Milky way from hotel in Mallorca. Holiday snap!

[StargeezerTim]

This is my first posting for a while. For various reasons, this image has taken me days and days to process, but I think it is at last OK to post!

It could be better, I have processed 30 X 15 sec exposures (plus darks and bias) though have another 30 I could add. taken with a Canon 550D on a fixed tripod. The blended foreground could have worked out better, but I am at the limit of my processing skills here  15-85 lens at 15 mm and F 5.6.

Anyway, hope you enjoy it and get a taste of clear Majorcan skies... M 16 is in there somewhere... Saturn and Mars are just off the image on the right hand side to help you locate yourself.

I have some more images to process and will post at some stage, providing they are OK! I had to ditch one evenings subs because I found I had left the quality on JPEG. 

[StargeezerTim]

Done some more processing. Mainly got rid of the gradient and worked on contrast in the MW. I'm not an expert by any means at processing the Milky Way and wondered how you folks got the extraordinary contrasts and colours you get? Any hints or pointers would be most welcome!

[laudropb]

Very nice image. Hope the seeing is as good in September when I am visiting Mallorca.

[StargeezerTim]

2 hours ago, laudropb said:

Very nice image. Hope the seeing is as good in September when I am visiting Mallorca.

It was my first time there... I was on the north coast on the other side of the mountains.. quiet and clear skies... might be different elsewhere though.

Wherever you go though, it will be warmer!

[laudropb]

I always go to the North. Usually do a bit of bird watching, so have spotting scope and bins with me.

[StargeezerTim]

I stayed in Estellence... this pic was from my hotel room balcony.

[wimvb]

Those images came out very fine, despite your troubles with stacking.

I like the first one better, the second is a bit too dark IMO.

Pointers on processing (in pixinsight, but maybe you can find similar process steps in PS):

http://pixinsight.com/forum/index.php?topic=5516

As for the JPEG mishap; do you know when you've been doing AP for too long?

When you start taking calibration frames after each holiday snapshot.

Cheers,