M1 12/31/10 – 1/1/11
Hello Everyone,
Here in Seattle we have had three months of constant rain. Now that’s a long time since I’ve had the telescope out!
During the rain I did a lot of maintenance work on the CGE mount, including replacing the DEC and RA electrical connectors with DIN plugs – a major project!
As you can see below, the work paid off! The scope is working great, and the new finder-guider scope is doing a great job.
This particular image of M1 is the result of two nights of imaging combined into a single image. Here are the specifics:
M1 (aka the “Crab Nebula”) is a supernova remnant
58 exposures, with 5-minute subs at ISO 1600
Imaging scope: Celestron C11 on CGE Mount
Reducers: Celestron f/6.3 focal reducer
Filters: Astronomik CLS
Imaging camera: Canon XS/1000d with heatmirror replace with Baader filter glass
Guide scope: Modified Celestron 9×50 finder scope
Guide camera: Orion Starshoot Autoguider
Captured with Nebulosity
Background Flattened with Fitswork
Stacked in DSS
Guided with PHD
Some facts about M1:
“The Crab Nebula (Messier 1), located in the constellation of Taurus, is a supernova remnant (SNR), the result of a cataclysmic supernova explosion in the year 1054. This explosive death of a star was so bright that it could be seen in the daytime sky for 23 days, and was documented by astronomers throughout the Far East.”