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My best M31 attempt so far...


StuartJPP

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Despite there being so many M31 images posted on here recently and I have imaged it a few times before I really wanted to try out my Canon 5D Mark III on it. Of course it isn't modified so I don't get all the nice Ha data but I am quite pleased with the final results. I haven't gone overboard with processing and decided to take a more "subtle" approach.

Please check out the full size image and although the corners are quite fuzzy I don't think it is too bad. I have specifically left the image un-cropped so as to show pixel scale...

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5564/14845104518_97d0d70b1a_o.png

Taken on 22 August 2014 in Lincolnshire.
Canon 5D Mark III
Canon 500mm f/4 L IS
AstroTrac TT320X (unguided)

32x 120 second lights (@ ISO 1600)
20x darks
20x bias
20x flats

Pixel Scale approx 2.63 arcsec/pixel

14845104518_d44b356664_b.jpg

M31 - Andromeda Galaxy by StuartJPP, on Flickr

 

 

 

I was also quite pleased to get some faint detail on M110 of which this is a 100% crop of the above image, at first I thought it was just noise, but checking other images it certainly is there. I am also trying to find out what the tiny galaxy is near to the bottom of the image about half-way across.

m110.jpg

Thanks for looking...

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I like this image very much. I took mine with my 300mm L f4 but on a crop sensor so I guess it's a similar image scale? However my processing is very poor compared to this shot hence I lose star colour and also bloat them too much.

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Oh yes! This is a piece of work, is it not? I'm inclined to start my appreciation with the background sky and the stars. The background is smooth without being 'smoothed' and the stars are pin-tiny and so don't spoil the visual scale of the galaxies. This is so important. The galaxy is natural and yet sharp and contrasty.

I know you don't have the Ha response in the camera but the colour balance strikes me as being on the cool side. Personal taste, but what would happen if you gave the reds a wee lift?

Beautiful, Stuart. One of the best M31s in a long time and taken fairly quickly with portable gear. This should be an inspiration to many. And a bit of a challenge, I think...

Olly

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Oh yes! This is a piece of work, is it not? I'm inclined to start my appreciation with the background sky and the stars. The background is smooth without being 'smoothed' and the stars are pin-tiny and so don't spoil the visual scale of the galaxies. This is so important. The galaxy is natural and yet sharp and contrasty.

I know you don't have the Ha response in the camera but the colour balance strikes me as being on the cool side. Personal taste, but what would happen if you gave the reds a wee lift?

Beautiful, Stuart. One of the best M31s in a long time and taken fairly quickly with portable gear. This should be an inspiration to many. And a bit of a challenge, I think...

Olly

Certainly inspired me. Cracking image.

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Oh yes! This is a piece of work, is it not? I'm inclined to start my appreciation with the background sky and the stars. The background is smooth without being 'smoothed' and the stars are pin-tiny and so don't spoil the visual scale of the galaxies. This is so important. The galaxy is natural and yet sharp and contrasty.

I know you don't have the Ha response in the camera but the colour balance strikes me as being on the cool side. Personal taste, but what would happen if you gave the reds a wee lift?

Beautiful, Stuart. One of the best M31s in a long time and taken fairly quickly with portable gear. This should be an inspiration to many. And a bit of a challenge, I think...

Olly

Yes, I accept the challenge (foolish I know). If tips on retaining pin type stars and colour retention in the processing are easy to share I would be very grateful. (I use PS). As I've changed my set up since my last effort on M31 a year ago I now have to fashion a new piggy back mount before darkness sets in as clear skies are predicted tonight. Time to brew the coffee...
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Nice one Stuart. I saw this on Flickr and commented there but had to comment here too. I captured M31 the other night but your image is a lot smoother than mine. Tis the season! Looking forward to getting more lights on M31.

Love the wide field of view too, it looks so small in the vastness of space.

Phil

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Many thanks for the great comments everyone, much appreciated :icon_salut:

Oh yes! This is a piece of work, is it not? I'm inclined to start my appreciation with the background sky and the stars. The background is smooth without being 'smoothed' and the stars are pin-tiny and so don't spoil the visual scale of the galaxies. This is so important. The galaxy is natural and yet sharp and contrasty.

I know you don't have the Ha response in the camera but the colour balance strikes me as being on the cool side. Personal taste, but what would happen if you gave the reds a wee lift?

Beautiful, Stuart. One of the best M31s in a long time and taken fairly quickly with portable gear. This should be an inspiration to many. And a bit of a challenge, I think...

Olly

Just for you Olly I have changed the colour balance a bit to warm it up, the original did look a bit "cool" to be honest in comparison. Thanks for the praise...however I think that most of the praise should go towards the Canon 500mm f/4 lens, it is doing all the hard work.

Regarding challenges, well I am using an expensive lens (and in this case an expensive camera), but I am unguided so theoretically with longer subs on slower scopes, similar results can be achieved. With regards to processing, I use all sorts. Some programs are better than others doing certain tasks, or more likely I can't use them properly. Every image I process is different, I don't have a particular workflow, except for the initial stack and stretch, after that it is a matter of trying certain plug-ins and filters to try to tease out the most I can out of the images.

I am just chuffed to bits to get 2 nights on the trot that were clear, with no moon, on a weekend (bank holiday!) and no wind...it does happen occasionally!

post-27141-0-28119000-1409077772_thumb.p

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Great image Stuart. Canon gear rocks, but you've nailed the processing on this one and that's really what makes or breaks an image.

I can't help but notice the 'pinching' effect on the brighter stars - e.g. the blueish big star top right has two dark fingers poking into it at 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock. What is causing that?!

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I can't help but notice the 'pinching' effect on the brighter stars - e.g. the blueish big star top right has two dark fingers poking into it at 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock. What is causing that?!

I suspect "pinched optics" somewhere along the optical train though could be wrong. I suppose it is inevitable with 17 lens elements (in 13 groups). It can be fixed in post processing by cloning (or similar) but I can't be bothered...it is there and I just live with it.

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Those dark or inverse 'lighthouse beams' on bright stars are something almost all refracting systems will produce. You get them on the Tak FSQs, for instance. They don't matter a jot to me, I must say. They don't strike me as looking pinched.

Regarding small field stars, one thing I do on images where there's a clear distinction between background sky and object (eg galaxies and PNs) is make a separate stretch, rising steeply at first to bring up the background but flattening early to keep the stars down. As I used CCD mono I do this stretch on the RGB only since this layer has smaller stars with colour to core, usually. I'm grateful to Harry Page for pointing out my defective, white-cored stars and encouraging me to find a solution.

I don't know how Stuart does his field stars but it works!

Olly

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just got this message from the BBC's The Sky At Night regarding this image...

The Sky at Night: The Hunt for ET

Hi there,

We will be including one of your excellent astronomy photos in our upcoming episode of "The Sky at Night: The Hunt for ET"

The image is of the Andromeda Galaxy and was uploaded onto our official BBC Sky at Night Flickr group. 

Thank you so much for contributing to this group, we really can't make the Sky at Night without the help and support of our Flickr contributors

Don't forget to catch the show this Sunday (14th September) at 10pm on BBC Four - we hope you enjoy it!

Many thanks,

The Sky at Night Team

Quite chuffed about that!

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