stevewanstall

Here's my shot. RGB's stacked separately and then combined and stretched in PS. Luminance stretched then added as luminosity. Adjusted in Lightroom.

I shall try that! Gradients are a bit of a bugbear on most of the images I take, even after taking flats, etc.

The luminance was binned 1x1 and the RGBs were binned 2x2. What I have done is to process the RGB file then increase the image size to match the luminance (4656 pixels on the long edge).

Stargeezer Tim, very nice. What do you use to remove gradients in PS?

Some excellent details visible, lovely job

Thank you Bignerdguy, I will try the action. In the meanwhile, I have managed to make some progress using PS. I found it is better to process the RGB as far as I can in PS, then do the same to Luminance. Once they are 'complete', then to merge them either as RGB or as Lab. This is my LRGB version:

Celestron 9.25 at F10, ZWO ASI 1600MM pro, Skywatcher EQ6 Pro, QHY5 guide cam, AstroPhotography Tool, PHD2, Cartes Du Ciel . Processing in DSS, PS and Lightroom An unexpected clear night, so I left the camera taking pictures till 7 am, well into the morning light. The image is based on: Gain : 139; offset 50 Exposure length 114s Luminance x 112 Red x 42 Blue x 44 Green x 15 (lost a few because of dawn) I used darks, flats and dark flats for the L channel and flats for the RGB channels. My colour processing leaves a lot to be desired, this is number 2. M97 is a planetary nebula, the remnants of a star that has grown to a red giant then 'blows' off its atmosphere and shrinks to a white dwarf. In this image there are a couple of distant galaxies visible too. I didn't get any sign of the outer halo, I expect that needs a lot more subs.

That's an impressive amount of work! Very nice, well worth it.

My 'Flat panel' is a white t shirt over the end of the scope pointing up at a clear blue sky ! Celestron 9.25 at F10 with ZWO ASI 1600mm and the ZWO filter whee/set. I have checked that the filter names and that they are being selected correctly. This afternoon I have finally got to grips with processing the images to get some colour and, suing only uncalibrated LRGB (i.e. no flats, dark flats or darks, even on luminance), this is myfirst ever LRGB image (and bear in mind my rudimentary processing skills!):

Thank you. That looks like an explanation for the 'colour problem' I am having. As I said, this is the first time I have tried using LRGB filters and with my data, I am finding it very hard to produce an image with any colour in. When I use the same methods with other people data, the colour is there. So, as you suggest, I thin I need to look at how long the exposure are for the R, G and B lights. I dont have SGP (I use APT). I wll have to see how I can find out the ADU readings and adjust my exposure times.

Thank you. I had a go with a 'blower' to shift the few dust specks that had somehow managed to get on the filters when screwing them into the wheel, so its not too bad. However, I shall do 'flas for all' from now on!

NEw to using a monochrome camera plus filters. MY question is, should i take flats with each of the L, R G anf B filters? I guess yes but just want reassurance! Thanks

Thanks Adrian, I guess it shows there is some colour here somewhere !

I have just started using a ZWO 1600mm pro with a filter wheel and ZWO LRGB filters. I have taken frames of a target using the different filters and am now trying to combine them into a colour image. I have tried following various tutorials but I end up with a monochrome image! I attach my files in case anyone wants to have a go, in case the files are at fault. What I have done is : 1. Using DSS, I have used the best frame as a reference image then registered and stacked the R, G B and L frames (I haven't bothered with bias, flats and dark for the moment). The alignment is fine, so Iam at least doing that bit right. 2. I saved each of the files as a .tif without doing anything in DSS. 3. In Photoshop CS5 I created a RGB file from the three separate files using the Channels ... Merge Channel. I have made sure the red goes in the red, green in green etc. 4. I then opened the luminance file, did Select All, Copy and pasted that onto the RGB. 5. I set the layers blend to Luminosity. 6. I then used Levels and Curves to stretch the image. This is what I get: Untitled-3.tif What am I doing wrong? I am sure it is something blindingly obvious to someone. blue test.TIF gren test.TIF NGC4565 luminance.TIF red test.TIF

