M42 - Star Adventurer & S/W ED72

[daemon]

Hi All,

 

The following is an M42 image from 29th December 2019 from the UK South Coast in a rare spell of clear sky this winter. The sky was only clear for a limited time so I just set-up my new 'grab & go' set-up and hooked up my DSLR. I had limited time before the clouds rolled in but was reasonably pleased with the data I could grab in a limited time frame. It is also the first time I can really say that I got PHD to run properly! Of course with the Star Adventurer you can only guide in RA. The RMS fluctuated a bit and the results were not perfect but it's a start.

 

I took darks and bias (flats the next day) and stacked the results in DSS. All the processing done in GIMP (which I am still getting to grips with). I know I have probably over clipped the black point and I can see some light pollution gradient but thought I'd post this anyway.

 

All in all I am really pleased with the first results from my new Star Adventurer and SW ED72. The fact that it is so fast to set-up means that sadly it is probably going to get a lot more use than my main rig.

 

Criticism and Comments welcome.

 

Happy New Year and Clear Skies to all in 2020!

 

Daemon Steve

 

Image Details

34 (60 second) Lights - ISO 800

20 Darks

40 Bias

30 Flats

Mount - Skywatcher Star Adventurer

Scope - Skywatcher ED72 (Flattener/Reducer not used)

Camera - Nikon D5300 DSLR

Guiding - PHD (ZWO Mini Guide Scope & Altair GPCAM2 - RA Only)

Bortle 5'ish sky.

[Davey-T]

Nice result, there are few Y'Tube videos on processing M42, dimming the bright bits and enhancing the dim bits, mostly P'Shop but should apply to GIMP.

Dave

[daemon]

Thanks Dave! Yes, I've spent a lot of time on YT going through the various videos for GIMP - so my result is a bit of a mix of what I have learned so far. I haven't found (yet) what I would call a definitive processing guide to GIMP but then a lot of processing is also largely dependent on the source data I imagine.

Cheers,

Steve