Second EAA session with the Geoptik EQ platform

It was another clear night so I decided to take the Geoptik EQ platform out again. This time no clouds appeared. Also I spent more time aligning (and leveling) the platform. My script might need some work though I'm not sure it helps once the telescope is "lined" up with the north meridian.

I went for 10s exposures on most targets. There were a lot of bad frames and the live stack looked pretty bad. However the stacked images with my stackfit.js were pretty decent. So I guess the platform is better than my previous one. Overall drift is low and the use of teeth to transmit motion should be more consistent than simple friction. Rewinding the platform by simply pressing a button is also nice.

I used the L-Enhance filter for nebulas and the L-Quad filter on other targets.

Observations:

  • C27 Crescent Nebula - Cygnus
  • C20 North America Nebula - Cygnus
  • SH2-101 Tulip Nebula - Cygnus
  • C34 West Veil Nebula - Cygnus
  • C30 Deer Lick Group - Pegasus
  • M27 Dumbbell Nebula - Vulpecula
  • M71 Angelfish Globular Cluster - Sagitta
  • M56 Globular Cluster - Lyra
  • C12 Fireworks Galaxy - Cepheus
  • C4 Iris Nebula - Cepheus
C27 Crescent Nebula - 37x10s

C20 North America Nebula - 19x10s

SH-2 101 Tulip Nebula - 22x10s

C34 West Veil Nebula - 28x10s

C30 Deer Lick Group - 26x10s

M27 Dumbbell Nebula - 18x10s

M71 Angelfish Cluster - 45x3s

M56 - 61x3s

C12 Fireworks Galaxy - 18x10s

C4 Iris Nebula - 44x10s