I like to think of myself as an apprentice or even journeyman when it comes to astrophotography, but as you can see this is a very novice effort. I've been at this for a few years, but only relatively recently with auto guiding, more time, and a renewed passion for the cosmos.
The danger is that we don't present our failings, as well as our milestones, an important part of learning - where we develop our knowledge and skills, with the generous support of others. I am not likely to become a master craftsman, but I am learning, happy to share my experiences, and still remembering to enjoy all the wonders and freedom of the night sky.
Imaging at f10 is always challenging, and there are no shortcuts. A rough polar alignment just isn't good enough. At nearly 20 Celsius most of the night my (currently) passively cooled OSC struggled, despite the magic of Envisage dark subtraction. This 50 minute image has been heavily post-processed in Startools to maximise contrast and reduce / hide noise, along with the many artefacts from my dirty optics. Lessons learned?
Fortunately it is not really about me (or you) or our efforts, but the heavens. Have another look at the HST iconic image dubbed the 'pillars of creation' and wonder at the scale, complexity and sheer majesty of this tiny part of our visible universe.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/the-pillars-of-creation
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