City vs Country: Astrophotography contest with Nico Carver/Nebula Photos

A contest with Nico Carver from Nebula Photos pushed me further than I have before in Tokyo, on a broadband target: the Pleiades and its beautiful reflection nebula. It was a huge lot of fun!
Nico's channel: / @nebulaphotos
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00:00 Intro & Contest Rules
01:40 My Strategy
03:51 My Results
07:07 Nico's Imaging Issues
10:30 Nico's Workaround
11:24 Astro Issues and Spacers Binding
13:13 The problem with dark site travel
15:00 Nico's Result!
20:35 My Results and Comparison
26:00 Final Thoughts and Conclusion
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[@jasonpatterson8091]

This is encouraging me even more to get into astrophotography. My back yard is Bortle 2, and I could drive 20 minutes and be in a 1. (Trust me, the sky is beautiful, but there are drawbacks to living in the middle of nowhere as well). I realize that both of you are highly skilled and that I would not be producing images like these without a lot of time, effort, and equipment, but I almost feel like I'm wasting the opportunity by not doing it.

[@TheNarrowbandChannel]

Those look like new cameras. And yes that is a galaxy. It showed up in my photos too from the city.

[@thenoisyelectron]

It's honestly very refreshing to hear you both discuss your dark site failures because sometimes it is soo frustrating to be super excited to finally be out there with your gear and then things start going wrong. There needs to be a dark sky support group :)

[@maciekpilarczyk6408]

That Little galaxy is UGC 2838, located 316Mly away

[@nunoairosa]

You two need to create more content together, I got some much from the talk between you guys. Great images aswell.

[@MOKPT3]

For binding spacers press the spacers against a tire and the palm of your hand, twist, and they will usually come apart. I use it against my sticky motorcycle tire and it works great.

[@juanromero5436]

Congratulation to both. Very impressive images. Thanks you.

[@renepirolt]

Looks like that little Galaxy is UGC 2838. Keep up the fantastic work!

[@aw7425]

This was a fun shootout. Thanks to you both

[@mgastronomy]

Excellent video. I truly enjoyed it. Indeed there is a galaxy in the background. I have seen it in other high resolution images. Congratulations to you both. Clear skies.

[@guywalsh9604]

I use beeswax on all my filter threads. Never had one ever thread-bound. Love this channel BTW.

[@simonmcnally4356]

That's interesting, I have been told to use vaseline sparingly on the threads to stop it, but I like the wax idea better! Less chance of a grubby mark getting on optics.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Huh, good idea, something else to try!

[@claytonostler]

This video just makes me happy, you both are wonderful advocates for the hobby, I appreciate both of your videos and knowledge. Thank you

[@tradde11]

You both have beautiful shots. But I was shocked at his 3 hour photo and the way he composed it really stood out. But your 22 hours is beautiful capturing that wispy-ness.

[@deep_space_dave]

Hey Cuiv! A nice trick to help get spacers apart is to heat them up. If you are in your car just hold them to the vent with heat cranked up. Spacers are made of metal and metal expands in the cold and shrinks when warmer. A blow dryer when at home helps too. Hope this helps someone out there! Please pass this on to Nicos! That image with all that data you created was amazing! I finally just ordered a C6 that finally is in stock and cheap! Now I just need the Hyperstar and a cooled camera. Thanks for the video!

[@Wheeljack678]

I absolutely love watching these collabs / friendly competitions amongst fellow content creators in astrophotography. I feel they really help bring the community together around this awesome, wonderful (but at times oh' so frustrating) hobby. Both of your images are stunning. I very much enjoyed this video.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you!!

[@NikonJax]

Both wonderful pics! Thanks for a great video!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Our pleasure!

[@edjones3390]

Great to watch this again! Really missing your channel, no pressure, but really looking forwards to you being back - when you are ready!

[@larryfine4719]

One time I took my camera for a trip and forgot the SD card (it was in my laptop at home). We've all been there! Nico's comment about taking spares for everything is so true.

[@newforestobservatory9322]

Yes it is a galaxy and around mag 17.5 from memory. PGC13696.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks!

[@lukefitzgerald6043]

So mutually affirming. Restores my faith in humanity. Love your work guys, need to name that galaxy!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Luke! And Nico just went full time!! It's awesome and amazing!

[@AstroSoundscape]

This was a very interesting challenge Cuiv, and both images had real strengths. Impressive the results you got from the balcony. I've recently finished a 46 hour Collab on the Dolphin Head Nebula which is the craziest detail I've ever manged and the longest I've ever imaged. 👍Nice work as always Cuiv.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Wow the Dolphin Head is a tough target!! Looking forward to seeing that!

[@AstroSoundscape]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek It's on my KZbin or Instagram if you feel like a look. Cheers :)

[@southernexposure123]

Each of these men are great separately. Seeing them together ads an element excitement not experienced in most astrophotography videos. Concerning sticking tube threads, there's a product named FelPro which is an anti-seize compound used by mechanics to prevent the male and the female threads from having microscopic burs when tightened together and freezing threads together when the threads are dry. The consintency of the FP is like light grease and the color is like new copper. I apply the product with a brush to push the FP down to the bottom of the threads, and then wipe off the FP just enough to prevent oil from running and causing problems getting oil where it's unwanted. Before using FP I had good success using a tiny drop of 3 in One oil on threads. Great video and fantastic pictures. Thanks for sharing.

[@KingLoopie1]

A little automotive or aircraft anti - seize sparingly on those spacers will help a lot to keep them from seizing. Heat on the female thread helps expand it to break it loose too. The photos? Looks like the winner here again is me! I get to enjoy a contest and the results! 😁 I'm amazed at what can be seen through light pollution with the proper tech, but I still prefer to get lost in the stars at a dark site with just my eyes... I wonder what can be done in Moscow's skies? When I visited, one of the few objects I could pick out was saturn, but only when it was overhead... That was 20+ yrs ago. I'm sure it's worse now.

[@vk3dgn]

Aluminium can be cold welded by tightening. The usual precaution is to apply a bit of oil or vaseline but I don't know how that would affect spacing, etc. Stainless steel and some others are the same. Nice shots!

[@amateurastrophoto3057]

Excellent video. Subscriber to both channels and loved the challenge. Liked Cuiv’s signal to noise, but loved Nico’s composition. Can’t wait for some clear skies here in Indianapolis to get back out there.

[@craigmarkfootball8183]

lovely sharing from both you guys thank you sOO much... A joy to watch

[@martrich1098]

Both are beautiful shots. I watched both videos and what I find most interesting is the discussion around imaging problems and processing problems.These collaborations are awesome! By the way, good call on RisingCam - very interesting pricing!

[@aluginbill6182]

Another great vid! I’m always learning from both you guys. I had no idea that you can stack images from different cameras like I learned tonight. Thanks Cuiv!

[@martynh5410]

Did the same thing with spacers as well. Really beat them up using big pliers to unstick them!!

[@Steve_Fractals]

Great video and imaging by both of you.

[@markszkil]

Chock full of insights and gems. Thanks to you both.

[@thomasbrooks644]

I really enjoyed this. Now I dont feel so bad overtighting my spacer and not being able to get it off. Seeing comparisons is a good learning tool. I broke out of a rut and started taking some pretty cool pics thanks to your vidios

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you Thomas! I'm glad my videos have helped! And yeah spacers binding is one of our bains...

[@riaandewinnaar5040]

For stuck spacers a vice grip wrapped with painter's tape works a charm.

[@slzckboy]

I use rubber bands fir extra grip.. and sometimes try putting the jammed spacer in hot water (thermal expansion) then let it cool ...so it shrinks back ... jury's out on that one but has worked a couple of times

[@OzzMazz]

Would lubricating the threads help?

[@uschi414]

This was a great challenge between two amazing KZbin astrophotographers! As for who won, I think you have it wrong, Cuiv. I believe that we, the viewers, are the real winners here! Thanks to both you and Nico for doing this. It was inspirational and a lot of fun to watch on both your channels.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Now that was a deep conclusion - viewers are the real winners :) I'm really glad that it helps!

[@brianjahns]

Really cool to see you guys do challenges with each other! You guys all have your own strengths and challenges (like light pollution) to overcome and I find myself running into similar things all the time so it's really neat to see how you two (and Trevor and Dylan) handle everything and apply your skill set to produce some amazing images. Keep it up!

[@ricklaird2218]

Super fun to watch and see what is possible from two different situations.

[@maximidius]

Hey, fantastic images, guys. I live in Nara and often do AP from my garden. Seeing what has been achieved from a bortle 8-9 area in a city gives me hope.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Nara sounds like a good place to do AP compared to Tokyo! :D

[@maximidius]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I think so. Certainly out near the countryside it gets better. Where I am it’s around a bortle 7. I know of some good spots if you’re ever down this way.

[@cragar55]

I love you guys! Keep up the great work!

[@stevekuzmic3911]

2 awesome images from two of my favourite channels. Love your channel . This is one of my favourite targets .

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you!

[@JohnMcGFrance]

Great images guys. Loved the discussion too. Very interesting. We’ve all had issues with spacers being stuck or forgetting a key piece of gear. I think the 2 things that stood out for me was to plan my framing more carefully and to be prepared to spend a lot more time on one target. Thanks to yo both.

[@speppino]

I had a similar issue with binding spacers to the camera and I put the camera in the fridge for 30 min.. they came loose right after. If you use a freezer might help even more in less time. The other approach I would use is to heat with a torch just one of the spacer when the rest is freezer cold. Differential expansion might help even better, but be careful not to damage the camera.

[@Miguel_Noppe]

Nice results. You're making me want to buy a hyperstar for my 9.25" EdgeHd 😁

[@riaandewinnaar5040]

Hyperstar's cheating.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It's a lot of fun! :)

[@lalitac]

You both captured absolutely awesome pictures! You deserve a lot more subscribers Cuiv! Hope you all the best!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you Lalita!

[@davidleejenkins]

That was captivating! I really enjoy these head-to-head challenges as it provides a wealth of information from two different perspectives. I look forward to more of these. Thank you both.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you David!

[@celestromel]

Brilliant (as usual)! Both yours and Nico’s channels are not to be missed, but when you put them together - WOW! So much down-to-earth common sense delivered in a very entertaining manner. More of these, please 😊

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you so much Melvyn! That means a lot! We had a lot of fun doing this challenge and discussing the results!

[@simonpepper5053]

Well done Cuiv great video as always 100k will come I am sure love your channel is very informative and has helped me on my Astro journey. Thanks

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Simon, glad the content has been helpful!

[@JeffHorne]

This is so awesome and so valuable. Thanks to the both of you!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you!

[@gregerianne3880]

Beautiful images both! Very inspirational for those of us who are new to astrophotography. Thanks for sharing this!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you Greg!! It's really good to see our videos having a positive impact!

[@johnday2676]

Very fun, interesting and a pleasure to watch. Give me great future ideas. Thanks to both of you and I am unable to choose the better.

[@ASTROindi]

Very interesting video, fee we always learn more in a challaning sprint than our usual routine. I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Thanks to both of you.

[@riyadhjabdulkadir8465]

Very nice video, I think both images compliment each other - Nico's wide composition and the detail in yours. Just fantastic!!!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you Riyadh!

[@AndreH3d]

I’m revisiting this video after a long time, this one was important for me to know that with some endurance you can get great results from the city where I live, b8-9! One question, why not using the L-Pro? I just got one in a good deal and I’m really impressed by it. I previously used CLS, then UHC, then Askar duo band (l-enhance) and finally a 7nm duo band launched by SVBONY recently… fighting the good fight against light pollution… I’m enjoying the L-Pro a lot for broadband

[@lukomatico]

Really great comparison! interesting to see how much of a different changing bortle scales makes!! - and damn, when you were talking about seized adapters, I felt it - I'm confident we've all been there!!! :-D Clear skies!

[@MrGribouillage]

merci pour ton contenu ! thank you for all you share !

[@jasonpatterson8091]

To the left of your little galaxy I honestly see another, even littler galaxy in almost the exact same orientation.

[@rashie]

Love the challenge!

[@MegaloGater]

The "Little Galaxy" you spotted is the galaxy "UGC 2838"

[@setnes]

I keep a pair of leather gloves in my astronomy toolbox. I call them my "wrench set." They work wonders on spacers as well as the mount bolts when the temperature changes. I also have a roll of painter's masking tape. Temporarily wrapping some of that around a narrow spacer ring can help a lot when trying to get them unstuck. Great video!

[@MrGaugeBoson]

Wow, this looks amazing. Congrats to both of you :)) This really motivates me in my bottle 8 scale.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you!

[@Tim_the_Astronurd]

before you pointed it out, I was going to say "and you got the most imaged galaxy that most people arent aware they imaged!"

[@ysl109812]

Wow, great stuff. Both of your works are inspiring. The Pleiades is one of my favorite objects in the sky and you have shown more creative ways to approach it. The new cameras you are using look interesting. Do let us know how they are and if you would recommend them. It's great to see more and cheaper options are now available!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you! The cameras are great for the moment - it's really more about the sensor than the camera! I just worry about what to do if one breaks down...

[@woody5109]

Great stuff guys, your both masters of the trade, cheers 🍻

[@jlecomte0719]

Wow! That makes me want to go with a Hyperstar for my next rig. Very cool stuff!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Julien! Hyperstar has been a lot of fun! :D

[@astronome66]

Wow! What great fun to see this head to head challenge from both your perspectives. Two very impressive results. But Cuiv, 22 hours?!!! If you do more like this, I think you're going to need a new playlist for 'Cuiv, the Not So Lazy Geek' 😁

[@lars-andersbrnn6927]

love this video as i have loved all your vids! def not in love with u, but ur talent inspires me :) (my wife wont let me love other youtube personalities) but ceep it comin Cuiv, i cant afford any photogear yet, as i am savin up for an eq6r.. but when that happens i have ''knowledge'' i got for free from u and all the other great youvlogs! so thanx for another great vid, and two beautiful pics from u and nico :)

[@psuaero100]

I 100% agree... imaging from my backyard and dealing w/ Bortle 6 and a tree limiting FOV still beats packing up and hauling all the equipment and that heavy battery to the local "dark" sky site (Bortle 4) for the night. Why? Because I can get some sleep while I image from the backyard.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I learned through the hobby that I really need my 8 hours of beauty sleep!

[@renegossel5139]

I Love your Challengees

[@PhilPassmore]

Can I suggest rubbing a graphite pencil around your filter threads prior to assembly? Helps keep them free, just don't overdo it so you create dust. Also, rather than trying to grasp the part, place your open hand against the part, and push against it, then turn your hand to attempt to unscrew it.

[@brianfromsyr]

I loved the video!

[@jimwaters304]

IMO you won Cuiv. Better overall photo and great PI processing. I am impressed what you can do over multiple nights. I also live in a Bortle 8 site and have tried M45 with just 2.5 hours of subs. My image is OK but more important, you convinced me to image across multiple nights.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Jim!! Yeah multiple nights and long integration times truly make a big difference!

[@RolandWinde]

Extremely exciting video!! From my point of view: Art beats technique.

[@jorymil]

Should spacers be lubricated? When working with bicycles, you can end up in some odd situations where you have chemical welding between identical metals. Spacers are usually anodized or painted, but I wonder....

[@benringel2286]

Tip for unbinding small spacers: Place the spacer on the tread on the bottom of a sneaker and push in while twisting. It works really well for me!

[@greatpix]

yup. that's an old photography trick to get filters off.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Oh nice! I didn't know that one, thank you!!

[@Kyle_Hubbard]

That's a 50/50, I learnt this when learning photography over the last year. I had a spacer that had binded so badly I needed to use WD40 and left it for a night and still struggled to get it off. I don't understand how these spacers fuse like that. Something I personally do is use a cotton buds the ones on sticks and apply a VERY small amount of grease on the male threads. Never been stuck since. Clean and replace grease every six months, depends on the quality of grease and your environmental care.

[@riaandewinnaar5040]

Nice results with different tecniques there both.

[@TK-th9vu]

Thanks Chris for another fun video. I think that you might like to try something Dylan O'Donnell demonstrated. He selected only the best 10% of his frames and only stacked them, rather than stacking every frame that he acquired. He showed that the end results are superior, because you are not stacking the inferior data. When you think of how much you would still have from 22 hours, you will still have a lot to work with. But if you try an it doesn't work for you, then you know for yourself. I would really like to see your results if you try it. Keep up the great work.

[@AmiSMB]

Great to see you using RisingCam, I am using the IMX571 Mono version and managed to get first light last Friday and it was wow! It compliments my Altair 26C

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yep, I now have both the color and mono versions, and they both are great! I'm just worrying about what would happen if one breaks... but fingers crossed for now!

[@paulbarrett423]

great images I do love that widefield veiw mind , waiting foe deepsapce nine to appear by it lol

[@mercster]

Sometimes when things that screw together bind up, cooling them down or heating them up can help. Not sure if that works in the field, but, there ya go.

[@mercster]

Then again I'm talking about like, non-optical fixtures and such, maybe you don't wanna cool/heat optics like that.

[@danielm4703]

Great video Cuiv. I had no idea Nico had a KZbin channel until now! I've been following him on Astrobin for years. I've had success with rubber grip gloves that I bought at Home Depot. I had a 2mm ZWO adapter stuck to my EFW and those gloves were the only way I was able to dislodge it.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yep, I have some 3M rubber grip gloves for that purpose as well, but sometimes even those don't cut it!

[@BryonStice]

Every video of yours with this setup makes me feel better about my choice! My 6" sct (a slightly used 6se) came in yesterday, now I just need to get a hyperstar for it. Going to be shooting with my celestron 6.3 reducer for the time being.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Oh you're going to have a lot of fun using it with Hyperstar!

[@BryonStice]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Found that galaxy for you, btw. It's UGC 2838 at 17.8 mag, about 300m light years away.

[@febsat]

Great images from both of you! There is just something about the Pleiades blue colour that says 'outer space'.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yeah I love that color!

[@stephenc1111]

That was educational in that it is easy to feel as a beginner that you are the only person that sets up and has everything go wrong! I have been thinking about the Hyperstar for my C6 but am thinking about your comment about the size of the obstruction with the ZWO camera. Is the ZWO camera to much of a problem to make it worth while? and how does a Hyperstar compare with a focal reducer in terms of results? When you are new to this you can spend a lot of money on equipment that does not work well with what you already have! I loved both your images.

[@ThePiotrusZ]

I use used bicycle inner tube to separate spacers - it works great

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Nice one! Thanks for the tip!

[@AstroQuest1]

Great job guys! I like both images. I have been wanting to do a wide field shot of the Pleiades with the Canon 200mm for a while, I just got done doing a quick closeup at 40omm. I was planning on centering it on the Pleiades until I saw the framing with the Vulture Head. - Cheers Kurt

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That framing is really genius! I hope you enjoy the shooting :)

[@AstroQuest1]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Yeah, it will be a while before I have a chance. Your camera that is equivalent to the ASI2600 sounds interesting - never heard of it.

[@mouseylikesnuts6437]

HI Cuiv, loving your videos having recently discovered your channel. I have no right to ask, but was was wondering, having gathered 11 hours of data with the IMX533 and 11 hours with the IMX571 whether it would be worth posting a comparison of the two stacks (assuming you processed them separately and still have the separate integrations??). I realise these are essentially the same sensor, but you noted a dramatic improvement after adding in the 11 hours from the 533. I just wondered if you'd got a "better" version of the sensor in the ZWO to the RisingCam. Just a thought!! Clear skies and keep up the great work !

[@Deliverator80]

Great video and fun colaboration! Thanks for sharing with us, Cuiv! That is a pretty hefty price difference between that camera and the ZWO version with the same sensor. Your results look great! How was the experience using the camera, though? I'm always a bit weary of aliexpress sourced hardware when it comes to the end-user experience. I'd be interested in a gear review on these cameras, for sure.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

For now the camera works flawlessly - in fact it was easier to cover its LEDs than the ZWO version (for Hyperstar). Of course there's the risk it could break down the road...

