It really amazes me, that astronomers with “serious amateur” can do much more in their own backyard today than Mt. Palomar could 50 years ago. I built a very early black/white CCD camera design maybe 15 years ago, but I have too many hobbies now and too little time. But I like seeing OTHER peoples’ astronomical images...
Many Amateur Astronomers today are producing absolutely mind bending images thanks to digital technology.
I built a very early black/white CCD camera design maybe 15 years ago
Do you still have it?
By the way, my M51 above was taken with an unmodified DSLR off the shelf camera.