CCD Imager

I agree, nice images, M104 is only just imageable from the UK! What was the cause of the green incursion on the Sombrero image? Adrian

And here is a closer view of the galaxy at full resolution

This image was taken from home, Bortle 4 in Bedfordshire, but I traveled to Kelling Heath Star Party for supposed dark skies, only to experience a mostly cloudy week! However, it was clear at home, so remoted into my observatory and collected data on M94 with an Esprit 150 and ASI6200. total integration time was 9.5 hrs and LRGB Adrian

Hi Olly We are out of the false colour season, so my attention now is to natural coloured galaxies Although there have been advances in Astronomical Equipment over recent years, I think that image processing has really improved moreso. I now treat an image as three different components - Object, background and stars where all three can be processed independently. There is a blur area between really faint objects, for example outer galaxy regions and the background, but with clever selections, this can be addressed too. The smaller stars are partly a consequence of seperate processing (which is in fact very little), but also by using a full frame camera and the resultant image is scaled down. Should you look at a 100% version, the stars look just the same as small sensor cameras. Stars should be pinpoint to reflect their true nature and what is seen visually, I dont like big fuzzy blobs! Merci beaucoup! Adrian

and here is a central crop showing near full resolution

Hi Simmo Indeed a great combo, but dont tell any one Ive got the ASI6200 The 2600 is also a very nice large sensor camera too Cheers Adrian

I accumulated around 14 hours of data in the Rosette, all in narrowband and decided to present two different versions. The "red" one is produced from bi colour HaOIII and the second a Hubble pallete from Ha OIII and S2. I'm torn between the two, but having accumulated so many golden blue images in recent times, I am more taken with the red, more true colour image. Taken with an Askar 400 and ASI6200 over several nights in the last couple of months. Adrian

Hi Olly I used much shorter exposures for the blue (and RG), so they did roughly match. You could also remove the narrowband stars and insert the RGB stars to produce natural stars with natural colours which was my original intention for taking them. Adrian

Hi Olly Indeed I did remove the stars in my workflow, we now have much armory for this. I usually take short exposures in RGB for the stars, but after taking the image, I tried the combination Ha, OIII, Blue, with the hope that the blue reflection areas would be enhanced, but alas I only had a few blue exposures Adrian

Welcome to the Askar 400 club, growing by the day. Ive also got the dedicated reducer/flattener and it works well with smaller sensors like my ASI183, but the corners arent so good with a full frame camera. As you have shown, it works well with an APSc sensor.

HI Jim Thanks for commenting. I admit I did try to extract some blue (OIII) in the foxfur, but it just isnt there. Imaging through broadband filters would clearly show the blue. I would like to revisit this object next year with a longer focal length to really bring the detail out in the foxfur, there are only hints in this image! The beauty of this hobby is that objects can respond to a variety of field of views. Adrian

Taken with my Askar 400mm lens at F5.6 and ASI 6200. Total imaging time of approximately 9 hours. This is taken through narrowband and RGB filters, but ended up ditching the SII for a bicolour image, then combined the blue filter image I am enjoying the wide field this combination of astrokit offers Adrian

Here is the California Nebula, my first image of 2022. Although it was very windy, imaging with a FL of 200mm made it a breeze (no pun intended!). Previously, it has been very hard to capture the full extent of the nebula and the extension towards 7pm is often missed out, but having a FOV of 10 degrees gives an incredible ability to capture huge objects which the California Nebula is. Taken with the Askar 200mm lens and ASI 6200 camera and reduced in size by 50% Thanks for looking Adrian

This image was captured a couple of months ago and I saved the processing for a rainy windy cloudy period, which is now! I have a couple more to process. Its is a bicolour image thru Ha and OIII and total exposure was about 5 hours. Taken with the Esprit 150 and ASI 6200, the clickable image is 50% reduced. Thanks for taking a look Adrian

Thanks! I've just ordered one, ready for Kelling next week, I hope. I'm confident the reducer will be fine for upto APSc sized sensors, but FF? We will soon know

Hi Lee Agreed, better than I expected. I am thinking of getting the reducer, but worried about corner stars with a full frame camera, there are reports it isnt so good... Have you tried one? Adrian

Around 14 hours of data taken with SHO filters. Askar 400mm and ASI6200. Lots of issues with reflections and halos that required much photoshop work. Nice to see the longer dark skies returning Adrian

Hi Lee, thanks for the comment and I suspect there arent many of us Askar owners. I have been particularly imrpessed with the 3 inch rack and pinion focuser, it holds the camera and large filter wheel with ease and the optics produce excellent corner stars with a full frame camera. Do you agree? Adrian

Hi Adrian, thank you and I agree, I do like the criss cross pattern of nebulosity in the lower area. Its often not imaged, but I purposefully orientated the camera to portrait to include this area

Hi Jody, thank you and yes, the mon version with narrowband filters Adrian

I purchased a new little refractor, an Askar FRA 400, from our friend Zultan at 365 astronomy. Its a petzval design, so no need for flat filed correctors and so far I am impressed. Here is my first light taken over a couple of weeks grabbing data where I could and accumulated 14 hours with the ASI6200 Do click on the image to see the higher resolution and pan around and get lost in the North American and Pelican nebulas Adrian

Hi Peter Nicely imaged and an enviable target for us poor souls too far north of the equator! Its good to see the Tak reducer works well with full frame, which version do you have? I have the standard (cheapest) version, non QE, but have noticed the need to refocus between filters and some minor issues at the corners Adrian

I live in a Bortle 4 sky and could add next year. Defintely worth trying Adrian

What is needed is a telescope with a fast Focal Ratio, a camera with high QE and a dark sky. I suspect that even a short FL scope like a RASA would pick it up. Adrian

Yes, you defintely captured it. I tried inverting and stretching my version, but no luck. This would make a good challenge as to who can capture it with as much detail as possible, Gabany excluded Maybe I can add data next year Adrian