M101

[Michael1971]

It's been a while for me doing the dark art we do, due to weather and other circumstances but finally I started again.

Must say, you really get rusted if you don't do astrophotography that often. 

But atleast i got a decent amount of data on M101 and my first result I will post here.

I probably will reprocess it since I forgot so many things.

Still I will show my first result anyway.

 

GSO 8" Reflector, DSLR 39x300sec 800 ISO exposures

EQMOD, PHD, Cartes du Ciel

Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop 

 

[laudropb]

Very nice image.

[Michael1971]

Like I said, I did a reprocess of the image.

Got the noise more under control.

I'm more happy with it.. 

 

 

[johnfosteruk]

That's lovely, love the detail in the dust lanes and the dense star areas on the arms, the redo definitely brings out more of that. Not bad for 'rusty'

[Jessun]

Personally I think I prefer the first edition.

I like the galaxy colours better, its core, the hint of red in the nebulosity areas, the star colours and the background itself even.

It looks less pushed to my eye.

For me a good image is one that is pleasant to look at, but also one that could be thought to carry measurable data, such as star temperature based on their colour and the make up of defined regions in a galaxy for instance.

Despite the inevitable noise in your first edition I think you nailed it on both accounts.

/Jessun

 

[toxic]

yes first image for me as well 

i  am learning that some noise is better than a lot of noise reduction.

but i do like your first image 

 

[wimvb]

One more vote for the first. It's a lovely image.

It seems you clipped the background in the second version. You have lost a few faint stars along the way, and introduced noise near the galaxy core.

I agree with Chris: some noise is better than too much noise reduction.

[Michael1971]

Thanks, I guess I was a bit to focused on the noise issue. 

But I was really surprised, I stacked without darks, only dithered,  and I could see less noise already.

Then I did the tips you linked to me Wim and I guess I overdid it.. lol

 

[DaveS]

Yeah, first one for me too I'm afraid.

The second does look over processed and decidedly "crunchy" in the spiral arms with some not-very-convincing brown / red / green dots along them.

Sorry.