Double Cluster

[nucdoc]

One of my favourites, both for visual and for AP.  When this one is visible from my location,  I always end each session with a look at it.

Have not seen either the sun, or stars here for nearly 3 weeks, and have only had 3 imaging nights in the last month so decided to go back to some of my images from November that I have never bothered to post

Thanks for looking

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

Imaging telescope or lens: Takahashi FSQ 106N f/5

Imaging camera: Atik 383L+ mono

Mount: Meade LX850 Starlock

Software: Adobe Photoshop CC (64 Bit),  PixInsight,  Main Sequence Software SequenceGeneratorPro 2.4

Filters: Astronomik CLS CCD 2",  Astronomik LRGB IIc

Frames: Astronomik LRGB IIc: 30x600" -20C bin 1x1

Integration: 5.0 hours

Locations: Home, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

[Barry-Wilson]

Very nice mark - a scattering of jewels.

Perhaps ever so slightly too dark sky and blue-ish cast?

I am being picky though.  Super image.

[nucdoc]

Thanks Barry, I appreciate your comments.  I agree, was a bit to aggressive with color saturation tool in PI.

What I could never get right were the stars at the centre of NGC 869, I used a mask, and tried the star shrink plugin in PS, this was the most I could shrink them, if I pushed further I would get really bad geometric distortion.  These were only 5 minute subs, perhaps I need even shorter subs ?

 

Mark

[MartinB]

I like the colour!!

I once looked at cloud stats across the world.  The UK was the cloudiest country but there were parts of Canada that were as bad, I guess that includes Toronto!

[nucdoc]

Thanks Martin, we usually have some cloud this time of year, but this has been an unseasonably warm january, usually -5 to -10c, but instead +6 with rain for almost 2 weeks, this has resulted in clouds and fog, almost like being in the UK   I like it when its colder, at least the skies tend to be better

 

Mark