Some images from last 2 weeks..

If anyone says that astrophotography with a NexStar 8 is impossible, please refer them here. I was not expecting miracles, but I was not prepared for what I did get. All images taken with a stock NexStar 8SE altazimuth mounted scope. Mallincam integrations set between 2 and 14 seconds, depending on target. Enjoy!

Ring Nebula in Lyra, M57

Great Orion Nebula, M42

Dumbbell nebula in Vulpecula, M27

The Crab nebula, supernova remnant in Taurus. M1

Globular cluster in Pegasus. M15

And finally, the image I am most proud of thus far. It is not the most impressive image in this batch, but it represents one of the hardest deep sky objects for even the most seasoned astro-imagers. It is the Horsehead Nebula in Orion. This was taken with the 8" SCT in alt-az mode with only a 14 second exposure. As with all the above images, it is tweaked in photoshop to bring out the hidden details, but no info is added to this image. I did this mainly as a proof-of-concept that an acceptable image of the horsehead could be captured with a meager 8 inch scope in altaz mode with only 14 seconds. This is a visible light image, no hyrogen alpha filtering at all. Only filter in optic chain was a celestron UHC light pollution filter.

These are my first deep sky images with this telescope and I am very proud of them. As my skills grow, there will naturally be improvement in both my capture and post processing techniques. Thanks for looking!