27 Aug 2016: Working toward a Veil Complex mosaic. This target proved quite difficult because of problems with camera downloads (in this case, midway through the session the camera started downloading the same data each time rather than getting new frames--weird!), and because there are just so many stars in this area with nebula that is pretty dim by comparison. These data by themselves produced a poor image.

6 Sep 2016: Decided to try and get more data for my Pickering's Triangular Wisp image. This time I tried a completely separate powered USB 2.0 hub for the imaging camera (everything else was on the USB 3.0 hub). This session was successful, except a rogue cloud obscured the target for about an hour and for some reason the autofocus kicked in toward the end of the session; fortunately, by then the target was setting behind the neighbors' trees anyway. So I was overall a lot happier with the data after this session. Combined the data. I haven’t uploaded in a long time because of all these problems.

Date: 27-28 Aug, 6-7 Sep 2016

Subject: NGC 6974, 6979; Pickering’s Triangular Wisp

Scope: Orion ST-80 + Antares 0.5x focal reducer

Filter: Baader Planetarium UHC-S

Mount: EQ-6 (EQMOD)+PEC

Guiding: AT8IN+Antares 0.5x focal reducer +DSI Ic+PHD 2.6.1.8 (Win 10 ASCOM)

Camera: DSI IIc, no chiller CCD ~20 °C

Acquisition: Sequence Generator Pro 2.5.1.15 with Nebulosity 4.1.1 ASCOM camera driver (Win 10)

Exposure: 40x600 s

Stacking: Neb 4, bad pixel map, bias included, 33 flats, match histograms, trans+rot align, Deep Sky Stacker 1.75σ κ-σ stack with 2x drizzle.

Processing: StarTools 1.4.316: Crop; Wipe; Develop: 80.06%; HDR:Equalize; Color:Scientific, 146% saturation; Deconvolute: 4.5 pix; Life:moderate; Track: Smoothness 75%, 4.5 pix; Magic, shrink 1 pix. Photoshop CS6 + Astronomy Tools: Levels (twice); Gradient Xterminator to get rid of green cast; Layer masked Less Crunchy More Fuzzy (twice); Make stars smaller; Astroframe.