Orion ST80 + Mallincam = great fun!

I am really, really enjoying this Orion ST-80 short tube refractor. I had no idea how much I would enjoy a grab-n-go scope. This little scope when paired to the iOptron SmartEQ mount provides an immensely fun little package. I just grab the scope on the mount, take it outside, point to true north with a map compass, and switch on. I slew and sync on several bright targets and nothing but enjoyable viewing for the rest of the session. I love the wide FOV that this scope provides with an astro-tech 15mm plossl. Chromatic Aberration is minimal and certainly does not distract from the view. Moon filter kills CA fringing as several online reviews state, and does so very well. I cannot overstate how pleased I am with the views that this little cheap scope provides. I can see the whole sword region of orion in the 15mm FOV. It is a very satisfying view, and I would not have thought so given the fact that it is a measly 80mm of aperture. Despite that, I find myself glued to the eyepiece for long periods of time enjoying the razor sharp views of M42. Am I becoming a refractor convert? Possibly a little bit, but I do enjoy a big dob as well. I am just saying that this little mount/scope combo is really fun and provides tack-sharp rewarding views. It has really put the fun factor back in astronomy. In fact, if I am not imaging, I can be setup, aligned, and observing in about three minutes. Just fantastic.

I know this little cheap scope won't be an imaging superstar, but I was curious what it would look like with the Mallincam Color Hyper imager. Video astronomy is fun, no doubt about it but I wanted to see what it would do with some screen grabs. Lazy man's astrophotography, if you will. Yes, I knew there would be star bloat, yes there were telltale purple halos that come with chromatic aberration, but you know what? The images were pretty cool and really can showcase what can be done with a cheap scope, mount combo.

I setup last night in hopes of catching Panstarrs, but no luck as it was too low and trees obscure my western horizon. I decided to swing the scope over towards Orion's sword, and here are the results. I look forward to trying this again during a new moon and with a Baader IR filter to help contain some of the star bloat. All in all though, I was very pleased.

The above image is the result of 8x2 second exposures (sens-up setting 128x) stacked in DeepSky Stacker. Curves, levels, saturation adjusted in PS, as well as a few passes in the astro tools action panel.

The above image is the result of 4x2 second exposures and the on-camera zoom function on at full zoom. DSS stacking and curve/level/astrotools action panel in PS.

The above image is a stack of 2x7 second exposures. Overexposed to show some detail in the gas cloud surrounding the trapezium. Core is blown out but cloud details are present. You can even see a hint of the "Running Man" nebulosity below m42. Heavily edited in PS just to be even somewhat presentable.

It took longer to fire up the laptop and setup the mallincam and video capture software than to get the scope setup and aligned. Much fun and I think this will be a hit for a portable outreach setup. I am anxious to see how the cam performs with this scope when using a LP filter, I hope it helps without degrading the images too much. I also tried to image the Pleaides, M45 but the starbloat was too bad and the image was completely washed out by light pollution. 

Until next time...