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Showing results for tags 'unmodified'.
Found 30 results
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omega centauri A deeper look at Omega Centauri ( NGC 5139 )
MikeODay posted a topic in Imaging - Deep Sky
Update 16th June: I could not wait to tell people that I was just notified that my image of Omega Centauri will be published as a future NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day ( APOD ) - my first ever I will update the thread when they publish. ................................. A deep look at Omega Centauri ( NGC 5139 ) This image is an attempt to look deeply into the the Omega Centauri globular cluster by using HDR techniques to record as many faint stars as I can whilst retaining colour and detail in the bright stars, including at the core ... ............. Reprocessed to bring out more faint stars and to produce a smother transition between brightness levels. New version ( 12 June 2017 ): Omega Centauri ( NGC 5129 ) ( please click / tap on image to see lager and sharper ) .......... Old version: Omega Centauri ( NGC 5129 ) ( please click / tap on image to see full size and sharper ) Image details: from www.nova.astrometry.net: Size: 58.6 x 39 arcmins, Centre: 13h 26 min 50.4 sec, -47deg 28' 39.1''. Orientation: up is -89.9 East of North ( ie. E^ N> ). Telescope: Orion Optics CT12 Newtonian ( mirror 300mm, fl 1200mm, f4 ). Corrector: ASA 2" Coma Corrector Quattro 1.175x. Effective Focal Length / Aperture : 1410mm f4.7. Mount: Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT. Guiding: TSOAG9 Off-Axis-Guider, Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2, PHD2 . Camera: Nikon D5300 (unmodified) (sensor 23.5 x 15.6mm, 6016x4016 3.9um pixels). No filter Long Exposure noise reduction off Location:. Blue Mountains, Australia. Moderate light pollution ( pale green zone on darksitefinder.com map ). Capture: 9 sets of sub-images with exposure duration for each set doubling ( 1s to 240s ) all at ISO800. Processing:. Calibration: master bias, master flat and no darks. Integration in 9 sets. HDR combination. Pixinsight May 2017- 40 replies
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The Eagle Nebula Messier 16 ansd Open Cluster NGC 6611 in the constellation Serpens. ( click on image to see larger ) M16 is around 7,000 light years distant from Earth in the Sagittarius-Carina spiral arm of our Milkyway galaxy and may be part of a larger structure that extends to and includes the Omega Nebula ( M17 ) in Sagittarius. Details: Eagle Nebula - Messier 16 ( IC 4703 ), Open Clusters - NGC 6611 and Trumpler 32. RA ~ 18h 19'm45s Dec ~ -13deg 46' 20" Skywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian telescope. Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Mount.Orion 80mm f5 guide scope and auto guider - PHD2. Baader MPCC Mark 3 Coma Corrector, UHC-S 'nebula' filter. Nikon D5300 (unmodified). Field of view (deg) ~ 1.35 x 0.90. ISO800, 14bit NEF, Long Exp. NR on. 35 x 180sec (1/3 before & 2/3 after zenith) 17 July 2015. PixInsight re-processed 21 Aug 2016.. Links: https://500px.com/MikeODay http://photo.net/photos/MikeODay
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Hey everyone! I’m after some pretty wide-field DSOs that can be captured with an unmodified DSLR without too much struggle (apart from the Orion Nebula.) I can push my exposures up to around 3 minutes with no major star trailing but that’s about as far as I can go. Also I’m in the Southern Hemisphere so don’t have the luxury of choosing between many relatively bright Messier objects. Your suggestions are much appreciated! -
“The Blue Bunny Nebula” .......... Edit: 27 Jan 2018 - updated again to try to draw more faint nebulosity out of the background; ( NGC 2359 - Thor’s Helmet ) ( please click / tap on image to see larger and without compression artefacts ( and double click on that image if you what to see it as I posted it ! ) ) ......... Edit: 24 Jan 2018 - stars a little brighter and tighter with no change to the rest of the image ( NGC 2359 - Thor’s Helmet ) ( please click / tap on image to see larger and without compression artefacts ( and double click on that image if you what to see it as I posted it ! ) ) ................. original: Thor's Helmet ( NGC 2359 ) in the constellation Canis Major Thor’s Helmet ( Duck Nebula, NGC 2359 ) ( please click / tap on image to see larger ) This HDR image shows the