Celestron 9.25 at f6.3, SW EQ6R pro, Canon 550 D modded The galaxy group Hickson 44 in Leo. This is based on 29 x 240 s, plus bias and flats. Hickson 44 in Leo: There are some other galaxies near by, some of which are names in this overlay from Astrometry.net: Overlay from Astrometry, naming the other objects: The main ones are NGC 3190, NGC 3185, NGC 3187 and NGC 3193. NGC 3190 has a well defined dust lane. NGC 3187 is a barred spiral galaxy with two arms. NGC 3193 is an elliptical galaxy. The light captured by my camera last night left these galaxies just after the extinction event killed the dinosaurs on Earth. From APOD: Galaxies, like stars, frequently form groups. A group of galaxies is a system containing more than two galaxies but less than the tens or hundreds typically found in a cluster of galaxies. A most notable example is the Local Group of Galaxies, which houses over 30 galaxies including our Milky Way, Andromeda, and the Magellanic Clouds. Pictured above is nearby compact group Hickson 44. This group is located about 60 million light-years away toward the constellation of Leo. Also known as the NGC 3190 Group, Hickson 44 contains several bright spiral galaxies and one bright elliptical galaxy on the upper right. The bright source on the upper left is a foreground star. Many galaxies in Hickson 44 and other compact groups are either slowly merging or gravitationally pulling each other apart. Abell 1367 This image is based on 19 x 300 s , plus flats and bias. It shows a LOT of galaxies, in a grouping called Abell 1367. In this image you are looking at part of one of the biggest structures in the Universe, the Great Wall. Wikipedia: The Leo Cluster (Abell 1367) is a galaxy cluster about 330 million light-years distant (z = 0.022) in the constellation Leo, with at least 70 major galaxies. The galaxy known as NGC 3842 is the brightest member of this cluster. Along with the Coma Cluster, it is one of the two major clusters comprising the Coma Supercluster, which in turn is part of the CfA2 Great Wall, which is hundreds of millions light years long and is one of the largest known structures in the universe. The overlay from Astrometry gives some of the galaxies visible in the image.

NGC 1931, the Fly Nebula. 6 x 120 s at ISO 1600 and 23 x 180s at ISO1600. I only targeted this because the end of my shed (=observatory) was blocking the view of the Medusa Nebula. So, I had sometime to wait until it was high enough to image. NGC 1931 Fly Nebula in Auriga Wikipedia: NGC 1931, is an emission and reflection nebula in the constellation Auriga. The nebula has been referred to as a "miniature version of the Orion Nebula", as it shares some of the same characteristics. It is a mixed emission-reflection nebula, and contains a smaller version of the Trapezium in its hot young star cluster centered in the emission nebula. The entire cluster/nebula complex is only about 3 arcmin in size. The distance from earth is estimated at about 7000 light years. The Medusa Nebula. I thought I had previously collected over three hours of data on this object, to find the catalogue coordinates were incorrect. Incorrect (but in Wikipedia and the catalogues in Astrophotography Tool) RA 7h 29m 3s | Dec +13° 14′ 48″ Correct: RA 7h 29m 11s | Dec +13° 15′ 57″ This image is based on 26 x 180 s exposures at ISO1600. Abell 21, Medusa Nebula in Gemini Wikipedia: The Medusa Nebula is a large planetary nebula in the constellation of Gemini on the Canis Minor border. It is also known as Abell 21 and Sharpless 2-274. It was originally discovered in 1955 by UCLA astronomer George O. Abell, who classified it as an old planetary nebula. The braided serpentine filaments of glowing gas suggests the serpent hair of Medusa found in ancient Greek mythology. Until the early 1970s, the Medusa was thought to be a supernova remnant. With the computation of expansion velocities and the thermal character of the radio emission, Soviet astronomers in 1971 concluded that it was most likely a planetary nebula. As the nebula is so big, its surface brightness is very low, with surface magnitudes of between +15.99 and +25 reported. Because of this most websites recommend at least an 8-inch (200 mm) telescope with an [O III] filter to find this object although probably possible to image with smaller apertures. The Eskimo Nebula in Gemini looks like a blue star that's not quite right! It's pretty small in my telescope and I think is probably overexposed. This image is based on 22 x 180s exposures at ISO 1600. The inset shows some detail. Eskimo Nebula in Gemini The Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392), also known as the Clownface Nebula or Caldwell 39, is a bipolar double-shell planetary nebula (PN). It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel in 1787. The formation resembles a person's head surrounded by a parka hood. Not enough data but a quick look at IC447 in Monoceros while waiting for the good ol' meridian flip: IC447 in Monoceros Wikipedia: IC 447 is a reflection nebula in the constellation Monoceros. In astronomy, reflection nebulae are clouds of interstellar dust which might reflect the light of a nearby star or stars. The energy from the nearby stars is insufficient to ionize the gas of the nebula to create an emission nebula, but is enough to give sufficient scattering to make the dust visible. Thus, the frequency spectrum shown by reflection nebulae is similar to that of the illuminating stars. Among the microscopic particles responsible for the scattering are carbon compounds (e. g. diamond dust) and compounds of other elements such as iron and nickel. Celestron 9.25 XLT with focal reducer at F6.3 on a Skywatcher EQ6 Pro mount. Canon 500D (modded) with LP filter. PRocessing in DSS ad PS. Never enough exposures because I want to look at so many things and clear nights are few and far between!

