
IC5146
Exposures:
15x480s LIGHT
2015-08-23 22:30-02:00
Few high clouds, setting moon, some wind, 15 degrees C
IC5146
Exposures:
26x480s LIGHT
91x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2015-08-19 23:00-03:00
Very clear, no moon, no wind, 14 degrees C
NGC7331
Exposures:
9x480s LIGHT
2015-08-20 00:00-01:00
Low clouds, no moon, no wind, 14 degrees C
NGC7331
Exposures:
7x480s LIGHT
2015-08-21 22:30-03:30
Clear, no moon, no wind, 12 degrees C
NGC7331
Exposures:
35x480s LIGHT
85x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2015-08-12 23:30-03:30
Very clear, no moon, no wind, 9 degrees C
M52
Exposures:
27x480s LIGHT
49x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2015-08-08 23:30-03:30
Clear, rising moon, no wind, 10 degrees C
NGC 7000 North America Nebula, IC 5070 Pelican Nebula
Exposures:
24x480s LIGHT
52x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2015-04-19 23:30-03:00
Clear, no moon or wind, 6 degrees C
2014-04-03 02:00-05:00
Clear, moon at the horizon, no wind, 0 degrees C
M87+M88+M99+Markarian’s Chain
Exposures:
23+21x480s LIGHT
45x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2015-04-20 23:00-03:00
Clear, no moon or wind, 7 degrees C
NGC4631
Exposures:
24x480s LIGHT
44x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2015-04-21 23:00-03:00
Clear, no moon, some wind, 6 degrees C
M13
Exposures:
20×60+20×120+20×240+8x480s LIGHT
40×60+40×120+40×240+46x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
2015-04-15 23:30-02:00
Very clear, no moon, some wind, humid, 3 degrees C
Power supply broke, telescope set up in a hurry
2015-04-18 00:30-03:00
Initial low clouds followed by clear, no moon, little wind, 1 degrees C
M98+M99+M100
Exposures:
39x480s LIGHT
67x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop