Galactic collision

[gorann]

I and Wim are doing our best to fill up this forum with what we find to process on the Liverpool Telescope site. But what else could we do up here in Sweden where the night is twilight for several months?

Here is today's contribution from me: Two colliding galaxies. Even if this is only 20 subs and 30 min (!) of data I think it stands its ground with the help of 2 m of aperture.

Subs used and filters:
5 x 90 s of sdss-r (red channel)
5 x 90 s of Bessell V (green channel)
10 x 90 s of Bessell B + sdss-g (blue channel)
 

[wimvb]

Now that nights are too bright for any decent ap (and in my case, the camera too warm), they are also cloudless. Go figure.

But the LT archives are a real treasure trove. With my own data, I spent most of my time chasing hot pixels and noise. With LT data, I can finally learn some other tools in my PixInsight toolbox.

Btw, also a nice image, Göran. I have found a few other interacting galaxies in the archives, data is of varying quality.

Check the gallery at this site for inspiration

http://annesastronomynews.com

[gorann]

1 hour ago, wimvb said:

Now that nights are too bright for any decent ap (and in my case, the camera too warm), they are also cloudless. Go figure.

But the LT archives are a real treasure trove. With my own data, I spent most of my time chasing hot pixels and noise. With LT data, I can finally learn some other tools in my PixInsight toolbox.

Btw, also a nice image, Göran. I have found a few other interacting galaxies in the archives, data is of varying quality.

Check the gallery at this site for inspiration

http://annesastronomynews.com

Thanks, and yes it is quite annoying that we now have clear nights. I am onto LT M88 now.

[DaveS]

A preview of our own situation in about 4 billion years time.

[gorann]

18 hours ago, DaveS said:

A preview of our own situation in about 4 billion years time.

Is not about the same time as our sun will expand and engulf us? Wonder what will be worst....

[wimvb]

Congratulations, Göran.

Image of the day on astrobin!

Well done.

[gorann]

55 minutes ago, wimvb said:

Congratulations, Göran.

Image of the day on astrobin!

Well done.

Wow!

Thanks for bringing me the news Wim. Must have done something right, or maybe someone mixed up the images at Astrobin - I cannot remember the last time I won something.

[simmo39]

Another wow image! amazing.

[gorann]

3 minutes ago, simmo39 said:

Another wow image! amazing.

Thanks Simmo!

and my first winner too. Have to pop something tonight....

[ollypenrice]

You made a good job of this. I continue to be interested in the implications of pure aperture, as opposed to aperture in connection with F ratio, in these images you're doing.

Olly

[gorann]

6 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

You made a good job of this. I continue to be interested in the implications of pure aperture, as opposed to aperture in connection with F ratio, in these images you're doing.

Olly

Thanks Olly, much appreciated!

After two years into AP I am of course ecstatic about getting an IOTD, although I am a bit puzzled that I got the award on this 30 min data image. Maybe it was because there are not many good images out there on this object. If I was on the jury I would have picked one of the other LT data images that I (and Wim) have been processing. We unfortunate Swedes have nothing else to do right now, so I am sure more are coming out until we emptied the store at the end of the summer.

[mikeskor]

Impressive. Even more so because I have little or no idea of how you do this.

[wimvb]

15 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

You made a good job of this. I continue to be interested in the implications of pure aperture, as opposed to aperture in connection with F ratio, in these images you're doing.

Olly

I think that it's the combination of aperture (optical resolution, and light gathering power) and pixel size & focal length (sampling resolution) that is important.

Large pixels (LT telescope:15 microns) have larger full well depth, which means that they can handle all those photons coming in.

That combination is hard to beat by any amateur or single professional astrophotographer.