WestCoastCannuck

I really enjoyed testing out the little 150 MAK. Its a lovely scope to look through and image with..... but perhaps unsurprisingly my 140 refractor achieved better results. Be sure to look at full size! Clear skies Mike

I go through a few scopes here and there for fun. Have a 150 MAK I just tried out - first light. Views were nice. I like it! Probably won't keep it as I have my 140 refractor, but you never know. Shot this morning in the wee hours a little before dawn. Clear skies Mike

So great to have something nice to share again. Been a while. With my 140/7 APM and 183MM in green. Shot at F11.2, upscaled to F16.8 in processing. Clear skies!! Mike

Yeah... I have to put a UV/IR cut in my 678MC, bot not on my QHY 5III 485C. I LOVE my 183MM and am still looking for a 183MC non cooled used. They are out there. I have grid problems with the 678, and my colour sucks the worst with my QHY. Other than the grid artifacts, I got a couple of acceptable colour results, but nothing great. Thanks for encouragement.... I will learn one day. I am in agreement to your thinking on sharpening..... though I prefer the slightly punchier colour you usually have - still VERY restrained in comparison to many and I think you usually hit it spot on. You are correct I believe though, I think the above lovely shot is likely more "real", but I am in favour of a LITTLE exaggeration myeslf. :)))))

Your colour processing skillz are awe inspiring as always. Your results are the main reason I have not sold off my colour cams - I suck working with colour, but for even the faint possibility of doing similar work one day, I keep them. Clear skies Mike

One shot colour in general not specifically the QHY. Just can't get colour I am happy with usually. Occasionally, but rarely. Cheers Mike

From Apr 27th. First up, the best 600 of 2500 frames of a single panel vid just squeezing in the frame. 140+1.5X, 183MM camera. 520nm filter. A little soft to the south for some reason. It is, what it is. Next up, a 15 panel terminator mosaic with CPC1100, 290MM camera and 685nm filter. Seeing variable. Shared at 100% view Clear skies to you all! Mike

Super details of one of all our faves!

Such lovely work. The last one especially pops. Your images are so clean all throughout. Mine ALWAYS have spots not so good, or ringing somewhere... something. Possibly I am leaning more heavily on the "lucky" part of lucky imaging. HAHA So glad you are getting to put that 12 through its paces! Very best Mike

Lovely image! Maybe I will try a couple more times with my QHY (same as yours) before giving it up. (Me and one shots don't seem to get along) Clear skies Mike

Truly, your colour is absolutely epic. One day I will come close I hope. I have given up on one shot cameras - will just have to learn LRGB combining. With regards Mike

Thanks Roy!! Yeah... wish it had vents for fans. Sadly not. And thanks Neil - in spite of some tracking issues it came out well. (just more panels than usual) Thanks Onikkenen! As you say... its only over sampled by the math - and not all THAT much. I actually did the last sharpening at F22.4..... then reduced back to what I hoped was a sweet spot. Thanks Michael! Like many of us, I struggle sometimes to find the balance in sharpening. haha. We SO want to show all the detail we can.... but there is always a price. haha

Crazy stuff Roy! Fantastic resolution. Some serious aperture well applied. Mike

Thanks much Alan for your kind words. Off the top of my head, I don't remember the range of the filter, but its the Baader green ccd filter from the LRGB set. A 140 refractor indeed does capture much more than a 100! . I started with a 100.... Then a 120. This is my last one. I simply can't afford significantly bigger or believe me it would probably happen. Lol Thanks Sunshine!!

My C11 did not settle in time, but my 140mm refractor came through! 140mm F7 @ F13.3, 2.4um pixels, 520nm filter, best 600 of 2000 frames, 4 panels Clear skies to you! Mike

Outstanding work Neil. Truly wonderful as always to view your stuff. Clavius is fabulous.

It is never ending I have found. Always something new or something you want to improve or change. haha. But its all worth it when under the sky.

Great first effort! I have a skytee 2 arriving this week for my not-so-much-anymore "grab and go"! I am looking forward to it. My previous lighter mount/tripod was too wobbly for my 102ED loaded with a 2 inch diagonal and heavy eyepiece. Clear skies Mike

Lots of detail! Great result from a single snap!

I really like the earth tones in this. Try a 1.4X converter if you have one for fun! Mike

Lovely colour!

Thanks Neil! I finally got around to redoing the colour shot. Not nearly as good as I have seen from many others, but better than the first one! haha Clear skies!

Very nice. I far prefer the colour from the first round myself! They do not seem at all too green on my screen. Its a tricky thing colour. There is no right answer for the moon - all subjective. Having said that, I have the same camera, plus a good QHY one shot, and I can't get anything as good as these. I will learn. I don't have photoshop - maybe I will try paintshop pro. Need to learn to use layers. Great stuff! Thanks for sharing! Mike

Congrats on new scope!! (?) I have a "new" mount on the way to me I am looking forward to. Retiring my iOptron AZ Mount Pro and soon using an AZ EQ6 GT. It should handle my 140MM better (big moment arm). I will continue to just use AZ.... but the EQ is there if I ever want. Lovely first images!! I like the processing. :))))) Very best Mike (I am still alive - just shitty sky)

Hey all. Hopefully heading into my imaging season and out of the clouds soon. I squeezed in a fun session this past Thursday after sunset in jittery seeing. (Lucky imaging rules!) First I did a quick 3 piece mosaic with my 140 refractor and 678MC. Oversampled. Don't ask me where the colour went... I have trouble with it. I will learn one day - I don't have photoshop or anything that can do layers... considering Paintshop Pro. New colour effort from same data. At least now you can SEE colour! haha (2023-04-13) Next up are my efforts with my C11. I am happier with these given the wonky seeing! I combined a bunch of them in 3 mosaics..... I rather like them. Especially this first one for the views near the terminator through the Mares south of Copernicus. All are done with C11, 290MM, 685nm filter, and are comprised of 600 frames per panel from 10K vids. Clavius and Southern Limb Copernicus, Eratosthenes and the Apennine Mountains I wish the clearest skies to all!! Mike 😎