New Image: M5 - A Frustrating Journey

[chris_g]

Hello all,

M5, a single sub @ 180 seconds, taken with SVBony SV405CC, (294 clone), using C8-A at 1565mm fl and UV_IR filter. No calibration frames of any kind, what you see is truly what you get.

I got the C8 beginning of last summer and it's been frustrating, to say the least, to finally get to the point that I can put up a clean image with it. Between the lack of clear skies and various attempts to get OAG guiding working, never happened, I ended up using a ring mounted SVBony 501P 70/400. I haven't put much out since I've been focused solely on getting the C8 up and running. I got the C8 in July and was able to use it for the first time in November. I was out every time since then that there was even a glimpse of a clear sky, which wasn't very often these last five months, never once got the OAG to illuminate the 290. I suspect it has something to do with gain. Balancing was truly a pain in the backside and the mount is running at 59% rated capacity, but I managed about .7 rms. Sky quality was average to below average seeing with above average transparency. I learned a LOT about guiding these last few months.

I ended up with only one sub because once again after about five hours of struggling to get things in focus and some decent guiding calibration, the sky gods blew in.

Basic processing using PS.

As always, thanks for looking and all comments welcome...

M5 is, under extremely good conditions, just visible to the naked eye as a faint "star" 0.37 of a degree (22' (arcmin)) north-west of star 5 Serpentis. Binoculars and/or small telescopes resolve the object as non-stellar; larger telescopes will show some individual stars, some of which are as bright as apparent magnitude 10.6. M5 was discovered by German astronomer Gottfried Kirch in 1702 when he was observing a comet. Charles Messier noted it in 1764 and—a studier of comets—cast it as one of his nebulae. William Herschel was the first to resolve individual stars in the cluster in 1791, counting roughly 200. Messier 5 is receding from the Solar System at a speed over 50 km/s.

[Makuser]

Hello Chris. A very nice M5 (NGC 5904) globular cluster 1 sub image with your C8 telescope. Excellent contrast, well framed, and I love the star colors. Thanks for sharing this capture with us on here Chris and keep up your great work (when you can get some clear skies).

[chris_g]

Hello Chris. A very nice M5 (NGC 5904) globular cluster 1 sub image with your C8 telescope. Excellent contrast, well framed, and I love the star colors. Thanks for sharing this capture with us on here Chris and keep up your great work (when you can get some clear skies).

It's technically first light for the camera too. I was very impressed with the color output, once I figured out how to get rid of the gawd awful green tint!

[Juno16]

Prettiest cool image for just one sub Chris!
Don’t know if you were with us on the forum when Henry (Hankmeister) was with us. He was a master at short session imaging. He produced some amazing work with almost no data.
Hang in there with the C8! Looking forward to jow things go with it.

[chris_g]

Prettiest cool image for just one sub Chris!
Don’t know if you were with us on the forum when Henry (Hankmeister) was with us. He was a master at short session imaging. He produced some amazing work with almost no data.
Hang in there with the C8! Looking forward to jow things go with it.

He passed almost to the day I joined. I have his Hyperion EP. @John Donne gave them to me. I haven't had the opportunity to do much with them yet but I will.

[messier 111]

nice take , thx .

[Mac]

Prettiest cool image for just one sub Chris!
Don’t know if you were with us on the forum when Henry (Hankmeister) was with us. He was a master at short session imaging. He produced some amazing work with almost no data.
Hang in there with the C8! Looking forward to jow things go with it.

Nice image Chris.

I didn't know that Hankmeister had passed and wondered what had happened to him.

[Gmetric]

Hello Chris. A very nice M5 (NGC 5904) globular cluster 1 sub image with your C8 telescope. Excellent contrast, well framed, and I love the star colors. Thanks for sharing this capture with us on here Chris and keep up your great work (when you can get some clear skies).

+1 from me on this. Well done Chris.

[chris_g]

Prettiest cool image for just one sub Chris!
Don’t know if you were with us on the forum when Henry (Hankmeister) was with us. He was a master at short session imaging. He produced some amazing work with almost no data.
Hang in there with the C8! Looking forward to jow things go with it.

Nice image Chris.

I didn't know that Hankmeister had passed and wondered what had happened to him.

His last post was the 31st of January of 21. https://theskysearchers.com/viewtopic.p ... 99#p135999 I joined the 14th.
The last image he posted on the 15th. https://theskysearchers.com/viewtopic.p ... 74#p133374

I only hope to come close to what he achieved.

Clear Skies,
Chris

[Butterfly Maiden]

I didn't know that Hankmeister had passed and wondered what had happened to him.

@Mac Hello Steve,

As you know, I do the birthday greetings for all of our members, and even acknowledgements of passed members on their birthday.

However, Henry's wife requested that we do not acknowledge his birthday, so we have respected her wishes and I did not post anything on the Forum when his birthday was due.

[Mac]

I didn't know that Hankmeister had passed and wondered what had happened to him.

@Mac Hello Steve,

As you know, I do the birthday greetings for all of our members, and even acknowledgements of passed members on their birthday.

However, Henry's wife requested that we do not acknowledge his birthday, so we have respected her wishes and I did not post anything on the Forum when his birthday was due.

Thank you Vanessa… Hank was one of the first to befriend me when I joined and we exchanged many messages. I didn't receive replies to my emails and never thought he passed.

He was a great man to know.