Barlow'd Imaging

[eddy]

Hey guys, would it be worth using a Barlow whilst imaging? Or would this just ruin the image and add more defects in to the image?

Many thanks!

PS > Predominantly for M42 if any object since M31 seems to fill my sensor anyway, where as M42 isnt even a 1/4 of the full size, my logic being, its better to get a high scaled image, over cropping the final image.

[hemihaggis]

you need longer exposures to see the full extent of m42 ,youe eye cannot the whole thing . but a long exposure will

[Merlin66]

Plate scale is what it's all about.

Don't use the barlow just collect more data.

[eddy]

Thats my firsst uncropped attempt, and feel its a little lost in the middle, wandering if a barlow would increase the size of a bit and fill the sensor a little more?

[Merlin66]

Just fine.

Crop the section you want to show off...they'll never know the difference.

[eddy]

But, wouldnt cropping just excentuate the noise in the image due to the fact that you are just scaling it (in reality) where as if you used a barlow you're actually producing a higher scale image?

[Merlin66]

Arc sec/pixel....

Check out your current scale.

If you use a barlow you may double the scale (but then limit yourself by the seeing conditions) - the exposure required would be x4....

End result - not much different!

(When you crop you're not changing anything- just looking at a smaller region of the chip - like having a smaller CCD camera on the same scope)

[E621Keith]

I think you just need to stack more image to get a longer total exposure time. The nebula will fill most of the vertical frame.

[jgs001]

If you add a 2x Barlow, you'll need to take your original (30s I think it was) and multiply it by 4 to get the equivalent. As has been said, you really want to aim for much longer exposures, and you'll find you get a far wider image of M42, in fact you might want to rotate the camera so you're shooting it in portrait orientation to get a nice framing for it. Your scope looks to provide about the same focal length as mine (give or take) and I thought M42/43 and the running man was a nice fit.