assouptro

Hi Thanks for sharing This is one of my favorite galaxies, I haven't imaged this for about 8 years when I was using an old canon 350d (no live view, oh the fun!) Anyway, I hope you don't mind but I have recently been playing with a program called Topaz DeNoise AI and I am finding it useful. I saved your image, threw it in and tweaked a couple of sliders. and reduced some of the noise in it I'm not saying it's a huge improvement but it can be a useful tool to play with at different parts of the process. Thanks again for sharing Bryan

Stunning! I really like the way you have handled the detail Thanks for sharing Bryan

There was a bit of green gradient below the Galaxy and most other samples I see have more saturation so I tweaked it a bit Thanks for looking. I promise not to keep adding to this thread and will leave this for now. Stay safe Bryan

Hi all I originally posted my Lum later a couple of nights ago. Since then I have been trying to add some colour. I have cobbled my first attempt and would like to share for any constructive criticism. There’s just over an hour of each RGB 2x2 and a couple of hours Ha 2x2 thrown into the red channel as a luminance, about 30%. I may start this one from scratch as I can see it’s over processed. thanks for looking Bryan

I love this galaxy Nice rendition with lovely details thanks for sharing Bryan

Thanks for the comment Mark 😊

Hi Carole! Hope you’re well! Galaxy’s galore!! isn’t it typical that when you have the time and the skies allow, equipment issues rear their ugly head!! I hope you have the problem sorted now. It’s fun going back to old data and trying to combine it with new, maybe a tad pink but that will be the older modded slr data I’m guessing? anyway, thanks for sharing stay well Bryan

Hi John I am Thrilled you you like it and slightly humbled by the Hubble reference! I was very lucky with the sky conditions as I have been pushing my luck at 46” per pixel but that’s what I love about this hobby, seeing what can be done outside of the recommended parameters! I will add colour! thanks again Bryan

Thank you so much for the comment! I am really hoping I don’t ruin the progress with the colour data as i have struggled with Lrgb processing in the past. Thanks again Bryan

Cracking image Ian I am impressed with the detail you have achieved thanks for sharing Bryan

Hi all I hope everyone is well? We are truly living in strange times! I started the first week of the lockdown stripping and re-greasing my mount followed with a swap of scopes. off came the ed100 and on went the Meade lx200 12” blue monster! I have modified the Meade zeroshift microfocuser by removing the motor, cutting a slot in the housing and attaching my Pegasus astrofocus cube which I can control from the laptop via the mount hub pro. (I plan on sharing this mod to the forum sometime soon as it seems to work well) This makes the focusing of the scope easier. I want to finally deal with my Nemesis. M51. I love this over photographed galaxy collision and I want to do it justice. Having images it many times in the past 10 years I seem to make micro improvements each season even though the money I have parted with for each improvement seems unjustifiable. Lrgb imaging is definitely harder for me at least than Narrow Band and although we have had an unusual amount of clear skies here in the NW I have been struggling against Easterly gusts that have made guiding difficult if not impossible at times so I only have a Luminance Layer to show for my efforts so far. I am happier with it than any other version I have managed so far and hope to add some colour as soon as I can capture enough data. Anyway, enough with the explanation. This is just over 6 hours of 8 min lum subs Scope: 12” lx200 with 6.3 fr/ff camera: Atik 460 bin 1x1 It’s obviously a compressed version, possibly over processed, uploaded via my iPhone, but it’s the best I have managed so far and I hope you like it thanks for looking Bryan

I have been playing about at this hobby for 10 or more years, I too have relied on actions (Noels and Annies) it’s only when I bought a second hand Atik 460 that had some column defects that I started to look for a solution. APP seemed like it might help, and it isn’t very expensive (also I think there was a trial period) well it did help, and my imaging has definitely changed up a gear! Just a shame the weather won’t allow me to play!! In a nutshell, APP is good and once learned really quite easy! Cheers Bryan

Aye Aye Captain! I feel your pain with light pollution, I suffered for years with my neighbours who feel it necessary to have lights on in their gardens with dawn to dusk sensors! I eventually approached them and they allowed me to replace their lights with something more directional which has helped even though they still want their gardens and sheds lit up! I am by no means an expert at processing but thought I'd have a go at it I just threw your info into Astro pixel processor, then removed light pollution, saved it then opened in photoshop for a basic levels and curves also cropped it a bit. It just needs more data, and you need a catapult!! Cheers Bryan

