Markarian's Chain And M87

[DaveS]

OK, this is only 1 1/2 hour's data, 6x300 sec in each of RGB with my new ASI183 on the 80mm f/4.4 TS Astrograph, through ZWO filters. Camera setting for Max Dynamic Range. Calibrated with Dark, Flat, and Bias frames. Captured in Maxim DL6, processed in AstroArt 5. After Sigma Add stacking an initial Adaptive Divide gradient removal was performed before RGB synthesis. After synthesis a white balance was done, then an Adaptive Subtract gadient removal. A round of DDP, then several rounds of Histogram Stretch with some Low Pass filtering between rounds.

This is the full, uncropped frame. You can still see a touch of amp glow which Dark Frames didn't quite remove. The FITS file of this is 115MB, a bit big to post!

[kirkster501]

Nice composition Dave of a fascinating area of the sky but could use more data.  Looks like it is not going to be easy to get said data over the next week by the looks of the forecast.

[DaveS]

Thanks, yes the data is a bit thin, and the night was rubbish. As I posted in the Imaging > Deep Sky section, when I started even Delta Leonis was barely visible, by the time I finished (Gave up, more like) even the "Sickle" of Leo was becoming difficult to see.

Definitely need more, and above all *better* data. Need to get rid of that horrid tilt, and some Luminance wouldn't go amiss. It'll be a race between the moon getting out of the way and the ever shortening Astro-Dark, with the weather just adding to the "fun" (Not).