My 2nd Image of the season - NGC7635 - Bubble Nebula

CarlightExpress wrote: I plan on eventually getting a Mono CCD for imaging, not sure when, but it will happen eventually

That will certainly open additional doors for you. The DSLR's are very worthy astro imagers but a purpose built astro imager (in the right hands) would probably offer some advantages.

There are a good few folks here with a ton of experience with CCD's (low, medium and high end) - when you think you're ready to take the plunge, just holler.

In the meantime, keep sharing those beautiful images.

Dave

dmcdona wrote:
That will certainly open additional doors for you. The DSLR's are very worthy astro imagers but a purpose built astro imager (in the right hands) would probably offer some advantages.

There are a good few folks here with a ton of experience with CCD's (low, medium and high end) - when you think you're ready to take the plunge, just holler.

In the meantime, keep sharing those beautiful images.

Dave

Thanks Dave

I'm probably looking at the QHY9M or if I can afford to do it the QSI version withthe OAG port head

Simon

Don't rule out the second-hand market. Some very nice CCDs out there for reasonable prices. A good imager will last many many years and certainly the premium manufacturers can repair/recondition older imagers. There tends not to be a huge amount to go wrong with them - perhpas a shutter may need to be replaced (or just serviced) or possibly a cooling fan. The electronic boards - not so sure but a high-end camera will be designed to withstand 'years' of external use. My ProLine has been outside for 4+ years and is working the same as did from day 1. As is the filter wheel and focuser. And mount. And OTA. Actually, even the PC too... I just used a tarp for the first two years then built a 'shed' (more of a cover) with an open end
that possibly gave a little extra protection.

So don't rule out a used CCD either. I had the opportunity, a few years back, to get a CCD with a backthinned E2V chip (+90% QE) - it originally sold for about 20K. Asking price was about 2 or 3K. And it was in perfect working order. The idea of a PCI card connection didn't sit right with me though.

Cheers
Dave

Thanks for the great image but even more for the info that you posted. Just starting out with imaging myself with a IMG0H that I can't seem to get my head around but will post some pic's when I can.

markrgriffin wrote: Thanks for the great image but even more for the info that you posted. Just starting out with imaging myself with a IMG0H that I can't seem to get my head around but will post some pic's when I can.

Give me a shout if you want any help with processing etc