Captured this last night, my first time at the HOS. (I think that's about the only reason it will be memorable!) The image is a little blah, but it was terrific practice since I don't have a goto mount and I wanted to be specific about framing the image to capture several particular objects.
AT60ED and field flattener
iOptron SkyGuider Pro with guiding via ASIAir Plus and an ASI120mm mini/30F4 guide scope
ASI2600 MC Pro
3 min x 20 lights with corresponding dark, flat, and bias calibration frames
Stacked/Processed in Siril and (minimally) in Adobe Photoshop 2022
Thanks to Richard, Maura, and Dave for opening/closing the gate and being great company! 🙂
Captured this last night, my first time at the HOS. (I think that's about the only reason it will be memorable!) The image is a little blah, but it was terrific practice since I don't have a goto mount and I wanted to be specific about framing the image to capture several particular objects.
AT60ED and field flattener
iOptron SkyGuider Pro with guiding via ASIAir Plus and an ASI120mm mini/30F4 guide scope
ASI2600 MC Pro
3 min x 20 lights with corresponding dark, flat, and bias calibration frames
Stacked/Processed in Siril and (minimally) in Adobe Photoshop 2022
Thanks to Richard, Maura, and Dave for opening/closing the gate and being great company! 🙂
Greg, another nice wide field capture. I think there's a bit more color to be had in the galaxies and will just take a bit of work to get it out. How are you doing your focusing? Nice star colors and shapes again.
Terri
@terri Thanks for your comments, Terri! I appreciate them. I'm using a Bahtinov mask right now since I don't have an auto focuser yet. It was tough on Bode's since there really weren't any bright stars around the target. When I finally found one bright enough to use, I had the central spike in the middle (at least to my old eyes, anyway).
Yes, some of the other photos I've seen of Bode's and surrounding galaxies have some beautiful colors in them! Richard showed me one last night that he took - it was really gorgeous. I'm going to do a bit more processing on the image and see if I can bring some additional colors out.
Thanks again!
Greg, another thing you might want to do for this area, depending on how much exposure time, is brighten up the background a bit. The area around M81 and M82 has a lot of IFN (integrated flux nebulosity). If interested, here is my last try: https://pbase.com/theresamarie1/image/171775460
Terri
@terri Wow! Your image looks great, Terri. I’ll try what you suggested and spend some more time trying to bring out additional color. Thanks for the tip!! 😊
@terri Chalk it up to my total lack of image processing skills, but I just couldn't bring out much more in the Bode's Galaxy image. Maybe the shot is a little too wide-field to get much color and detail from it. Not sure.
Thanks for the suggestion, Terri! I'll keep it in mind for the future.
@greg-erianne Hello Greg! This image is absolutely GORGEOUS! It was SUCH a pleasure to meet you, and I am so happy that you came and used your club's observatory site! I hope to see you (in the dark) again very soon 🙂 Such great work ~
Maura
@maura-kelley Thanks, Maura! It was great meeting you as well. And thanks for the kind words about the image! 😀
@maura-kelley Thank you for using the forum. Please let Scott Turnbull, Paul Walker or me know about any issues you might have.
Terri
@greg-erianne Here is my latest on astrobin (a very humbling place to share photos, although people are nice as can be, but there are many many truly great AP people out there). As I recall now, these were difficult to draw color I wanted out of them. I don't usually manipulate anything, but may enhance various parts for artistic (a word that may not match my ability). But in this case, I may have gone out of my way to achieve colors that other great AP'ers were getting. It was a real challenge.
Terri
I tried this target again using an Antlia RGB Triband Ultra filter to see if I could capture more color this time around. The filter seemed to work great. This was also at a higher focal length (749mm) than my last attempt (360mm), so I was able to see a bit more detail. Everything's still pretty small, but I think the filter worked great to bring out some nice details.
The first image is the entire FOV, the second is a cropped image to show a little more detail in M81 and M82.
Askar 107PHQ (749mm fL)
ASI2600MC Pro (OSC camera)
ZWO AM5 mount with guiding via ASIAir Plus using an ASI178mm mini and a 60mm F4 guide scope
Antlia RGB Triband Ultra filter
300s x 43 [Total Exposure 3:35]; with dark, flat, and dark-flat frames
Pre- and post-processed in PixInsight, Additional post-procssing in Photoshop with Topaz DeNoise and Topaz Sharpen
@greg-erianne Nice image Greg.
Looks like I should get an Antlia RGB Triband Ultra filter. I have probably heard of the Antlia RGB Triband, but I don't remember for sure. I have tried imaging galaxies with and without a light pollution filter (an Orion Broadband) and used to think it was better without. But I tried using the filter again a couple of years ago and changed my mind. I would say mostly because the h-alpha emission nebulae show up so much better. Comparing the spectral charts of the Orion Broadband to the Antlia RGB Triband I see that the Antilia blocks more of the blue above and green below the OIII emission line (blocking more light pollution there), compensates some by passing some of the violet and far blue wavelengths (no doubt that helps with the overall color balance). The Antilia also blocks the unneeded deep red beyond the h-alpha and SII emission lines were as the Orion filter does not.
Paul
@pwalker Yes, I have to say Antlia did a superb job of balancing everything with this triband filter, Paul. I don't get those weird color casts like I do with some other LPS or UHC filters, and it's great to use when you're looking to get the blues that the dual narrowband filters can't provide for a OSC camera like I use. I'm really very happy with it. It was a good investment for me.
Greg
I tried this target again using an Antlia RGB Triband Ultra filter to see if I could capture more color this time around. The filter seemed to work great. This was also at a higher focal length (749mm) than my last attempt (360mm), so I was able to see a bit more detail. Everything's still pretty small, but I think the filter worked great to bring out some nice details.
The first image is the entire FOV, the second is a cropped image to show a little more detail in M81 and M82.
Askar 107PHQ (749mm fL)
ASI2600MC Pro (OSC camera)
ZWO AM5 mount with guiding via ASIAir Plus using an ASI178mm mini and a 60mm F4 guide scope
Antlia RGB Triband Ultra filter
300s x 43 [Total Exposure 3:35]; with dark, flat, and dark-flat frames
Pre- and post-processed in PixInsight, Additional post-procssing in Photoshop with Topaz DeNoise and Topaz Sharpen
Great image and processing Greg... Some of my favorite objects to both photograph and look at through the eyepiece. I was looking at these while at the Winter Star Party. Amongst many others. Nice processing as well! Happy with your Askar telescope? The 2600 camera seems like a winner as well! You're doing some great stuff here.
Terri
@terri Yes, so far I really love the Askar scope! I'm starting to feel the 'pull' of a monochrome camera (plus all the additional $$ that goes with it) but I'm resisting. For now, I'm very happy with the ASI2600MC.
I was a bit disappointed with this image since I was hoping to get just a hint of IFN. I could see the variation in the background when processing the image, but I guess I just didn't have enough integration time to allow me to bring it out without adding noise so I darkened the sky a bit more than I wanted to. Would have liked to see some of that IFN.
Greg
