First DSO with 72ED

[AstroExploring]

Hey everyone

Up until now I've been using my Star Adventurer and taken a few reasonable images until my lens fogged up and I had to pack up and come back inside. Santa was kind to me this year and got me a second-hand HEQ5, 72ED, flattener/reducer & dew strap with controller. Somehow the clouds managed to stay away for a couple of hours yesterday evening and I was able to test it all out. Below is my final stacked image of Andromeda using:

50x 2-minute exposures

25x darks

30x flats

50x bias

It's my first time using flats and bias, I'm not sure the flats came out right but I'll keep experimenting should we ever get some nice weather again! I'm really pleased with the final image but think my Photoshop skills need to significantly imrpove.

Cheers

Nick

[Spaced Out]

That's a fantastic pic ! I'd be proper chuffed with that as my first image with new gear.

I'm a novice but learning about this stuff is all part of the fun (and occasionally frustration too !). I'm sure you’ll learn a few little photoshop tricks over time but tbh I think you've done a really good job with this already !

[AstroExploring]

1 minute ago, Spaced Out said:

That's a fantastic pic ! I'd be proper chuffed with that as my first image with new gear.

I'm a novice but learning about this stuff is all part of the fun (and occasionally frustration too !). I'm sure you’ll learn a few little photoshop tricks over time but tbh I think you've done a really good job with this already !

Thanks, really appreciate it! It helps that I already had polar alignment down because of using the Star Adventurer. I've actually had the HEQ5 for a couple of weeks because it's second hand so I've been calibrating the home position and practicing alignment with it. It meant that when I went outside for my first imaging session yesterday I was confident in setting it all up. It's just the calibration frames and image processing that I need to get better at now. Really pleased with my progress! 

[happy-kat]

Sounds like you've got lots mastered. You might like the book 'dark art or magic bullet' for processing or I believe member @carastro has an online guide to Photoshop processing though I don't recall the link.

[AstroExploring]

26 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

Sounds like you've got lots mastered. You might like the book 'dark art or magic bullet' for processing or I believe member @carastro has an online guide to Photoshop processing though I don't recall the link.

Thanks I’ll be sure to check that out 

[Spaced Out]

3 hours ago, AstroExploring said:

It's just the calibration frames and image processing that I need to get better at now. Really pleased with my progress! 

I'm just learning about calibration frames at the moment too. Never bothered with them before, too lazy and when I did try them a couple of times it never worked very well. Anyway I've decided it's time to try again and see if I can learn to use them properly this time.

Youtube has a few tutorials when it comes to astrophotography processing in photoshop, I learnt a few basic bits from there, worth having a browse. There are also some photoshop actions you can buy for about £15 or so.... I guess they’re a reasonable short cut.

https://www.prodigitalsoftware.com/AstronomyToolsActions.html

 

[George Gearless]

Great picture. You must be very pleased with the result.

I know I would be.

As far as photoshop skills are concerned; once you have the data on your harddrive,  you can sit and fiddle about with it as much as you want. It's not going anywhere.

[happy-kat]

I can't find a link to Carol's Photoshop articles but to get started then Doug on budgetastro.net had some starting guides on processing on DSS and Photoshop and they got me started.

[carastro]

Quote

I believe member @carastro has an online guide to Photoshop processing though I don't recall the link.

I have done quite a few tutorials on various aspects of processing.  There are 13 in all.  This is a link to my website tutorial page which lists them all giving the links to You Tube where they are posted:

https://sites.google.com/site/caroleastroimaging/home/video-tutorials 

Carole 

 

Edited December 27, 2019 by carastro

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very nice result indeed, I would be very pleased with that indeed . I don't know which stacking software you use, but I have found Astro Pixel Processor a huge step up from DSS, and I require far less tweaking afterwards. 

[rickwayne]

VERY nice. Great detail in the disk, while not blowing out the core (at least not anything but the very center, if that).

[AstroExploring]

2 hours ago, rickwayne said:

VERY nice. Great detail in the disk, while not blowing out the core (at least not anything but the very center, if that).

Thanks very much! Really appreciate it