My first M42...

[Mel]

Well, someone's gotta post one (apart from SteveL and TJ's mental neon piccies - which I loved btw)

This is my first go at M42 with a cooled CCD - my new SXV-H9 thru a Megrez 90 sitting atop a LX200 which was guiding with a DSI Pro II.

Filters used were RGB and L (hmm, thought I'd used Ha but checked the FITs headers and I used L), and the image is a composite of 10x5s for the central bright core and 10*60s for the outer regions. Luminance exposures were doubled and blue was 1.5. Stacked in Maxim and processed in PS.

The big problem I have now is that it's obvious I have to clean something in the imaging train, but I have duly bought myself a half litre of Isopropyl and am off to fetch some optical grade tissue asap (Jessops).

(click to enlarge)

Iain

:wave:

[Psychobilly]

Looking good for when you get rid of the carp Mel

Probably carp in a few places looking at the size and denisty of the various bunnies...

Billy...

[George]

Thats not a bad image at all Iain

You want to see the Rubbish on my image train but flats takes care of that

[Psychobilly]

Thats not a bad image at all Iain

You want to see the Rubbish on my image train but flats takes care of that

hmmm how much can they really take care off... I guess the futher away from the sensor that the carp is then the greater the improvement using flats... If there is nothing getting through as is the case with carp close to the sensor then surely they cant work miracles .... this is i supose one of the main advantages in using real rather than synthetic flats...

Any chance of a warts and all frame George to see whats beign removed by the use of flats?

Billy...

Apologies Mel for the drift away from your image to discussing flats...

[barkis]

DB's aside, it's a fine looking image Iain.

Be Careful in the cleaning process mind you.

Ron.

[MartinB]

Excellent Mel, you've put a lot of work into that image. Lots of great detail and the core is very nicely handled.

[Mel]

Thanks for the kind comments guys, and particularly thanks to MartinB without whose tutorials I'm sure my efforts would have been less impressive.

I will update you when I have cleaned some the kit. I think it must be either CCD glass dust - the small two blobs on the right, or assorted carp on the objective - the larger artifacts - since these are on all filter shots and there's nothing beyond the filters apart from the objective. I would really like to get shooting flats as well now that I am filter wheeled and so on, and there's me thinking I wouldn't have to be fiddling around at the telescope at the end of a nights imaging. Ho hum...

Cheers

Iain

[Tim]

Even tiny tiny dust blobs on the ccd would do that Iain. I find that even thick blobs or marks on the objective dont make too much difference.

Once you get a decent setup for flats, you can just do them once. They are focal length dependant, but as long as you always use the same setup then they should be useable for every sequence you do. However if you dismantle the camera and everything you may need to do them again to get everything lined up, but they dont take long.

Great pic anyways.

Do my pics really look neon at your end? I only use a laptop for processing so I have no idea what they look like on a proper screen!

TJ

[steppenwolf]

Excellent first M42, Mel

[lunator]

Iain

I would be happy to see an image like that as my 1st effort on M42

Cheers

Ian