This was the first prime focus astrophotograph I ever took. It was taken with a Celestron Ultima 8 telescope operating at approximately f/7 with a Lumicon Easy Guider acting as guider and focal reducer. I can remember going to the photo lab to pick up my film, not having the slightest idea if I'd been able to get anything good. It was a good lab, with some previous astrophotographic experience, and the photo looked pretty much like what you see here (assuming you have a 24-bit capable monitor.) Needless to say, my jaw dropped and I was hooked for life. The film used was hypered Fujicolor 400 HG film, back when it was still available, and I was shooting from the mountains above Santa Barbara, California. Due to some light pollution from the town below, I was using a Lumicon Deep Sky filter. The exposure was for 45 minutes. This image has sold as stock more than a few times and was used as the cover for a Star Trek book, if you can believe it. (For the title of the book, check the Biography page.)