Last night I tried to image an Einstein Cross and the Horsehead nebula. The lensing galaxy was imaged, but 20 or so 2-minute exposures were not adequate. I'm also fairly certain that a 6" telescope is not adequate for resolving this feature.
The horsehead was interesting. It took a lot of time to compose the image. The focuser and extension tube didn't have a good grip on the CCD, so focus drifted a little. Polar alignment was good, as 5" exposures had round stars. There was what I think is some sort of electrical interference coming from (pick one or more) the mount, laptop, or power strip. This resulted in some random noise and narrow horizontal bands. I'll see if I can pin down the source when I shoot dark frames tonight. Tomorrow night is supposed to be clear again, so I'll retry at least the horsehead. I need a target for earlier in the evening, as the HH doesn't clear the trees until several hours after darkness begins.
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