bright nebula Thor’s Helmet in a sea of colourful stars against a background of red from dust and HA emissions. The stars in this image range from the brightest ( bottom right, HD 56501 ) at magnitude +7.7 to around +20 or more. HDR capture and processing allows all of the stars to be portrayed in colour without any burnt-out highlights. The colours of the stars and nebula are as close as I can get them to their "true colours" by using a "daylight colour balance" and allowing for the extinction of blue-green due to atmospheric absorption/scattering ( mean altitude during capture ~ 60deg ). The blue star in the centre of the bubble of expanding stellar material is HD 56925 ( WR7 ) - a massive, unstable and short-lived Wolf-Rayet star that one day will detonate in a supernova. Image details: NGC 2359 Thor’s Helmet / Duck Nebula: Magnitude +11.5, RA (2000.0) 7h 15m 37s, Dec -13deg 12' 8", approx. 1800 light years away HD 56925 / Wolf-Rayet 7 ( WR7 ) ( blue 11.5 mag star at centre of “bubble” ) Haffner 6 ( open ster cluster centre left of image ) Plate Solution: Resolution ........ 1.318 arcsec/px Rotation .......... 0.00 deg ( North is up ) Focal ............. 1398.41 mm Field of view ..... 57' 40.8" x 38' 29.0" Image center ...... RA: 07 18 36.509 Dec: -13 11 53.38 Telescope: Orion Optics CT12 Newtonian ( mirror 300mm, fl 1200mm, f4 ). Corrector: ASA 2" Coma Corrector Quattro 1.175x. Effective Focal Length / Aperture : 1410mm f4.7 Mount: Skywatcher EQ8 Guiding: TSOAG9 Off-Axis-Guider, Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2, PHD2 Camera: Nikon D5300 (unmodified) (sensor 23.5 x 15.6mm, 6016x4016 3.9um pixels) Location: Blue Mountains, Australia Moderate light pollution ( pale green zone on darksitefinder.com map ) Capture ( 18 & 19 Jan 2018 ) 9 sets of sub-images with exposure duration for each set doubling ( 1s to 240s ) all at ISO 250. 116 x 240s + 5 each @ 1s to 120s Processing ( Pixinsight - 20 Jan 18 ) Calibration: master bias, master dark and master flat Integration in 9 sets HDR combination arcSinH stretch
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nebula The Great Nebula in Orion ( Messier 42, NGC 1976 )
MikeODay posted a topic in Imaging - Deep Sky
The Great Nebula in Orion ( Messier 42, NGC 1976 ) ( tap on image to see larger ) Scrapbook page ... Details: The Great Orion Nebula (Messier 42, Messier 43, NGC 1976 ) in the Orion Constellation RA 5 36 15, DEC -5 26 31 ( 2016.9 ) Skywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian telescope Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Mount Orion Short Tube 80mm guide scope & auto guider - PHD2 Baader MPCC Mark 3 Coma Corrector & no filter Nikon D5300 (unmodified) Field of view (deg) < ~ 1.35 x 0.90 long exp noise reduction on 45 x 120 sec ISO 400, 15 x 60 sec ISO 100, +various short exposures 3 to 15 sec to extend dynamic range for bright stars Pixinsight & Photoshop 28th November 2016 -
starscape A Cluster of Pearls in Centaurus ( NGC 3766 )
MikeODay posted a topic in Imaging - Deep Sky
The Pearl Cluster in Centaurus ( NGC 3766 ) - re-processed version ( clouded in for days now so I've been looking back through my old images and seeing if I can improve them ) The Pearl Cluster is an open cluster of mostly young blue stars approximately 5500 light years from Earth that is only visible from the Southern Hemisphere and shimmers like a cluster of pearls. ( Tap / click here to see my scrapbook page for the Pearl Cluster ) Details: NGC 3766 - RA 11h 37m, Dec -61deg 41' Skywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian telescope Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Mount Guiding: Orion Shortube 80 guidescope, Starshoot Autoguider, PHD2 Baader MPCC Mark 3 Coma Corrector Hutech IDAS D1 filter Nikon D5300 (unmodified) Field of view (deg) ~ 1.35 x 0.90 Combination of 55 images 30 sec @ ISO400. Pixinsight 13 Feb 16 re-processed 4 Dec 16 Links:https://500px.com/MikeODayhttp://photo.net/photos/MikeODay.. -
