If you look at the SuperWASP site you will see an impressive imaging array comprising 8 Canon 200mm f#1.8 lenses with their associated Andor CCD cameras all sitting on a massive torus fork mount – certainly very nice gear!

Living in the U.K. we have a major problem to contend with trying to pursue our hobby – the weather.  There are very few good clear Moonless nights to take those perfect images.  I have also compounded the problem by moving from a very fast (Hyperstar) imaging system that worked at f#1.85, to a much slower refractor-based system working at only f#4.5, i.e. six times slower. 

I’m going to tackle this problem piece by piece and I will be posting details of my thoughts in the mini-WASP Array category.  You can also see a list of the posts below:

• Pointer Star Dubhe in the constellation Ursa Major, February 3rd, 2012
• Reprocess and crop to the Double Cluster and Stock 2, January 29th, 2012
• Double cluster and Stock 2 reprocess, January 29th, 2012
• Double Cluster sans spikes, January 5th, 2012
• This is precisely the sort of image the mini-WASP array was designed to capture!, January 4th, 2012
• Some earlier Stock 2 data added to the mini-WASP Double Cluster image, January 3rd, 2012
• Double Cluster from the mini-WASP array just before grabbing the lunar halo image, January 3rd, 2012
• Bellatrix, Polaris and Pollux re-loaded, January 2nd, 2012
• California nebula reprocess, December 30th, 2011
• The Cone nebula - a mini-WASP single framer, December 29th, 2011
• The mini-WASP imager is now fully operational, December 29th, 2011
• Pollux, December 24th, 2011
• Polaris, December 24th, 2011
• Bellatrix, December 24th, 2011
• Getting there - very, very slowly!, December 23rd, 2011
• Robofocus brackets completed, December 6th, 2011
• New Robofocus brackets, December 5th, 2011
• Aldebaran - correct orientation, November 23rd, 2011
• The eye of the Bull, November 23rd, 2011
• Icy Dock 8Tb storage solution for the mini-WASP data, October 26th, 2011
• Ruchbah and M103 in Cassiopeia - the forgotten data, October 3rd, 2011
• NGC7000 - the North America nebula - definitive issue!, October 2nd, 2011
• No added contrast or saturation, September 30th, 2011
• NGC7000 reprocessed, September 30th, 2011
• Well even with one wonky scope the mini-WASP can sure deliver the goods :), September 30th, 2011
• The mini-WASP array - one step forward and three steps back., September 30th, 2011
• Momentous day today - the first (almost proper) 2-framer to come out of the mini-WASP array :), September 29th, 2011
• It's 1:30 a.m. and I've finally set up the mini-WASP array :), September 29th, 2011
• Parallel imaging - what the new mini-WASP array was originally designed for., September 6th, 2011
• Second Light on the NFO mini-WASP array, August 31st, 2011
• Mini-WASP "First Light" party at the New Forest Observatory 21/08/2011, August 27th, 2011
• New warm room for the mini-WASP?, August 20th, 2011
• Michael Hattey of Starlight Xpress brings the tested M26C down to the NFO - with Maglev fans for both cameras, August 10th, 2011
• The usual superbly efficient customer service from Starlight Xpress, August 9th, 2011
• First Light for the mini-WASP project - the Gamma Cygni region, August 7th, 2011
• First Light for the mini-WASP array Saturday night and Sunday morning:, August 7th, 2011
• Tom How's Patented dome rotation system :), August 6th, 2011
• Blistering hot day here at the NFOs, August 3rd, 2011
• Cable mis-management, July 31st, 2011
• Thank you Tom How :), July 29th, 2011
• View from the top - mini-WASP statrep 22/07/2011, July 22nd, 2011
• Statrep - mini-WASP array build, July 21st, 2011
• The mini-WASP array - over 4 years now and still counting, July 18th, 2011
• Twin Kecks at the New Forest Observatory, July 17th, 2011
• The mini-WASP array is now domed :), July 16th, 2011
• Further progress today, July 15th, 2011
• mini-WASP observatory flooring completed today, July 14th, 2011
• The full Monty, July 12th, 2011
• The new Pulsar Observatories dome has just been installed :), July 12th, 2011
• The mini-WASP array with three Sky 90s attached, July 11th, 2011
• Demi-Mini-WASP dry-run in the study, July 10th, 2011
• Computer networking masterclass courtesy of Tom How, July 9th, 2011
• The Starlight Xpress goodie bag arrived today!, July 7th, 2011
• The mini-WASP decking has been treated - dome due for delivery next week :), June 30th, 2011
• The New Forest Observatory "Keck" facility, June 10th, 2011
• The all Aluminium pier is fitted, June 10th, 2011
• The decking is completed - now awaiting the Pulsar Observatories dome :), June 8th, 2011
• It begins! The octagonal decking for the mini-WASP observatory goes down today :), June 8th, 2011
• mini-WASP array project - the deck build, May 23rd, 2011
• Starlight Xpress Ltd sponsors the mini-WASP array, May 6th, 2011
• The Baader narrowband filter sets, April 30th, 2011
• Ian King Imaging sponsors the mini-WASP project :), April 30th, 2011
• Concrete pillar support completed - with a lot of help from Tom How, April 16th, 2011
• The mixer and all the goodies arrived this morning :), April 15th, 2011
• Kieron sponsors the mini-WASP array - again :), April 12th, 2011
• The never ending hole digging saga continuums, April 9th, 2011
• It always begins with digging a hole :), April 7th, 2011
• mini-WASP array - project sponsors, February 14th, 2011
• The mini-WASP array 2011, February 12th, 2011
• A video clip of the Paramount ME in action., November 9th, 2010
• Now the Paramount is in the study as well as the pier., November 9th, 2010
• The all-Aluminium pier for the Paramount and mini-WASP array, November 8th, 2010
• First video diary entry for the new mini-WASP imaging array, November 6th, 2010
• Slight change of plan, October 16th, 2010
• Another component for next year's mini-WASP array launch, October 15th, 2010
• mini-WASP, the latest, September 7th, 2010
• Not been able to set up the repaired M25C, August 21st, 2010
• The mini-WASP array - one step closer, April 3rd, 2010
• mini-WASP update, March 19th, 2010
• mini-WASP array and Brian May's new book, November 29th, 2009
• O.K. so I couldn't wait until tomorrow:, November 27th, 2009
• Current status of the mini-WASP array November 2009, November 27th, 2009
• The mini-WASP array project - statrep, November 21st, 2009
• Computational solution?, November 13th, 2009
• mini-WASP array - computational matters, November 7th, 2009
• It's now 2:30 p.m. and the Paramount is unpacked!, November 3rd, 2009
• It's 1:30 p.m. and the Paramount arrives at the NFO!!!, November 3rd, 2009
• A brand new Paramount ME is on its way to the New Forest Observatory, October 29th, 2009
• Statrep on the mini-WASP deep-sky imaging array, October 22nd, 2009
• Update on the mini-WASP deep-sky imaging array, December 23rd, 2008
• The mini-WASP array morphs into the NIP, November 6th, 2008
• mini-WASP Array Project - Part 3 - The Framework , December 8th, 2007
• mini-WASP Array Project - Part 2 - A Likely Solution, August 7th, 2007
• mini-WASP Array Project - Part 1 - The Problem, August 2nd, 2007
• mini-WASP Array Project, July 10th, 2007

