Dumbbell Nebula in OIII Using G-Scope

 

Photo by William Gottemoller

 

Scope / Lens

MAS G-Scope - C14 EdgeHD

 

MAS Equipment

G-Scope

 

Camera

SBIG STT-8300M

 

Exposure

9x20 mins in OIII (180 mins total)

 

Other

Around one year ago, when I joined the Milwaukee Astronomical Society, I imaged Messier 27 using the club's 12.5" reflector dubbed "B-scope." The blurry 30-minute image was the first image I had ever taken with a telescope and a camera (other than my phone); despite the blurry, low-quality images (as my fellow astrophotographers would agree), I regarded that night as one of the greatest nights of my life.

One year later, I learned the telescope we dub "G-scope," a 14" Celestron EdgeHD telescope with full imaging capabilities. The telescope sits under a large, notoriously laborious dome, a dome that requires constant attention and careful management.

On my first night imaging with "G-scope," I blundered a few times (as any rookie does); even so, I managed to work through the blunders and figure out the mistakes I made. After a lot of problem-solving and troubleshooting, I was able to obtain 3 hours of images of the Dumbbell Nebula in OIII. The monochrome image above (the image was taken with a monochrome camera) is the result. The image is 3/16th complete, for I still need 13 more hours of integration (HOO- 8 hrs of OIII and 8 hrs of Ha).

Working with G-scope has been a humbling yet rewarding experience, for I realized that my understanding of astrophotography is still shallow, even infantile. An involved and deep-field telescope, G-scope quickly became my favorite telescope to use, despite the mistakes I made. I am beyond grateful to be able to work with such a magnificent telescope.

 

Date

August 30, 2021

 

ID: 1268

Other Images by William Gottemoller