Open star clusters are the ideal objects for a brief evening observation or as a preview until the main object of the night is high enough in the sky. Tonight, the open star cluster Messier 103 or Melotte 8 was my appetizer. Fourteen individual images were needed to create the final picture. What may not be sufficient for nebulas, both in the foreground and background, seems to work quite well for open star clusters, in my opinion.
Furthermore, I am pleased that my VIXEN VC200L was put into action again, especially since I had to make adjustments to its configuration on my own for the first time beforehand.
Full resolution on Flickr:
Technical overview
| Telescope | Vixen VISAC VC200L |
| Focal Length | 1800mm |
| Erecting Lense | – |
| Camera | CANON EOS M100(a) |
| Guiding Equipment | Pegasus Astro Indigo OAG |
| Guiding Camera | QHY 5-III-462C |
| Mount | Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro, Belt and Hypertuned |
| Photography Date | 01/09/2024 |
| Exposure-Time Lights | 14x180s |
| Correction frames | FLATS, BIASES |
| Sensitivity | ISO 1600 |
| Processing Date | 01/09/2024 |
| Software Stack | INDI, PixInsight, Affinity Photo |
| Capture Place | Koblenz, Germany |
