First Light with iOptron Skyguider Pro from Spruce Knob, WV

My initial testing of the iOptron Skyguider Pro was very positive. On my first visit to the highest peak in West Virginia, I had 3 imaging systems going simultaneously. The first was my traditional long telescopic deep sky imaging system, and the second was my tripod based system working on my new category of images- Astro Scapes, and then the third was my modded Canon T5i on the iOptron Skyguider.

The beauty of the Skyguider is that it takes a simple polar scope alignment and then point the camera at your object and fire away. On this night, I decided to use the fast Rokinon 85mm f1.4 lens at f2. Exposures were 30 seconds and I set out to capture about an hour of data. No darks or flats were utilized. It was truly an experiment. And I am very happy with the result. This system is a great grab and go or supplement to my main imaging setup. I am looking forward to many more nights with a fast lens and the iOptron Skyguider Pro.

The image is near the core of the Milky Way featuring Messier objects M16, M17, and M24.