Purple Haze

Or, Why Imaging M31, The Andomeda Galaxy, Through An 80mm Achromat With Pinched Optics Might Not Be Such A Great Idea




ST80, Canon Digital Rebel XT, 30 x 30 seconds.

I was able to successfully auto-guide the LX200 using the NexImage and Keith's AstroImager. I must not be quite accurately polar aligned though, as I still had some field rotation between images.

M27, The Dumbbell Nebula

Meade 10" LX200 Classic @ f/6.3, Canon Digital Rebel XT, 30 x 30 seconds unguided.

Stars are a little blobby--it's time to think about guiding. I'm pretty happy with this shot, though.

Thinking

I was talking with Andy yesterday when he suggested I buy not a telescope, but a telescope store. Apparently the woman who owns the store wants to spend more time with her family.

So I've been thinking about it. I have ideas on what I'd change and what I wouldn't. I've been wondering what it would be like to actually run the place, to be my own boss. I have doubts that I actually know enough about the products to do a good job selling. I worry that making a hobby a job would be the end of enjoying the hobby. And never mind the fear of going broke. It's the only astro store in own, but the internet is a powerful force.

I don't even know what I don't know: taxes, insurance, employees, liability. Could the store support my family?

I'll likely not get past this point, but I'll wonder "what if?" for a long time.