M106 RGB

[Explorer 190 MN]

Hello all it has been years since I posted here and two years since I had my telescope fired up due to tramatic life events, bad weather and trying to get a system that really works almost there...

So this is my first astro image in two years I almost forgot how to use the imaging setup and really forgot lots of processing tricks. This image has had some very basic processing done to it. The Moon was almost full so I had to pick the galaxy out of the moonlight filled subs. I kept the subs short so as not to fill the CCD chip with moonlight and to not over saturate the stars so as to keep their colour. I hope this came out Ok as I am using  TV screen for processing and I am not sure of the calibration. I did try online calibration sites so fingers crossed!! If it looks freakish in anyway please let me know so I can adjust the screen properly.  

So this is as far far away as the moon would permit an incredible 25 million light years away !! So if a light year is about 5879000000000000 miles away then 25 million light years would be ...... hmmmm smoke came out of the calculator when I tried to calculate it... Ill just pop out and get a abacus brb! 

I took the subs over 2 nights February 25 2018 and Febuary 26 2018

48 x 300 sec Lum  Binned 1x1
15 x 60 sec Red    Binned 2x2
15 x 60 sec Green  Binned 2x2
15 x 60 sec Blue    Binned 2x2
Total exposure 4.75 hours

Calibration
429 Bias 1x1
93   Bais 2x2
93 Dark frames 300 sec binned 1x1
81 Dark frames  60sec binned 2x2
18 Flat frames for each  LRGB

To create this image I use Maxim DL for camera controll, SX AO controll, filterwheel ect. I then used Pixinsight to process the image.
Very basic because I have forgotten loads, basically
Calibrated , Registered, Subs interagerad LRGB, Colour calibrated using Pixinsight Photometric Colour Calibration, Background Normalisation, Deconvolution, Histogram Stretches,  LRGB combination, More histogram stretches, Curves like a gazillion iterations to snap the galaxy out of the moonlight, Saturation adjustment, Histogram

RC 250 TT
CGE Pro corrected with a TDM
Feather Touch focuser with Feather touch Micro focus motor
SX LF AO
SX Slim OAG
SX Lodestar
Atik 460ex Mono
Atik FW2 9 filters 1,25"
Baadar 1,25" LRGB filters