Gerr

M78 seems quite a difficult target to me and one I haven’t had a go at yet (watch this space)! You seem to have nice composition and the promise of nice detail with sharp stars too. Not bad for only your third DSO. As stated earlier noise can be reduced by taking lots of images (60 plus) whilst keeping your camera cool!! Then there is noise reduction techniques in your processing. An acquired skill dependent on your image processing application (I use photoshop plus plug ins for this). Do you tick the median noise filter box when you stack in DSS? 
Gerr.

Good effort - Nice round stars with good colour too.

I have a similar camera (650D) which is Astro modded so trying to achieve good and true star colour is a challenge for me. Always difficult to process without losing colour and bloating them. Then there are the halos!!! 

Gerr.

Appreciate the kind comments, thanks. 
This was processed entirely in photoshop CS2 (after stacking in DSS). Usual levels and curves adjustment, star and noise reduction, saturation boost with some sharpening for zoomed image and gradient field flattening for final results. Voila!!!!

Cheers,

Gerr.

This grand-design spiral galaxy is in the constellation Canes Venatici and is about 23 million light years away. What fascinates me is how this galaxy interacts with a smaller galaxy (M51B) in the way of ripping it apart. Amazing to be able to see this with our amateur telescopes.

I managed this in just over 2 hours imaging time with a waning crescent moon on 6th March last week. My skies are Bortle 6.

Lights: 92x90secs (ISO1600)  Canon 650D  Optolong L-Pro filter

SW200P Reflector (no wind for a change)

CC's welcome

Widefield Image:

Zoomed Image:

Great image and still no supernova!!! 
Cheers,

Gerr.

I like everything bright in the night sky. You do get a sense of satisfaction having a bright properly focused star centred in your FOV.

Gives me hope that my imaging session may go well!!! Reflectors do the best with diffraction spikes. Refractors need Bahtinov masks to get the equivalent. Alas my stars don't seem to be as crisp as yours (asymmetrical halos) and so I can't compete with your image but I very much would like to be able to!! I have taken images of clusters - the twins in Perseus was my last effort posted here - still a work in progress with me (need better star colours).

Stars are not easy to get right - can love them in the Pleaides cluster but struggle very much with Alnituk in Orion HH Nebula.

I agree with you, they can be as much as a target as DSO's like galaxies and nebulas.

p.s. Do you have one of Betelgeuse???

Gerr.

Thanks for the kind comments. I think I am becoming better at noise and gradient reduction whilst maintaining object image quality as it has become more of a necessity in my relatively short imaging sessions. 
Cheers,

Gerr.

This barred spiral galaxy (NGC 4631 / Caldwell 32) is in the constellation of Canes Venatici and is so called because appearances are not so dissimilar to those big mammals that are found in our oceans!!

The image was taken two nights ago under a waning crescent moon in my Bortle 6 skies. This was my first attempt  and I was quite chuffed to capture it (and the Hockey Stick galaxy) in just 45 minutes of integration time upon which the clouds rolled in and brought my imaging session to an end.

CC's welcome.

Lights: 30x90secs   ISO800   Canon650D

SW200P  Optolong L-pro filter

Thank you. Star colour has never been my strong point - especially since I use an astro modded camera. Maybe my new L-pro filter is helping me out here.  

I don't usually image star clusters but with the moon so full recently I thought that the stars would shine out bright still!

I had heard that there were nice Twins in Perseus and decided that these open clusters (NGC 869 & 884) were worth imaging.

I think it was worth the effort!! 

60x30 secs (ISO800)     SW200P     Canon650D     Optolong Pro Filter

CC's welcome.

Gerr.

The Optolong L-eNhance filter performs well in my opinion (especially under Moon glow). I use it with my Canon 650D  modded camera. My targets with this are mainly nebula (planetary type too) and supernova remnants. I don't have the L-eXtreme so cannot offer opinion there but I do enclose images taken with the former filter if this helps?

Gerr.

Eastern Veil Nebula (Waxing Gibbous Moon).  29x240secs (ISO1600)

Western Veil (Waxing Gibbous Moon). 20x180secs (ISO 1600)

Dumbell Nebula (waxing crescent to 1st quarter). 24x120secs (ISO800).

Flaming Star Nebula (Waning Gibbous Moon). 31x240secs (ISO 1600).

Yes - that seems the way to do it. I never tried anything other than one shot colour so I wonder if you'd able to 'combine' images in Deep sky stacker alone or would you 'blend' them in photoshop? Like you, I have yet to practice this process - maybe someone knows a good way of combining images using said filters to achieve a good result?  

Thanks,

Only get these with the reflector - like diamonds in the sky!!

Gerr.

Hi, I have an astro modded 650D Canon DSLR and I used the Optolong Pro filter in imaging M42 night before last.

