steppenwolf

I really should have updated this earlier but I am pleased to report that the problem with the new PC turned out to be a faulty RAM module which has been replaced and I now have a fully functional system that is as stable as a stable thing on solid ground!! 👍

IC 1396 (centred on The Elephant's Trunk Nebula region) Introduction The nebula is part of a rich area of emission nebulosity catalogued as IC 1396 in the constellation of Cepheus and lies about 2,450 light years away. In this image, only the ‘trunk’ region is shown but the object gets its name from the extended region to the north that forms the Elephant’s head, ears and the base of the trunk that then curves down and then up again in the typical poise of an elephant placing food in its mouth with its trunk! However, this fascinating and to me, slightly eerie feature reminds me less of an elephant's trunk and more of an alien apparition walking out of the mist! The bright edge to the trunk itself is the compressed ridge of a dense ionized cloud that is being illuminated by the magnitude +5.7 star (HD 206267A) to its east whose powerful stellar wind is driving the formation of new stars. This massive star is part of the Trumpler 37 (Tr 37) star cluster. These same stellar winds are sculpting the wonderful shapes and filaments that are visible throughout the globular head of the nebula. The darker clouds are silhouetted against the backdrop of glowing hydrogen gas from the surrounding nebula, IC 1396. Not visible in this image but worthy of note as it is just on the edge of IC 1396, is a bright red star named The Garnet Star by Sir William Herschel although it was originally discovered by Johann Bayer. Mag. +4.23 Mu Cephei to give it it’s Bayer identification, is a red supergiant believed to be the largest star visible to the naked eye, with a diameter of 3.86 billion miles across. That’s much further than here to the pub ...... The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula is wonderfully rich in Ha emissions and previously I have been content to produce a mono image using this filter but this time round I was determined to capture some OIII and SII data to produce a colour rendition. The OIII and SII proved to be very thin and the poor weather conditions resulted in a meagre amount of SII but I went for it anyway! I use Astrodon 3nm Ha and OIII filters but simply cannot afford the additional cost of an SII filter at this bandwidth so I used my 7nm Baader SII filter to complete this image. This bandwidth disparity introduces problems of its own with regard to star sizes so I had some fun and games removing halos caused by the SII data but finally came up with an image that I liked and present here. I also show the OIII and SII data for comparison so that you can see what I had to contend with when it came to processing. The Ha data was collected while the Moon was too prominent for any other filter and the other channels were captured whenever there was a break in the September clouds. Image Stats Mount: Mesu 200 Telescope: Sky-Watcher Esprit 150 Flattener: Sky-Watcher Esprit specific Camera: QSI 683 WSG-8 Filter: Astrodon 3nm Ha, 3nm OIII and Baader 7nm Subframes: 42 x 1800 sec Ha, 39 x 1800 sec OIII, 10x 1800 sec SII Integration: 45.5 hours Control: CCD Commander Capture: MaxIm DL Calibration, Stacking and Deconvolution: PixInsight Post-Processing: PhotoShop PS3 Location Constellation Cepheus RA 21° 35' 0.76" DEC +57° 29' 48.50" Distance 2450ly

That is my experience with this object at well!!

I am into 'white on black' for astronomy projects or 'black on white' for other projects as I like my projects to look 'functional' although I have done colour panels on the rare occasions when I have seen a small niche market for one of my designs (the last one was a mapping box for race cars see below). I simply print onto A4 self adhesive labels and cover them in transparent gloss fablon. Funnily enough, I have just started making my own Eurorack modules and will finish them white on black but with a matt transparent fablon finish. Auto Focus Switch Mapping Box

My pleasure but you've done all the hard work and it shows in your image 😎

What a glorious image and very sympathetically processed - such relatively short exposures as well. I particularly like the smoothness of the image too which is no doubt a result of the large subframe count. Well done!!!

Well done, Brian, a lovely image and a real boost to see your work in print! 👍

I concur, the focus is indeed out if that helps to resolve the issue 😟.

Lovely, that dark lane of dust looks suitably 'fluffy' and I mean that in a good way!

This is very nice - what a fabulous field of view! You have also caught some of the lovely outer halo that surrounds this lovely object.

Very nice indeed, Rodd some lovely detail and sympathetic processing in the Hubble Palette.

These are very nice images indeed with the second one appealing to me the most. This is a really excellent start with the new camera. The halos are most likely from the OIII filter with the offset being produced from an incompletely corrected field. The halos take a different emphasis in the second image but are easy to reduce (but not remove entirely )using the Noise Filter - Remove Colour Noise filter in PS on a duplicate layer, turning the new layer into a hidden layer mask and then white brushing the affected stars:-

You could cut yourself on those crater edges - very nice indeed.

John, I hope you enjoy your Esprit 150 as much as I enjoy using mine - a truly superb set of optics that impress every time I use them. I did upgrade to the Feathertouch focuser which is superb but have to say that I may have gone a step too far as I also received the Esprit focuser and was very impressed with its feel and engineering. I justify the additional cost of the Feathertouch by this being my 'forever' refractor!!! I don't think that you will find the standard focuser wanting in any material manner. As for Tomato and Tomatobro having two of them ............. 😎 Edited 30/09/19 to add:- It seems that the Esprit 150ED currently ships with a Linear Power (uprated Crayford) focuser which I have not had any experience of on this telescope. The focuser that shipped with my older (late 2016) model was a rack and pinion type.

