Here is a brand new image from KPO, after what seems eons without an image. I just have not been timing things right going back and forth to Jacksonville. Seems like it is always gorgeous up there, and as soon as it gets close to my return to St. Cloud, the clouds start to build. Interestingly enough we had a clear night last night, and tonight, when we were supposed to be having our February public observing session, it is pouring!
I took this picture on a Friday night, and during the whole observing run, I was chatting online with Steve Cox (who has been very active on the KPO social media channels), and he gave me a couple great suggestions on some ways to improve the image. Of course I followed them, and the image came out great – so thanks for your great input, Steve!
So here are the image specifications:
Canon 60D with an Astronomik CLS LPR in-body filter. Lens was a Canon 100-400mm L Zoom set at 400mm.
Two framesets were used: a long exposure set; 14×300 seconds for a total integration time of 70 minutes, then a short isposire set of 10×60 seconds for a total integration time of 10 minutes for the inner core.
Images captured and stacked in nebulosity, processed in StarTools, and finished in Aperture.