Since First Light at the beginning of 2013, the mini-WASP array has undergone a number of changes.

The current status of the array is:

Megrez 80 guide scope with SX guide camera linked to M26C camera 1.

Sky 90 imager with f#4.5 reducer/corrector and filter-wheel with H-alpha, H-beta, OIII and SII filters (IDAS filter always on) and an M26C CCD (camera 1).

Two TS 80 refractors with correctors and IDAS filters and also with M26C CCDs (cameras 2 & 3).

A Canon 200mm prime EF lens with a Geoptik adapter to take the fourth M26C imaging CCD.

So the array has the potential to download 40 Megapixels worth of data in one shot.  Nice 🙂

See the current configuration here.

Managed to get 15 x 4-minute subs using the Hyperstar III on the new supernova in M82 last night.  Although the sky looked crystal clear, and was Moonless as a bonus, the seeing was terrible.  Never mind – I do have at least a decent record of the event 🙂

So what’s the excuse for such a grubby image then? Half the sky (towards the East) was clear at 6:00 p.m. but half the sky running north to south and covering the whole of the West was black and overcast. M82 was in the clear bit 🙂 🙂 🙂  Fired up the Hyperstar, did the 2 star align, autofocused on the second star and slewed to M82 – all going well so far. Took a single 30-second sub to check the framing (that’s the image above) – great – M82 is dead centre. Now just need to get a guide star, get autoguiding, and get a load of subs. Autoguide setup playing up – yep, completely clouded out in those 10-15 minutes 🙁 🙁 🙁  So all I got was this 30-second setting up sub. But at least you can see the damn thing.

Where are the peer-reviewed Journal papers in a quality publication to back up your claims??

But will we get 10-minutes of clear sky to be able to image it?

On the 17th – 18th February 2014 there will be a joint Royal Photographic Society/Royal Astronomical Society meeting on Astroimaging.

Looks like this will be an interesting event.

Got today’s Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) http://epod.usra.edu/ with the recent “12 brightest stars” montage I put together.

Thank you Jim at EPOD for continuing to publish my work 🙂