My skies are Bortle 6 and I was able to take 64x40 sec subs (ISO 800) of this Nebula using SW200P Reflector.

I am not experienced enough in commenting about filters yet but maybe my image can help in your discussions?

I do have the L-eNhance filter too and would anyone recommend using this in combination with my clip in L Pro on an astro modded DSLR???? I'm thinking probably not as the L-eNhance is essentially a dual broadband filter and this would  limit the usefulness of the L Pro in the same imaging train?.

The Seven Sisters (M45) in Taurus and only 400 lights years distance from Earth.

I think this is the most glamorous open clusters in our night sky and even sparkles through a full moon.

So happy that the weather allows me outside again.  Great for stars!!

SW200P        Canon650D          ISO800        72x30secs subs

My Canon 650D is astro modded (IR Filter removal) and is very sensitive to red emission nebula. I did match it with the Optolong L-enHance filter to further enhance this type of nebulosity wavelength which is fine if you like the colour red!! I did struggle trying to achieve more colour scales in my images with this filter so I changed to the Optolong L-Pro instead. So far I am pleased with it as it helps with light pollution and allows for more natural colours to feed through into your image (less colour correction in processing too).

Overall, I think with astro-mod conversion you already have the best filter on-board your camera. Like the previous post mentioned, you may want to experiment with this mod alone first of all before looking at anything else (something I should have done). Depending on your Bortle class sky a light pollution filter could be your next upgrade.

Gerr.

I really like this nebula in Orion. Trying to control the bright stars (esp. Alnituk) is always difficult in processing. The horse head and flame are captured really well and focusing seems fine but your stars do glow too green for me. I also prefer to compose the nebula in the centre of the image as it more aesthetically pleasing. You certainly have lots of H alpha - maybe too much.

Gerr.

Hi Jannis,

Here is the result.

36 x 3minute lights at ISO1600, Optolong L-Pro Filter.

I am pretty stoked with this image.

Well I had to wait a bit for decent skies in my Bortle class 6 back garden but Orion arose over my rooftops and delivered this nebula to me!

I only did 108mins of imaging time (36 x 3mins subs at ISO1600) but this was enough to have a big improvement over my last attempt.

I also swapped out my Optolong L-enHance filter for the L-pro version instead.

This allowed for the more natural nebulosity colours to shine through (you can see the difference between the images below).

Hope you like - CC's welcome.

Gerr.

Horse Head and Flame with SWED80 and Optolong L-pro filter:

Horsehead and Flame with SW200P and Optolong L-enHance filter:

I know which one I prefer.

Hi Jannis,

Thanks for the reply (only just seen it now) and I think you are quite correct in what you said about the filters.

This evening I swapped out my Optolong L-enHance filter for an L-pro light pollution filter and when the first image on APT popped up I could clearly see the yellow colour in the flame nebula. It seems that the L-enHance filter coupled with my astromodded 650D was killing the natural colours of this nebula making it over rich in red H alpha. The telescope is still outside capturing subs of the horse head and flame but I am really encouraged and pleasantly surprised by the L-Pro. I cannot wait to stack and process tomorrow.

Cheers,

Gerr.

You are gonna have some long nights - don't forget your hat and gloves!!

APT is Astro Photography Tool. It connects 'everything' for you. This is where your camera, telescope, mount, guiding, focuser, star chart, star alignment (plate solving) and image acquisition all happens.

It is brilliant and free!!

Check out www.astrophotography.app

Gerr.

Can all seem very daunting and complicated getting all your equipment talking to each other properly!!

But as Rustang said, I also found it easier to use Lynx astro EQ Direct cable plugged into laptop and APT program as my preferred option. I also use a long USB2 cable to connect to a USB Hub attached to the mount. This is where the other imaging components are connected up - so only two cables are attached to my laptop which usually runs with no problems!

Gerr.

Absolutely stunning.

I love this nebula but am struggling to get a decent shot at it. May I ask how you get the flame nebula colour to stand out yellow?

Gerr.

I agree with Vlaiv, I have the HEQ5 Pro (Rowan belt modded) and when I use my SW200P reflector I have to add another 2.5kg counterweight on top of the 2x5Kg supplied with mount to achieve good balance with my imaging train (see signature). This just about holds steady with RMS error in region of +/- 1" with PHD2 on a no wind night (rare). My telescope is similar in size to the 200 PDS but I definitely would not go bigger. My best long exposures has always been with my refractor ED80 (RMS error around 0.6) as it is lighter and less affected by any breeze. 

You may need to consider a bigger mount (more payload KG) or a 'hybrid' reflector of the SCT / RC design.  Your current telescope from reviews is excellent but if you want wide field (Andromeda, North American Nebula etc) have you considered stepping down instead?? Less £££. There is no one solution for all our needs in this game!!!

Gerr.