Jump to content

Narrowband

First go at M31


Recommended Posts

I actually like this picture but I know it could be a whole lot better. It's 14 lights at 90 secs (supposed to be 30 shots but camera battery ran out) and the same with dark. I'm not guiding. It was put through Deep sky stacker but no editing after that. Any tips on next steps?

Steve

post-44244-0-72396400-1441309380_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice image. Sharp round stars!  You could improve it by framing the centre of the galaxy more central to the frame. Just take a preliminary image with high iso, then adjust the scope and try another frame. When you are happy, Start your run of images.

You won't get all of M31 in frame but you can get more than you have. Nice image though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice first attempt! Like Tim said, nice round stars. I've recently attempted M31 and have since bought a coma corrector to make the stars at the edges of the field look like they're rushing away from the centre, this should be next on your list.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice first attempt! Like Tim said, nice round stars. I've recently attempted M31 and have since bought a coma corrector to make the stars at the edges of the field look like they're rushing away from the centre, this should be next on your list.

Is that not the opposite of what a coma corrector should do?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How do I deal with the colour caster in DSS?

Couple of options. First, make sure ''use RGB background calibration' is selected from the 'Lights' settings option tab. I have a modded DSLR and this reduces the over red cast I get. Secondly, adjust the RGB histograms when the image is loaded after stacking. There might be other ways I am not aware of. There are lots of ways to remove colour casts in post_processing, e.g. see the post by JR1997 in this thread

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/251454-bodes-nebula-and-ngc3077/

I might be wrong, but the colour cast in your image is more orange and looks like light pollution to me. That can also be fixed in postprocessing, there are lots of ideas here and on the web, but a light pollution filter or a UHC filter will help. It also helps when the moon is less intrusive!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Tim, I'm going to have another go tonight. I'm very lucky, light pollution is not a huge problem here in Cyprus, especially where I live!!!

Lucky you... I was in Paphos in April and loved it.

Just tried the RGB background calibration and it came out blue!!!! Back to the drawing board!!

If your image is displayed as it is just out of DSS, then it s very good! DSS is not an editing programme.. It is sort of a preparation for editing. Once you open the image in Photoshop, Pixinsght etc, that's when you can get the images looking really good. There are free programmes like GIMP and PAINT.net that you can use as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry...I couldn't help myself...Lol

Removed the gradient with DBE (free version on LE), very slight curves (wouldn't take any more), slight sharpening, colour balance and Denoise with Noiseware free programme.

It is very noisy but you only have 20 mins lights. More lights = less noise!

post-35654-0-65408400-1441435695_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.