"When beggars die, there are no comets seen;
The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes."

— William Shakespeare
Julius Cæsar

M51

Taken Tuesday evening from Whiting, NJ, thru my trusted Orion 80ED on a Celestron CGEM mount.  Set up to do a one hour exposure, due to high "not so thin" clouds I was forced to close after 28 minutes, which is what this exposure totals.  

M51

Tracking looks real good.

Tracking looks real good. Nice round stars.
Now you need to find a clear night and go for 2 hours exposure.