Failing Miserably!

[Herzy]

So you had to clip it because there was no calibration frames? Is the problem that once stretched, the dust motes and vignetting is obvious? Nonetheless it's a wonderful image. Great job.

If I may ask, what did you do? I tired levels and curves but I couldn't get that result.

[Marky1973]

I didn't have to clip it, I was just "pushing" it to get some detail out - would be less "extravagant" if doing it properly - I did it with Pixinsight, using various processes - DBE, Colour Calibration, Histogram Stretch, HDR Transformation, Noise Reduction, and a Saturation Boost. Save d it as a 16BIT TIFF and slightly adjusted the levels and curses in PS, and a little sharpening. Did it all very quickly - but I think it goes to show that, with a bit more data, and some calibration frames it can only get better!

[Herzy]

So for right now I just need to work on getting more subs and getting calibration frames. Then just stretch the data, adjust color, etc.

[Herzy]

6 hours ago, Marky1973 said:

Hi Herzy, I had a fiddle as well and over-stretched it a bit as well as clipped it, just to show you there is plenty of data in there (and I am an amateur) - you really need to get some calibration frames in there though - DARKS/FLATS and LIGHTS will help you - there are a couple of "dust bunnies" that will benefit from FLATS. You will also need to start upping the length of exposure (and more of them) to get more detail, but there is a lot in there for just 30 second exposures - get some calibration frames in there and you should be able to start getting some nice images. (Thanks for posting the image, I'm still learning, so nice to have a play!)

My mount has the ability to take 2 minute exposures unguided, but light pollution prevents me from doing so. 30 seconds gives me an orange tint and if I go above that it gets pretty bad.

I have thought of purchasing a light pollution filter, but there's a big problem. The C6-N (my optical tube) is only capable of focusing a DSLR at prime focus. This means there is no room for a light pollution filter. If there is some kind of t-ring/light pollution filter then that will work.

[Marky1973]

Hi Haydon - I have no experience of the C6, so cant help with that - you can nosepieces that are threaded so you can screw in a filter, which might help. Clip Filters are a great help, but I don't think you have the equivalent for your Nikon. If you can't get that sorted, then try more exposures at the maximum you can manage - and, again, the calibration frames will help. Experiment with exposure length and ISO too, to see how you get on.

I also have no experience of Nebulosity, but get yourself on the "net" and YOUTUBE and search for tutorials for processing your images, they will help no end.

But it is hard... there is a lot to learn about - just don't give up!

:-)

[The Admiral]

Hi Herzy - I too have had a go with your data using Star Tools. Perhaps not the most elegant of results, and if it was my image I'd go back and refine, but at least it shows that you're not that far away and I wouldn't say by any means that you're failing miserably. You've got reasonable data, it's just the processing that perhaps lets it down a bit. I'd certainly recommend using RAW files as the input to DSS (?) and outputting the result as a FITS file, which can be opened in a specialist astro imaging app.

I've seen a lot of your threads on the forum asking for help, and I'm wondering whether you have a local astronomy club near you, or at least some other astronomers near by, who could give you some one on one help.

The first image is what ST can spit out without using the colour module, and in the second one with the rather gaudy colours is ST's 'scientific' interpretation of the colour, which at least shows the core to be green, as I believe it is supposed to be. I've downsized both images for display.

 

Ian

[Herzy]

Thanks for the help. Yes I am a member of our local astronomy club but they only have meetings once a month.