NGC 884

[Yamez]

Eastern Cluster of the Double Cluster, after processing i noticed focus was a little off. Apart from running out of time to get my darks, flats and bias' i'm happy with the final image. Stacked in DSS and processed in Photoshop

Nikon d3300

20x25s Subs

1600 ISO

Im using the infamous Skywatcher 130P, in other word i have to use a barlow lens to get the camera into focus, so im using the stock x2 Barlow aswell.

 

[SteveNickolls]

Hi Yamez,

A good try with your equipment. Can I ask what mount you are using? It can be tricky getting focus just right. I particularly like the reddish stars you have captured. The Double Cluster is a favorite of mine observing-wise and I must try and take some images this season. Right now I'm experimenting with both omitting dark frames and trying stock dark frames as modern cameras do so much 'behind the scenes' with images that adding too few dark frames can cause more issues than adding them. I've usually taken x50 dark frames.

Good luck in the future with your imaging.

Best Regards,
Steve

[Yamez]

3 hours ago, SteveNickolls said:

Hi Yamez,

A good try with your equipment. Can I ask what mount you are using? It can be tricky getting focus just right. I particularly like the reddish stars you have captured. The Double Cluster is a favorite of mine observing-wise and I must try and take some images this season. Right now I'm experimenting with both omitting dark frames and trying stock dark frames as modern cameras do so much 'behind the scenes' with images that adding too few dark frames can cause more issues than adding them. I've usually taken x50 dark frames.

Good luck in the future with your imaging.

Best Regards,
Steve

Thanks you, i'm using an Alt-AZ mount so tracking for me can be quite a problem hence the shorter exposure times. Although sometimes it will track really well say 2-4 minutes, other times it can be really bad and won't be able to track for even 15 seconds. Also, if i were to buy a new focuser would that mean that i could drop the x2 barlow as otherwise with my current setup this has been a problem, i can't get close enough in to focus just the camera.