Newbie First Image M57 - Ring Nebula with DSLR

[KJ Dalley]

Hi - I just wanted to share my first ever astro image.

I am completely new to this and I'm the first to admit that I have a lot to learn.

Personally I am delighted to have just been able to produce an image!

I'm completely hooked now as well!!!

Used the incredable APT freeware (never ceases to amase me what some software developers are prepared to do for free - fantastic software and I will be buying a single user license!) to control the camera.

150 x frames at ISO 400. 10 second exposures with 3 second pause breaks between exposures.

Stacked in DSS.

Post processing done with Canon Freeware Image Browser EX (dont have any Photoshop style software - yet!).

Still buzzing despite the lack of sleep!

Clear skies to you all.

Kevin

M57 - Ring Nebula_1_1_2.tif

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very nice first DSO image

[xtreemchaos]

hi mate thats a great first image,i look forward to seeing more from you.all the best charl.

[Sonicfishcake42]

Great image, keep them coming mate  

[KJ Dalley]

Many thanks - starting down the path of something I've always dreamed of doing.

[happy-kat]

Nice and clear.

GIMP is another one of those great free software tools.

What lens did you use please?

[KJ Dalley]

Hi Happy-Kat

I used a prime focus method e.g. Remove lens from DSLR, attached a T-ring adaptor to camera body and then used this to attach to the threaded eyepiece barrel on my 200P OTA.

Before I attach the camera I visually sight the scope onto the target, add the camera and then use the Live feed setting on the Camera through the ATP software to manually focus everything. I'm very green to all of this and its a pain to focus everything manually, its damn difficult seeing DSO's through Live feed and even more difficult through the Camera view finder directly. I realize that the data is good even if you cannot "see" a great deal in each image. The joy of the reveal post stack was genuinely thrilling for me!

I guess I'll cast my nets wide and just knuckle down and see what I can do.

Thanks for the heads up on GIMP. I'll check it out.

[happy-kat]

In mobile site view you don't get to see signatures so did not see you used a 200p.