APM/TMB 130/780
Field Flattener
QSI 583WSG
Astrodon Gen 2 LRGB
L: 12x5min (2x2)
RGB: 6x5min each (2x2)
Imager Temp -10C
50% Crop

Link to Larger JPEG

Astrophotogallery.org September, 2010 Easy Winner

The first image from the QSI 583 to have the luminance binned 2x2. My skies are usually marginal enough to be fine for this image scale (2.85 arcsec/pixel) but it still made for pixelated stars in the final image. One benefit was a quicker gathering of data at 5 min subs rather than 10 min subs with clouds rolling in.

NGC 457 - The "Owl Cluster" was discovered by F.W. Herschel in 1787 and is also catalogued as Cr 12, Mel 7, OCL 321, Lund 43, H VII-42, h 97, GC 256. This cluster seems to attract nicknames, and has also been called the Kachina Doll Cluster, the E.T. Cluster, the Owl Cluster and the Nazgul Cluster. The brightest star in the cluster, Phi Cassiopeiae is not a member of the cluster, but a foreground star instead. The cluster is about 9000 light years from the sun.

September 12 and 13, 2010