My first dark-sky year

[DaveS]

Although I moved from my old home in SQI 18.25 Ruislip to SQI 21.66 Bride Valley during December 2018, it was only in January 2019 that I started imaging using my Star Adventurer and old SLR lenses. Since then I have managed to get my telescope set up for "proper" DSO imaging. So, with no more ado, on to the images

The first image was a wide field of Orion with a 35mm f/2.8 Leitz Elmarit-R and ASI1600, in HRGB Unfortunately I didn't see a fine telephone cable that ran through my field, giving huge star spikes. Stil, it's the first I did so here it is.

Pleased to have picked up Barnard's Loop.

Then swapped lenses for a 180mm f/3.4 Leitz Apo-Telyt-R, and went for a close up of the Sword and Flame in HaLRGB. Unfortunately I accidentally turned the aperture ring when focusing for the L so it was at f/5.6 instead of full aperture, giving huge spikes.

Exposures in these cases were, I think, 90 seconds to avoid trailing, with gain at 0.

There was then a long gap until the beginning of May while I set up the HEQ5 and Megrez 90 for imaging with a 0.79X reducer and ASI1600, in time (Just) for Galaxy Season, managing to image Markarian's Chain. I had tried this from Ruislip, but the results were rubbish. This is a basic LRGB image, no point adding HII as there isn't any to speak of.

I just managed to include M87 in the lower left corner. 

Then yet another long gap until the beginning of August, when I had the main rig of TS 130mm f/7 Apo with SX694 on DDM 60 set up on the platform I had built for it. My target was now the Crescent Nebula in Cygnus. After chasing blind alleys with [NII] (I thought, as a WR object there might have been significant signal) I ended up with a HOO rendition, blending HII and [OIII] for the green channel. This gave what I consider to be best rendition, though not scientifically accurate.

Then into September and revisiting one of the first NB targets I had tried, M27, the Dumbell, back in 2014. This was another HOO, due to running out of time. I hope to be able to add [NII] next year as I know this target has a strong signal. I just managed to pick up some of the outer shells. Another project for next year.

I then left the local nebulae for something a bit further away, the Deer Lick group and Stephan's Quintet, which would just fit on the SX694 sensor. This was a long run, managing to gather 17 1/2 hours data in LRGB, my longest to date. Again I had tried this from Ruislip but the results were so bad that I binned them.

My last image (Phew!) was just into this year when I had another go at M33, the Triangulum Spiral. This has quite a low surface brightness so is more difficult than the nominal magnitude might suggest. For this I added 2 hours HII in 10 minute subs. I had swapped cameras for the ASI1600 again, and put a 0.75X reducer in the train. This is 10 hours of HaLRGB as 2 hour stacks of 10 min subs.

So there we have it, a somewhat mixed bad of seven images over the year. What I have found is that there really is no substitute for a dark site, as even NB imaging is much easier and rewarding, and for LRGB there is no contest.

C&C welcome as always, and I will try to provide more information if I can.

 

 

 

[Skyline]

Impressive M33, I was trying my hand at IC434 the other night, but the moon glow was too much, I think I've missed it this year !

Nadeem.

[Gina]

Very nice Dave

[Marvin Jenkins]

Wow, like a hall of fame.

Marv

[DaveS]

Thanks folks.

There's one more I forgot, Melotte 15 in the heart of the Heart. This is one I've been struggling with for some months, finally producing a NHO rendition, after binning my first attempts, back in July (I think). This was done at the end of November / beginning of December. Not really up to the standard of the others but I'm including it for completeness.

Again this is another project for next year, when I hope to be able explore the [SII] signal. which is very weak, so will need a long integration.

[Davey-T]

Blimey Dave, time flies when you're getting old, seems like just last week you moved house 😂

Dave

[DaveS]

Indeed it does Dave, had to remind myself it was late 2018 (!) when I moved here.

I'm more than a little surprised that I managed 8 halfway decent images, what with the upheavals of moving house and settling in, getting the platform built for the telescope, and fighting seemingly endless battles with recalcitrant hardware and software. Plus, of course, the largely rubbish weather we've had recently and losing three of the clearest, darkest nights in December with being immobile with a trapped nerve. Ouch!

Ah well, onwards and upwards, to infinity and beyond!

[assouptro]

Nice medley of images and a great diary of a year spent under the heavens 

My favorite is the deer lick group with stephan's quintet  but they are all great images!

Thanks for sharing 

Bryan

[DaveS]

Thanks Bryan. I agree, the Deer Lick and Stephan's Quintet is the one that I'm most happy with.

[assouptro]

1 minute ago, DaveS said:

Thanks Bryan. I agree, the Deer Lick and Stephan's Quintet is the one that I'm most happy with.

I guess it's down to the time spent acquiring the data?, It would appear there is no substitute to collecting photons! 

[DaveS]

Time helps, but you run into diminishing returns eventually, plus the quality of the photons also helps, a dark sky gets the quality fast. I think I may leave Deer and Stephan for now, since to get noticeable improvement I'll probably have to double the integration time, so another 17 1/2 hours. I think I may well have a go at getting another 10 hours on M33 though, as that's likely to be more doable. M27 is also on the hit list for more photons.

[bob-c]

A nice set of images there Dave. Have you thaught about doing your first image of Orion again if possible to see how the brightness of Betelgeuse compares...

Bob.

[DaveS]

Had thought of it, but the ASI1600 is on the 130 f/7 Apo ready for galaxies, and I don't have another one. I did notice, when I was putting the set together, how much brighter Betelgeuse was compared to now, very noticeable.

[bob-c]

2 minutes ago, DaveS said:

Had thought of it, but the ASI1600 is on the 130 f/7 Apo ready for galaxies, and I don't have another one. I did notice, when I was putting the set together, how much brighter Betelgeuse was compared to now, very noticeable.

Okay Dave, I understand thanks for the reply. Roll on some clear moonless nights for galaxies.

[tomato]

Mighty fine images, NGC 7331 and M33 are the stand outs for me, but galaxies are my favourite DSOs.

Great that you are getting the benefit of the darker sky, I find it does make you want to go for ever longer integration times, and that’s another frustration in the UK.

[MartinB]

A marvellous set of images Dave.  I think cameras like the ASI 1600, with a decent sized chip and small pixels, coupled with camera lenses are having a big influence on astro images and your widefield pics demonstrate why.

[ollypenrice]

Great stuff, Dave.

I thought that M27 and M33 were getting a bit bright towards the cores and might benefit from a gentle easing down of the upper brightnesses.

Tremendous Quintet.

Olly

[DaveS]

Many thanks for the vote of confidence Olly.

I'll have another look at M27 and M33, though I *may* hold off doing anything drastic until I have more data, M27 in particular is a very thin data set.