Same night, around midnight, I only had time to get about 20 mins of data, but here it is for whats its worth. You can just make out the SN in the shot from one sub, otherwise I have over exposed the core (!):

The moon was still a bit low really, but the images are not too bad, atmospheric turbulence was quite high: Schickard is a lunar impact crater of the form called a walled plain. It lies in the southwest sector of the Moon, near the lunar limb. As a result, the crater appears oblong due to foreshortening. Attached to the northern rim is the lesser crater Lehmann, and to the northeast is the even smaller Drebbel. Mare Humorum top right, part of Oceanus Procellarum on the left. Surveyor 1 landed in the faintly outlined large crater with the smaller clear one (Flamsteed) on its lower right rim. Several CCCP Luna landers arrived here, in the 1960's. "The Aristarchus Plateau is one of the most amazing and geologically diverse regions on the Moon. Surrounded by the lavas of Oceanus Procellarum, Aristarchus crater is one of the brightest features on the Moon's surface . The Aristarchus region swarms with complex volcanic features, including the Vallis Schröteri, the largest sinuous rille on the Moon . The Plateau is also home to one of the largest lunar Regional Dark Mantling Deposits. Large lunar pyroclastic deposits like the Aristarchus Plateau will be intensely studied by the next generation of human lunar explorers because their composition offers important insights into the composition of the lunar interior.This might be a future Lunar Base region... This massive deposit of fine-grained FeO-rich pyroclastic ash is one of the most accessible lunar resource deposits. Future lunar settlers could use this ash for radiation shielding and as feedstock for the production of oxygen and photovoltaic cells. Because of the geologic diversity of this region, the potential for supremely compelling lunar science investigations, and the proximity to rich deposits of readily-accessible resources, the Aristarchus region is a high-priority site for future human lunar exploration and is one of the most frequently-suggested locations for a permanent lunar outpost. The upcoming Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera is going to collect numerous 0.5 m/pixel images of this region in order to locate prospective landing sites for the future human lunar exploration that will be required to unravel the compelling, complex geology of the Aristarchus region. The crater Pythagoras is just coming into sunlight on the far upper left.

