Been away for a while...

[Ags]

Maybe you didn't notice... although I am sure my good advice and wise words were sorely missed. I wonder how you got on without me?

I have been working on a software project for the past few months and didn't have time for astronomy. But tonight I got back into it once more, I am taking 55 second subs of M31 @ F5, ISO 200 as I write this. I tried 70 seconds but my 4SE mount does not track that well, even at 135mm focal length, so I dialed it back to 55 seconds.

Earlier in the evening I used my F1.8 50mm to shoot a really wide field view of M31, but even stopped down to F2.8 the stars were too bloated. My 55-250 zoom is giving sharper stars wide open at F5. And did you know the cheapo 55-250 uses ED glass? It's practically a televue :-)

The reason for the outbreak of astrophotography is that there is a photography competition at work - 5 prizes of £500 are up for grabs. Last year I got on the shortlist with a picture of the moon, maybe this year M31 will do it for me!

[Atlas]

Welcome back Ags.

[faulksy]

welcome back ags. hope you win your compo

[Ags]

One thing I noticed in my test shots... I always get brilliant star color when the focus is slightly off, or when I have done a 3s exposure at ISO 6400, but when I stack and stretch the data, the stars all go white. My technique is obviously lacking....

[ianaiken]

welcome back and good luck!

[Ags]

I couldn't resist stretching one of the subs to see what I got. What I got was a lot of noise, and I am sure the thin cloud did not help either. I hope I will have another chance to get a pic - I have to take the pics this month to qualify for the competition.

Stacking will help with the noise, but I lost the some of my subs to dew.

If I can get it to look like a galaxy with some visible dust lanes, that will be great by my standards!

[cyborg421]

The reason for the outbreak of astrophotography is that there is a photography competition at work - 5 prizes of £500 are up for grabs. Last year I got on the shortlist with a picture of the moon, maybe this year M31 will do it for me!

That's the kind of work I'd like!

Simon

[Ags]

I don't think this will win a prize, but if I get a chance to shoot it again... remembering to switch off in-camera sharpening, and turning up the iso to 800, and not losing half my subs to condensation, I might get something worthwhile :-)

[sologuitarist61]

Hi again Ags, good to have you back on board. I too find the cheapo Canon 55-250 to give far sharper results than it;s price would suggest - didn't know about the ED elements though

[Ags]

I used DSS with stacking set to Average - which seemed to work better for me than the exotic stacking methods I've been trying up to now. DSS used to turn the image nearly white after staking but with Average enabled the output file was dark orange-grey.

Another trick I forgot - I should have stopped down to F6 or so to avoid a harsh gradient from vignetting.

[Astro Imp]

Nice to have you back, good luck with the comp., let us know how you get on.

[Ags]

That's the kind of work I'd like!

Simon

They do work me hard, to be honest. Never worked so hard in my life.

[brantuk]

Good to see you back Ags

[Ags]

My M31 pic may not be that good, but the photo judging committee wanted some proof I actually took it :-) I guess they thought I downloaded a Hubble pic!

Hopefully this means I am on track for the shortlist :grin: :grin:

[Astro Imp]

My M31 pic may not be that good, but the photo judging committee wanted some proof I actually took it :-) I guess they thought I downloaded a Hubble pic!

Hopefully this means I am on track for the shortlist :grin: :grin:

Fingers crossed then.

[Ags]

A sizeable and non-redeemable gift voucher that cannot be hijacked to pay for household essentials is truly the holy grail!