It turns out this is probably too ambitious a target for my backyard, and my minimal equipment......especially on a night with marginal seeing and transparency.   Still, I am happy I was able to capture the main structure anyway.

CG5 mount, Orion 80mm short tube refractor, Orion StarShoot II color, processed in Maxim DL lite, Paint Shop Pro Photo & Photo Shop Elements with Carboni tools.

46 subs @ 60 seconds per sub:  careful math works that out to about 46 minutes.  LOL   This object needs double that time......if not more.

 Still a nice shot Barry, well done.

I agree with Kevin, Barry.  It is a nice shot.  Besides, you can't just keep taking pictures of M42 and M8!  Accepting the challenge of pushing yourself and your equipment to catch something you haven't in the past is a reward all to itself.

L

Thanks guys!   I appreciate the encouragement.  

I agree, Leo.    In my case, I have a new mount that is allowing me to at least try some more challenging targets.....NGC 4565, NGC 6946.....and this one.   My old mount (a Celestron 4se alt-az) did not allow me to try for anything except the brightest objects.  As you can see, I still have a low-end setup, but it is exponentially better than my previous one.   My old one could barely manage 35 subs @ a max of 15 seconds each.....before the object drifted out of the FOV, leaving behind very oblong stars.

I have stubbornly refused to go to autoguiding due to the added complexity.  I have fun with it, and have accepted the fact that I will not turn out any prize-winners.   Heck, I am still impressed that it can be done at all, from my backyard......with less than $1,000 in equipment.