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Where's The Nebulosity...?!

PhotoGav

By PhotoGav
in Imaging - Deep Sky

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PhotoGav

PhotoGav

Posted
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So, here's three hours of data (9 x 1200s with 15 x 1200s darks) on IC1805 - The Heart Nebula:

post-29321-0-46727100-1386323827_thumb.p

I've calibrated with flats & bias and stacked in Nebulosity 3, followed by some basic curves and levels in CS3, but really didn't spend long on it (as you can tell!). The reason being - there's not really anything in the image to process... Lots of stars, with some dubious colours coming through thanks to the CLS clip filter that I have massive problems with sorting out, the outline of the nebula and some dark spaces where I would like to see some swirling rose tinted nebulosity!

Camera used - unmodded Canon EOS 60D.

Obviously the nebulous stuff just isn't visible to the camera. This gives me some options:

1. Mod the camera

2. Buy an Atik 460EX with LRGB filters (and an HA filter?)

Is there any point going down route 1 or will I just have slightly better results, but still get frustrated by the noise of a dslr and having to shoot darks for hours every time?

If I go down route 2 (apart from having to do some pretty darn serious interbanking fixing of the Wife Sterling rates) how do you actually use a mono CCD with filters and process the data it generates????!!!!

I hope that you can help with my dilemma.

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Steve 1962

Steve 1962

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Hi Gav

Welcome to the "spending curve" of astrophotography!
 

I've been through the same quandary as you're in the moment.

I started off with an un-modded EOS 400d, then went to a modded 1000d and now I have a 460EX.

I've got images of NGC7000 taken with each - although they're dramatically different exposure durations, I think they may help you.

Here's 2x 180 secs with the 400d: 

post-6387-0-38466100-1386326666_thumb.jp 

Here's a link to 5 x 900 secs with the modded 1000d using  the same scope:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/perrybarn/5130699749/

..and here's a bi-colour (Ha and Oiii) with the 460ex. (which could do with more colour saturation)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/perrybarn/9688817538/.

I don't think you'd be unhappy with a modded DSLR (I wasn't), but a mono CCD is just in a different league altogether.

Hope this helps

Steve

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PhotoGav

PhotoGav

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Steve,

Funnily enough I read your post about egged shaped stars shortly after posting mine and looked at your kit list signature with sheer envy!!! So many thanks you for your reply.

Those three images tell quite a story. That really helps to push me along the curve. I defninitely need to do something, that is for certain. I know what I would like to do. it is now just a question of justifying the big leap up the spending curve.

Good luck with your eggs...!

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PhotoGav

PhotoGav

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Steve - more questions...

How easy was it to get up and running with the Atik? How do you go about processing the data from it? How different is it to processing DSLR data?

Sorry, these might be huge answer questions, so please feel free to just say 'I don't have time for this!', I haven't started the google research yet and am just being lazy!

Cheers.

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Steve 1962

Steve 1962

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 .... and looked at your kit list signature with sheer envy

I feel I'm very lucky to have some lovely kit - even if it's not without its issues.

It was built up over a number of years incrementally - the way I explain it to Mrs L is "Look it'll still be worth 60% of its new value if I sell it second hand - so it's really only costing a third as much as it looks" - it's worked so far but I'm struggling to get a 10 Micron 1000HPS mount past her at the mo!

Steve

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swag72

swag72

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If you think you are bitten by the bug and feel that your current kit is hindering you, then a mono CCD and filters is an excellent upgrade.

The Atik software is easy to use and you will be capturing images very quickly. It's slightly different to a DSLR, but easy to learn. Regarding images, you basically capture data using each filter, so you'll end up with, for example, 10x240s red and 10x240s green and 10x240s Blue. You then stack each filter separately, so that you end up with 2 separate stacks, one for each filter. In Photoshop you then merge the individual stacks into each different channel red, green and blue as appropriate and hey presto, the start of a coloured image.

Personally I find mono images easier to process and it's not difficult once you've done it a couple of times and understand the process.

Hope that helps.

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Steve 1962

Steve 1962

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Hi again Gav - we crossed in the post there.

The Atik is a joy to use. I acquire my images with Nebulosity 3 - just I did with the DSLRs - I just like its simplicity.

Processing is a real learning curve and there's loads of help on SGL.

I use (and enjoy) Pixinsight - there's a free trial version available. If you watch Harry Page's videos here http://www.harrysastroshed.com/pixinsighthome.html they'll set you on the right path.

I also have Photoshop to do final cosmetic tweaks - although there are others who use PS entirely.

Here's a good book on the subject http://www.scsastro.co.uk/catalogue/photoshop-astronomy.htm?term=photoshop

Also - I'm only down in Somerset - not too far away from you. If you want to pop down to have a look at the Atik and talk it through, send me a PM.

HTH

Steve

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PhotoGav

PhotoGav

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Steve - thank you, that's a very kind offer. I might well take you up on it! Unless I get head strong and hit the buy button..... Processing, yes, quite an art in itself - if not the art of astrophotography itself... Capture is the 'easy' part.

Sara, thank you for that succinct overview of the process. I was hoping that was the case - so you don't have to photoshop each channel and then mix, but rather you calibrate each channel, bring into photoshop and paste into the appropriate RGB channel layer, then process the image as a whole. As for bitten by the bug - I have wanted to make these kind of pictures since I was a boy and am finally, some thirty years later, starting to actually do it.

Oooh, I'm starting to get excited about it all again!!!

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swag72

swag72

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.....  so you don't have to photoshop each channel and then mix, but rather you calibrate each channel, bring into photoshop and paste into the appropriate RGB channel layer, then process the image as a whole ....

Yes that's the long and short of it!!

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Steve 1962

Steve 1962

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 Is there an Atik equivalent to liveview?

No - because they don't have a built in view finder.

If you go for CCD, you definitely need a PC to focus and view the images.

As Sara has said; the Baader LRGB dichroic filters (which I suppose could be called reflection filters) are pretty good.

I have the Baader narrow band filters as well, but would like to upgrade to Astrodon 3nm filters when funds allow.

Steve

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