First Light: William Optics Flat6A III Flattener & 0.8 Reducer
I have an admission to make: I’ve been running a refractor without a flattener since the day I bought it.
Read MoreI have an admission to make: I’ve been running a refractor without a flattener since the day I bought it.
Read MoreIt was a long winter, with plenty of rain here in the valley and snow in the mountains. During this time, I took the opportunity to upgrade my equipment. I now have Pegasus Focus Cubes on the William Optics GT81 and my Orion C11. The Focus Cube does not require an external controller - it’s all built into the compact unit. Combined with ASCOM drivers and Sequence Generator Pro, I can periodically auto-focus through my sessions.
Next, I’ve gone monochrome with the ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro. Sure, it takes longer to get a color image with filters, but the detail is outstanding. I bought the complete package, including the electronic filter wheel and 1.25 inch LRGB & narrowband filters.
Do these upgrades make a difference? You bet they do. Combined with control software such as Sequence Generator Pro, I can now get on target quickly, automatically re-focus periodically and program filter changes. The following images are the best I’ve managed to date. Click on the Astrobin links for high res versions.