December 27, 2007
Well, as the chances of me getting any images this week looked particularly slim, I decided it was time to have a decent play with blending Ha data into RGB. I`ve done this a few times over the last few weeks, but never realy been happy with the results. Also, processing it on the 1Gb laptop wasnt helping much, I was spending more time waiting for PSCS to stop swapping than actually doing anything useful. So, I have just spent 90 minutes or so playing with the following data to create my first Ha blended image that I`m happy with.
I do note that the difference between my laptop screen and my desktop screen is quite large, but as most of the images I see from others look better on my laptop, thats the one I use for the final colour balance and stuff. Apologies if this image looks far too “overly red” or far too “washed out salmon pink” on your screen.
OTA: William Optics ZenithStar 66 SD + 0.8 FR/FF
Guiding: NS8GPS @ f/10 + DSI-C + PHD
RGB Imaging: QHY8 + MaximDL, 10 x 900s, CLS filter
Ha Imaging: QHY8 + MaximDL,8 x 900s, Astronomik Ha 13nm
Stacked: DeepSkyStacker
Post Process: ImagesPlus + PSCS2 + Noel Carboni’s AstroTools (Ha as ~60% luminance, Ha/Red = 80%/20%)
Note: The RGB data for this is slightly flawed, due to the fact that my imaging train wasnt perfectly aligned (doh!)… the RGB stars on the left of the image are larger than on the right.
(Click on image for larger version)
Posted by Steve under Astro | Comments Off on IC1805 Ha/(HaR)GB
December 20, 2007
OK, that was the coldest, frostiest night I`ve had to endure yet…
The horizon was very murky, but the zenith was very clear and steady… just a shame about the moon illuminating everything. Time to break out the Hydrogen Alpha filter again.
OTA: William Optics ZenithStar 66 SD + 0.8 FR/FF
Guiding: NS8GPS @ f/10 + DSI-C + PHD
Imaging: QHY8 + MaximDL, 10 x 900s, Astronomik Ha 13nm
Stacked: DeepSkyStacker
Post Process: MaximDL + ImagesPlus + PSCS2 + Noel Carboni’s AstroTools
Note: I forgot to take bias frames… doh!
Not sure which version I like best… the slightly softer whispy one (first), or the more contrasty version (second)
(Click on the image for a larger version)
(Click on the image for a larger version)
Posted by Steve under Astro | Comments Off on NGC1499 California Nebula in Ha
December 17, 2007
Been after the other “half” of this for a while now (Had a few self generated problems that havent helped much 😕 😯 )
OTA: William Optics ZenithStar 66 SD + 0.8 FR/FF
Guiding: NS8GPS @ f/10 + DSI-C + PHD
Imaging: QHY8 + MaximDL, 2 images, each being made up of 10 x 900s taken 17 days apart, Astronomik Ha 13nm
Stacked: DeepSkyStacker
Post Process: MaximDL + ImagesPlus + PSCS2 + Noel Carboni’s AstroTools
(Click on the image for the larger version)
Posted by Steve under Astro | Comments Off on Heart and Soul Ha Mosaic
December 11, 2007
Blimey,it was cold last night (and colder still tonight!).
Anyway, here goes:
OTA: William Optics ZenithStar 66 SD + 0.8 FR/FF
Guiding: NS8GPS @ f/10 + DSI-C + PHD
Imaging: QHY8 + MaximDL, 40 x 30s, 20 x 240s, 15 x 480s, CLS
Stacked: DeepSkyStacker
Post Process: ImagesPlus + PSCS2 + Noel Carboni’s AstroTools
Note #1: I left the blackpoint quite grey to show allthe dusty bits 🙂 but it also shows some of the oddities when I remove the gradient
Note #2: This damn near killed my 1Gb laptop!
Published in Practical Astronomer, February 2008
Think thats OK? Well, click >>HERE<< for the 8Mb 2886×3492 version, or clickon the image above.
This is a process straight from stacking, and I may go back and do a three layer mask version of this (on my desktop… think I`ll leave the laptop to recover)
————————–
M51
OTA: Celestron NexStar 8 GPS @ f/7.(something)
Camera: QHY8 OSC
Guiding: William Optics ZenithStar 66 SD + DSI-C + PHD
Imaging: MaximDL/CCD, 10 x 900s, CLS Filter
Processing: DeepSkyStacker, ImagesPlus, Photoshop CS2 + Noel Carboni’s Astro Tools
Note: I didnt nail the focus on this, and it shows 🙁
Posted by Steve under Astro | Comments (1)
November 30, 2007
Just cant seem to get a good long clear spell recently… oh well
What was due to be a 6 hour imaging session before the clouds rolled in turned into a 2 hour session and early clouds. The plan was to get 2 x 3 hours and make it into a mosaic, but it appears I`ll have to go back for the other target. As the session was due to run into moon/sky glow issues later, I thought I`d sidestep the whole background colour matching problems of a mosaic by doing this in Ha again.
OTA: William Optics ZenithStar 66 SD + 0.8 FR/FF
Guiding: NS8GPS @ f/10 + DSI-C + PHD
Imaging: QHY8 + MaximDL, 8 x 900s, Astronomik Ha 13nm
Stacked: DeepSkyStacker
Post Process: ImagesPlus + PSCS2 + Noel Carboni’s AstroTools
(Click on image for larger version)
Posted by Steve under Astro | Comments Off on IC1805 interupted (again!)
