tooth_dr

Just don’t do what I did and forget the paper was there, then wonder why my stars were weird when i went to use the scope (the paper had fallen down and was obscuring 75% of the primary mirror!)

Did you brighten it? Certainly looks better in my eyes now but probably brings out the noise too

Do you reckon overall the image looks too dark? I process at home and it looks ok, then I go to work and review the image at it looks too dim.

Cheers Lee, I've it saved with the stars as a separate later so I'll get a look at it later on. Thanks for the process work flow. Adam

Hey Lee No 100% I dont like them! It was getting late last night and I did try to correct then using HLVG on an inverted layer - it succeeded in making them not pink but made them larger and white, so I decided to leave it and come back to it. I'm not sure when I'm introducing them but would need to look at it as it's consistent in all my images now whatever I'm doing. If there was a way to manually brush out the bigger ones I'd been keen to learn.

I spent two nights collecting data on NGC1333 in Perseus The data taken over two sessions - boxing day and 30th December. Moon phase 14%-55%. Scopes: 2 x APM LZOS 105/650 Cameras: 268M / 2600MC Mount: Mesu e200 Guiding: OAG / 290MM Acquisition: SG Pro / PHD2 Misc: Pegasus Power Box Advance / Atik EFW3 / ZWO Filter Drawer I used a total of 3 hours 42 minutes of luminance and 5 hours 58 minutes of OSC data taken with 268M and 2600MC respectively. Total integration time 9 hours 40 minutes Stacked in APP, processed using Pixinsight, ImagesPlus and Photoshop 2023. I went heavy (wild) on the processing to bring out the dust. I will get another night on it and reprocess it with some more subtlety. Any C+C welcome Adam.

And a great m51 there

I currently have a 200p and a 250px and for a brief stint had a 300pds. I haven’t imaged with the 200 yet but my 250px is my ‘go to’ galaxy scope from March to May. Easily collimated by eye, but the Ocal collimator tool makes it objectively accurate, and I would highly recommend it. The focuser is good with light stuff, and just adequate with heavier stuff. If you don’t have shelter from wind I wouldn’t recommend a large newt though. The 250px fits comfortably in a 2.2m pulsar dome, the 300 would be very tight. I used to use it in a roll off roof obsy and unless it’s dead calm you would lose subs.

Love the bubble! Looks like a sea creature in between seaweed! Magenta stars are a no from me though!

If you get three scopes, then get three mono cameras - you can shoot SHO in one go Ha Oiii Sii, or shoot Lum, Red and Blue and make a synthetic green and have a full colour image in one go. I run two scopes at the same time and it's enough of headache keeping track of data and the correct flats, darks, bias etc. CMOS cameras with their short subframes mean I'm sometimes dealing with 1000s of frames - any more scopes would be a huge task and use a lot of storage space. Running five scopes would be a nightmare TBH. Not to mention the logistics of mounting and aligning that many scopes. The alignment saddles alone would absorb your entire budget. It's not how much data you collect, it's how you process it, and a lot of the really good experienced APs on here can make great images from mediocre amounts of data. IMO get your computer issues sorted and start enjoying the one scope and go from there!

I dont think I've seen what you were describing, but it's a pity you dont have the subs to show. Also why are you deleting subs with satellites?

I regularly come across subs where there are two satellites crossing.

About 3.5 hours.

Can anyone recommend a decent green laser that will project a beam, UK based. My 1mw laser pointer doesnt quite cut it.

Great job there Lee.

Hi Ram, had a look on astrobin there, version A looks natural. But for me personally you have went too far with the images BCD for my taste, and introduced processing artefacts that detract from the image detail, sorry!

Good question, its all down to personal preference, some folks are happy with lots of targets with short integration time, others prefers fewer targets with more integration. It depends on the target too. I personally aim for at least 8 hours per target, up to 25 hours depending on how faint it is and if narrowband filters are being used etc.

Hi, I dont use PI, but have just started using it. I combined in APP, and then processing in PS.

@Rodd this is a 120s sub:

Not one sub, just a MAX stack in APP of the outliers.

Hi there I ran some noise reduction and sharpening on the lum layer, and combined the RGB data with noise reduction and increased saturation.

This was in my evenings data of NGC1333, made me think of this thread:

That almost looks like a 300p on the EQ6! I'd recommend fitting an extract aluminum bar to the top of the rings, much easier to mount and carry. Although I carried my 250px mounted with CWs on my EQ6 out of the back double doors into the back garden regularly before I built my observatory. I had a 300PDS which I found impossible to mount safely on my own, and required help from the wife or a friend to tighten the dovetail bolts. I sold that scope after a year.

I use my 250px for galaxies and find it good value with a large aperture. With my camera it gives 0.64/px resolution. It is not a compact scope and I only now find it useable for imaging because it’s in a dome protected from the wind. The standard focuser is ok despite the general criticisms. I’ve used it with a mono and filter wheel, and currently with a OSC, filter drawer and OAG, and it copes ok (used with a Deepsky Dad AF3 autofocuser). I’ve had it going on 15 years now and it represents good value imho. Ps the 250px is an old visual version of the 250PDS.

Crop for me, so textured you want to reach out and touch it, great job.