M51 Whirlpool Galaxy

[Sargs]

Hi all,

The British weather hates astronomy so I haven't been able to do as much as I'd like, but I recently got a picture of M51 the Whirlpool Galaxy that I'm quite happy with. Atik One 6.0 + OAG kit, 10x30sec exposures each RGB, 20x30sec Luminance. Darks, Flats and Bias frames to taste. Telescope is a William Optics FLT98. So much to learn...

[Jo]

A lot to learn, but it looks like you're well on the way! The core in that image is lovely, and you've got nice, tight stars.

Is there any reason you're sticking to such short exposures?

[Sargs]

No good reason for it. I was mostly playing with a new electric focuser and only had an hour or so to do imaging. Given a choice between few long exposures and many short ones, I decided to try many short ones. In the past, I've done five minute exposures with no problem, but I never seem to have enough frames to get a decent reduction in the level of noise.

[Jo]

That's fair enough, especially with the weather we've had and having a play. Look forward to seeing some more!

[PAB64]

Short or not. That's still a good CCD picture of the "Whirlpool Galaxy"
Especially when you consider the small aperture that the WO FLT 98 has.

[patthehorse]

A lot in there for short subs.