First Moon Mosaic

I have removed the focal reducer and am now using the telescope at F/10. This means more magnification, though slower images. This is better for objects such as planets and  the Moon. So, here is my first ever mosaic, of an area called Grimaldi, near the limb of the Moon. Fairly flat image , because the Moon was almost full. The image is based on 500+ images, stacked and processed in Registax. Basically, this means the software selects the images that are closest to each other in focus, as the atmosphere distorts the images, then aligns and stacks them.

Grimaldi, in two pane mosaic

An unprocessed photo of the moon.

Single image  of Grimaldi, showing the effect of the atmosphere on a 'focussed' image

So, Registax is pretty good!

Cat's Eye Nebula in Draco

This is my first attempt, based on 60 mins exposures (30 x 2 min). IT is just possible to see the outer ring of gas. The 'eye' itself is pasted in (and looks like it), from 2 s exposures. I was also using the focal reducer, so , next time, it will be without and hopefully about 4 x more exposure.

Cat's Eye Nebula in Draco

Comet, Asteroid, Open Cluster and Nebula

A bit of a murky night, with a high haze and the moon gibbous and high in the south. So, instead of gathering more data on the galaxies in Aries, I did a bit of flitting about.

This is an animation made up from about 14 x 2 minute exposures, of the Comet Panstarrs, currently a little under 300,000,000 km from Earth, moving towards the Sun.

Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)

M1 The Crab Nebula in Taurus

NGC1513 Open Cluster in Perseus

Uranus

Vesta