I arrived at the Mid-Atlantic Star Party mid-afternoon on Thursday, October 15, 1998, ready to do some CCD imaging.  I had to set up the Kendrick observatory tent and then the scope inside before dark.  I got to talking to folks that came by to see the tent and scope, and didn't have everything set up in time to use dusk to make flat field images (images used to remove the effects of optical vignetting and dust on the optics).  I made some dinner, aligned the mount and digital setting circles, then got started imaging a little after midnight.  That night I imaged the following objects, with varying degrees of success: M15 (globular cluster), NGC 7331 (inclined spiral galaxy), M74 (face on spiral galaxy), NGC 1300 (barred spiral galaxy), M77 (spiral galaxy), NGC 925 (spiral galaxy), and M1 (supernova remnant).  This was the first time I tried a whole night's worth of work using the highest resolution mode the camera offers.  I shot my flat field images at dawn on Friday morning and went to bed for 3 hours.

Friday afternoon I decided to clean the accumulation of condensation spots off the CCD.  I should have left well enough alone.  While putting the camera back together, I pinched the O-ring without realizing it.  The camera shutter would not function properly that evening and I was too tired to try and figure out why.  I did some visual observing, wandered around talking to folks and turned in around 1:00 AM, rationalizing that I wouldn't have been able to do any decent imaging because of the slight haze.

Saturday, somewhat better rested, I took the camera home to Raleigh, and discovered the shutter problem was due to it hitting the O-Ring jutting into the camera.  I fixed this simple problem with a more careful reassembly.  This camera has a dessicant module that helps prevent frost by removing moisture from the inside of the camera.  When the dessicant gets saturated with moisture, you put the module in the oven and bake the moisture out.  Since the camera had been fogging and frosting up when cooled below 0 degrees C, I took the dessicant out and baked it for 4 hours while I took a shower and a nap.  I arrived back out at MASP before dusk, and got set up.  I took a picture of M2 before 9:00, and wandered around until 2:00.  Then I took a shot of NGC246 (planetary nebula) and spent the rest of the evening with new friends Elaine Osborne (of Western Va.) and Carlos Soto (of Fayetteville).  Carlos is a star hopping expert with a vast knowledge of the sky.  Elaine let him show us several objects  through her Dobsonian.

Unless otherwise noted, these images were taken with the SBIG ST-8 camera operating at -10 degrees C and 9 micron pixel mode (highest resolution, lowest sensitivity), and processing included at least dark frames subtracted and flat fields.  North is to the right unless otherwise noted.

Click image to see more detailed page.

M15: 981016 12:51AM EDT.  2 minute exposure.

NGC7331: 981016 1:20 AM EDT.  15 minute exposure

M74: 981016 2:05 AM EDT.  20 minute exposure.

NGC1300: 981016 2:41 AM EDT.  25 minute exposure.

M1: 981016 5:58 AM EDT : 15 minutes

NGC246: 981018 1:06 AM ED: 20 minutes