First shot using the Atik Horizon Mono version - North American Nebula

[JimH123]

Went out last night with the mono Horizon and gave it a try.  Since this was a first try, only hitched it up with the 60mm AstroTech AT60ed along with the field flattener from my Explore Scientific ES102ed and I must not have had the spacing to the sensor incorrect since I see coma distortion in the corners.

I found the Horizon a joy to use with the Infinity SW.  I also tried stacking the FIT files, but they didn't make the nebula show up as well.  This image is an onscreen capture and then stretched in Photoshop.  A Hydrogen beta filter was used.

[JimH123]

Adding a shot of Deneb to test how well the Horizon Mono handled a bright star.  Used an UHC/LPR filter.  Same Coma distortion in the corners, but this is a problem with the scope, not the camera.

[dpaul]

Jim

What is the scope?
I use the televue Paracorr (type 2) on my F3.5 and Coma is hard to detect.

David

[dpaul]

Jim

Ignore my previous message, I now see what your scope was - what is the F number though?

It seems the North American Nebula image also isn't focused fully either, its not all coma.


Regarding imaging, I only use the infinity software to find and centre object and start the cooling. All frame captures are done with Artemis software and files are fits, all processing (including stacking) is with Pixinsight.


I only started imaging last December.


David

[JimH123]

This was an AstroTech 60mm f6.  I decided to use it for the first shot.  And I found that I needed to have the field flattener at a 45mm distance.  Just received the adapters to mount the filter wheel between the camera and the field flattener and still maintain the 45mm distance.  I also need to get used to focusing as the sample rate is taking about 4 sec.  I also changed filters and should have refocused.  The field flattener was purchased for the ES102ed which is a f7 scope.  So using it on an f6 scope should be OK.  And this is the time of the year for nebulae.

I actually have 4 scopes.  Additionally, the Explore Scientific ES102ed.  The Orion 8" f3.9 Astrograph reflector and the Celestron 9 1/4" Evolution.

Decided to use the simplest route for the first shot, and discovered that I had the field flattener at the wrong spacing.

I will give it a try again once the moon moves out of the way.  Plus, the air here in California has a lot of smoke in it lately.

[dpaul]

Thanks for extra info Jim

David