Homage to Mr Toet!

[ollypenrice]

When Maurice posted his (wider field) version of this NGC654 area I realized what a disgraceful affair my own version was. Thoroughly lack lustre. Embarrassing. Oh dear oh dear. So I reprocessed from the stacks, this time having the wit not to hold down the stars in the stretching because the stars are what the image is all about. It looked a bit more lively that way.

However, Tom (with whom I captured this data in the TEC) suggested that the spikes, created naturally in Maurice's Tak Epsilon, probably gave the image a lift. So I did what I thought I would never ever do and asked Noel Carboni to crucify my stars. And, you know, after sleeping on it I think I quite like it. This once.

lly

[Gina]

Wonderful Olly   I prefer your original without the spikes.

[Astroscot2]

For some reason I don't mind the spikes when they are natural -  the first version for me, you get to peer into the clusters without the spikes or square stars. Very nice image.

Mark

[Stub Mandrel]

I used the action to put spikes on the Pleiades for my 2015 Christmas Card, I think they look nice when you want an 'arty' shot that makes the great uninitiated say 'wow did you take that'?

[ollypenrice]

31 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I used the action to put spikes on the Pleiades for my 2015 Christmas Card, I think they look nice when you want an 'arty' shot that makes the great uninitiated say 'wow did you take that'?

That's a lot of spikes! If we took them for comic effect we could call them Milligans.

Olly

[RichLD]

Those stars are so pretty, with or without the spikes! Definitely #1 for me though, lovely!

[PhotoGav]

What???? Is it April 1st?

Please Olly, stop quaffing the Pernod and leave those spikes out of it.

Version 1 looks lovely.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

I'm going to market aftermarket spiders to allow spicularly-challenged refractor owners to put them in without Photoshop.

Puny artificial spikes:

Genuine 'Milligan Brand' Spikes:

[wimvb]

Quelle horreur!

But I actually quite like it in this image. Spikes lift it.

+ for image 2

[Pompey Monkey]

Huzzah for the stars, spikes or no spikes!

 

[mftoet]

However, Tom (with whom I captured this data in the TEC) suggested that the spikes, created naturally in Maurice's Tak Epsilon, probably gave the image a lift. So I did what I thought I would never ever do and asked Noel Carboni to crucify my stars. And, you know, after sleeping on it I think I quite like it. This once.

I don't believe what I just read. I like spikes from an aesthetic point of view (though I'm not a fan of artificial ones).

 

[ollypenrice]

The spikes are not to be taken seriously! However, if ever I were to use an image as a Christmas Card I might well follow Stub Mandrel's lead and give it the Milligans.

Maybe one moonless Christmas Eve we'll step outside and see a starry sky littered with twinkling spikes before hearing from above the scratchy voice of The Famous Eccles saying, 'I been runnin around de stars with dese bits of string-type string, you see.'

Olly

PS, Don't worry, Christmas is always over before I remember to write any Christmas Cards...

[Stub Mandrel]

Wrong way round!:-) The first pic was with a cheap Bresser achromat and had Noel's spikes grafted on. Image 2 was with the 130P-DS and they are real spikes. (Needs more integration time, it was only 20 minutes of subs and low down in modest LP)

[nucdoc]

I like the first one, as well.  When I stated here, I really liked the spikes, but they have lost their lustre for me.

[Alien 13]

There are spikes and spikes but the Tak Epsilon does make exceedingly good spikes.

Alan

[Stub Mandrel]

Real (newtownian) spikes are easy to spot, they are rarely aligned with the picture frame, Noel's are unless you crop and rotate (I note I did thins in my Pleiades cheat ).

[ollypenrice]

Real spikes are also offset on one axis, normally. The vanes on one axis attach to the secondary high on one side and low on the other.

 I knew I should never have mentioned or posted the blinking spikes! I blame Milligan! But there is, indeed, a better class of spike. I cannot tolerate these parvenu spikes which were quaffing beer in Wigan last week and are now necking champagne under fancy hats at Ascot. We know the right kind of spike when we see it. I can feel a novel coming on: A Very British Kind Of Spike. 

Mick.

(I don't feel like signing this post with my real name.)

[Stub Mandrel]

 Spike 'U' Like  TM