windjammer

Hi For lack of fresh meat I had another go bringing up details from the dark nebula of the Horsehead in SHO. I cheated - this a franken-Horsehead. One version was stretched focussing only on the dark regions, masked and feathered, and merged with the original processed to create this frankenstein bolted up version. You can't really see where the joins are. A target to revisit next winter. Simon

Looking at the pic, it is noticeable that your vignetting is off-centre. Have you tried adjusting focusser in the tube, or the focusser internals, so that vignetting is centred ? I have tried that on my scope with some success - do it in daylight with exposure and gamma turned down so all you see are the brighter regions. It has the advantage of using the camera in the image train as it would be in use - so any sagging of the train can be examined. Simon

spectacular! Very promising.

Have you tried the conventional cheshire-crosshairs route ? The idea is to have the lens cap on, illuminate the cheshire and look at the reflections of the crosshairs coming back from the interior objective lens surface(s). The reflections should align with the original crosshairs. Adjust focuser in the OTA tube if a primitive SW scope (like mine), or the lens cell bits if collimate-able, until reflections line up. If you fiddle around with an eyepiece you can use your camera to view the action while you wield the spanners -makes life easier. See pic. Usual issue with a cheshire is making sure it fits properly in the focuser - no wobbles or tilts. Worth a try if you haven't done it. Simon

This might be relevant https://eng-au.faq.panasonic.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/21694/~/troubleshooting---why-am-i-getting-a-tingle-when-connecting-a%2Fv-products%3F I have also read it can also be caused by somewhere the ground and neutral are connected - which could be anywhere in the house wiring. It is a very annoying problem to try and track down and fix - let us know how you fix it! Simon

Thanks for a jolly good read ! Lots in there in for everyone, no matter the kind of rig they have.

Very helpful work flow, thanks very much. Interesting point about the number of subs - I rarely manage more than about 20 or so in each channel, just a factor of exp length (10mins) and number of clear nights. Its better if the clear nights come in a row, otherwise I have to relearn how to drive the rig if left too long!! Interesting too that you process each channel separately rather than as a colour combo - when I have done that I find it very hard to keep the channels 'in step'. Is the luminance just a b&w version of the colour combo, or is there a recipe for it ? Great stuff Simon

2nd'd - really, unguided alt az dob! 1200 subs ! I have never really explored exposure time vs # of subs tradeoff properly - just settled on an exposure time to get a decent signal and run with that for as long as the night lasted. Makes one wonder. Simon

Fabulous. Absolutely amazing pics. Is there a short version of your processing path ? Simon

VG indeed. I like the Ha regions - only issue I can see is some of the bright spots blown out. Perhaps tweak the highlights down a little, or re-do the path (#200!) keeping an eye out ? Simon

tremendous !

Hi Here is a Horsehead closeup in SHO taken early to mid February. I thought to see if the rest of the animal was lurking in the shadows, but came up with more or less nothing. There is some more detail hiding in the gas cloud but I wasn't able to bring it out convincingly - eventually got bored and gave up for now. More and longer exposures might turn up something - it is very faint in narrowband and in closeup. A couple of renditions here showing the stretch. The odd wispy curvey thing at top left is an artefact from a cat hair that Simpkins artfully placed on the sensor. Simon Details: Photograph taken in Astronomik Ha, SII and OIII narrow band filters. Total exposure time 8.8 hrs. Ha 2x2 and 4x4 bin - 22x600s = 3.7hrs, 7 and 13 February 2023, scope West side SII 2x2 bin - 11x600s = 1.8 hrs, 8 February 2023, scope West side OIII 2x2 bin - 20x600s = 3.3 hrs, 14 and 19 February 2023, scope West side Rig: Imaging scope: SW Startravel 150mm F5 Refractor, Baader Diamond Track, 2.5x Celestron Luminos 2inch imaging barlow, Atik 460EX mono Guide scope: SW Evostar 90mm F10, with guiding XY stage, ZWO 120MM camera Guiding: 2 stage PHD: high frequency guide scope (mount tracking) and low frequency OAG image train guiding (guidescope flex) Mount: Home made German Equatorial pillow block mount, permanently rooftop mounted. Spring loaded DEC axis gearing. Other gadgets: ST4 based anti vibration shutter, ST4 based PEC Processing: PixInsight: Lights, Darks, Flats, Biases, Align Calibration, Linear fit, BXT, Channel Combination, SCNR(G). StarNet2 star removal/star layer GradXpert: Gradient removal Topaz DeNoise AI: Noise removal Affinity Photo: 32 bit image processing (curves, high pass masking, selective colour)

