Adreneline

This is a tricky one! I certainly like to produce a starless image because I enjoy the uninterrupted view of the very thing I am trying to image - the nebula! That said I think it is always best to present both images - full stars first and starless second. I am finding we now have excellent tools at our disposal to remove stars and they are great because I feel they help you process the underlying nebula to best effect. The problem is we don't have equally excellent tools to put the stars back! Star processing IMHO is mega-difficult which is why I don't image clusters; quite frankly I have tried and I am rubbish at it. Stars make or break an image and there is no magic solution that I have found to make it easy to get good results. Variations in the quality of optics, quality of filters, screen resolutions all hit stars first - dodgy colours, halos, mis-shapen - every fault you can think of - and of course being out of focus. The best tool is your eyes - and sadly mine are getting old

Thank you for the kind comment. I think starless images have their place especially on these wide field views. I like to see the layering, depth and structure in the nebula. Adrian

Thank you. I'm a bit of a fan of starless images when imaging nebula. A busy star field can obscure a lot of detail and structure and distract the eye from seeing the very thing you are trying to image.

A few days ago I was lucky enough to grab a nice amount of Ha data from my Samyang 135MM + ASI183MM and combine it with Ha data taken at the same time from my RedCat 51 + ASI1600MM Luck has been on my side again because I have been able to get a comparable amount of OIII and SII data to make a full SHO image of the area. Sorting out the gradients from the two systems has been a real challenge to achieve a neutral background but the light pollution removal tool in APP is amazing and so easy to use, providing such a good end result that I did not need to use ABE/DBE in PI. The star field is from the Samyang SHO data only - there seemed little point in trying to combine with the RedCat data. The RedCat data has been really beneficial in revealing detail and structure in the main components of the image. Everything was pre-processed in APP and processed in PI using StarXterminator to create a starless image which provided the basis for the colour SHO. Plenty to enjoy in this wide field view. Thank you for looking and all C&C welcome as always. Adrian

It might not be “spectacular” but it is most certainly a commendable achievement with a really pleasing end result. The inverse image shows the jet very clearly. Excellent result David! Adrian

I only used Astrometry.net to get the centre RA/DEC and pixel scale otherwise I had nothing much to base it on, otherwise PI can sort it from the data you input yourself for your own equipment, etc. It's a really rich, interesting image. Well done! Good catch and thanks for sharing. Adrian

Hi @GalaxyGael Excellent - and really interesting. Hope you don't mind but I put your image through Astrometry.net and PixInsight to plate solve it and find out a bit more about what's in the image - including of course PGC 54074 This is one 'galaxy rich' region. Adrian

Lots of nice detail and depth to the image Stu and I like the intensity of the colours. Something a little strange is happening with the stars in the corners ... ... I guess you'd already noticed. Maybe a spacing issue? HTH Adrian

Hello Alan, I no longer use PS because Adobe and Apple conspired to ensure that legitimate users of CS6 (which I owned) would not run on the new 64 bit macOS and not be supported by Adobe - so that was that! Anyway, that aside, I used to use Annie's Astro Actions (which cost about $19 - okay more than Starnet) which include amongst other things a star removal action which doesn't work as well as Starnet but with a bit of use of other PS tools (spot removal) works really well. HTH Adrian

Thank you Lee. Dual rigs can certainly make a difference. Investing in identical dual rigs is a step too far for me - I like the diversity - but the challenge of bringing it all together can be considerable. APP is an amazing piece of software for this sort of thing. I'm sure it can all be done in PI just as well but APP does it so easily. Adrian

Sadly I think that is the case. Spend, spend, spend is the name of the game

Thanks Alan. I know I am in the minority with starless images but I do think they help to reveal detail and structure - and after all it is the nebula we are trying to image. Thank you. Adrian

Thank you. It can be very tempting to spoil a good Ha with some dodgy OIII taken with the Moon dominating the heavens!

