CCD vs Film? Lots of time vs no patience? Alright, this is your place to discuss all the astrophotography what's and what's not. You can discuss about techniques, accessories, cameras, whatever....just make sure you also post some nice photos here too!
Great work Matthew, looks like a poster you might want to frame up. But do check your M102 first. I think it should look like this : http://www.seds.org/~spider/ngc/ngc.cgi?m102
Oops.. sorry, sleep depravation due to feeding baby bird...
[80% Steve, 20% Alfred] ------- Probability of Clear Skies = (Age of newest equipment in days) / [(Number of observers) * (Total Aperture of all telescopes present in mm)]
The next phase will involve a transition in imaging objectives and imaging platform.
Matthew, does this mean you'll be using your EM200 from now on? How's the portable pier project for that mount progressing? I'm interested to copy the design for my EM-100 (maybe a joint order if possible?).
As usual, your deduction is spot-on, however this poor man’s Monolith project has been toss to the back burner, due to number of unresolved factors. I will email you offlist to explain the technicalities behind this undertaking. Maybe we can work out an interim solution for your new mount and existing surveyor tripod.
I felt that the surveyor tripod is more substantial in handling the heavy mount but it is way too tall for my newt. I'm looking for one-piece non-adjustable mahogany legs to replace the FC-M.
cheers,
Arief
PS: Btw, the CF newt will be 52" long but weight 22lbs only
Oh yes, a new mirror. Incidentally the wooden surveyor tripod is downward scalable with a jigsaw, while still leaving a little room for level adjustment.
"The universe is composed mainly of hydrogen and ignorance." 
