If you had told me, on the day this thread started, that I would have taken another astro-image in my life, I would have called you a liar.
Yet, here I am, having imaged M3 last night, the first space imaging I've done since about 2003.
Using a client's mount (a brand that didn't even EXIST in 2003...), a CCD that didn't even EXIST in 2003, run through a reflector model that didn't even EXIST in 2003, guided by a webcam that didn't even EXIST in 2003, guiding through a fast focal ratio refractor (that one did exist back then...) using software that didn't even EXIST in 2003.
So weird. Even the idea of imaging with a short focal length reflector and guiding with an even shorted focal length refractor is still so alien to me...when I last did imaging, the CCDs were still barely 1Kx1K (if you were rich...an FLI Dream Machine was around $2000) and 9 or 10 micron pixels. You imaged through an f/7 or longer reflector or SCT (maybe 1400-1500 mm focal length), and guided by hand using a long focal length refractor (1000+mm) or an off axis guider. The CCD chips were small, low resolution, B&W and had fat pixels (we never thought that they would ever even APPROACH film grain...). No plate solving, no autoguiding, no multi-night imaging, for SURE no combining data from different camera/scope setups...LRGB was just really gaining steam, no narrow band stuff (the chips just weren't sensitive enough).
Now, you can buy a single shot color CMOS camera for $300 that will decimate anything I did back then.
The only thing that I don't like about the image is there's some strange artifacts...
Eric will understand. I did this using the free version of Nebulosity, they...um...watermark the images until you pay for the full version. I mean, they watermark ALL of the images. Darks, lights, everything.
So, ignore the watermarks from 15 darks and 15 30 second lights.
M3 Globular Cluster, Apr 2020
15x30 darks, 15x30 lights, no flats
Meade DSI-Pro I CCD camera, IR block filter
Celestron Omni 150mm f/5 reflector
Guide camera Phillips SPC900NC webcam, 0.5 reducer
Guide scope Orion ST80 short tube 80mm f/5 refractor
iOptron iEQ45 Alt/az mount on an iOptron pier
Guided using PhD2, imaged using Nebulosity 4.0
