First deep sky image of 2020 Orion Nebula

 Well at long last after getting the equipment together to start doing this all over again I was able to get my first deep sky image last night. Having got a Skywatcher enhanced dual-axis drive second hand and set it up on the skywatcher 200p and EQ5 mount and my Canon 450d I was keen to test it all out so when the sky cleared I got out there and quickly set things up.

A very rough and ready polar alignment of the mount and then a quick focus of the camera using live view and simply zooming in on a star to focus I plugged in my intervalometer and set it to take 30-sec exposures using an ISO of 800. One quick test shot to check it was ok then let it click away till I had 130 shots to work with. Next was taking the Darks which was a simple matter of putting the cap on the scope and taking 30 more shot. Next was the light and to do this I put a white card over the opening of the scope and pointed it at the light in my shed nothing fancy and 30 more shots same ISO same time. Lastly, the Bias shots cap on and 30 shots on the fastest shutter speed and I was done.

Pack it all away and get some sleep!

Here is the final image after being stacked in deep-sky stacker and processed in photoshop it was taken on a full moonlit night hardly ideal for imaging but it came out really well so I am more than happy.