Barnard's Galaxy ( NGC 6822 ) in the constellation Sagittarius ( final version - well, at least until I can get more data ) ( click on image to see larger ) Barnard's Galaxy is one of a number of dwarf galaxies relatively near to us in our Local Group of galaxies. Similar in structure to the Small Magellanic Cloud, Barnard's galaxy is thought to be about half the size and around eight times as far away at 1.6 M Light Years. Weather permitting I hope to add more subs to help bring the faint detail further out from the sky background. Details: Barnard's Galaxy ( NGC 6822 ). Skywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian telescope. Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Mount. Orion 80mm f5 guide scope and auto guider - PHD2. Baader MPCC Mark 3 Coma Corrector, no filter. Nikon D5300 (unmodified). Field of view (deg) ~ 1.35 x 0.90. ISO400, 14bit NEF, Long Exp. NR on. 40 x 180sec (1/3 before & 2/3 after zenith) 25 Aug 16. Processed in PixInsight and finished off in Photoshop. re-processed to increase contrast and brightness of galaxy and a slight increase in overall sharpness. Links: https://500px.com/MikeODay http://photo.net/photos/MikeODay
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Barnard's Galaxy ( NGC 6822 ) in the constellation Sagittarius ( click on image to see larger ) Barnard's Galaxy is one of a number of dwarf galaxies relatively near to us in our Local Group of galaxies. Similar in structure to the Small Magellanic Cloud, Barnard's galaxy is thought to be about half the size and around eight times as far away at 1.6 M Light Years. Weather permitting I hope to add more subs to help bring the faint detail further out from the sky background. Details: Barnard's Galaxy ( NGC 6822 ). Skywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian telescope. Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Mount. Orion 80mm f5 guide scope and auto guider - PHD2. Baader MPCC Mark 3 Coma Corrector, no filter. Nikon D5300 (unmodified). Field of view (deg) ~ 1.35 x 0.90. ISO400, 14bit NEF, Long Exp. NR on. 40 x 180sec (1/3 before & 2/3 after zenith) 25 Aug 16. Processed in PixInsight and finished off in Photoshop. Links: https://500px.com/MikeODay http://photo.net/photos/MikeODay
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My first attempt at processing the subs I took last night. Not totally happy yet - next time I process it I think I need to boost the red in the mid tones somewhat to try to compensate for the filter in my standard Nikon D5300. Details: Rosette Nebula in Monoceros ( NGC 2237, 2238, 2239, 2244, 2246 ) by Mike O'Day ( 500px.com/MikeODay ). The Rosette Nebula surrounds a cluster of bright young stars (NGC 2244) and is around 5,200 light years from Earth. Links: https://500px.com/MikeODay http://photo.net/photos/MikeODay This image ~ RA 6h 31m, Dec 5deg 2'. Skywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian. Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Mount. Orion Short Tube 80mm guide scope & auto guider - PHD2. Baader MPCC Mark 3 Coma Corrector (no filter used). Nikon D5300 (unmodified). Field of view (deg) ~ 1.35 x 0.90..71 x 30 sec ISO 800. Pixinsight & Photoshop. 20 December 2015
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I was pleased that I was able to bring out some colour from the otherwise dominating red. Cat's Paw Nebula - NGC 6334 ( aka Bear Claw Nebula ) An emission nebula in Scorpius (near the scorpion's tail) RA 17h 25m 39.6s ; Dec -35deg 43' 48" . 7th August 2015. Skywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian. Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Mount Orion 80mm f5 guide scope and auto guider - PHD2. Baader MPCC Mark 3 Coma Corrector, UHC-S 'nebula' filter. Nikon D5300 (unmodified). Field of view (deg) ~ 1.35 x 0.90. ISO800, 14bit NEF, Long Exp. NR on. 28 x 200sec (starting at zenith) no moon, 3deg C, 70%RH, moderate LP. PixInsight & Photoshop
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The Cat's Paw Nebula ( NGC 6334 ) in Scorpius updated ( slight tweak to colour balance, a little brighter and tad more contrast ) ( please click / tap on image to see larger and sharper - a full size image can be seen here ) ...... original: ( please click / tap on image to see larger and sharper - a full size image can be seen here ) ……………………... Also known as the Bear Claw Nebula, NGC 6334 is an emission nebula near the scorpion's tail in the Scorpius constellation. Image details: Image centre ...... RA: 17 20 08.185 Dec: -35 52 30.91 Field of view ..... 57' 37.8" x 38' 51.8" Rotation .......... 0.00 deg ( North is up ) Resolution ........ 0.586 arcsec/px Telescope: Orion Optics CT12 Newtonian ( mirror 300mm, fl 1200mm, f4 ). Corrector: ASA 2" Coma Corrector Quattro 1.175x. Effective Focal Length / Aperture : 1470mm f4.7 Mount: Skywatcher EQ8 Guiding: TSOAG9 Off-Axis-Guider, Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2, PHD2 Camera: Nikon D5300 (unmodified) (sensor 23.5 x 15.6mm, 6016x4016 3.9um pixels) Location: Blue Mountains, Australia Moderate light pollution ( pale green zone on darksitefinder.com map ) Capture ( July 2018 ) 6 sets of sub-images with exposure duration for each set doubling ( 4s to 240s ) all at ISO 250. 168 x 4 min frames plus ~10 frames each for the shorter exposures Processing: Calibration: bias, dark and flat Integration in 8 sets HDR combination Pixinsight July 2018
