M33 - A story of many firsts

[dannybgoode]

So this is the outcome of the culmination of many firsts.  First time using an EQDir cable and the PC to control the mount, first attempt at using plate solving alone to find a target, first time running a fully automated imaging sequence (via APT in this case), first attempt at any meaningful guiding and first attempt at a galaxy.

Even having done a dry run indoors it still took me a couple of hours to get everything set up and working outdoors; getting ASPS to work properly with APT and Stellarium was a pain but I got there.  As a consequence I only got an hour's worth of data and end up with 3x300" subs in each LRGB and high cloud didn't help.  I reckon that I lost about 1 1/2 hours to general faffing trying to get it all running

I tried stacking and combining as a colour image but the haze ruins it and I just don't have enough data so in the end decided to stack and combine all 12 frames in mono for now.  Bortle 8 skies where I am too which doesn't help.

To be fair I am pretty happy.  Learned an awful lot last night and the end result has an amount of detail.  I am a little disappointed as I would have like to have nailed a colour version and would have liked more structure but on the plus side each sub was usable in terms of the stars staying round, no trails and the like so the guiding was good.  Given the industrial spec focuser I have as well I am pretty please with the focus.

I will also now be able to set everything up much quicker next time and will certainly be revisiting this target and trying to get at least 3 hours worth on it in an evening and build on it from there.

300" x 12 (3 each in LRGB combined in mono, Starlight Xpress SX674M cooled to -15c, SX filter wheel, TMB 105/f6.2, SW AZ EQ6GT and Altair Astro 60mm guidescope and 183M guide camera.  Processed in Nebulosity 4

[Allinthehead]

On a night of so many firsts it's amazing you got anything.👍

[DaveS]

Imaging any galaxy from a Bortle 8 location is an uphill struggle (I know. Before I moved here I lived in London), and M33 is of surprisingly low surface brightness, so very well done for imaging it at all.

Even more so for overcoming so many firsts.

[dannybgoode]

Been messing around for hours with the subs on this trying to improve it but have come to the conclusion that there simply isn't enough data so I'll just have to try and get more next clear night - whenever that might be!  This is the best I think I can get it - processed using APP and PS CC using various Astronomy Tools plug-ins.  Processing is a whole new learning area for me too!

I'm torn between being frustrated as it has not turned out how I wanted at all but also taking the positives from what was a decent night of learning how to get all the kit to hang together.  Ah well, such is the nature of our hobby

 

 

Edited November 21, 2019 by dannybgoode

[Laurin Dave]

I think you should be hugely encouraged by what you have achieved, getting all that working in one evening is no mean feat in itself, your stars are nice and round so your guiding is working well and for only one hour of LRGB on a low surface brightness object (mag 22.8 apparently) in Bortle 8 it's good.

Dave

[dannybgoode]

11 hours ago, Laurin Dave said:

I think you should be hugely encouraged by what you have achieved, getting all that working in one evening is no mean feat in itself, your stars are nice and round so your guiding is working well and for only one hour of LRGB on a low surface brightness object (mag 22.8 apparently) in Bortle 8 it's good.

Dave

Thanks Dave. You’re right and I’ll take the positives. My little boy is happy and it’s for him I took the image - trying to get him a bit interested in it all. 
 

Just need some more clear nights and I can carry on and improve it more. Lots of targets up there as well and even with my light polluted skies at least I know I’ll get some of them