Most images are based on 50 frames, stacked in Registax. Views of the terminator in a first quarter Moon: First Quarter Moon Aristoteles and Eudoxus craters, to the north of the Lunar Alps, with the Vallis Alpes (Alpine Valley). Mare Serenitatis to the upper right, part of the Mare Imbrium to the lower left Mare Vaporum, upper left Albategnius, upper left, Werner towards the centre (thought the 'X' is not clearly visible :0() First quarter mosaic Celestron 9.25 XLT at F6.3, Skywatcher EQ6 Pro, modded Canon 500D

This is based on 1000 frames at ISO 100 1/10s, taken with a Celestron 9.25 XLT on a Skywatcher EQ6 Pro, with a modded Canon 500D. Processed in Registax. More in my blog Almost first quarter, so the Moon was a good target earlier, at around 5:30 pm. Most of the images are based on 1000 frames, aligned and stacked in Registax: Almost first quarter Mare Serenitatis The Sea of Serenity, with the craters Eudoxus and Aristoteles visible upper left. Mare Vaporum The Sea of Vapours, with the crater Manilius prominent centre top. Notice Rima Ariadaeus in the centre. This is a linear rille on the Moon at 6.4°N 14.0°E. It is named after the crater Ariadaeus, which marks its eastern end. It is over 300 km long and is categorized as a straight rille because of its linear nature. Almost in the centre is the crater Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar is a lava-flooded lunar impact crater with a low, irregular, and heavily worn wall. Its diameter is 85 km. It was named after Roman statesman Julius Caesar. It is located to the west of Mare Tranquillitatis, and directly southeast of the crater Manilius on the Mare Vaporum. To the east is the rounded Sosigenes. The interior floor of Julius Caesar is relatively level, especially in the southwest half. The northern half of the interior has a lower albedo (darker) than the south. Most likely the floor has been covered or modified by ejecta from the impact that created the Imbrium basin. There are a number of crater remnants overlapping the rim along the south and northeast edges. A low ridge crosses the floor across the northeast sections of the crater. Lacus Mortis The Lake of Death, just right of top centre, with the crater Burg in the centre of it. Mare Frigoris is to the left, almost top centre. Near the South Pole. The triplet of craters to the upper left includes Abenezra and Azophi. The very dark crater upper centre is Gemma Frisius and the prominent crater with the central mountain is Maurolycus. Theophilus, Cyrillus and Catharina The triplet is to the upper right.

This is based on 39 x 240s at ISO 1600, taken with a Celestron 9.25 XLT on a Skywatcher EQ6 Pro, with a modded Canon 500D. Processed using DSS and PS, with darks, flats and bias. According to Wikipedia: C 405 (also known as the Flaming Star Nebula, SH 2-229, or Caldwell 31) is an emission and reflection nebula in the constellation Auriga, surrounding the bluish star AE Aurigae. It shines at magnitude +6.0. Its celestial coordinates are RA 05h 16.2m dec +34° 28′. It surrounds the irregular variable star AE Aurigae and is located near the emission nebula IC 410, the open clusters M38 and M36, and the K-class star Iota Aurigae. The nebula measures approximately 37.0' x 19.0', and lies about 1,500 light-years away from Earth. It is believed that the proper motion of the central star can be traced back to the Orion's Belt area. The nebula is about 5 light-years across.

I captured 14 x 120s exposures (C9.25 at F6.3 , SW EQ6Pro and Canon 500D) and tried making a short video, once I had noticed that it moved significantly between exposures. Panstarrs T2019 copy.avi

I took this image on the same night (not EEVA though, 9.25 SCT with modded Canon 500D, 10 s exp , I think). The Sky and Telescope tool showed where the main moons should be. Apparently Umbriel and Ariel are often lost in the glare of the planet.

My setup is: Laptop connected to Celestron CG5 GT mount via RS323 COM adaptor (goes to the Nexstar+ hand controller). The laptop has PHD2, Astrophotography Tool (https://astrobackyard.com/astro-photography-tool/) (this allows me to connect a DSLR, control the camera settings, view images, etc) and Carte du Ciel. The mount is ASCOM compliant so I have that installed which connects everything up. Microsoft Remote Desktop app on my tablet. This connects via my home wifi intranet to the laptop So, my choices are to sit outside (shed observatory) with the laptop , controlling everything or sitting indoors with the tablet, checking what is going on. The optimum for me at the moment is to get everything connected and tracking via the laptop directly, then just monitor via the tablet.