First Proper DSO

[Stub Mandrel]

Last night I got set up far from the streetlights, I hadn't realised how much effect the full moon has! I couldn't even find Hercules :-(

But I could find Lyra, so I ended up getting my first DSO image of M57. I thought I had more subs, but only had 8. These are the four with round stars, stacked and cropped. I may have overheated the colour, and would have liked more detail, but perhaps on a darker night. I think the central star is just visible.

[ngwillym]

Great start.

[Garethr]

Great effort under difficult conditions. Keep em coming

Gareth

[Astrosurf]

Excellent start! That was my first DSO too.

Alexxx

[Pompey Monkey]

Well done!

[laudropb]

Well done. A lovely subject for your first DSO image

[michael8554]

Excellent first DSO, better than my first M57.

Not perfect as I'm sure you realise.

The frame is full of a random RGB noise pattern.

If you move your framing about 2 or 3 star diameters between shots this pattern will smooth out a lot when you stack.

Then a bit of Curves - bend the Red straight line a bit to remove the caste. 

(you'd think by now I could remember whether to bend it up or down, pretty sure it's down......)

Michael

[Stub Mandrel]

Thanks Michael, yes I see this as a learning experience,. at least now I should be able to find M57 again in the future, hopefully on a less moonlit night.

I had pushed up the red saturation too far trying to boost the colour in  the stars and I also left the dark level too high.

I've gone back to the tiff and tweaked it as you suggest and I hope it's much improved as a result:

[Sonicfishcake42]

Awesome first shot! I look forward to seeing more  

[Stub Mandrel]

I just found this: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091106.html

I still have some way to go ;-)

<edit>

Perhaps that wouldbe expecting rather alot froma 150mm scope. The APOD one was taken with:

2Kx2K, 24 um pixel SITe (1.23m telescope); LAICA (CCD#1, 3.5m telescope); Omega-2000 (IR camera on the 3.5m telescope with a 2Kx2K HAWAII-2 image sensor).