November 24, 2007
Well, what can I say… great sky last night, apart from that bl__dy great moon. I didnt quite realise just how bright is was goingt o be until I went outside, so I had to quickly change targets and process. The only way to image last night was to use narrowband filters, something I have never had to use before. There are a few targets that are rapidly disappering into the west for this year, so I chose to start with something big and bright…. but was a bit wary because one shot colour CCDs have a reputation for not being so great for narrow band imaging. Both images are a little noisey… partly due to the moon, but also due to the short sequence runs and low sub count.
As a side note, it was incredibly cold last night. In fact, as I was standing on the patio, looking up at the sky, I didnt notice I was actually standing in a puddle from rain earlier in the day. I must have stood there for 10 minutes or so, totally stationary…. when I tried to move, I discovered to my surprise that the puddle had frozen solid, with my boots still in it! Well, it made me laugh 🙂
(Note: These images have been updated since I first posted this article)
NGC7000 North American Nebula + IC5076 Pelican Nebula
OTA: William Optics ZenithStar 66 SD + 0.8 FR/FF
Guiding: NS8GPS @ f/10 + DSI-C + PHD
Imaging: QHY8 + MaximDL, 6 x 900s
Stacked: DeepSkyStacker
Post Process: ImagesPlus + PSCS2 + Noel Carboni’s AstroTools
(Had to stop the sequence as it slipped slowly behind the rooftop of a nearby house)
(Click on image for larger version)
OTA: William Optics ZenithStar 66 SD + 0.8 FR/FF
Guiding: NS8GPS @ f/10 + DSI-C + PHD
Imaging: QHY8 + MaximDL, 8 x 900s
Stacked: DeepSkyStacker
Post Process: ImagesPlus + PSCS2 + Noel Carboni’s AstroTools
(Thin whispy clouds stopped play)
Published in Practical Astronomer, January 2008
(Click on image for larger version)
Posted by Steve under Astro | Comments Off on Moon? What Moon? (Ha NGC7000 + IC5076, Ha NGC2244 Rosette Nebula)
November 16, 2007
It was well below freezing for most of last night, with the dew shield and heater tapes working overtime to keep the frost off the corrector plate
And then after an hour or so, the fog/murk decended to ruin the seeing. As such, this is a shortened imaging session, and its something I will be returning to as soon as I can
OTA: William Optics ZenithStar 66 SD
Guiding: NS8GPS @ f/10 + DSI-C + PHD
Imaging: QHY8 + MaximDL, 3 x 900s
Stacked: DeepSkyStacker
Post Process: ImagesPlus + PSCS2 + Noel Carboni’s AstroTools
Posted by Steve under Astro | Comments (1)
November 13, 2007
Not overly happy with this image, I trained the autoguiding in PHD while it was a bit blustery, and I think the scope/mount was getting moved a bit by the wind. As such, during the imaging session, I had some real North/South guiding issues, which show up as slightly elongated stars. This also means that the finer detail in the nebula has been lost, and no amount of post processing wll get that back. I`ll be back again for this target one night, and make sure the guiding is working correctly before I start myimaging sessions.
OTA: Celestron NexStar 8 GPS @ f/7.(something)
Camera: QHY8 OSC
Guiding: William Optics ZenithStar 66 SD + DSI-C + PHD
Imaging: MaximDL/CCD, 16 x 900s, CLS Filter
Processing: DeepSkyStacker, ImagesPlus, Photoshop CS2 + Noel Carboni’s Astro Tools
Posted by Steve under Astro | Comments Off on IC1396A Elephant Trunk Nebula
November 12, 2007
Bl__dy freezing, but clear all night. So clear in fact that I left the kit outside imaging for 4 hours while I went to get some sleep, so i`m not as sleep deprived as usual today.
First up,
OTA: Celestron NexStar 8 GPS @ f/7.(something)
Camera: QHY8 OSC Guiding: William Optics ZenithStar 66 SD + DSI-C + PHD
Imaging: MaximDL/CCD, 16 x 900s, CLS Filter
Processing: DeepSkyStacker, ImagesPlus, Photoshop CS2 + Noel Carboni’s Astro Tools
Followed by
NGC2024, the flame nebula
OTA: Celestron NexStar 8 GPS @ f/7.(something)
Camera: QHY8 OSC
Guiding: William Optics ZenithStar 66 SD + DSI-C + PHD
Imaging: MaximDL/CCD, 7 x 600s (the sky started turning blue), CLS Filter
Processing: DeepSkyStacker, ImagesPlus, Photoshop CS2 + Noel Carboni’s Astro Tools
Note: The image is somewhat ruined by the reflection doughnut at the lower right, and a fainter one top left
I also have an IC1396A that i`m not overly happy with (so I wont post it), and a red blob against a blue sky thats suppsoed to be Mars… I think I`ll stick to Deep Sky stuff for now 🙂
Posted by Steve under Astro | Comments Off on M78 and NGC2024 Flame Nebula
November 7, 2007
Just had a quick go at reprocessing my M31 image from earlier in the year.
OTA: WO ZS 66 SD
Guiding: NS8GPS @ f/10 + DSI-C + PHD
Imaging: QHY8 + MaximDL, 12 x 300s
Stacked: DeepSkyStacker
Post Process: ImagesPlus + PSCS2
Posted by Steve under Astro | Comments Off on M31 reprocess from September
