gorann

On the image I uploaded to Astrobin, Daniel EricksonI suggested to test the Camera Raw filter in PS. I had never used that filter before (I do not think I had it in my previous version of PS). I like the result: slightly softer and a bit more detail. I will certainly play more with it in the future.

In these last desperate days before astrodarkness disappears, I am aiming at more dust, actually plenty of dust from Lynds', Sharpless' and Barnard's catalogues caught in one image. Nevertheless, Sh2-134 and 135 are rather rarely imaged Ha regions close to the extensively imaged Elephant Trunk Nebula. A very busy area, especially when going deep with the RASA8, with an almost overwhelming amount of nebulosity of all sorts, like an astronomical wilde fire. This is 8.8 hours of HaOiii data (NBZ filter) collected yesterday (11 April) combined with about 4 hours of RGB data collected back in january 2021. The NB data makes up ca 70 % of the signal and brought out much more of the faint stuff. So, a HaOiiiRGB image from my dual-RASA8 and ASI2600MC on a Mesu200. 106 x 5 min with the IDAS NBZ filter (Ha+Oiii) and 47 x 5 min RGB (without filter). Processed in PI and PS including stretching of a starless version (Star Xterminator) before adding back the stars (mainly RGB stars). Cheers & CS, Göran

I am stunned! Have no idea how to do this, so also very impressed.

Thanks Steve! Yes, the plan for the summer break is for one more obsy with a dual Esprit 150 rig, attached to my Obsy 2 (where I have the Meade ACF 14") with a separate roll-off roof. Great thing is that I will have a Mesu 200 also for the Esprits - bought used from Olly and now with Lucas to get upgraded with a SiTech II controller. So it should work in the same way as my dual RASA rig, which increases the chance that I can run two rigs in one night with out messing up. My 14" is on an EQ8 and I have not fired that up in more than a year so I am a bit rusty on running a rig with a SW hand controller. Since I have the space here at the farm, if I get an idea for a rig, I just build an obsy for it - great excersice and building an obsy with a pier cost less than a 5" refractor. My general idea, if I have one, is to have a freedom of choice for focal length and can chose one rig (or maybe two) in a night. CS, Göran

Maybe the last image for the season..... Sh2-134 and 135 are rather rarely imaged Ha regions close to the extensively imaged Elephant Trunk Nebula. A very busy area, especially when going deep with the RASA8, with an almost overwhelming number of LDNs and LBNs from Lynds' catalogues. This is 8.8 hours of HaOiii data (NBZ filter) collected yesterday combined with about 4 hours of RGB data collected back in january 2021. The NB data makes up ca 70 % of the signal and brought out much more of the faint stuff. So, a HaOiiiRGB image from my dual-RASA8 and ASI2600MC on a Mesu200. 106 x 5 min with the IDAS NBZ filter (Ha+Oiii) and 47 x 5 min RGB (without filter). Processed in PI and PS including stretching of a starless version (Star Xterminator) before adding back the stars (mainly RGB stars). Comments and suggestions allways welcome Cheers & CS, Göran

Thanks a lot Olly! I think I see what you mean so I now did some slight adjustments to the curves, including the red one. Better? Cheers, Göran

Thanks Sunshine, much appreciated!

Thanks a lot Alan! As you say, you just have to keep going and avoid any moonlight. Good luck!, Göran

Thanks Steve, much appreciated! It may clear up here tomorrow night so I may temporarily stop recycling old stuff....

Thanks a lot Paul and go for it!

This was one of my first images using the RASA 8 and ASI2600MC combo, with an IDAS NBX (dual band Ha+Oiii) filter back in November 2020. It gave me a lot of encourageing feed-back including from Olly @ollypenrice who liked it so much that he used it as an example in Astronomy Now on how the new colour CMOS cameras (and RASA) could could be game changers astrophotography. Nevertheless, I now realized that I was a bit shy on bringing out what was in the data, especially in the Ha signal of the Bat nebula. So now when clouded in, I had another go at it, bringing out more of everything, especially Ha from this modest 6 hours of data, on something that has been regarded as a very very faint and challenging object. Cheers, Göran

The Brontosaurus Nebula (Sh2-204), and LDN 1388 - 1389 in Camelopardalis These bright and dark nebulae are very rarely imaged as judging from what I can find on Astrobin. In fact, I cannot find any images of LDN1388 and 1389 (the dark nebulae in the middle of the image). I was surprised how nice looking Sh2-204 is, and stimulating to the imagination. I think I can see a hand. Then several have seen a Brontosaurus, and I now also see that. So The Brontosaurus Nebula is shall be! This could be my last image for the season (but I hope not). Moon is getting up and astrodarkness is gone within a months up here at 60°N Imaged 2 April 2022 with my dual-RASA8 rig. So, RASA 8 with ASI2600MC and IDAS NBZ dual-band filter (Ha+Oiii) on a Mesu200. 88x5 min = a bit more than 7 hours. Processed in PI and PS, including Star Xterminator. Processed in a rather dark room so best viewed in a rather dark room. Cheers Göran

That is an outstanding rendention of this nebula Adam! Nice soft and fluffy. I like everything about it.