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Thor’s Helmet ( NGC 2359 ) ( NGC 2359 - Thor’s Helmet ) ( please click / tap on image to see larger and without compression artefacts ( and double click on that image if you what to see it as I posted it ! ) ) Summary: An HDR image that captures as much of the faint detail in the nebula as I can whilst also attempting to show the “true” colours of the stars ( without burnt out highlights ). Nikon D5300 ( unmodified ), taken 18/19 Jan 2018, exposures ranging from 2s to 240s ( 116 x 240 sec + 5 each for other exposures ) Full details in main post :
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I struggled to try to significantly reduce the quite apparent noise without losing too much detail in the clouds. In the end I decided to keep the detail ( and the noise ). Details: Orion's Belt - centred on "Alnitak". A 1.7 magnitute tripple star at one end of the belt. Includes the Flame Nebula (NGC2024) and IC434 which contains the Horsehead Nebula. RA 16h 41m 42s, Dec -48deg 48' 46". Approx. 3800 light years away. Skywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian. Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Mount (on concrete pier). Orion 80mm f5 guide scope and auto guider - PHD2. Baader MPCC Mark 3 Coma Corrector, no filter. Nikon D5300 (unmodified). Field of view (deg) ~ 1.35 x 0.90. 300 subs in total. 63 x 10 sec ISO100. 38 x 20 sec ISO200 . 21 X 20 sec ISO800. 165 x 30 sec ISO800. 13 x 60 sec ISO800. (14bit NEF, Long Exp. NR on). Pixinsight and photoshop. 18th December 2015. source: http://photo.net/photos/MikeODay https://500px.com/mikeoday
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( Edit 20 Aug: adjusted to increase brightness ) ... The Fighting Dragons of Ara ( NGC 6188 ) ( please click/tap on image to see larger and sharper ) ...................... Original: The Fighting Dragons of Ara ( NGC 6188 ) ( please click/tap on image to see larger and sharper ) Bright Nebula NGC 6188 and open cluster NGC 6193 are embedded 4,300 light years away in the Sagittarius arm of our Milky Way galaxy and can be seen with the naked eye south of Scorpius in the constellation of Ara. With powerful stellar winds and energetic ultra-violet radiation, massive stars sculpt the interstellar gas and dust of the nebula into wonderful shapes and cause the interstellar gas to brightly fluoresce. Closer to the hot young stars of the cluster, bright blue “sunlight” reflects off the clouds of gas and dust to produce the blue reflection nebulae seenin the image. Magnitude +5.19, RA 16h 41m 42s, Dec -48deg 48' 46". Approx. 3800 light years away. Image details: Plate Solution: Resolution .......0.586 arcsec/px ( original full size image ). Rotation .......... 89.764 deg. Pixel size ........ 3.90 um. Field of view ..... 58' 41.6" x 39' 9.5". Image center ...... RA: 16 40 09.856 Dec: -48 41 22.50. Image bounds:. top-left ....... RA: 16 42 10.059 Dec: -49 10 30.54. top-right ...... RA: 16 42 06.489 Dec: -48 11 57.14. bottom-left .... RA: 16 38 11.010 Dec: -49 10 39.74. bottom-right ... RA: 16 38 11.897 Dec: -48 12 05.58. Telescope: Orion Optics CT12 Newtonian ( mirror 300mm, fl 1200mm, f4 ). Corrector: ASA 2" Coma Corrector Quattro 1.175x. Effective Focal Length / Aperture : 1410mm f4.7. Mount: Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT. Guiding: TSOAG9 Off-Axis-Guider, Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2, PHD2 . Camera: Nikon D5300 (unmodified) (sensor 23.5 x 15.6mm, 6016x4016 3.9um pixels). Location: Blue Mountains, Australia Moderate light pollution ( pale green zone on darksitefinder.com map ). Capture ( 24 June 2017 ). 12 sets of sub-images with exposure duration for each set doubling ( 1/8s to 240s ) all at ISO800. 34 x 240s + 10 each @ 1/8s to 120s. Processing ( Pixinsight - 19 Aug 2017 ). Calibration: master bias, master flat and no darks. Integration in 12 sets. HDR combination PhotometricColorCalibration.
