I am in the final stages of setting up a new imaging system based on a Canon 200mm prime lens with M25C OSC imager and a 52 mm IDAS filter on the front of the lens giving me f#3.85 and spikeless images 🙂 As it is that time of the year an obvious target for testing out the star imaging qualities of the rig is the Double Cluster. With a horrendous sampling of 7.97 arcseconds per pixel it makes you wonder how it can even resolve stars – but clearly it does 🙂 Above the Double Cluster we see the rarely images Stock 2 open cluster, which looks like a stick man on his side. And at the very top/left you can just see the edges of the Heart & Soul nebulae.
Only 16 x 5-minute subs for this one, and very misty conditions too, a LOT of water vapour in the air – however, as a bonus, there was no Moon.
I think this is going to make a good rig for those BIG winter nebulae. It is NOT a good rig for those single bright star shots as there are terrible ghost flares from very bright stars, probably resulting from all that glass in the 200mm lens. Well you can’t have it all I guess.
