First Light Sky-Watcher Esprit 150mm NGC7635 HST (Terry Hancock)

First Light Sky-Watcher Esprit 150mm NGC7635 HST

This is the latest project of mine captured from GrandMesaObservatory.com in Western Colorado and first light images using the Sky-Watcher Esprit 150mm ED F7.0 Triplet APO Refractor that Sky-Watcher USA have sent to us for testing.

I acquired the data in Color using LRGB Filters and I added H-Alpha to the red channel and as a luminance layer. For the Hubble Palette image these were captured using Chroma 5nm filters, Ha was binned 1x1, OIII and SII binned 2x2.

I’m very impressed with the Sky-Watcher 150 Esprit, using the big chip QHY16200A CCD Monochome camera with an OAG the Esprit 150 gives a very sharp image and a nice flat field, (Sky-Watcher quote a 43mm image circle), although a little slower than the TAK130, image quality is superb and unlike many APO refractors I have owned or tested the Esprit has a dedicated Field Flattener/corrector. For Autofocusing we purchased the Starizona Micro-Touch stepper motor which slips onto the dual speed side of the focuser, I’m using TheSkyX @ focus 3 for autofocus and it works great.

Total Integration time Hubble Palette 9.25 hours

Image capture details

Terry Hancock downunderobservatory.com

Location: GrandMesaObservatory.com Purdy Mesa, Colorado

Hubble Palette Image

Dates: July 7, 24, 26, 2018

H-Alpha 255 min, 17 x 900 sec, bin 1x1

OIII 150 min, 15 x 600 sec, bin 2x2

SII 150 min, 15 x 600 sec, bin 2x2

Camera: QHY16200A

Gain 0, Offset 130, Calibrated with flat, Dark & Bias

Optics: Sky-Watcher Esprit 150mm ED Triplet APO Refractor

Filters by Chroma (Narrowband are 5nm)

Image Acquisition software Maxim DL5

Pre Processed in Pixinsight

Post Processed in Photoshop

The Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635)

NGC 7635, also called the Bubble Nebula, Sharpless 162, or Caldwell 11, is a H II region emission nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia. It lies close to the direction of the open cluster Messier 52 which can be seen in this image upper left. The "bubble" is created by the stellar wind from a massive hot, 8 magnitude young central star. The nebula is near a giant molecular cloud which contains the expansion of the bubble nebula while itself being excited by the hot central star, causing it to glow. It was discovered in 1787 by William Herschel

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