I hope you’ll keep reading as I learn about what is needed and my experiences of putting together such an exciting piece of equipment.

I think I’d really like to give this one a good try, however that field of view (FOV) of 4.2 x 4.4 degrees would mean a 2-frame mosaic with the Sky 90/M25C combination, and I’m not too happy about spending that much time on just one object, especially with short evenings.

However, Steve Cannistra has also imaged the Veil region with a set up that has a very similar field of view to mine and although it doesn’t get the whole of the region in the frame, it still makes a very impressive image.

Taking all things into account, I will try to get a very deep single-frame image of the veil region using the one-shot camera and the usual Hutech IDAS light pollution filter. 

I know from the previous work I carried out on the Witch’s Broom region of the veil with the Sky 90/SXV-H9C combination that the one-shot is fine for this purpose. 

The only thing that I don’t know is how good (or not) the one-shot will be at picking up the faint stuff between the Eastern and Western veil regions.  I guess the only way to find out will be to image the thing this summer

I’m going to be posting more about the Veil Nebula project and you can follow my progress in the Veil Nebula Category or by clicking on the links below [which also happen to be from the Veil Nebula category]:

• The Veil nebula - reloaded, March 20th, 2008
• The Veil nebula in Cygnus - a supernova remnant, March 18th, 2008
• The whole of the Veil nebula in Cygnus, March 17th, 2008
• The Veil Nebula in Cygnus Imaging Project: Almost, but not quite..., September 8th, 2007
• The Veil Nebula in Cygnus Imaging Project: 90% Complete, August 31st, 2007
• Summer 2007 Imaging Project: The Veil Nebula in Cygnus, January 11th, 2007

The diagram from Cartes du Ciel will give you an indication of where the Veil Nebula is in the night sky: