Date Taken: 08/02/2013
Location: Courtright Reservoir
Telescope: Orion 8" f/3.9 Newtonian Astrograph Reflector Telescope
Other Mount: Celestron CGEM (Hypertuned)
Other Camera: Canon EOS 60D (Standard)
Processing: DeepSkyStacker, Adobe Photoshop CS6
Exposure: 55 x 180 seconds lights, 10 darks, 40 each of flats, dark flats, and bias frames
Other Equipment Used: Orion Awesome Autoguider Package
Notes: Courtright Reservoir is a gorgeous dark sky location in the Sierra National Forest at an elevation of approximately 8,200 feet. Because of its location and elevation, it is usually accessible from late May until the first snow, but usually it is only practical to visit there from June to August due to low temperatures. It was a perfect location from which to image the gorgeous Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), and the Orion Astrograph, at 800mm, is perfect for showing this object and putting it into perspective with the relatively empty space around it.