Yes, I've purchased another telescope, this time a used C9.25. This is something I've wanted for a long time; it fills the niches for long focal length deep sky imaging and planetary imaging/observing. I've been using it so far only for deep sky imaging, and it's very nice, even at f/10. Here are some samples:
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| Messier 16 (Eagle Nebula) LRGB |
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| M27 (first light image) Ha+OIII full frame |
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NGC 6820 (full frame) Ha
Sort of looks like M 16, doesn't it? |
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| NGC 6781 (full frame) Ha + OIII |
At f/10 it has a nice flat field. These are imaged with an SBIG ST-8300M and Baader filters. I usually bin 3x3.
WOW stands for the Wisconsin Observers Weekend, an annual event that brings together amateurs from all over Wisconsin and nearby states. It's held at the lovely Hartman Creek state park near Waupaca, WI, and features very dark skies. If you're in the MN, IA, WI, IL area and looking for a nice group of people to observe with under great skies, you can't do much better. I had bad luck with a faulty dew preventer, but still managed one night of imaging that got me the M 16 image above.
Next for me is the backyard observatory, the resumption of the school year, and a weekend trip to Jeffers Petroglyphs. More images coming soon, too.
