M20 Trifid Nebula with great guiding!

I've been busy getting the settings worked out in PHD since I changed from the 70mm guide scope to the 9x50 viewfinder setup.

I finally got it nailed down last night. I was able to catch a 10 minute single exposure guided with no star trails and nice round stars! (It's only taken a year to get the bugs worked out!)

The "test exposure" was of just a star field so nothing to really see.

I did manage to capture 3 each 2 minute images of M20 however. I would have taken more but I realized I was getting very close to the meridian and didn't want to take a chance of the scope doing a "flip".

Look at the little pin point stars...... I have never been able to get that precise of image before! I think I've finally got the bugs worked out!

Jupiter and 4 moons

While playing with the new setup, I visually spotted Jupiter rising in East, so I captured about 30 1/2 second images with the gain turned down. You can easily see 4 of her moons.

This years Bubble Nebula

With the 'dog house observatory' completed, now I have been focusing my attention towards longer exposures. I have the polar alignment pretty well dialed in and attempted some 5 minute exposures last night. I went pretty well (got three from the five I attempted). Still need to do some dialing in on PHD but I was happy with what I got. I also took some 2 minute exposures (8 stacked).

5 minute exposures:

2 minute exposures:

NGC6781

Image taken 8-9-10 (19 each 2 minute images) DSI IIc imager, SW 254N reflector with EQ5 pro mount. SSAG with 9x50 view finder for auto guiding. (Works Great!)

NGC 6781 is a nice representative of these cosmic bubbles. The planetary nebula lies a few thousand light-years away towards the constellation of Aquila (the Eagle) and is approximately two light-years across. Within NGC 6781, shells of gas blown off from the faint, but very hot, central star’s surface expand out into space. These shells shine under the harsh ultraviolet radiation from the progenitor star in intricate and beautiful patterns. The central star will steadily cool down and darken, eventually disappearing from view into cosmic oblivion.