After fiddling around quite some time with the R200SS I gave up on trying to improve collimation and solving the mystery of the overcorrecting flat frames and just went for broke on M42. At F/3.9 I had to reduce the core subs quite substantially in length (5s) to get a passable HDR composition. I chose another layer in between at 30s to be 'safe'. Looking at the masks from HDRComposition in PI, it seems the 30s were also used effectively for the transition area.
The main subs were shot at 180s (my default when shooting broadband).
M42 was the first target I slewed to when I was starting out with AP in February 2021. Back then, I used my old DSL-R on the R200SS and the GP-DX mount without guiding. Results were as to be expected, but I was totally hooked after seeing the result. This is 5x60s total integration.
When my AP efforts really took off, it was already past Orion season, so this early favourite of mine had to wait.
Since my main refractor rig was always busy will those nice winter emission nebulae, M42 almost slipped through again.
At the end of February with the seasonal window closing again, southern Germany was finally gifted with a forecast of clear nights during new moon, so I decided to go on a very late mission and eventually capture the Orion nebula with the R200SS to close the circle after a year of an amazing learning experience, hours and hours of struggling, overcoming and feasting my eyes on great astrophotos this amazing community pumps out every single day. What a ride it was!
So here it is, seven hours of M42 with the R200SS. Enjoy!
Comments