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My image of Omega Centauri ( NGC 5139 ) has been published as the NASA APOD for the 11th of July 2017 https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170711.html Link to full size image on NASA site ( warning quite large - 4620 x 3720 ) Link to discussion of image on asterisk.apod.com ( credit apod.nasa.gov ) ( full size image - 4620 x 3720 ) Link to original post for this image back on the 10th of June
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galaxy 2MASX J05314916-6721339 - Galaxy in Dorado ( LMC )
MikeODay posted a topic in Imaging - Deep Sky
Galaxy 2MASX J05314916-6721339 in Dorado in the region of the Large Magellanic Cloud ( LMC ) and not far ( in angular terms ) from NGC 2004 and NGC 2011. From Simbad: 2MASX J05314916-6721339 "Galaxy in a group of galaxies" - Type: Sa D ( Spiral ) ( J2000: 5h 31m 49.16s -67d 21' 33.92" ) ( http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-id?Ident=%403123415&Name=2MASX J05314916-6721339&submit=submit ) ( other id: IRAS Faint Source Catalog - IRAS F05319-6723 ) It can be found in the vicinity of NGC 2004 and NGC 2011 -------------- Crops taken from full frame image: Dragons Head Nebula and NGC 2014 in the Large Magellanic Cloud ( LMC ) ( not far from the Tarantula Nebula - NGC 2070 ) - NGC 2004 - NGC 2011 - NGC 2014 - NGC 2020 - NGC 2021 - NGC 2030 - NGC 2032 - NGC 2035 - NGC 2040 -
Tarantula Nebula ( NGC 2070 ) in the Large Magellanic Cloud ( LMC ) Re-processed to tweak colour balance and bring out a little more faint detail: New version: Original: ( click/tap on image to see full size - the above compressed version looks a little soft; the full size version is sharper ) The Tarantula Nebula ( NGC 2070 ) is the largest and brightest emission nebula in the nearby irregular galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud ( LMC ). At a distance of 160,000 light years away from us, the Tarantula Nebula is so bright that it would cast shadows on the Earth if were as close to us as the Orion Nebula in our galaxy. First image with new telescope and autoguider/setup. Links: 500px.com/MikeODay photo.net/photos/MikeODay Details: Nebulae: NGC 2070 Tarantula Nebula NGC 2048 NGC 2060 NGC 2077. Open clusters: NGC 2042 NGC 2044 NGC 2050 NGC 2055 NGC 2091 NGC 2093 NGC 2100 Image centre RA 5h 38m 57.3s, Dec -69deg 20' 36.6" (nova.astrometry.net) Field of view (arcmin): 58.7 x 39.2 Scale (full size image) 0.585 arcsec/pixel. Telescope: Orion Optics CT12 Newtonian ( mirror 300mm, FL1200mm, f4 ) Corrector: ASA 2" Coma Corrector Quattro 1.175x Effective Focal Length / Aperture ): 1410mm f4.7. Mount: Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Guiding: TSOAG9 Off-Axis-Guider, Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2, PHD2 Camera: Nikon D5300 (unmodified) (sensor 23.5 x 15.6mm, 6016x4016 3.9um pixels) Filter: none Exposures: 14 x 240 sec ISO400 12 x 120 sec ISO400 10 x 60 sec ISO400 11 x 60 sec ISO200 10 x 60 sec ISO100 10 x 30 sec ISO100 Pixinsight & Photoshop 20 December 2016
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The Southern Beehive Cluster ( NGC 2516 ) in the constellation Carina re-processed ( improved colour balance, more colour in the smaller stars and lower saturation overall ): previous version: ( click on image to see larger ) Because of its similarity M44, NGC 2516, which is only visible from lower latitudes, has become known as the Southern Beehive Cluster. At a distance of around 1300 light years, NGC 2516 is relatively close to us and resides in the same spiral arm of the Milkyway as we do. Containing around 100 stars, with a number of them in the magnitude 5 to 6 range, NGC 2516 has an apparent magnitude of 3.8 and is visible to the naked eye as a small bright hazy patch at the edge of the Milkyway. Details: RA 7h 58.4m, Dec -60 deg 41.9' Skywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian telescope Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Mount. Guiding: Orion Shortube 80 guidescope, Starshoot Autoguider, PHD2, guiding RA only Baader MPCC Mark 3 Coma Corrector. Hutech IDAS D1 light pollution filter Nikon D5300 (unmodified) Long exposure noise reduction on Stack of 14 x 360sec images @ ISO400 Pixinsight
