Rosette Nebula ( NGC 2237 )

[MikeODay 1,556]

My first attempt at processing the subs I took last night.

Not totally happy yet - next time I process it I think I need to boost the red in the mid tones somewhat to try to compensate for the filter in my standard Nikon D5300.

Details:

Rosette Nebula in Monoceros ( NGC 2237, 2238, 2239, 2244, 2246 )

by Mike O'Day ( 500px.com/MikeODay ).

The Rosette Nebula surrounds a cluster of bright young stars (NGC 2244) and is around 5,200 light years from Earth.

Links:

https://500px.com/MikeODay

http://photo.net/photos/MikeODay

This image ~ RA 6h 31m, Dec 5deg 2'.

Skywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian.

Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Mount.

Orion Short Tube 80mm guide scope & auto guider - PHD2.

Baader MPCC Mark 3 Coma Corrector (no filter used).

Nikon D5300 (unmodified).

Field of view (deg) ~ 1.35 x 0.90..71 x 30 sec ISO 800.

Pixinsight & Photoshop.

20 December 2015

[MarsG76 4,310]

You're getting some great results with your unmdded DSLR.. well done, the image looks great.

[Quenzer 2]

Great image, Mike005! 

I am a Nikon user myself (D3300) and expect once I have got used to my new telescope I will attempt to devise a means to attach it. 
 

[MikeODay 1,556]

Thank you guys, much appreciated.

Great image, Mike005! 

I am a Nikon user myself (D3300) and expect once I have got used to my new telescope I will attempt to devise a means to attach it.

You should be able to find a suitable adaptor - I wish you clear skies for your new scope.

[laudropb 6,604]

Very nice image, especially with an unmodded camera.

[gorann 3,188]

Great picture! I really like the sharp stars. Maybe you could try longer exposure times to bring out more nebulosity? When I had my first attempt at the Rosette two weeks ago I took 8 min subs with my Canon 60Da at ISO 1600 on my 5" refractor at f/6 without overexposing. That would translate to about the same exposure time with your f/4 scope and ISO 800. Unfortunately the sky was a bit hazy and my stars were not as sharp as yours (could partly also be the longer exposure). Maybe combining the nebulosity from longer exposures with the sharp stars from your 30 s exposures would nail it.

[gorann 3,188]

By the way, amazing that we can be imaging the same object at about the same date in Australia and Sweden.

[Mr Spock 6,263]

That's a fine looking image.

[MikeODay 1,556]

Very nice image, especially with an unmodded camera.

Cheers, much appreciated.

[MikeODay 1,556]

That's a fine looking image.

Thanks Michael.

[MikeODay 1,556]

Great picture! I really like the sharp stars. Maybe you could try longer exposure times to bring out more nebulosity? When I had my first attempt at the Rosette two weeks ago I took 8 min subs with my Canon 60Da at ISO 1600 on my 5" refractor at f/6 without overexposing. That would translate to about the same exposure time with your f/4 scope and ISO 800. Unfortunately the sky was a bit hazy and my stars were not as sharp as yours (could partly also be the longer exposure). Maybe combining the nebulosity from longer exposures with the sharp stars from your 30 s exposures would nail it.

Thanks Gorran.

The moon is dominating the sky now for the next 10 days or so but I will try to capture some more subs (some longer ones as well). The problem I have here in the Blue Mountains above Sydney is the relatively high light pollution, made somewhat worse at the moment due to the warm humid nights we have been having. 8 mins would be 4 stops greater exposure of the LP and would put the LP histogram peak way to the right, if not right off the screen. I'll have a go though and see what I get.

Having said that I'm just not sure how much more I can expect from my unmodified DSLR with this particular nebula ...

Cheers

Mike

[MikeODay 1,556]

By the way, amazing that we can be imaging the same object at about the same date in Australia and Sweden.

Yes, although all your images are upside down:)

Great colours in your Horsehead and Rosette images, by the way.

[gorann 3,188]

I was just going to tell you that yours were upside down....

Cheers

[gorann 3,188]

.... and we both have the same problem with the moon

[StargeezerTim 3,257]

Very nice image... I like the reprocessed one as well. Tim. 

Edited December 21, 2015 by StargeezerTim

[MikeODay 1,556]

Thanks Tim, much appreciated.

[MikeODay 1,556]

.... and we both have the same problem with the moon

It's a stupid hobby really, isn't it?

It's either raining, cloudy, too windy, the darn neighbors have their lights on or the blumming moon is in the sky.

Oh well, I'm sure it's character building or something ...

[StargeezerTim 3,257]

It's a stupid hobby really, isn't it?

It's either raining, cloudy, too windy, the darn neighbors have their lights on or the blumming moon is in the sky.

Oh well, I'm sure it's character building or something ...

More like... something...

Perhaps Santa will bring us plenty of dark, cloud and moon free nights along with thoughtful neighbours!   

[gorann 3,188]

In addition to clouds, moon and neighbors, there are even more things conspiring. Last time, when I finally had a really clear sky and no moon, everything looking fantastic, my autoguiding system decided to waste my precious time by not being able to calibrate, having me trying to find out if it was guiding on hot pixels, if it was out of focus, or if it was not communicating with the mount, or something else. After three hours I gave up and went to bed....

[MikeODay 1,556]

In addition to clouds, moon and neighbors, there are even more things conspiring. Last time, when I finally had a really clear sky and no moon, everything looking fantastic, my autoguiding system decided to waste my precious time by not being able to calibrate, having me trying to find out if it was guiding on hot pixels, if it was out of focus, or if it was not communicating with the mount, or something else. After three hours I gave up and went to bed....

Something like that happens to me all the time - usually it turns out to be me doing something stupid because it's been so long since the the last successful session that I've forgotten what I'm supposed to be doing.

The last time the problem was my DEC clutch would not hold. I tightened it up as far as it would go but it was still completely loose. I gave up, posted questions to the forums and received lots of helpful suggestions. Unfortunately, none of these helped. A couple of days later I was playing with the clutch and I found that if I rotated it the other way it miraculously tightened and worked perfectly