NGC 281 - Pacman nebula (yes another one!)

[VikN46]

Hi All,

I have spent every opportunity this week imaging the said object, despite the lovely moon spoiling things a little.

I really gave it my best with my limited set up and processing knowledge.

Taken using my usual stuff:

SW 150 PDS, EQ5 Pro Synscan GOTO.

Guiding: SW ST80 and QHY5.

Modded Canon 600D and coma corrector with CLS clip filter.

Using: BYEOS, PHD, DSS, Photoshop CC.

A total of 6 hours Light frames,

60 Flats

115 Bias

18 Darks

Any comments, or advice and criticism appreciated.

NGC 281 - PACMAN NEBULA by VikN46, on Flickr

[pbeville]

Nice shot! Can't offer any advice, but it looks great.

[sheldondave]

Hi,

Nice work.

Dave.

[purdo]

Lovely image don't do AP (yet), so cannot offer advice.

[VikN46]

I have been playing with this image and re stacked.

A total of 6 hours Light frames,

20 Flats

18 Darks

I may of over done it on the red now but anyway here it is and as I am quite partial to a monochrome a black and white version.

NGC 281 - Pacman Nebula - REPROCESSED by VikN46, on Flickr

NGC 281 - Pacman Nebula and a Black and White version by VikN46, on Flickr

[Christopher Davenport]

Hello,

Nice image you got there, good going to get 6hrs in. 

My attempt at this with my 600D after about a 105min using my 80ED

My preference is to leave some sky in there otherwise the image starts to look to clipped. I have reduced the blue channel slightly to take out some noise.

(Usual workflow also includes using petes actions in PS to reduce the amount of stars)

The 600D is a noisy beast on a hot summers night, although I would have though 6 hrs worth should have produced less noise.

Have you tried to stack cappa sigma without darks? what are your sub lengths and your ISO used?

[VikN46]

Hi Chris,

Lovely image you have there

I stacked using Kappa Sigma clipping for the Lights, median for the Flats and Darks in DSS, no bias.

This was a mixture of 220s and 240s all at ISO 200, which is far from ideal but the Moon was washing it all out, I usually manage 300 - 600s at ISO 400 or 800 depending on the target and conditions.

Certainly looking forward to the cooler nights!

[Christopher Davenport]

Hi Chris,

Lovely image you have there

I stacked using Kappa Sigma clipping for the Lights, median for the Flats and Darks in DSS, no bias.

This was a mixture of 220s and 240s all at ISO 200, which is far from ideal but the Moon was washing it all out, I usually manage 300 - 600s at ISO 400 or 800 depending on the target and conditions.

Certainly looking forward to the cooler nights!

I have been experimenting with ISO400 with 300sec subs, at +- 2hrs integration.

Seems with ISO800 with shorter subs, 90sec, 120sec or 180sec, with many of them to keep noise down and same integration, sometimes get a better result.

Either way I am bugged by pesky heat noise. 

ISO seems to make little difference to the heat noise, it seams only the length of sub makes a difference?

[VikN46]

Last attempt with this no more fiddling about with it!

Uncropped (well apart from just taking the stacking edges off)

Pacman Nebula NGC 281 - Uncropped final by VikN46, on Flickr

[VikN46]

I can tell the difference in noise between my images that are only around an hour or two and this one of 6hrs. This one could handle much more processing.