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The Wishing Well Cluster ( NGC 3532 ) in the constellation Carina. Scap book page:
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Astrophotography Scrapbook Vol. 1 Cover Page Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius ( Messier 8, NGC 6523 ) The Fighting Dragons of Ara ( NGC 6188 ) War and Peace in Scorpius ( NGC 6357 ) Spiral Galaxy NGC 6744 in Pavo Ptolemy's Cluster in Scorpius ( Messier 7, NGC 6475 ) A Million Stars in the Deep South ( NGC 104, 47 Tucanae ) A Wishing Well in Carina ( NGC 3532 ) A Beehive in the Southern Sky ( NGC 2516 ) The Sliver Coin in Sculptor ( NGC 253 ) The Great Nebula in Orion ( Messier 42, NGC 1976 ) A Cluster of Pearls in Centaurus ( NGC 3766 ) - new 5 Dec resources: Scrapbook Template ------------------------------------- When I show my astrophotography images to my friends and family they invariably want to know what they are looking at. This led me to wonder if there was a way I could display my images on a single page together with a few notes on the target object as well as few technical details of the capture for those who might be interested. What I came up with a "scrapbook" like page that combines all of these three elements in a single PDF sheet ( or jpeg image) that ultimately I might combine together to form a PDF book that I can share online or send to friends and family. In the meantime, I thought I might post in this thread each page of my work-in-progress towards volume 1 of my Astrophotography Scrapbook. Any and all comments, observations, suggestions and constructive criticisms will be warmly received. Cheers Mike ps. The pages have been sized to fit full screen on an IPAD
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Tarantula Nebula ( NGC 2070 ) in Large Magellanic Cloud ( LMC ) by Mike O'Day. The Tarantula Nebula ( NGC 2070 ) is the largest and brightest emission nebula in the nearby irregular galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud ( LMC ). At a distance of 160,000 light years away from us, the Tarantula Nebula is so bright that it would cast shadows on the Earth if were as close to us as the Orion Nebula in our galaxy. New version ( April 9 ): ( please click / tap on image to see larger and sharper image ) ............ Older versions: And here it is re-processed to try to reduce the red background ( due to light pollution I think ) without impacting the colour of the stars too much ( please click / tap on image to see larger and sharper ) Details: Nebulae: NGC 2070 Tarantula Nebula NGC 2048 NGC 2060 NGC 2077 Open clusters: NGC 2042 NGC 2044 NGC 2050 NGC 2055 NGC 2091 NGC 2093 NGC 2100 Image centre ... (nova.astrometry.net) Field of view (arcmin): ... Telescope: Orion Optics CT12 Newtonian ( mirror 300mm, fl 1200mm, f4 ). Corrector: ASA 2" Coma Corrector Quattro 1.175x. Effective Focal Length / Aperture ): 1410mm f4.7. Mount: Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT. Guiding: TSOAG9 Off-Axis-Guider, Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2, PHD2 Camera: Nikon D5300 (unmodified) (sensor 23.5 x 15.6mm, 6016x4016 3.9um pixels). Filter: none. Exposures: 100 sub exposures ranging from 1s 100ISO to 240Sec 400ISO HDR processing of 5 sets of images Pixinsight & Photoshop 20 December 2016 / April 2017
