alan potts

A beautifully detailed capture, just feel the blue is a little too over saturated. Alan

A lovely image you have taken there. Alan

Kind of you to think of me and post a link in any case. I had the Optolong LEnhace but did not like it at all, I actually sold it on before I had paid for it on my card, so a member here about 50 quid I think it was. The filter in question is much cheaper from the link that the poster highlighted for me, at a tad under 200e and in Europe, which he is himself. He actually drove all the way to me to buy my 18 inch Dob, it was nice to meet him. Alan

Thank you for that but I live abroad, not cheap is it. Alan

Dave, I know that filter I gave you is just classed as a visuai filter and like I said I did find it a help on a few faint objects, this has been reported by others. I don't even believe it is available now but was originally for street lamps I believe, it must be 15 years old but is a genuine Lumicon. I have never seen this duo filter before or heard of it for that matter. The one I bought and actually sold before I paid for it using a card as I did, was an Optolong L eNhance Filter, I was not at all pleased with the results and I know one other on here that was of the same mind, still can't please everyone. Where did you buy that as I have not seen it anywhere. Alan

Very nice image Dave, I was maybe a bit hasty with getting rid of my filter, I just didn't like it but I don't believe it was the one you have, mine was am Optolong filter. Alan

Don't think I have ever seen an image of this one. I know what you mean about not being happy I never am with mine, this has turned out very nice and you have not over saturated it as is so often done. Alan

Still very nice which ever way you look at it, wouldn't be the first time I have cropped something before it got into photoshop. Alan

Not one I have seen done before, and to my eye it looks very nicely done too. Might just try this one myself Alan

Thanks Martin, I had 3 goes at the core expanding it a little each time, it's so easy to mess up and even though I am happy with my result I am sure some could do it even better. Alan

Yes it was rather fanned out like a pack of cards and I knew about the corner, I think the rest is removed. Shame really as I lost a bit of the outer arms but I feel on the whole the data is decent. Still time for me to add to it but the Moon is getting a bit big now. Alan

I always find this a bit difficult to process with regards the core which can so easily dominate to the shot. This is just over 7 hours of data which was taken over a few nights two years apart, not all images lined up but I feel it is near enough with only the very bottom right edge still showing that I can see. This is a blend of 3 and 4 minute exposures with calibration frames and dithered. I have masked the core three times in the stretches in an effort to show some inner detail, not sure if this has been done well of is a mess, I look to you experts to advise. Taken at 800mm with an APO and a Zwo 071 OSC. Please feel free to offer advice on any aspect. Alan

That's as good as any I have seen, well done. Alan

Absolutely correct, I rather liked them so actually saturated them so they showed, May well be wrong and can easily be removed Stu. I tend to treat AP as something of an art form and often change things about, there is no right or wrong really I guess, just personal taste. Is this more to your taste Alan

I have collected this over a couple of years and it is now 20 hours with many frames dumped that are with aircraft and the like. This is a mixture of 3 and 4 minute subs with calibration frames and it is also dithered. 320 frames in all. It did take a while in DSS. Because it was taken over such a period there are some with various Moon phases and there is a fair gradient across the cropped shot, I have tried to add a synthetic gradient using PS which I am sure some of you eagle eyed folk would spot a mile off, I know Olly did last time I did such a thing and there was me think I had done a good job. Feel free to comment on improvements. Alan

I've not been great this year out here but in general I do better than the UK, lost a large amount of June this year 23 days of rain and had a load of nights where it started nice and clouded over after a short while. I always seem to get great nights at before or just after a full Moon. I lookd at one of the Optolong filter and bought it but didn't like the result I got. I viewed some work by Goran the other day where he was using an IDAS filter, this seem rather better than I saw from mine but he is a very good imager. Alan

Feel you have just been responsible for a name for it, The Loch Ness Monster Nebula. Alan

That's got to be about the best I have seen, 25 hours, that's nearly a whole day. Alan

Nice. just what I though, Loch Ness the second I saw it. Alan

I think that is jolly good, really can't imagine what it would be like trying to capture anything from London, I have about B2.5 here but that use to be better before the LED's were put into the town 4.5 miles away. Alan

I could without a problem here, very few about in the village and no one bothers me. You have to be careful of fog especially this time of year. I rather like sitting out with the scope a couple of hours or an hour, depends what I am targeting. I can view it from inside the house too which is about 40 meters away. I dare say it wouldn't take much to make it completely automatic with the roof sliding back in poor weather, but I don't try to be up there with your superb skills but always take inspiration from the likes of you Olly and a few others Alan

Maybe I mislead you, I did get the bright part and a hint of the fainter stuff but 4 hours is a lot for me, that normally my top end, then I get bored. I have wonderful sky here and it is close to overhead. Alan

Outstanding as usual Goran. I tried this a couple of years back and at 4 hours (F7) basically got nothing, so gave up. Alan

Not one I have seen before, very nice Mick. Alan

That's really lovely Rodd, it sort of goes to 11. Alan