alexd

I also have the 294MC and am seriously considering an upgrade to the 2600MC. The one thing that has held me back is whether I would see enough of a difference between the two cameras to be able to justify the cost (amp glow differences aside). It's reassuring that you were surprised by the increase in quality. Thanks.

I managed to squeeze in four shortish sessions in between the clouds during January and the first half of February to capture the heart nebula. I originally processed this image from my OSC camera using a HOO palette and then experimented with a foraxx version. I like the red and yellow hues in the foraxx version but prefer the blues in the HOO version. Also, my first time with using the advanced sequencer with NINA which went without a hitch and I even managed to get push notifications working with pushover.

SW Esprit 100ED, ZWO ASI294MC Pro, Antlia ALP-T

181 x 300s Lights, 15h 5' total integration time

12 hours ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

That really is a great image 🙂 

Steve

Thanks Steve. 

12 hours ago, Paul Holdsworth said:

Superb rendition of the Soul nebula Alex . Very nice detail and particularly like the colour palette on the OIII. Can I ask what filter you used with your 294 mc pro ? 

Cheers Paul

Thanks Paul. I used a 2" Antlia ALP-T filter (aka the antlia gold i think).  Really nice filter to use (although my flats do look a little weird).

Cheers

Alex

4 minutes ago, geeklee said:

Nice colour and detail Alex.  Several stand out areas to enjoy at full resolution 👍

Well done taking the plunge with the weather.  I was tempted on several occasions to go out over Christmas.  One evening was looking really hopeful and suddenly snow was forecast - it was maybe the same night!

Thanks for your feedback Lee. For once the weather forecast was right (1.5 h snow) but i looked outside and it seemed clear enough..... A real boxing day panic.

Finally my sky is free of clouds for a change and I managed to grab two nights either side of Christmas on the Soul Nebula. Had an interesting time on the second night as I didn't notice it was snowing and my rig got fairly covered. Momentary panic and judicious use of kitchen roll and a hair drier and disaster averted 😀.

Captured from NE Scotland with my Esprit 100 ED and ASI294MC pro.

146 x 300s lights (12h 15'' total).

Lovely image. Lots of great detail

Just now, Sunshine said:

A beautiful image, great job!

Thanks Sunshine, appreciated

Two lovely galaxies in the constellation of Ursa Major captured over two nights in March 2022. This is my first galaxy shot processed in Pixinsight. I found it very tricky to balance the colours and contrast in the galaxy and background. Any ideas on how to improve the Ha in M82 or more generally?

Taken with my Esprit 100ED and ZWO ASI294MC Pro and an Astronomik L2 filter.

104 x 240s light frames (6h 56' total time)

19 minutes ago, Sleepy Kiki said:

This is impressive for your first post, your new scope is working very well!

Thanks sleepy Kiki. Yes, I'm very pleased with the Esprit, pretty good star shapes in the corners and minimal chromatic aberration (I think that's the right term!). Not too much fettling with finding backspace etc either. Just wish the manual rotator was a little more functional, but that's a minor gripe!

19 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

Very dramatic and beautiful colour scheme.  Great job 

Thanks for the nice comment tooth_dr, much appreciated. This is my first public posting of an image I have taken so was a little apprehensive (I'm pretty new to this still 😀). I wasn't sure about the colour scheme to be honest and was originally planning on a lighter tone.  I'm looking forward to improving my pixinsight skills as I still feel I haven't gotten the best out of this image. I'm also looking forward to receiving some critical feedback on how I can improve my capture and processing.

Cheers

Alex

The beautiful Elephant's trunk nebula in the ionised gas region IC1396. I captured this image over three nights in early November 2022 whilst dodging the usual clouds and strong winds in the north of Scotland. This is the first nebula I have shot with my new Esprit 100ED which I think pairs nicely with the ASI294MC Pro. I remember seeing a photo of the Elephant's trunk nebula in a book on astronomy I got one Christmas when I was a boy (along with the pillars of creation) and it blows my mind that quite a few years later I can image the same target from my garden 😀

142 x 300" light frames with the Antlia ALP-T filter (11h 50' total integration time).

Processed using Pixinsight and only a little way up that particularly steep learning curve!