Sadr Region in Cygnus

[carastro]

Samyang 135mm F2 lens, but I stopped it down to F2.8
Atik460EX and Baader filters on HEQ5
Ha 900 x 8 & Ha 600 X 9 total Ha 3 1/2 hours
Oiii 9 x 300 binned (45m)
Sii 8 x 300 binned (40m)
Hubble Palette + RGB (for the stars) 12 x 200 each NOT binned. Total 2 hours
Cloud stopped play on the 2nd night or would have got more Oiii and Sii.

Total imaging time (over 2 nights) 6h 55mins or 7 hours as near as damn it.
Bortle 8

Edited May 26, 2020 by carastro

[Mick J]

ooooooooooh !!   that's nice, very nice.

[astro mick]

That's a great image.You seem to be using this lens quite a lot,will this be your preferred choice for wide field shots.Nice processing too.

Mick.

[MarkAR]

Wonderful image Carole. Takes skill and patience to tease out that level of image in Bortel 8.

[happy-kat]

Like how the refraction spikes are not intrusive and quite subtle. Lovely image.

[John Nodding]

Lovely image Carol! 👍

On my target list over the long weekend, weather permitting.

Noddy

[carastro]

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That's a great image.You seem to be using this lens quite a lot,will this be your preferred choice for wide field shots.Nice processing too.

It will be my only choice for widefield.  Up until I bought this lens any previous camera lens imaging had been awful and I hardly ever did any despite telescope imaging for 10 years. 

 

Quote

Wonderful image Carole. Takes skill and patience to tease out that level of image in Bortel 8.

Thanks Mark, post processing is certainly a good part of it and takes a long time to learn how to get the best out of data, it's an on-going process and still learning.

Thanks Happy Kat and John.

Carole 

Edited May 22, 2020 by carastro

[simmo39]

Brilliant! that lens is so tempting,, Will have to wait now till we get dark skies again.

[geoflewis]

It's a superb image Carole, I'm still amazed that you can get this detail over 2 nights from Bortle 8 with very little astro dark, though maybe the astro dark makes little difference under bortle 8 skies. It's testament to the lens, but more so to your processing skills. Very well done.

[Padraic M]

Very impressive Carole, what can be done under Bortle 8. Like you I'm locked down in B8 rather than my other site which is Bortle 2 🙄 and to make matters worse, I blew my HEQ5 Pro motherboard at the start of April, trying to connect it to my laptop. Surprisingly easily done...  Have been making do with a shaky old CG-3, but glad to see that the replacement board has finally been shipped to me today.

You've inspired me to persevere after a very frustrating two months!

[carastro]

Thanks every-one.  I do find narrowband in the brighter targets works quite well in Bortle 8 skies.  Not so much broadband and not so much the less bright targets.  

Quote

I blew my HEQ5 Pro motherboard at the start of April, trying to connect it to my laptop. Surprisingly easily done...  Have been making do with a shaky old CG-3, but glad to see that the replacement board has finally been shipped to me today.

You've inspired me to persevere after a very frustrating two months!

That's awful.  But glad you are able to get a new board and carry out the repair yourself, I wouldn't have a clue. 

Lucky you though having access to Bortle 2 skies, I have never seen them, best I can get is Bortle 4 when not in lockdown.  I did come to Ireland a couple of years ago and stayed in Dingle peninsula halfway along (not in the town) and was looking forward to seeing what a really dark sky looks like, but all I saw was clouds.  ☁️

I guess it's called making the most of a bad situation.

Carole 

[Guest]

What a stunning image!

[Sterrenland]

Stunning work...amazing detail and colour.

[Padraic M]

1 hour ago, carastro said:

Thanks every-one.  I do find narrowband in the brighter targets works quite well in Bortle 8 skies.  Not so much broadband and not so much the less bright targets.  

That's awful.  But glad you are able to get a new board and carry out the repair yourself, I wouldn't have a clue. 

Lucky you though having access to Bortle 2 skies, I have never seen them, best I can get is Bortle 4 when not in lockdown.  I did come to Ireland a couple of years ago and stayed in Dingle peninsula halfway along (not in the town) and was looking forward to seeing what a really dark sky looks like, but all I saw was clouds.  ☁️

I guess it's called making the most of a bad situation.

Carole 

Sometimes I think it's a Dark Sky Reserve because it rains so much! I stay on the more southerly peninsula. It's stunning when it's clear though, and it looks like it will be late July/August before the next trip is possible.

[carastro]

I am also wondering when I shall get back to Astro Camp.  JUly and august will be heaving with non Astronomers if indeed the camp is open, so I don;t think I will attempt to go again until September, all being well and we don't get a 2nd peak of CV.  I am booked for Kelling Heath in Norfolk in October, but  even if it is open i have to find some accommodation as I had to sell my campervan as it was needing some expensive repairs and wasn't prepared to tax and insure is and pay for parking until the autumn without it being used and STILL needing expensive repair.  

So ideally will book one of the Norfolk Caravans that they deliver to the site, but don't want to book it until I know everything is going ahead.  Can't use a tent even if I bought one as my pitch has been converted to hard standing.

Carole  

[toxic]

very nice indeed Carol

[carastro]

Thanks guys for your really nice comments.

Carole 

[Tommohawk]

Thats really nice Carole -  lots going on there! Great that you can get some fine imaging done whilst confined to Bortle 8 barracks!

[carastro]

Thanks Tom.

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Bortle 8 barracks!

Lol

Carole 

[Nick Smith]

That's great Carole, A really beautiful picture

[carastro]

Thanks Nick

[Erling G-P]

Very nice image!  Amazing what can be done with a mere 135mm!

[carastro]

Thanks Erling, yes I am very impressed with this lens.

Carole 

[newbie alert]

Really nice Carole,  thanks for sharing

[carastro]

Thank you Newbie Alert.  You might want to change that Avatar name later on ha ha.

Carole