My First NGC 6946, Before the Storms Arrive

[lensman57]

Hi,

Last night I had a clear spell up here between 9.50 pm  when I started imaging and 00.15 am when the clouds started arriving. I decided to set up for 6946 inspired by the beautiful capture from andyO from a few nights ago. I setup the HEQ5 Pro and for a change I used my SW 100 ED @F7.6, Atik 428EX OSC and an IDAS LPS P2 filter, guiding was as usual with a 50 mm finder guider, ASI 120 MM, GPUSB and PHD.  I was quite apprehensive using the 100ED as I had quite a bit of trouble with the crayford Focuser a few nights ago but it worked,  well sort of as I am not sure if I hit the focus dead on.  I had a very unusual problem, mainly becuase of my inexperience I guess,  the back of the 100ED with a reducer and spacer extends quite a bit down and in the end after 15 subs of 600s each it was so close to the mount's leg that I hit the stop button, I didn't want the expensive CCD to be damaged by the mount doing a flip. Next time I remember. I was also imaging @ 1.22 as/p so I am not sure if this was overdoing it.

Anyhow here  is the result, it could have certainly done with a couple of more hours of data but it wasn't to be. It was processed in StarTools and finished off in PS.

Thanks for looking and listening.

Regards,

A.G

[laser_jock99]

Nice capture.

Know what you mean about getting some imaging time in before all the cloud & rain piled in. Was clear here in Wales till 5:00am though.

[lensman57]

Hi,

Rather than start a new thread I just carry on here as this is just a reprocess of the same data file of two weeks ago, but thtime I tried to process it entirely in PI before the trial license runs out. It is a very basic reprocess as I have no idea what most of the functions in PI are for, the data is very noisy due mainly to short  integration time, about 3 hrs and the moisture that was in the air as it had been raining for few evenings prior and on the day too. So if there are any PI experts are there I am all ears.  The black artefacts are the result of the focuser on the SW 100ED shifting during the flat frame capture, what a mess.

Thanks for looking,

Regards,

A.G

[andyo]

That's a very nice capture,(reprocess isn't as good) some nice colours showing in the dust lanes.i am pretty new to PI and do like what it offers.Harry pages tutorials are great well worth a watch also try this link,a good bit towards the end about adding lum to rgb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV_I-XoaKVk

[lensman57]

That's a very nice capture,(reprocess isn't as good) some nice colours showing in the dust lanes.i am pretty new to PI and do like what it offers.Harry pages tutorials are great well worth a watch also try this link,a good bit towards the end about adding lum to rgb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV_I-XoaKVk

Hi ,

Many thanks for your advice, this is the first time that I have processed anything in PI and have just been watching the videos. If this weather permits I either do another run or just try and add data to it, your capture was brilliant BTW.

Regards,

A.G