Heath Robinson... .

HI Colm I bought one of these rings https://www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-accessories/zwo-m54-to-m48-adapter-short.html and drilled and tapped m3 holes into the face of the OAG. Screwed the adapter plate onto the front and put away all those internal bits into the junk box. Simon

>>It’s difficult to flick from your old image to your new version for comparison whilst viewing it in my thread Good point! Here is before and after. After your recommendation I added BXT and SCNR to the toolkit. BXT in particular is a revelation... Simon

Hello Bryan - here is round 2 (well, more like #35!) A very instructive process trying to rework data in a new direction. Simon

Bryan - Thanks for the instructions ! I will have another go at my Cone closeup... Simon

ooh yes. Thats lovely. An object like this deserves a close up. I really like the detail in the pillar - shades of black ! - and also the little chap's eyes and teeth at the top of the cone. I could see them in my Ha image but they got lost in the jumble with the other filters. If I can ask - what was your recipe for the colour palette? and how do you do it? My HSO of this ended up a lurid red and yellow - which I actually quite like, but it would be nice to have a choice! Simon

Over processed ? I don't think so - you've brought everything out and no artifacts AFIK. It is very interesting.

Yes, amazing

Yep, a real poke in the eye !

I rather fancy the false SHO !

Hi everyone Here is the Cone Nebula, part of NGC 2264, the Christmas Tree Cluster, in Monoceros. Mono HSO composite. The exposures were done a few weeks ago in January, after a very long dry spell with the sky gods not co-operating (at least in SE UK). I wasn't sure about the how the colour palette would work or if the detail dredged up from the crud was real, but everything in the pic has a counterpart here (a 32 inch RCOS) - but not in pink. https://www.adamblockphotos.com/cone-nebula.html What a monster. Simon Details: Photograph taken in Astronomik Ha, SII and OIII narrow band filters. Total exposure time 17.2 hrs. Ha 2x2 bin - 32x600s = 5.3hrs, 17/18 and 21/22 January 2023 SII 2x2 bin - 37x600s = 6.2 hrs, 18/19 and 22/23 January 2023 OIII 2x2 bin - 34x600s = 5.7 hrs, 19/20 and 20/21 January 2023 Rig: Imaging scope: SW Startravel 150mm F5 Refractor, 2.5x Celestron Luminos 2inch imaging barlow, Atik 460EX mono Guide scope: SW Evostar 90mm F10, with guiding XY stage, ZWO 120MM camera Guiding: 2 stage PHD: high frequency guide scope (mount tracking) and low frequency OAG image train guiding (guidescope flex) Mount: Home made German Equatorial pillow block mount, permanently rooftop mounted. Spring loaded DEC axis gearing. Other gadgets: ST4 based anti vibration shutter, ST4 based PEC Processing: PixInsight: Lights, Darks, Flats, Biases, Align Calibration, Linear fit, Channel Combination. StarNet2 star removal/star layer GradXpert: Gradient removal Topaz DeNoise AI: Noise removal Affinity Photo: 32 bit image processing (curves, high pass masking, selective colour)

Spectacular time lapse animation!

Are you sure its not a mount glitch or vibration? To me eye it looks a though part of the exposure took place whilst scope momentarily off target. All the bulges are suspiciously spherical.