Messier Catalog - M36

Constellation: Auriga

22. January 2007.

RGB Exposures: 15x120s, Celestron C8, 0.6x reducer, Artemis 285, Artemis Capture
Guiding: FS60C and Vesta SC3 bw, K3CCDTools3 & MTSca Pro
Mount: Vixen GPDX (FS60C on counterweight shaft), MTS-3SDI controller
Processing: Images calibrated with bias/darks/flats in ImageTOOLSca. Alignment and stacking was also done in ImageTOOLSca and saved to 32bit FITS, IRIS and Photoshop was then used to make LRGB, combining with the luminosity image from 19. January.

19. January 2007.

Exposure: 11x120s, Celestron C8, 0.6x reducer, Artemis 285, Artemis Capture
Guiding: FS60C and Vesta SC3 bw, K3CCDTools3 & MTSca Pro
Mount: Vixen GPDX (FS60C on counterweight shaft), MTS-3SDI controller
Processing: Images calibrated with bias/darks/flats in ImageTOOLSca. Alignment and stacking was also done in ImageTOOLSca and saved to 32bit FITS, which was imported via Fits liberator to Photoshop CS2 for final tweaking.

This was first image after recollimation and dealing with some tracking/guiding problems. It looks tempting to try some colour frames on another night, time and approaching clouds did not allow it this time.

m36, 19. January 2007. 200 x 5 11x120s, Celestron C8, 0.6x reducer, Artemis 285, Artemis Capture

m36, 19. January 2007. 200 x 5 11x120s, Celestron C8, 0.6x reducer, Artemis 285, Artemis Capture