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NGC 2014 and Dragon's Head nebula in the Magellanic Cloud ( LMC ) not far from the Tarantula Nebula by Mike O'Day ( 500px.com/MikeODay ). This image shows multiple bright nebula and star clusters in an area adjacent to the The Tarantula Nebula ( NGC 2070 ) in the nearby irregular galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud ( LMC ). The largest of these are the bright pink nebula in the mid-right part of the image ( NGC 2014 ) and the blue nebula in the lower middle ( NGC 2030 ). ..... Updated image - reprocessed to impove colour balance ( April 15th ) ( please click / tap on image to see it larger and sharper ) .... Original: ( click on image to see larger and clearer ( grrr... image compression in version above )) ---------- This is the first image captured as part of a new image capture and processing workflow I am trying out... Roger Clark ( http://www.clarkvision.com/articles/index.html ) has a number of articles addressing colour processing and the performance of modern DSLR sensors. The "take homes" for me have been: 1. With a modern sensor ( one with on-sensor dark current suppression technology ) one may not need to capture dark frames ( in order to remove the now non-significant pattern noise ). 2. "Correct" white balance processing should start by using "daylight" RBG channel multipliers ( to get the star colour 'right') and any histogram adjustment to improve white balance of darker parts of the image should involve aligning the left side of histogram curves ( ie. not the peaks ) So, the workflow to produce the image above involves calibraiton with Superbias & Master Flat but no dark frame subtraction (neither post nor in-camera). Roger Clark speaks of using a "bad pixel map" as the basis of reducing hot pixels. I have not figured out how to produce one yet. However, with a little bit of dithering during guiding ( and the very busy image ) the hot pixels that are in the image below are not too overwhelming. With regard to colour balance; I tried using the "daylight" factors reported by the camera but these resulted in an image and stars that were quite blue. This image was based on the factors reported by DXOMark for the Nikon D5300 ( R x 2.12, G x 1, B x 1.49 ( D50 standard )). This was better but I still felt the need for a final tweak in Photoshop ( colourBalance Highlights +15 Cyan/Red, -5 Magenta/Green ) to improve the colour in the stars and mid-tones. { DXOMark "white balance scales" for D5300 found at: https://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Nikon/D5300---Measurements on the "color response" tab } --------- Details: Bright Nebulae: NGC 2014 ( upper right, pink) size 30 x 20 arcmin Mag +8 NGC 2020 size 2.0 arcmin ( small blue-green oval nebula ) NGC 2030 NGC 2032 ( Dragon's Head nebula - blue, central bottom of image ) NGC 2035 size 3.0 x 3.0 arcmin NGC 2040 size 3.0 x 3.0 arcmin Open clusters: NGC 2004 size 2.7 arcmin Mag +9.6 NGC 2011 size 1 arcmin Mag +10.6 NGC 2021 size 0.9 arcmin Mag +12.1 Annotated : Image centre RA 05h 33m 32.362s, Dec -67° 32' 18.145" (nova.astrometry.net) Orientation: up is west, right is South Field of view (arcmin): 58.8 x 39.2 Scale (full size image) 0.585 arcsec/pixel Telescope: Orion Optics CT12 Newtonian ( mirror 300mm, fl 120mm, f4 ). Corrector: ASA 2" Coma Corrector Quattro 1.175x. Effective Focal Length / Aperture : 1410mm f4.7 Mount: Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Guiding: TSOAG9 Off-Axis-Guider, Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2, PHD2 Camera: Nikon D5300 (unmodified) (sensor 23.5 x 15.6mm, 6016x4016 3.9um pixels) Format: 14bit NEF Noise reduction: off Filter: none HDR combination of seven sets of exposures (20 & 22 Feb 2017): 58 x 240 sec ISO 800 8 x 120 sec ISO 800 8 x 60 sec ISO 800 8 x 30 sec ISO 800 8 x 14 sec ISO 800 8 x 7 sec ISO 800 8 x 3 sec ISO 800 Pixinsight: 26 Feb 2017 Links: 500px.com/MikeODay photo.net/photos/MikeODay
