First light QHY10 - M42

QHY10-OSC

Received my QHY10 astronomy camera last week and gave it a test run this past weekend.  Took a few more days to iron out the new software, camera settings, and post processing that needs to be done, but my first image (the Orion nebula - M42) came out rather well.

Orion Nebula (M42)
20x120sec subs - QHY10 - EdgeHD11 with Hyperstar

These cameras (CCDs) are designed specifically for astrophotography. Standard DSLR cameras (like the Canon 50D I had been using for the past 2 years) filters out the deep red and infrared light to make the pictures of standard subjects look proper.  But a lot of the nebulae in deep space consist of this 'red' light (actually a specific wavelength called the Hydrogen-Alpha (Ha) wavelength.)  Capturing the full spectrum of light is important in astrophotography, hence the need for a dedicated astro-camera like the QHY10.  And, astro cameras can collect a lot more signal before they saturate the image, hence, more detail in the final image.

Another problem with DSLRs is that the camera itself generates a lot of heat while taking many 2-3 minute exposures to stack. Heat generates noise in the sensor which shows up as a dull grey-green mottled effect across the darker regions of the final image. CCD cameras have a cooling system built in that keeps the sensor cool enough that temperature noise is almost non-existent. The QHY10 keeps the sensor at -15 degrees C (that's 5 degrees Fahrenheit) even in the heat of the summer!

Once I get all the details ironed out (there is still a lot to learn with this new camera) I'll be posting more images.  I'm still waiting on some additional camera adapters that are needed to mate the QHY10 to the prime focus of my telescope - needed to image galaxies and small deep space objects.

Occultation of Venus

Occultation of the planet Venus

With the weather cooperating with a nice clear blue sky I set up mytelescope equipment to capture the moon passing in front of the planet Venus.  This event known as an occultation occurs fairly frequently with stars, but planetary occultations are much less frequent, sometimes many years between them.  The last occultation of Venus was in September 2013 when the dark side blocked out Venus.  The occultation today was at approximately 12:39 PM and this time the bright side of the moon did the work.  The reappearance, about an hour later, was not seen as trees blocked my view to the west.

The video here is a 5x speed up from normal time, imaged with an ASI120MC planetary camera attached to my 3" Orion ST-80 guidescope while I watched visually through the EdgeHD11 main telescope.