From: "Tim" <tjp314@pacbell.net>

Date: September 25, 2005 10:17:32 AM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: M2 from Los Angeles

Folks:

I uploaded a file into the DSO area this morning.  It's a stack of ten 20" exposures taken with 

my new Pt. Grey Flea camera (the camera is actuallly smaller than the Mogg 1 1/4" adapter 

with the 0.6 FR lens).

I experimented for about 3 hours last night with various DSO objects.  I would have shot Mars 

as well, but was set up in the back yard, and our house is 40' tall, so it didn't rise above the 

roof before I started to fade!  Too bad, too.  The seeing was pretty good, though the dew was 

moderate.  I don't have a dew heater, so I had to use a blow dryer every 20 minutes or so.  I 

thought the clouds would roll in by morning, but they didn't.  

Anyway, I am amazed at the quality of the images from the Flea.  Dark frame subtraction in 

Astro IIDC works very well, too.  If anything, I found that taking these sample DSO images 

with the flea was orders of magnitude easier than my "first night out" with my Meade DSI Pro.  

And the image quality is much better, too.

-Tim.