Final F9 Bubble

[MattJenko]

First real foray into long FL imaging. Many thanks to all those who helped me out in my voyage of discovery thread with advice and encouragement. This is final version - for a while at least!

This is the often imaged Bubble Nebula in the Northern Skies. This was taken with my astro bargain of the decade Altair Astro RC6 at native F9 (1370 FL). Atik 414ex camera on the mighty HEQ5. I decided to really go for it for this image, so went for a complete night's session per channel and to get as much Ha data as I could stomach. HaRGB image.

Baader RGB - 5 mins subs each. One session per channel ~ 60 subs each.

Ha - Chroma 3nm - 38 x 20 mins subs - 3 sessions. 29 hours total!

Processed in PixInsight in the end. I tried Photoshop, but my skills were just too rusty! Another day maybe...

 

[RobertI]

Awesome Matt. You tempted to do more long focal length imaging?

Just out of interest do you have a tilt adjuster for your RC6 as I am thinking of getting one.

[MattJenko]

Thanks Rob! I did think I may need a tilt adjuster, but thought it would just confuse matters as I had enough different factors to get right to start with, which is also why I went native FL even though I have a 0.67 reducer. I don't think I need one for how it is working as it stands, and given it works, I am very loathe to touch it now :). I have a baader diamond and the motorfocuser, but couldn't even work that out so focused manually with a bahtinov mask for this image, which is another factor in doing a single channel per session!

This image has changed my plans to be honest, I was not expecting an F9 setup on an HEQ5 to be much use to me as a DSO setup. It was earmarked for photometry and spectroscopy work, I was just playing around to get everything collimated etc first. The Chroma filter was just being tested as well, that was earmarked for my AA115. Given it has managed this, I am not touching it and having it as a long FL rig :). I will move all the science plans to my Mewlon, which I have just bought the Tak reducer flattener for and will give that a go. Even longer FL for that one, at 1700 reduced though !!

[Chris]

That's as deep and detailed as you like! Nicely processes too. Well worth the multiple nights work, well done  

 

[RobertI]

7 minutes ago, MattJenko said:

Thanks Rob! I did think I may need a tilt adjuster, but thought it would just confuse matters as I had enough different factors to get right to start with, which is also why I went native FL even though I have a 0.67 reducer. I don't think I need one for how it is working as it stands, and given it works, I am very loathe to touch it now :). I have a baader diamond and the motorfocuser, but couldn't even work that out so focused manually with a bahtinov mask for this image, which is another factor in doing a single channel per session!

This image has changed my plans to be honest, I was not expecting an F9 setup on an HEQ5 to be much use to me as a DSO setup. It was earmarked for photometry and spectroscopy work, I was just playing around to get everything collimated etc first. The Chroma filter was just being tested as well, that was earmarked for my AA115. Given it has managed this, I am not touching it and having it as a long FL rig :). I will move all the science plans to my Mewlon, which I have just bought the Tak reducer flattener for and will give that a go. Even longer FL for that one, at 1700 reduced though !!

Sounds sensible Matt, really looking forward to seeing some more long focal length images. Thinking that some of the small bright planetaries like the Cat's eye might work, although still pretty small even at that focal length?

The reason for asking about the tilt adjuster is that I cant get any lower than F4.5 with my EAA system (RC6+x0.33+Filterwheel+lodestar) without coma like effects, thinking it might be collimation/tilt. If i put a cheshire in the drawer tube without the imaging train in place it looks perfectly collimated, but if i put in the imaging train and cheshire on the end it is not collimated anymore, so thinking a tilt adjuster required? I don't want to derail your thread so I can add a separate thread if required. 

[cfpendock]

That's very nicely detailed, and you've managed to retain the "shinyness" of the bubble. And f9 on an HEQ5?  Not bad at all!

Chris 

[MattJenko]

8 minutes ago, cfpendock said:

That's very nicely detailed, and you've managed to retain the "shinyness" of the bubble. And f9 on an HEQ5?  Not bad at all!

Chris 

Thanks Chris - you should have seen my first attempts  - persistence and some good advice and encouragement are the reason this worked out for me.

[MattJenko]

27 minutes ago, Lockie said:

That's as deep and detailed as you like! Nicely processes too. Well worth the multiple nights work, well done  

 

Cheers Chris - Once the results came out from the first session, I was committed to a long one

[Sp@ce_d]

Brilliant, you’ve really made a great job putting the effort in. So much sharper yet not overdone. Nice detail and you went with all PI in the end too. I gave mine a rest, it’s just too easy to be nearly there & then oops it’s overcooked. Pleased you cracked it in the end.. gives me some hope ?