I'm a great believer in stacking all the images at once even if I do have a series of individual stacks already done from previous sessions - I have always felt that the images were better this way.

If you do go down this route, I will be here with many others to help you through the set-up but, it is fair to say that it isn’ always straightforward!

I have the same domed observatory and I have a couple of comments:- 1. You need more ducts AC Power CAT 5 Network cable 'Security' link Drain pipe for de-humidifier CloudWatcher connection At least one spare (AllSky Camera etc.) 2. I don't have any bays but I would recommend getting one for your computer and monitor 3. I have a spreadsheet that may help you set up the slaving of the dome to the telescope when the time comes

Excellent write-up - thank you for posting. Item number 2. was of particular interest as I haven't considered that aspect before.

Stunning image, Yves - so much to look at and enjoy.

You could of course fabricate your own version of the heavy loading kit - at the end of the day it is just a counterbalance arm, weight and clamp.

I don't think this will give you any problem at all - autoguiding doesn't require perfect focus, in fact, there is a strong argument for using a slightly de-focused guide star as this can make it easier to determine the star's centroid. I use from 3nm Ha through to Luminance using three different makes of filter with my QSI 683 WSG 8 and autofocus using the OAG is very straightforward.

I don't know if this helps but this was the answer I gave to a 'Scope Doctor' question some years ago:- My PST instrument only ever shows a plain red solar disc with no surface features. Why don't I see an orange disc [like the images published in astronomical magazines]? The key to this is image processing! The narrow bandpass Hydrogen Alpha (Ha) filter in the PST is centred on a wavelength of 656.3nm. The red portion of the light spectrum that our eyes can see extends from about 620nm to 700nm so views through the PST will appear red. Likewise, colour images taken through the PST will show a red disc on a black background. The solar image colours displayed in magazines are purely arbitrary and are produced by processing the disc and prominence regions differently in a program like PhotoShop. The start point, ironically, is a mono image derived from either the red channel of a colour image or directly from a mono CCD camera. After careful sharpening and ‘levels’ adjustment, the image is converted to RGB and duplicated. Next, the ‘Magic Wand’ tool is used to select the area surrounding the disc, including any prominences. The selection is feathered by 3 pixels then deleted leaving just the disc region. The disc is then colourised using the ‘Curves Tool’ to boost the red channel and reduce the blue channel to produce an orange appearance. Finally, the background layer containing the prominences is selected and colourised to a burning red colour by boosting the red channel, reducing the blue channel to zero and reducing the centre point of the green channel to achieve the desired effect. Original Image from Helen Usher Image enhanced by stretching and Sharpening Disc colourised using 'curves' Prominences colourised using ‘curves’

It is of course very important to know that not just the mount but the telescope too is pointing at the NCP at start up but I have to say that plate-solving does indeed resolve any issue like this. Even though I have a fixed observatory, a very accurate mount and my telescope attachment to the mount is spot on, I still do a plate-solve at the start of each session so that I know that the mount/telescope will slew accurately from the very beginning.

MESU 200 SiTech version 1. How easy was it for you to set the mount up? If you are portable, this is obviously very relevant. If you are permanent - still relevant but less so. Very easy indeed although the operation manual for the SiTech controller is somewhat overcomplicated so I wrote my own manual with pointers to the relevant pages in the official manual. I have used the mount very successfully in a portable scenario but it is now permanently installed in a remote observatory. 2. How easy do you find the software control of the mount? This may be a roll your own set of applications via ASCOM or for Paramount users for example, the SkyX package. Again, the software is a little quirky BUT very capable and feature-rich indeed. Once you have set the software up (a one time requirement), it can be controlled seamlessly using any ASCOM compliant software so the vast majority of the relative 'quirkiness' disappears. 3. Do you use your mount remotely i.e. is it fit for purpose as a remote system? I use mine remotely and it is perfectly fit for purpose provided you are comfortable with plate-solving. 4. If you have had technical (either mechanical or software) issues, how good has the support been? I have never had a breakdown but have had questions regarding the system in the early days as I was a relatively early adopter of the later SiTech-equipped version (as opposed to the original Argo Navis controlled version) and the company's response has always been impressive. 5. How do you rate the craftsmanship in the mount? I understand this is subjective, but on a previous, similar post in CN, some users expressed preferences regarding the actual build of the mount and how it contributed to the overall enjoyment of the mount. The craftsmanship displayed in this mount is exemplary and was a major deciding factor in choosing it. Everything is heavy duty and functional and it is clear that it is designed by an engineer rather than a marketing department!! I mean this in a good way - this is a well engineered system that has been designed to do a specific job very well without wasting time and money on pure aesthetics. I rate it VERY highly.

I absolutely agree with Olly's assessment here. You will not release the full potential of your system unless you do autoguide.