As so often seems to happen we have another perfectly clear night with a 97% Moon - time for Ha I imaged this region some time back with a Canon 200mm lens (now sold) and decided to revisit with my Samyang 135 and my RedCat 51. This is 32 x 300s from the SY135+ASI183MM unguided in CEM25 and 27 x 300s from the RedCat+ASI1600MM guided on AZEQ6. All 59 subs were calibrated, registered and integrated in APP at the same time which presented an interested gradient situation: APP's LPC tool did a great job of removing everything so no DBE or ABE required in PI All post processing was done in PI using Starnet v2 to produce this starless image and the EZ Suite to noise reduction. Thanks for looking. Adrian

This great thread is languishing down on Page 3 and in danger of slipping on to Page 4 - and that will never do! So here is IC410 et al taken on a full Moon night with an Astronomik 6nm Ha filter - 29 x 300s with an ASI183MM-Pro, gain 111, -20 degrees using a 49mm step-down-ring on the lens. Calibrated, registered and integrated in APP and then processed in PI. Don't you just love the Samyang 135mm lens.

Hi Laurence. I've never actually tested the maximum range on mine - I'm just happy I now get stable and consistent wifi between the mount and where I sit inside to control everything, which is about 15m. I'll be interested to know what range you get.

Very nice looking setup and a very pleasing first light. You must be well pleased with your new acquisition - 22kg is well outside my lift capability! - it makes my 6" RC look like a toy! Good luck with fine tuning the collimation and I look forward to seeing more great images. Adrian

This site was recently brought to my attention and over the last six or so weeks has proved to be very helpful to me in prediciting up and coming 'on-the-day' clear skies and, maybe more importantly, up and coming 'whilst-the-gear-is-outside' cloud and rain. https://www.weatherandradar.co.uk/weather-map?center=NaN,NaN&placemark=53.1736,0.0937&zoom=7.53&layer=wr When comparing this site to CO for 'on the day forecasts' I have found this to be more accurate. As for looking to see if it is "going to be clear next Tuesday" - look elsewhere! Apologies if folks are already well aware.

I am sure many people do this but I seem to recall reading somewhere that it was better to plug the guide camera into a PC/ASIair/etc. directly and use the camera usb hub for things like the EFW and EAF - but I really don't know for sure. Try it and see I guess

Hi Jody. Good question! When I used this arrangement on the CEM25-EC it wasn't a problem because I didn't need to guide. On the AZEQ6 I do need to guide so I decided not to use the memory stick and save image to the SD card instead. The EFW and EAF plug into the back of the camera - the mount, camera and guide camera plug into the ASIair. Adrian

I use the AC750 version and it works perfectly. It too can be powered from an ASIair usb socket (it draws just 330mA so well within the USB specification). HTH Adrian

Great star colour and definition. Cluster, open or globular, are the hardest objects to image in my opinion. You've done a great job with beautiful object.

Everything comes from FLO with the exception of the orange Geoptik Vixen bar which came from RVO. The ADM clamp and Geoptik bar are permanently attached to the AZ-EQ6 and allow me to ..... ... either attach my 6" RC ..... ... or my RedCat ..... The little mini clamps (also from FLO) provide reassurance when mounting/demounting the OTA - I can slacken the ADM clamp without fear of the whole OTA sliding to the ground before I have a firm hold and can slide it up out of the ADM clamp. The EvoGuide has a focal length of 242mm - well suited to the RC - with a helical focuser. I used to use a 9x50 but the EvoGuide works better for me. I cannot comment on the HEQ5 - my previous mount was the NEQ6-Pro which I sold three years ago. I would have thought an HEQ5 would do the job. (My CEM25-EC will take the RC - it's getting toward the weight limit but I have used it successfully unguided). HTH.

Hi. I am no expert in matters relating to guiding but it might help others help you if you post some images of your setup including scope, camera, guide scope and camera, etc., You could also describe how you've balanced your mount in both RA and DEC and the process you've used for polar aligning the mount prior to imaging. If you could attach your PHD2 guide log file that might also help the PHD experts on the forum. I operate an AZ-EQ6 and once carefully balanced and accurately polar aligned I typically achieve an RMS figure of less than 0.5" on a good 'seeing' night and certainly less than 1" in general.

Thank you! It is a really challenging target, especially the OIII. Sharing data with @geeklee who operates the same equipment certainly helps but even then it is a challenge getting it all together. Glad you like it. Adrian