Telescope: Light Switch 8 @ f/10, altaz mode
Camera: Stock Canon 600D, interval timer
Filter: GSO IR Blocking Filter
Guide scope: None
Exposure: 23x10sec, ISO 3200, saved as RAW
Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)
Flats: 32×1/10sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk
Average Light Pollution: Red zone, Bortle 8, poor transparency, windy
Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.4
Stacking: Mean with a 1-sigma clip.
White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic
Software: Deep Sky Stacker, Nebulosity, Photoshop
M56 is a relatively small, dense globular cluster that tends to get a bit lost against the background Milky Way. I have always found this to be a somewhat challenging object visually (at least from my backyard) but it blossoms beautifully with a large telescope.
This is one of a series of images that I have been taking to explore using relatively simple equipment and techniques and the last image taken with my Light Switch 8 at its native f/10 focal length using my stock 600D. I increased the gain from my usual ISO 1600 to ISO 3200 for this one and it was nice to see how the healthy dose of natural dithering smoothed out the noise fairly well. Simple is good.
M56 is currently in the west at sunset.
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