peonic

Here you go mate! masterLight_BIN-1_3008x3008_EXPOSURE-180.00s_FILTER-L-Extreme_RGB.fit

Interesting Elp! Plenty of stray light that could have encroached last night. I'll have to think about shielding some of it and getting a dew shield for the scope. Was so hot last night I didn't need to retreat indoors with the laptop to monitor things, I just sat outside In a t-shirt til 4am!

I've been absolutely itching to get out since I took delivery of @Pitch Black Skies 533MC Pro a couple of weeks back - but the weather has not been playing nice in this corner of the world. A variety of issues and limited darkness means this was a VERY short session - but here's the product of 63 minutes worth of 180 second subs. Awful framing - but I was just happy to get photons hitting the sensor! SW ED80 DS Pro, HEQ5, ASI533MC, Optolong L-Extreme Captured with SharpCap, processed in PixInsight with a couple of tweaks in Photoshop. TIF file attached for anyone who wants to have a stab at doing a better job than my hamfisted processing! Comments, criticism and advice greatfully accepted. Chris masterLight_BIN-1_3008x3008_EXPOSURE-180.00s_Optolong L-Extreme_RGB.tif

Links to tutorials would be awesome Paul, thank you! I've not come across the GAME scripts before! Chris

In all honesty, I think this is a question that you're going to have to answer for yourself here mate. Are you going to be happy just producing mono images for a while? If so, plump for the best Ha filter you can - it'll last you a lifetime, and you can add Oii and Siii filters when the budget permits. If you're not happy only doing mono work for now, go with the Baader LRGB's and add the narrowband filters in as time permits.

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/antlia-pro-ultra-narrowband-3nm-h-alpha-filter-2.html

Been trying to teach myself (AKA learn how to overcome the interface) of PixInsight - thanks to some great tutorials, and picking up hints and tips from members here I think I'm starting to get my head around it - so here's a rework of this data done solely with PI. I think it looks better - but I'd be happy to hear comments on tips of things I could have done better.

My girlfriend claims that astrophotography is just tech support in the dark....

That's awesome Martin - thanks so much for your help!

Replying to myself here..... Just spent a few hours in PixInsight following a REALLY nice tutorial from Cuiv the Lazy Geek .... Reprocessed the data as HOO, and I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the result. Can't wait for some more clear skies to hopefully add to the data. Still very interested in comments, tips and techniques. I have to say, PixInsights interface takes some getting used to - but wow that's some powerful software!

Holy Moly, Martin! Are you sure you used my stack? (actually, given the whacking patch of amp glow that hasn't completely calibrated out, yes, that's my camera!) For this image, I used a combination of Photoshop and Siril - but a lot of my processing techniques are those that I used years back, when shooting with a Canon 300d. I have a trial copy of PixInsight, and I'd love to learn more about your processing workflow, if you'd care to share? Do I basically have to start by pushing the stretch much further? Chris

I managed to get my new rig out for a second stab at imaging since my return to astrophotograophy after a 10 year hiatus last night. Quite a bit of frustration getting polar alligned - but when SharpCap tells you the issue is rotation, maybe the wisest thing would be to check the camera is firmly secured first...... 😕 I got there in the end and managed to get 2 hours of subs on The Crescent Nebula. I *THINK* the data is pretty decent given the equipment I'm using - but I certainly need to work on my processing. 42x180s subs using the Optolong L-Extreme filter on a ZWO ASI 183MC, HEQ5 Pro, SW ED80 Any processing pointers would be HUGELY appreciated. I've attached the FITS file from DSS if anyone wants to have a poke and show me where I've gone wrong! I did try and follow a dual narrowband processing tutorial - but the resultant image was a totally hot mess! Chris DSS Stacked 16bit.FTS

Welcome aboard!

Ahh sorry. I missed that you had the Pro version. Chris

Does it matter that the camera temperature on the aforementioned rainy day doesn't match the temperature that the light images would be taken at? If not, I might have just found myself a job for the afternoon Chris

Cheers Steve, I'll grab Siril and have a play. Chris

It's been 10 years since I pointed a telescope and camera into space to catch some photons. Back then a young family and an early morning commute to work kinda killed the hobby for me before it got going - but recently with the kids older, and working from home meaning no early starts, I've dipped my toes back into the water again - so here's my first attempt at an image since 2012! So much has changed in the last decade - mostly with regards to software and camera tech - and it's been a bit of a learning curve to try and re-learn the things I once knew. It all seems to be slowly coming back to me now - so here's an hours worth of integration on M57. SW ED80 / ZWO ASI 183MC / HEQ5 70x60s Subs, IR Cut filter, Stacked in AutoStakkert and processed in Photoshop. Comments, advice and tips very warmly welcomed. It feels good to be back

So according to my profile, it's 10 years since I made my last post on this site! My name is Chris, and I'm from Suffolk. I got into astronomy and imaging through a friend 10 years ago, but a combination of young kids and early morning commutes kinda killed the hobby for me. Ten years later, I now work from home most of the time, the kids have grown, and nobody will mind if I stay up all night and sleep in a bit late! I've kept dabbling in the visual side of the hobby with an 8" dob, but the fiddly techy side is where my heart lies, so I've just invested in a new setup that I'm anxiously waiting for FLO to deliver. It looks like a LOT has changed in the amateur imaging game in the last 10 years, but it's reassuring to scroll through these forums and still see lots of familiar names. Apologies to anyone in East Anglia for the two weeks of solid clouds that will no doubt appear once my new scope arrives. Chris