There are so may variables in this hobby it’s a learning curve that is unique to each individual setup, equipment, location, ability etc Amazingly, sometimes it works without a hitch! Cheers Bryan

Yup dust bunnies! Great to see m51 on the image even if it’s not central though! blow the dust off with blower or use some sensor cleaning swabs like these https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NIA545U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_uP3yEb6K3GX8N But avoid compressed air cans they can deposit small amounts of propellant on the sensor making it worse! Cheers Bryan

Hi Anthony you have come to the right place for help and advice, I have been practicing this hobby for 10 or so years, I had the wrong kit for AP originally and spent nights frustratingly struggling to achieve any decent images. I often popped up on this forum for advice, (still do) and always got it! It can be disheartening to see all the fantastic images people can achieve on this and other forums then compare your efforts but we all have to start somewhere. I vowed to squeeze every last bit out of the kit I owned before spending money on a complete new rig based on what I had learned, but in those early days I was hooked by the pure delight and satisfaction gained from finally seeing a nebula or galaxy or star cluster on my screen! Images that would never win any awards by any means but I did it! I also had a 450d, I loved it! I used it for about 6 years, and now I finally own a second hand cooled CCD I still miss the simplicity of that lovely little camera! Keep at it! Cheers Bryan

Definitely dust bunnies. flats will help but I would get rid of them by the use of a blower or if that fails single use cleaning swabs like these..... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NIA545U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_uP3yEb6K3GX8N Don’t be scared to swab your Sensor, you aren’t actually touching the sensor, they have protective filtered glass over them so it’s that that gets dirty, I have stripped quite a few canon cameras down for modification and trust me, you won’t damage the sensor unless you get a screwdriver out and strip the camera down to get to the sensor first! Cheers Bryan

I used to use DSS and still do for checking my subs to see if any need deleting but I use astropixel processor for stacking, it’s different and requires a bit of research but it’s results are (for me) better than DSS Cheers Bryan

Well, I ordered the adapter in the link, but failed to notice the t in the title! I thought it was M48 at both sides! I could adapt it for use but I would need more adapters or the adjustment screws would be inaccessible. Back to the drawing board!

I’d be happy with either! what scope camera combo? What sub lengths and quantity? Just being nosey! Great images btw Thanks for sharing Bryan

Thanks for the input I thought that would be the answer but I wasn’t keen on adding more spacers, although I could replace the existing spacers between the oag and the filter wheel with this tilt adjuster provided I can get to the adjustment screws when I’m situ and they’re not blocked by the filter wheel? Also I will have to make sure it’s not a gravity tilt as that will change as the telescope tracks? I will have to do some experimentation and see if the tilt stays the same whilst the scope is in different positions. I may buy one of these anyway as it will be a useful thing to have in my arsenal! thanks again Bryan

That’s true... However I also had the problem of the oag being so chunky I struggled with spacing the fr/ff. Maybe I need to rebuild, and try a different configuration using one of my slimmer oags? I will hopefully get chance to try over the next couple of weeks whilst the moon is about? or, I could just go back to my ed100 that seems to suit the 460 pixel to arc seconds ratio and get some wider field galaxy shots rather than the close up galaxy portraits I was hoping to achieve? Thanks Bryan

Yeah, shorter camera, but the Main difference is the oag. I have several but find the Celestron the best due to the size of the pick off, also, I find the fr/ff can distort the stars for the oag and I have a a theory, if I’m guiding at f10, pre reducer then my guiding should be more accurate? I am gong to image straight up, taking gravity out of the equation and see where I go from there. cheers

Thanks Dave, you’re always there with a quick reply! I truly appreciate the speedy response! I have a ridiculously long imaging train atm! it’s an Atik 460 hanging on the back of a Meade 8” sct with a self modified zeroshift microfocuser using a Pegasus Astro stepper Motor then the chunky reliable Celestron oag with a loadstar hanging on quite a few adapters guiding at f10 followed by a 6.3fr/ff, some spacers, then the Atik efw2 and finally the camera! I appear to be getting some eggy stars in one corner. cloudy night testing.... Eggy stars top left.... Fairly round stars elsewhere... It maybe that I am just getting some sort of sag, most likely from the zeroshift focuser? But I was hoping I could compensate without having to add any more distance to the sensor or my guide Camera could end up guiding from my neighbours garden! 😊 I will have to try and work it out. Thanks again for the input Dave! cheers Bryan

I am hoping to revive this thread as I have a tilt issue and would like to know if thee are any adjustments on the efw2 to compensate? cheers Bryan