NGC 6871 in Cygnus

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rjbokleman
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NGC 6871 in Cygnus

Unread post by rjbokleman »

Image

NGC 6871 is an open star cluster in Cygnus dominated by a pair of double star systems.
Ron B.
T5i/700D, ASI1600MM-C, ASI120MM, ASI174MM, XAGYL 7x36mm FW
Astronomik Deep-Sky(RGB), CLS, Ha, OIII, SII
SV60EDS 60mm f/5.5 APO
AT65EDQ 65mm f/6.5 ED Quadruplet
SW ProED 100mm f/9.0 Doublet APO
C8 EdgeHD, AT130EDT
AVX, iEQ45 Pro

http://www.astrobin.com/users/rjbokleman/
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AndyG
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Re: NGC 6871 in Cygnus

Unread post by AndyG »

Nice shot Ron! I especially like the dark lanes around the cluster.

Have you tried using flats yet?
Andy
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rjbokleman
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Re: NGC 6871 in Cygnus

Unread post by rjbokleman »

Andy,

Just can't seem to get those done properly. Seems like it should be easy, but I guess I'm struggling with this aspect.
Ron B.
T5i/700D, ASI1600MM-C, ASI120MM, ASI174MM, XAGYL 7x36mm FW
Astronomik Deep-Sky(RGB), CLS, Ha, OIII, SII
SV60EDS 60mm f/5.5 APO
AT65EDQ 65mm f/6.5 ED Quadruplet
SW ProED 100mm f/9.0 Doublet APO
C8 EdgeHD, AT130EDT
AVX, iEQ45 Pro

http://www.astrobin.com/users/rjbokleman/
Bruce D
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Re: NGC 6871 in Cygnus

Unread post by Bruce D »

That is a nice cluster Ron, great image
Bruce D
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Apollo XX
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Re: NGC 6871 in Cygnus

Unread post by Apollo XX »

Awesome, Ron! Coincidentally this was a new-to-me visual target this past Friday night. I was using Peter Birren's "Objects In The Heavens" from my campsite down at MSSF, and this was one of many objects in his list from the Cygnus area. Like Andy mentioned, the dark lanes are quite evident in your image. Cool!

http://www.amazon.com/Objects-Heavens-P ... 155369662X
"The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the heavens." - Anaxagoras
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rjbokleman
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Re: NGC 6871 in Cygnus

Unread post by rjbokleman »

Mike,

I read about it in the September S&T article "Cygnus in the City" by Ken Hewitt-White on page 58-61.

I've adopted a new strategy of working with what's overhead @ ~8:30-9:00pm just on either side of my meridian. Whatever constellation happens to be there, I begin working through it object by object as time and weather permit. The reason is, I don't have to worry about meridian flips with the equipment (although I nearly successfully perform one last week) and I get ~3-4 hours of imaging time before the target gets into my trees in the West.

I say nearly, because the camera came in contact with the mount...messing up my alignment and forcing met to start over again. :oops:

Therefore, I've been spending time in Cygnus with an occasional slip to some other nearby target like M27 in Vulpecula or M57 in Lyra :P . Hey, who can blame me for trying to get M27 while the getting was good? :lol: I've got Albireo, NGC6871, M39, but need to get M29 next. After that...maybe some extremely wide field shots.

There are so many other nebula type targets in Cygnus, but with my Canon T5I being unmodified, not sure I can pick any of them up. Perhaps next year I'll take that leap...as Cygnus will be around again.
Ron B.
T5i/700D, ASI1600MM-C, ASI120MM, ASI174MM, XAGYL 7x36mm FW
Astronomik Deep-Sky(RGB), CLS, Ha, OIII, SII
SV60EDS 60mm f/5.5 APO
AT65EDQ 65mm f/6.5 ED Quadruplet
SW ProED 100mm f/9.0 Doublet APO
C8 EdgeHD, AT130EDT
AVX, iEQ45 Pro

http://www.astrobin.com/users/rjbokleman/
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Pete
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Re: NGC 6871 in Cygnus

Unread post by Pete »

Working the zenith is always a good idea. Especially early in the evening when the sky's unsteady and not fully dark.

Pete
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AndyG
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Re: NGC 6871 in Cygnus

Unread post by AndyG »

rjbokleman wrote:Andy,
Just can't seem to get those done properly. Seems like it should be easy, but I guess I'm struggling with this aspect.
Ron,

I use a simple flat box constructed around this 6"x8" EL Panel and this 12V inverter.

Image

Image

It works very well for me, and was inexpensive and easy to construct. At the end of an imaging session or whenever I need flats I point the scope at zenith, slide the OTA into the hole in the bottom of the box, and take 30 or so flats. You set your exposure duration so that your histogram peak is around 40-50% of the max ADU.
Andy
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rjbokleman
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Re: NGC 6871 in Cygnus

Unread post by rjbokleman »

Andy,

Appreciate the details. I know my images have been suffering from this issue for awhile now (vignetting), so it's time to take a break, construct this tool and advance beyond this roadblock. I was trying to do these with a T-Shirt and failing miserably with the exposure.

The tough part (as I understand it) is that they need to be done while you're in the same focus used for your target, with the same camera angle, proper exposure time, and so on or they won't stack.

Just ordered the items suggested. Will get to Staples for the foam board. I've got a spare 12volt car adapter with screw terminal ends, so the 12volt inverter should work just fine.

Having this handy, to slap on the end of the scope, while it's still dark should take all the pain out of it. :P
Ron B.
T5i/700D, ASI1600MM-C, ASI120MM, ASI174MM, XAGYL 7x36mm FW
Astronomik Deep-Sky(RGB), CLS, Ha, OIII, SII
SV60EDS 60mm f/5.5 APO
AT65EDQ 65mm f/6.5 ED Quadruplet
SW ProED 100mm f/9.0 Doublet APO
C8 EdgeHD, AT130EDT
AVX, iEQ45 Pro

http://www.astrobin.com/users/rjbokleman/
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