After I acquired the 127mm refractor I was on the search for an affordable mount suitable for astrophotography, serendipitously I learned that my astronomy club is in the possession of an old but working Meade LXD 650 mount. It turns out, the LXD carries the refractor quite nicely, here are the first images shot with that combination:

NGC is a long time favourite of mine, the galaxy is beautiful in the eyepiece as well as in pictures:

NGC 4565, Astro-Physics 127mm f/8 refractor, Nikon D7000, Meade LXD650 mount, 14×120 sec., darks, flat, processed in Deep Sky Stacker, Lightroom and Photoshop

This is an annotated version of the image above listing numerous galaxies in the field:

This is a closeup of the image above:

Crop from the image above, NGC 4565, Astro-Physics 127mm f/8 refractor, Nikon D7000, Meade LXD650 mount, 14×120 sec., darks, flat, processed in Deep Sky Stacker, Lightroom and Photoshop

In the center of the Virgo galaxy cluster is M86, a giant elliptical galaxy which is also part of Markarian’s chain, a grouping of galaxies running through this image:

M86 and Markarian’s chain, Astro-Physics 127mm f/8 refractor, Nikon D7000, Meade LXD650 mount, 12×120 sec., darks, flat, processed in Deep Sky Stacker, Lightroom and Photoshop

A pair of interacting galaxies can be seen in the image on the lower right (NGC 4438 and NGC 4435 aka “the Eyes”)

M86 and Markarian’s chain, Astro-Physics 127mm f/8 refractor, Nikon D7000, Meade LXD650 mount, 12×120 sec., darks, flat, processed in Deep Sky Stacker, Lightroom and Photoshop

The next day I shot M51, but due to technical problems and human error the exposure time was again quite limited:

M51 – 12 x 120s, ISO 3200, 127mm f/8 Refractor, Nikon D7000

While I was busy taking images of the stars, the ISS sailed silently through the sky above me:

Nkon D200, Samyang 8mm f/3,5, 14x15s

The refractor at work