M42 time of year

[sidelight]

Hi All,

I run like most of us on limited  cash, and as its that time of year again (M42 about) it is time to do my annual shot and process to try to gauge what I have learnt and what I want to try next (I really am wired this way).  As I only recently started posting rather than just reading, I thought I would share this as I was looking back at them and thinking about the experience so far 

So my orginal M42 from 2011 (pretty much my first attempt at something other than the moon)

Shot using 45 second exposures unguided, with my unmodded 450D using a SW 200P and an EQ5

Last years using the unmodded 450D with the addition of guiding on the EQ5 (thanks QM your thread was inspiring), using the SW 200P

This years shot, I've upgraded to an EQ6, and pulled the camera apart and modded its but still the same 450D .  I also purchased PI earlier this year and so I hope the processing is better, but as I get to grips with PI, the only thing it feels like I learn sometimes is how much of it I don't understand.  This last one was also shot on a 130PDS I bought in the spring to give me a slightly wider field.

If anyone wants to feedback or give processing suggestions on this one, please do, I'm all for it.  I am miles from a club (the closest meets on a night when I have personal commitments), most of my family and friends think I am mental for standing out in the cold at night doing this, but I enjoy this and would like to improve.

Cheers

Ross

[ollypenrice]

Hi,

What you need to do with M42 is combine long and short exposures in order to catch both the Trapezium and the outer reaches. Personally I'd combine them in Photoshop using Layer Masks but you can also try HDR wavelets in PI.

Olly

[Bosuser]

Hi Ross,

I like the way you've shown your results from your first attempts to the current day.

They're excellent and I can take some encouragement from them.

I'm just starting out in astroimaging so expect pretty much what you did in your first year as my results too - it's good to know that with a bit of effort I may achieve the results you have after a lot of practice.

Kevin

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[sidelight]

Hi,

What you need to do with M42 is combine long and short exposures in order to catch both the Trapezium and the outer reaches. Personally I'd combine them in Photoshop using Layer Masks but you can also try HDR wavelets in PI.

Olly

Hi Olly,

Thanks for the feedback, This is a HDR Composition from PI, it is made of 10 x 600 sec, 10 x 180 sec, and 10 x 60.  All at 400 iso.  Its my first attempt at a HDR composition, maybe I've underdone the HDR wavelet work in PI?

Cheers

Ross

[sidelight]

Hi Ross,

I like the way you've shown your results from your first attempts to the current day.

They're excellent and I can take some encouragement from them.

I'm just starting out in astroimaging so expect pretty much what you did in your first year as my results too - it's good to know that with a bit of effort I may achieve the results you have after a lot of practice.

Kevin

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Thanks Kevin,

This subject always makes me a little thoughtful, as to me, and (I expect a lot of people) remind me of the start of things.  It was cloudy last night and so I was playing with some data I had from the other night.  When I had finished tinkering I sat comparing looking at the previous years and decided it might be something worth sharing, instead of just posting a picture and asking about the processing)

Cheers

Ross