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Re-processed 12th August 2017 using the new PhotometricColorCalibration tool from Pixinsight. This function seeks to adjust the colour balance of the image by plate solving the image and comparing the colour of the stars in the image with the colour values for these stars as stored in various databases. ( please click / tap on image to see larger / sharper ) ................. Trifid Nebula ( M20, NGC 6514 ) I manged to capture another 60 odd 240sec images in late July to add to the data I captured at the end of June ( Trifid Nebula WIP ) Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius ( Messier 20, NGC 6514 ) ( please click / tap on image to see larger and sharper )' and a crop of the main part of the nebula ... I am quite pleased with how the colour balance turned out - especially the colours of the stars ( my goal has been to get the colours of the stars as close as I can to how they would look with "daylight" whitebalance and no light pollution / sky glow). ----------- "High Dynamic Range" ( HDR ) image of the Trifid Nebula - built from exposures ranging from 1/8 to 240 seconds in duration. Image details: from nova.astrometry.net: Size: 52.2 x 35.5 arcmins. Centre: 18h 2 min 30.8 sec, -22deg 57' 37.7''. Orientation: up is -88.2 East of North ( ie. E^ N> ). Telescope: Orion Optics CT12 Newtonian ( mirror 300mm, fl 1200mm, f4 ). Corrector: ASA 2" Coma Corrector Quattro 1.175x. Effective Focal Length / Aperture : 1410mm f4.7. Mount: Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT. Guiding: TSOAG9 Off-Axis-Guider, Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2, PHD2 . Camera: Nikon D5300 (unmodified) (sensor 23.5 x 15.6mm, 6016x4016 3.9um pixels). Location: Blue Mountains, Australia Moderate light pollution ( pale green zone on darksitefinder.com map ). Capture: 12 sets of sub-images with exposure duration for each set doubling ( 1/8s to 240s ) all at ISO800. Processing: Calibration: master bias, master flat and no darks. Integration in 12 sets. 105 x 240sec main image. 5 each for exposures 1/8 to 120sec - to caputure highlights. HDR combination using Pixinsight's PixelMath function.
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IC 2944, IC 2948 - Lambda Centauri Cluster, Running Chicken Nebula in the constellation Centaurus by Mike O'Day ( 500px.com/MikeODay ). Open cluster and emission nebula in the southern sky beside the 3rd magnitude star, Lambda Centauri. Links: https://500px.com/MikeODay http://photo.net/photos/MikeODay Details: RA 11h 39m, Dec -63 deg 27' Skywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Mount Guiding: Orion Shortube 80 guidescope, Starshoot Autoguider, PHD2 Baader MPCC Mark 3 Coma Corrector..Nikon D300 (unmodified) Field of view (deg) ~ 1.35 x 0.90 Stack of 39 x 30sec images @ ISO800 24 Apr2014 (one of my first ever attempts at Astro Photography ) Re processed with Pixinsight on 13 Mar 2016
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This is a re-processed version of an old capture of mine taken last year when I was a two day old baby astrophotographer. Back then I was only just learing how to polar align my scope on its tripod and auto-guiding was a distant goal. This is a stack of 15 x 30sec images from my unmodified Nikon D300 ( I now use an unmodified D5300 as it is lighter and causes less flex in the focuser ). Description: The Jewel Box Cluster in the Crux Constellation ( NGC 4755 ) by Mike O'Day ( 500px.com/MikeODay ) Viewed through a telsecope, John Herschel described the Jewel Box Cluster as "a casket of varioulsy coloured precious stones" - hence the name. The Jewel Box, visible only from the Southern Hemisphere and appearing as a bright fuzzy star to the naked eye, is a cluster of around 100 ( mostly blue giant ) stars approximately 7000 light years from Earth. Links: 500px.com/MikeODay photo.net/photos/MikeODay Details: NGC 4755 - RA 12h 54.5m, Dec -60deg 26'. Skywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian. Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Mount. Unguided. Baader MPCC Mark 3 Coma Corrector. Nikon D300 (unmodified). Field of view (deg) ~ 1.35 x 0.90. Combination of 15 images 30 sec @ ISO800. Registax & Photoshop 24 April 2014 (re-processed Nov 2015)