First try at M42, Starting to come together

[Cpaulo]

So last night I took advantage of the first clear night in a while and got setup for a try run at guiding and imaging; first up the ubiquitous attempt at M42.

I haven't had much of a chance to get all of the kit I've been collecting for the last 4 months all together and setup, in fact I am still waiting on a polariscope for my modified EQ5 mount so the polar alignment was best guess.

However I got setup in good time, got my Altair 60mm guide-scope with QHY5L camera attached to my SW ED80 and got PHD up and running on the first attempt. I was a bit sceptical about the enhanced motor control with an ST4 port on the handset but it seemed to work really well. Bearing in mind I had a tenuous grip on a polar alignment I attempted exposures up to 3 minutes but settled on exposures of 90s through my EOS 700d.

Any way with a bit of Pre-Proc in Deep Sky Stacker and a run through Photoshop I got my first glimpse of hope that it might all be worth the time, effort and expense that I have poured into this hobby over the past few months. Overall I am quite pleased but would have liked to get some of the blue associated with imaging M42 from a DSLR.

10 x 90s Subs

10 x 90s Dark

10 x Bias

No Flats

Any comments welcome; feedback, advice, critique or general pointers all welcome.

[Cpaulo]

Oh all shot at ISO 200 because of the light pollution here on the edge of Naples.

[Starlight 1]

Nice !!!! its come out well . I see imageing much like a histogram a long curve the more you do the beter the out come.

[Nick cb]

Well done for your first image

[glowingturnip]

very nicely done, and I suspect there's more to be got out in processing too. Good job with focus and tracking.

I'd shoot at higher than ISO200 though, even though you have light pollution.  Better to capture the light pollution with the signal and process it out, rather than not capture enough signal in the first place - try ISO800.  I did some experiments at ISO400 and was disappointed.  I think below a certain ISO you start compromising on the sensor's quantum efficiency so it doesn't fire as much as it should for each incoming photon.

[Cpaulo]

Thank you very much indeed for the encouraging comments.

I think you are absolutely spot on Stuart, below a certain ISO the sensor doesn't capture enough data, I felt that ISO 200 was extremely low. I can feel a few more experiments coming on with ISO settings, exposure time etc.

I did spend a bit of time tinkering with a few different ISO settings but settled at ISO200 because the images appeared bleached and burnt out at higher settings. I must confess I just wanted to make an image and after many hours/months of reading, tinkering with kit, planning targets and the odd bit of open wallet surgery the image above symbolises the very first step in what I hope will be a very rewarding pastime.

Once again thank you for your support and encouragement.

[frugal]

Eading around, ISO400 seems to be the lowest ISO on a Canon camera that has a gain >1 (i.e. you are not throwing data away).

[Cpaulo]

Ok so next clear night I am upping the ISO. Thanks once again.

[Astrosurf]

Nice shot for such difficult conditions!

I would recommend a light pollution filter, like the Astronomik clip-in ones. I don't do any DSLR imaging without it. It rids you of light pollution and you can push the ISO up.

Alexxx

[DaveS]

+1 for the Astronomik CLS filter, especially if you have Sodium LP. I've found mine more effective than the Hutech P2.

[Maged]

That's a great shot. I tried to capture the Orion nebula for the first time all night yesterday and could not focus my camera at all, so I ended up photographing the moon. I have canon 70D.

[Cpaulo]

Funnily enough I have recently got hold of a Astronomik clip in LP filter which is getting a runout on the next clear night; Monday according to clear outside. I will have a re-run at M42 on higher ISO and use the clip in filter, also planning on having a go at the Horsehead Nebula on Monday night. If I get enough data it should keep me occupied with practising pre processing and Photoshop while the clouds roll back in; 3 batteries on full charge in anticipation.

Mage, with focusing I use the live view option at a higher ISO and zoom in on a bright star to adjust the focus. After Focusing by eye in the live view screen knock the ISO back down to what I will shoot and I try a couple of test shots I then use the zoom on playback to zoom right into one star; about x10 I think it is. Any star trace and the tracking gets checked, any fuzzy or bloated stars and the focus procedure gets checked. As a final confirmation I put a bhatinov mask on the front of the scope and take another test shot, the diffraction pattern should be equal all about the star; if not reset and go again.

It's a bit long winded but it's better to make sure the focus is spot on and to be honest it only takes 5 minutes once you've practiced a couple of times. I'm no expert but it's what I do and it seems to work. I've been using an iOptron Skytracker to hone this procedure while I've been waiting to get enough kit together to seriously have a go at some DSO targets, it was great to finally get it all together the other night and finally get an image of some description. Plan read and plan some more, I've trawled this forum for months learning from literally hundreds of posts.

[Cpaulo]

A bit more processing in Photoshop.

[Starlight 1]

Hobby time is free keep playing.!!!!

[Maged]

I will take your advice about focusing and will try :-) looks like it needs more reading and planning as you said.

Many thanks for your advice