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Those light halos are actually dust spots on your sensor (I think that is what you are referencing?) Self-fix is a catch-22 if you want to avoid taking it to a shop $. You can carefully try a quick light blast or two of canned air and hopefully not blow more particles on the sensor (look up camera manual to find out how to set controls on camera for this procedure if camera has a mirror).Or I realize my lens is dirty:
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Good stuff! One of the biggest challenges is finding sharp focus. Lenses tend to focus past infinity, so it is critical to know where to set it. It all comes down to knowing your gear/set-up intimately because it is dark and often cold too.Well, the wife seems to be encouraging my explorations, and as such, I have a new setup; an Ioptron Skyguider Pro, which will allow me long exposures of stuff in the night sky.
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Just getting to know tolerances and capabilities; early Saturday morning took it out for a first test drive:
30 second exposure using just tripod:
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30 second exposure using the Skyguider:
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Then, 100 stacked 30 second exposures (ISO 400) of the Orion Nebula; compare this to #7 above, so much cleaner.
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Then this early morning went out to push it out further, 2 minute exposures, unfortunately, moon is filling and high thin clouds were pushing through, so I didn't bother to go to my high mountain dark sky spot, but still, a stack of 40 X 2 minute exposures (ISO 400) of the Pleiades (AKA 7 Sisters, M45, Subaru), an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot (blue) B-type stars:
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This should greatly expand my explorations of stuff in the sky - think this will mean I need to get up even earlier when I go fishin'.
cheers
At what location in the sky are you seeing Leonard? Due east?Well, it's been a busy week, with all sorts of stuff happening in the night sky. Thankfully, the skies somewhat cleared and the moon was waning, so I was able to take advantage.
A couple of new galaxies. Well, OK, they're not new, they've been around for a while, but they are new to me.
Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) is one of several spiral galaxies. What makes it spectacular is it is relatively face-on; thus, you can really see the spirals. It is relatively close by, a mere 27 million light years away. It is thought to be about twice the size of our Milky Way. Right now it is relatively low in the horizon, so hopefully better shots in the spring. A stack of 29 x 90 second exposures (ISO 3200):
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Bode's Nebula (M82), which is actually Bode's Galaxy, is another rather spectacular spiral galaxy. One of the things that makes for great images is the nearby Cigar Galaxy (M82). It seems a few hundred million years ago the 2 got in a bit of a tussle, with the Cigar Galaxy getting the worst of it, leaving it somewhat deformed. Stack of 51 x 90 second exposures (ISO 3200):
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Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), is another almost face-on spiral galaxy. It too has a small neighbor that it messes with (NGC5195 - it apparently doesn't rate a name). The pronounced spiral of the Whirlpool Galaxy is thought to be the result of its interaction with NGC5195 (just to the left), with the smaller galaxy actually passing through the Whirlpool's main disk some 50 to 100 million years ago. Stack of 33 x 90 second exposures (ISO 3200):
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However, the most exciting has been saved for last. While galaxies can been seen any time, or at least seasonally, comets are interlopers that are usually once in a lifetime. Comet Leonard (C/2021 A) was discovered last January be Greg Leonard at the Mt. Lemmon Observatory near Tucson, Arizona. It will be its closest to Earth around December 12, but best viewing, if you should have clear skies and binoculars or a scope, is right now and for the next 2 mornings (between 5:30 and 6:00 AM). It has brightened noticeably over the last 2 mornings.
Saturday Morning (5:30 AM) - 40 x 30 second exposures (ISO 3200):
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This morning (5:30 AM) - 11 x 30 second exposures (ISO 1600):
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Most of the information provided on the galaxies is from SkySafari, on Comet Leonard from Sky and Telescope.
Cheers