[@flyinglenses4shini4]

can you make a video tutorial please on how you stacked them manually, id love to see how you god these results

[@beatsntoons]

I remember going to a dark site and realising I'd left my counterweights at home. Absolutely gutted, until my (7 year old) son told me to use some rocks.... well, I filled a camping chair bag with sand/pebbles, Velcro tied it to the counterweight bar on my EQ6-R, and it worked absolutely perfectly. Lesson learned: take someone with you, they can problem solve while you're wallowing in your own sorrow :D (and thanks, son, you're awesome!)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hahaha, well done to you and your son!

[@TK-th9vu]

Amazing results Cuiv. The only thing that I would have liked a bit more of with yours is a touch more contrast. Yes you would sacrifice a bit of the dust of the nebula. But it would give it a nice punch. As an experiment, maybe try adding as much contrast as Nico's has, and see how much the punch adds to the overall appearance. But super awesome job. You are such an inspiration! Thanks for working so hard at this competition

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks T K! That's one of my weaknesses, I don't like high contrast images that much :p

[@TK-th9vu]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I don't like high contrast images either. Nor ones that the colors are just way too unbelievable. Would you say that Nico's was a high contrast image? I think it was just a little bit more than your's. You see, that little bit more contrast is what gave Nico's picture it's on screen vividness, despite the higher noise and lower detail, making it jump off the screen. But yes, I too hate images that look so fake because they have tried some ridiculous super high contrast hdr crap. :-D

[@simonmcnally4356]

Great video, some really great detail in the dust clouds. I have ordered the IMX571 Risingcam in the last week or so after following some of the forum threads. Are you going to do a review?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'll probably do a review at some point, yes!

[@ronboe6325]

For some engine fasteners on my motorcycle anti-seize compound is used so I can remove the fastener without an impact driver. So I'm wondering if a very thin film applied the threads of your spacers would help out. I've had a similar problem with filters on my cameras - to the point where I just avoid their use. :P

[@Jcastleinfo]

That was fun. I really like Nico's channel too and it was great to see you collaborate. What other challenges can you come up with? May I ask, how long were your subs? I might have missed it in the video.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I will have to recover from this challenge first, it was a lot of fun and of work! Half my subs were 20s long, the other half 30s long!

[@astrocatinfo]

Great comparison! Amazing how much dust you got from Tokio 😱 Stunning!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you!

[@christopherbaker8621]

I shoot in B8, so I feel your pain. Great work Cuiv!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Christopher! We are the B8-9 community... But we can still achieve great things!

[@jeffkelly4329]

Note to self - don't challenge Cuiv! :-).

[@KZgun4hire]

I've always wondered why you don't combine separate star and nebulae layers. With the stars taken on much shorter exposures to minimize star bloating (or to make much finer stars) and then remove the stars from the much longer exposures to leave just the nebulae. Process these two layers separately and then combine. I like the nebulae that guys like yourself and Nico produce but always thought the Hubble images from similar areas had much finer stars. Is what I'm poorly describing possible?

[@michaellkovacs]

Thanks!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you Michael!

[@michaellkovacs]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek it's the least I can do! Clear skies!

[@stephanegrosjean4990]

I live in a bortle 8 inner city too. I just realized that latest NINA can solve my problem of polar alignment (no view to the north), so now I want to invest in a real mount (thinking eq6-r pro, crux is too expensive). I can see mostly South-West of the sky with a bit of South and West too. To my question: what would you advise me, osc camera with l-extreme or future l-ultimate, or mono camera with 3nm filters?

[@astronomynotebook]

Yes…same thing happened to me…the quality and size of the strap wrench is important as to whether it will work…I have since learned by this scary thing happening that a slight dab of silicon grease acts like a pound of prevention.

[@RileyGoss99]

The galaxy there is called the Pleiades galaxy 🌌

[@3thomasH]

Have you tried using anti-seize compound or silicone grease on your spacers. I know that silicone vacuum grease is non-volatile and I think anti-seize compound is too because one use for it is for spark plugs.