Koehler Urban Astrophotography

11/12/23 - Started collection against M33 / Triangulum galaxy with the LX10 using the 0.63 Meade focal reducer, no filter and the SV405cc. Mount has remained unmoved for a week out on the deck. Double checked polar alignment using PHD2 on the Odroid XU4 and found nominal alignment (~6") and checked focus with the Bahtinov mask. Forecast from cleardarkskies for 11/12 showing great conditions. Forecast from meteoblue also suggesting good conditions (with the exception of seeing). Bahtinov mask collection after adjusting focus on 11/12/23. Initial M33 result from AstroPixelProcessor using the first 54x120s (6360s, 1.7 hours) of collection. 11/13/23 -- set the scheduler to launch collection against M33 automatically starting at ~18:30.  This ran through one complete job (60 light frames) which lasted approximately two hours (18:36 - 20:49).  Restarted collection on an additional 60 light frames at ~22:18.  Forecast for 11/13/23 from cleardarksky suggesting cloud-free, dark sk...

11/3/23 Starting a new target: IC 5146 is a reflection/emission nebula and Caldwell object in the constellation Cygnus.  Clear dark sky forecast for 11/3 showing clear skies until around 3am with average seeing. Astronomy Seeing forecast for 11/03 from meteoblue showing the arrival of peak clouds around 2am. Given the radius of about 1 degree, using the Meade LX10 with the 0.63 focal reducer with the dual narrow band Ha/OIII filter with the new Svbony SV405cc OSC camera... with an expected low temperature of about 40 dgrees F, set the camera temperture to -5c.  After finding good focus on the Celestron 9x50 RACI finder with the ZWO ASI120MC-S, started with a rough focus on Sadulsud (Beta Aquarii) with the priimary OTA.  Then began polar drift alignment...initially way off at -1200" (ouch) (pre-meridian flip).  Tightened on the right side of the mount (facing the front). First adjustment: -700".  Then -200. Over-corrected on the third adjustment with ~100". ...