A Flaming Star a couple of Tadpoles and a Spider

[nexusjeep]

So bought myself an early Christmas present as First Light Optics had the Starfield Gear70Q that they had at IAS2025 on display at a good discount so thought sod it you can't take it with you so bought it . The image below is first light with this new scope which was amazing actually as normally when I buy astro kit I don't see the sky for the next three months.

This is 140 x 3min subs all were used as none were rejected. 100 Flats + master dark 3min + 3s for flats and master bias

Dithered to allow drizzle which would be done at 3x after checking on Meteoblue astronomy seeing and using the RC Astro MTF analyser

So the process was
WBPP with 3x Drizzle 0.7 droplet var 1.5 kernel
Graxpert to Background Extract
BlurXT
StarXterminator
Split RGB to Mono + some pixelmath and process through generalised hyperbolic stretch
Recombine with Pixelmath (sort of Foraxx formula)
NoiseXterminator
Curves adjustment
Export Tiff Stars / Starless Image
Combine in Affinity

2025.11.25 Flaming Star Tadpoles Spider by Nick Davis, on Flickr

Kit used
Imaging kit : Starfield Gear70Q 70/350 Pretzval, ZWO EAF + CAA, ASI2600MC-Pro + Antlia Quad Filter
Mount : M-UNO Synscan
Guide : APM-LZOS 130/780 + 0.75x MR flattener/Reducer, + Esatto 4" Focuser, Altair 290M guide camera
Software: SharpCap, GSS Mount control software, PHD2, Stellarium, PixInsight, Affinity.

Thanks for looking
Cheer
Nick

[admin]

Hi Nick,

a smashing image from what looks like it will turn out to be a very good scope. I have an Altair EDQ70 which looks very similar (same specs basically) and is also a great, reliable imaging tool. Mind you, mine is several years old now, so I suspect that the latest models have tweaks and improvemnts - such is always the way!

cheers,

Robin

[nexusjeep]

Thanks Robin, I did look at the Altair one but saw the Starfield offered at £1075 so thought that will do then did some frantic machining to get it on the mount ready for Tuesday evening as it only arrived at 9.30 that morning and the weather is awful here for the next week. So will break it all back off the mount do some final fettling and then paint and refit everything for final reassembly ready for another clear night although might use the main LZOS 130/780 for the horsehead and guide with the Gear70Q next, but the adaptors are interchangeable so easy to swap which scope is used for imaging.

Cheers
Nick