First go with Andromeda

[Marky1973]

Yep, another Andromeda attempt! Probably not the best thing to start with (especially when the moon is so bright) but my extender arrived on Monday so I had to try it!

Sooooo

Starwave 70ED on EQ3-2 with RA Motor

50 x 45sec Lights frames (dropped 2 because of planes/satellites and 43 stacked)

30 x Dark

30 x Bias

No Flats

Registered and stacked in DSS (which I am still a novice at so pretty much used the basic settings - actually I tried changing a few things about, adding 2x drizzle and it took about 4 hours and crashed each time, so went back to the basics) and fiddled with the settings in DSS before pulling out the TIF file to play with in GIMP - which I know very little about so will need to start acquainting myself with over the coming weeks.

 

The JPEG file is of what I took from DSS, which is okay for a first attempt.

I suspect that there is very little else to tease out from the image in GIMP because of the conditions and the length/number of subs, but I hope this link to the TIF file works, just in case anyone wants to have a fiddle to show me what I could be getting from it. If it is similar to what I have managed then that gives me a benchmark - if you get something wonderful, then I clearly have lots of reading and watching of YouTube to do!

No problem if no one can.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/90118957/6th%20October.TIF

(hope that works)

One thing I did notice on the JPEG is that some of the stars appear hollow - is that related to the Coma (which is evident) or perhaps that the focus isn't quite right - or perhaps a combination of both?

Thanks everyone

(And I'm now hooked......the fact that I can pick up even this basic level of data from something 2.5 million light years away is just amazing)

[VigdisVZ]

You definetly have some good data. I would suggest playing around a lot more in post processing in DSS before finishing in GIMP. No idea on the stars actually, but if you bump the saturation, you got clear separation of blue and yellow, so there is color in there to work with. There are some youtube videos out there to give you a hint of what to do even if I haven't found the definitive guide yet. I think you would benefit most of learning to take t-shirt flats as you have a heavy gradient/vignetting.

Look at the part where he works with the histogram in this one for instance: 

Doug German also has some good stuff: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvLpugEDmDVQr1JDptAsbQg

Let us know how you get along.

[D4N]

The hollow stars is a focus issue, you don't get coma on a frac.

The weird shapes at the edge of the field will be because you don't have a flattener.

I would suggest making or buying a bahnitov mask (Google it) to get perfect focus.

Try the beta version of gimp as that is 16 bit, you throw away most of your data working in 8 bit.

2x drizzle will run out of memory if you try to use it on large images. Either use rectangle crop mode or there is also a way to get DSS to address to more ram but it is a 32 bit app so it is limited.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Marky1973]

Cheers guys, mobile now so fat thumbs prevent longer replies, but will check out the videos and look at the masks....I know I need one but keep trying to make do without! ☺

I thought I was wrong talking coma....and I did wimp out on a flattener, although it is on the list!

And I did get an error message about 8 and 16 bits so will try the beta version if I can find it!

Thanks again.

[Marky1973]

Cheers guys, mobile now so fat thumbs prevent longer replies, but will check out the videos and look at the masks....I know I need one but keep trying to make do without! ☺

I thought I was wrong talking coma....and I did wimp out on a flattener, although it is on the list!

And I did get an error message about 8 and 16 bits so will try the beta version if I can find it!

Thanks again.

[Marky1973]

And I always seem to double post when mobile.....oh well, double thanks I guess!

[Marky1973]

D4N - I just had a look and the Beta DSS and it comes as version 3.3.4, which is the one I already have, but still got the warning about 8bit data loss....maybe I was wrong, but I am presuming I have the latest version...I uploaded to counter the elongated picture I was getting after stacking.

[Feral Rabbit]

Marky1973, on 08 Oct 2014 - 7:07 PM, said:

D4N - I just had a look and the Beta DSS and it comes as version 3.3.4, which is the one I already have, but still got the warning about 8bit data loss....maybe I was wrong, but I am presuming I have the latest version...I uploaded to counter the elongated picture I was getting after stacking.

I think he's talking about Gimp Beta, Mark. Which is what I was going to ask. I have 2.8.14 and was wondering if that is the Beta version. I haven't used it yet.... Still awaiting my first attempt at AP.

Nice first effort btw. I'd be well chuffed if I got anywhere near that.

[D4N]

Not DSS, gimp.

Current release is 2.8.14, development build is 2.9. Sumthin.

Get it here http://nightly.darkrefraction.com/gimp/

TSED70Q, iOptron Smart EQ pro, ASI-120MM, Finepix S5 pro.

[Marky1973]

Thanks Feral Rabbit, I know there are much better out there, but I was happy with it for a first proper go.....can't wait for some darker nights in a week or so.

And I just realised my mistake after I posted and uploaded some images to DSS for another play.....the perils of rushing after a day listening to people drone on about databases at work.... I am, to coin a phrase, a bit of a tool.

I'm off to look for another version of Gimp....

Good luck with the photography when you get started. It looks like it is going to be one of things that is easy to get into, but will take years to master....but it is amazing what you can get without too much effort....just take time setting up and make sure you have everything right before you start your imaging runs. Got a polar scope and Bhatinov mask coming tomorrow, so will be itching to have a go with them!

[Feral Rabbit]

Thank you for the link kind sir 

[Marky1973]

Yeah thanks for the link D4N, as I said to Feral, I was rushing after getting in from work and being an idiot in my haste.

Sorry!

But thanks again for the link!

[Feral Rabbit]

Yes Mark I am very much a novice at this. It is taking all my observing time (and grey matter) just to try and get my alignments spot. I am doing polar alignment with a Polarscope and levelling the tripod well enough now (that's if I'm using Polaris LOL) even though I know I don't have too. But I feel if I get into the habit now when I get around to getting some AP done it's one less thing I will have to worry about. Just struggling to get the damn thing to slew to the stars I want Although to be very honest my recognition of stars names and their constellations and the times I've got out to observe, the weather or the dew has conspired to stop me. Still I am having fun and I did get to see the Andromeda Galaxy through the scope for the first time the other night and was blown away.

[Marky1973]

It definitely seems to make a big difference if you take time over it. Am hoping that I will be able to use the polar scope to get better alignment and increase exposure time a bit.

And it is grat seeing this for the first time. Still smile to myself when I remember first seeing Saturn and Jupiter.