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So done with M101!


SyedT

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The rhyming was completely unintentional! However, I feel like I've processed this to death by now! A very tricky target, where pulling detail from one region can mean overdoing another. I've left it with a more "ethereal" and glowing look, rather than chasing after the intricate detail that is no doubt present there. Maybe I'll come back to it later at some point.

Equipment:

Atik 490EX
Atik EFW2
Chroma LRGB filters
Atik OAG
Primaluce Lab Esatto 2” Robotic Focuser
Celestron Edge HD 8"
Celestron 0.7x Reducer for Edge HD 8"
Avalon M-Uno
Pegasus Ultimate Powerbox
Intel NUC Mini PC

L: 600 x 60s = 10 hours
R: 130 x 120s = 4 hours 20 mins
G: 130 x 120s = 4 hours 20 mins
B: 130 x 120s = 4 hours 20 mins

Dark, flat and bias frames applied
Processed in AstroPixelProcessor & Pixinsight
Bortle 5 skies

Major credit to APP for processing the data from multiple nights in a painless workflow without skipping a beat!

M101_logo.thumb.png.7c36b4dba5e8fac9f2e7cd3627cae6e4.png

Edited by SyedT
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12 hours ago, Nick Smith said:

Great Image!  I like the processing.  With my image I caved into "peer pressure" and made it more saturated with more sharpening. Like you say, it is hard to get a result you are satisfied with...

Thanks Nick! I reprocessed quite a lot with additional data (initially 2h RGB), and found that adding the extra RGB made all the as it definitely stopped Luminance from overpowering RGB. I know this can be done via adjusting weights in PI etc, but what I've realised is that there's no real substitute for more data. I really had to hold back with sharpening and saturation, as I usually go all out and end up overdoing it!

12 hours ago, Paul M said:

Lovely gentle colours in the star clouds of the spiral arms. Very nice image!

Thanks Paul, the aim was to get the colours a bit more subtle than my usual, good to see that's been somewhat successful!

2 hours ago, carastro said:

Superb image and processing.  

Carole 

Thanks Carole!

1 hour ago, geoflewis said:

That's an absolutely cracking image; I think the processing is excellent. If I could get anything close to that I be less 'so done....' and more 'so proud...'

Thanks Geof, means a lot! 

21 minutes ago, apophisOAS said:

Great job , your kit is obviously working optimally. How do you find the 2" Focuser as i have the earlier one from them(Half the price!!)?

Roger

Thanks Roger! The Esatto is a superb piece of kit, it hasn't skipped a beat with carrying my kit and is rock solid with precise movements. I already had the 3" version for my FSQ85-EDX and it performed so well that I decided to get it for the Edge as well. Autofocusing has been a dream!

My kit at the moment is suboptimal in terms of spacing distance due to the Esatto's optical length, as the distance between the 490EX and the reducer is 135.2 mm, and the optimal quoted spacing is 106 mm! (105 mm + 1 mm for 1/3 of filter thickness). However, I messaged Primaluce Lab about this as I really wanted to use the Esatto and they stated that although the spacing should be 106 mm, they had a customer whose spacing was off by a good amount and they managed fine. I guess this is proof for me! If I pixel-peep then maybe I can see some star distortion, but that doesn't really matter to me as long as the overall image looks reasonable.

9 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

Really excellent work. The colour looks just right on my iPad screen. 

Thank you! Colour is something I struggle with, so this is good to know!

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21 hours ago, alan potts said:

That is as good as any image I have seen of this, nicely done too. would be nice to get some scope time here, terrible weather for May, one day 36c next 12c. most odd.

alan

Thanks Alan, really appreciate it! Temperatures have been odd these last few days here, luckily the thermal currents settle down relatively quickly so the Edge doesn't suffer too much later on. True darkness is also diminishing but I'm still able to get a reasonable 3-4 hours.

20 hours ago, david_taurus83 said:

Cracking image!

Cheers!

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