He he, again why do so many of you astro-freaks see dinosaurs in images? I am a biologist so I tend to imagine extant animals, so I go for a shrimp😉

He he, why do so many of you astro-freaks see dinosaurs in images? I am a biologist so I tend to imagine extant animals, so I go for a shrimp😉

Thanks a lot Olly! I have been looking and working on this data for two days. Finally posted it and had a break to see Pulp Fiction for the 6th time. And now when you say so, and I look at it again, there is a nice 3D feeling about it😁 Göran

Thanks a lot, and Yes, Steve, you are right! it is obviously The Shrimp Nebula! I should have seen that.

I try to make my life simple and stick to 3 min subs for RGB (no filter) and 5 min subs for NB (IDAS NBZ filter) with my ASI2600MC at gain 100 on a RASA 8 at Bortle 2-3. But then I usually go for the faintest of faint objects with that set up. For something bright I would either go for shorter subs or gain 0. My thinking is that I should expose as long as possible to keep the number of subs managible (and avoid spending half a day stacking), and I would only shorten the exposures if I see too many blown out stars.

These bright and dark nebulae are very rarely imaged as judging from what I can find on Astrobin. In fact, I cannot find any images of LDN1388 and 1389. I was surprised how nice looking Sh2-204 is, and stimulating to the imagination. I think I can see a hand. This could be my last image for the season (but I hope not). Moon is getting up and astrodarkness is gone within a months up here at 60°N Imaged 2 April 2022 with my dual-RASA8 rig. So, RASA 8 with ASI2600MC and IDAS NBZ dual-band filter (Ha+Oiii) on a Mesu200. 88x5 min = a bit more than 7 hours. Processed in PI and PS, including Star Xterminator. Processed in a rather dark room so best viewed in a rather dark room. Comments and suggestions of course welcome Cheers Göran

And it worked!

I assume you used starless processing to bring the faint stuff out. Göran

Lovely image Dave! I understand it is a difficult target but you made me tempted to give it a try with the RASA8. The best time from my horizon would be about now but I could still only get a few hours in a night. An then I also need a clear sky....

By accident, me and my dual RASA8 rig stumbled again on a supernova remnant (top left quadrant of the image), which after some search (with great help from Wim van Berlo) turned out to have been suggested by radio astronomers in 2014 and denoted G150.3+4.5 (https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2014/07/aa24128-14/aa24128-14.html). As far as I can tell there are no visual-light images of it, and this is likely to be the first. There are clear Oiii and Ha emitting filaments coinsiding with the most active area shown by the radio telescopes, and some weak and more diffuse Oiii signal, but most of the SNR may be too faint to be seen visually (at least with my equipment) and there is a lot of dark dust in the area that may be obscuring it, so there are some of the dust that brings me to submit it to the challenge. The image is a three panel mosaic with a lot of overlap, with about 18 hours at f/2 on the SNR. There are also three Sharpless objects in the image and a lot of dark nebulosity from the Lynds' and Barnard's catalogues. I am surprided that the huge Ha emitting circular nebulosity covering most of the image has not been annotaded or named. However, it is quite faint and I am struggling to find a suitable name suggestion. Captured 29 March to 1 April 2022 with my dual-RASA8 rig and ASI2600MC cameras with IDAS NBZ dual band Ha+Oiii filters on a Mesu 200. 337 x 5 min, so 28 hours. SQM between 21.2 and 21.4, no moon Cheers, Göran

By accident, me and my dual RASA8 rig stumbled again on a supernova remnant (top left quadrant of the image), which after some search (with great help from Wim van Berlo) turned out to have been suggested by radio astronomers in 2014 (https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2014/07/aa24128-14/aa24128-14.html), "image" enclosed. As far as I can tell there are no visual-light images of it, and this is likely to be the first. There are clear Oiii and Ha emitting filaments coinsiding with the most active area shown by the radio telescopes, and some weak and more diffuse Oiii signal, but most of the SNR may be too faint to be seen visually (at least with my equipment) and there is a lot of dark dust in the area that may be obscuring it. The image is a three panel mosaic with a lot of overlap, with about 18 hours at f/2 on the SNR. There are also three Sharpless objects in the image and a lot of dark nebulosity from the Lynds' and Barnard's catalogues. I am surprised that the huge Ha emitting circular nebulosity covering most of the image has not been annotaded or named. However, it is quite faint and I am struggling to find a suitable name suggestion. Captured 29 March to 1 April 2022 with my dual-RASA8 rig and ASI2600MC cameras with IDAS NBZ dual band Ha+Oiii filters on a Mesu 200. 337 x 5 min, so 28 hours. SQM between 21.2 and 21.4, no moon Commets most welcome! Cheers, Göran

Got my dual RASA8 rig with NBZ dual-band HaOiii filters aiming at a possible SNR that I by accident stumbled on two nights ago but only caught a bit of it. It seems never to have been imaged before. I hope the sky co-operates..... Cheers, Göran