HH and Flame nebulae in Ha only from November last year 2020

[TareqPhoto]

Hi all,

Here is a result that i liked the FOV a lot as i did tests last year,i hope i can build on this for future success, happy with it, i feel because my area has less LP now due to not all new LED street lights installed or done yet, but my city isn't dark or good in general anyway, but the details I've got even with this bad data was amazing for me, i can't imagine what i will get in same conditions with better setup then.

Skywatcher ST80 + StellaMira 0.8x reducer

ZWO ASI1600mm-C Pro + Astrodon Ha 5nm, Gain 200 Offseet 50 @ -10C

Skywatcher AZ-EQ6

36 x 300sec = 3 hours integration, 50 dark, 100 bias, 50 flat

Bortle 8 according to LP map

 

2 results, the second is slightly more contrast added

[GiorgioF]

Tareq, don't mind if I look not polite but I think you have done the noise reduction with a slightly "heavy hand".

The 1600mm don't need so strong noise reduction. Instead, try a lower gain, say 139/50 and also less light duration. With 180" you not only get less noise if your total integration time is still about 3 hours but also the dynamic range will improve.

And details will jump out, especially from the Flame.

Clear sky!

[TareqPhoto]

1 hour ago, GiorgioF said:

Tareq, don't mind if I look not polite but I think you have done the noise reduction with a slightly "heavy hand".

The 1600mm don't need so strong noise reduction. Instead, try a lower gain, say 139/50 and also less light duration. With 180" you not only get less noise if your total integration time is still about 3 hours but also the dynamic range will improve.

And details will jump out, especially from the Flame.

Clear sky!

Giorgio, if that is your name, you never being not polite in your post, it is great post.

Everything you said is correct and i agree, now all what i have to say is as following:

1. This is from achromatic scope, a temporary one, i wasn't really care much to have high quality image, i was only testing the exposure length and the guiding accuracy as much.

2. I used noise reduction in PixInsight, i followed someone video, he made that kind of aggressive noise reduction so i felt like maybe that is how it should be, and he said he was following someone else setting for it, but sure later i will try to make less or more natural noise reduction, only when i will have a better scope and a better data.

3. Focus was out, not perfect.

4. With Ha filter, many are using like 5min exposures, and some even going longer, i was using Gain 200 Offset 50 which is too much, and still i used 5 min [300sec] exposure and it wasn't enough, so if i go with 180sec it means i must take too many frames to reach that 3-4 hours.

5. I was lucky that night, sometimes the sky is bad weather like it is dusty, cloudy but not like in Europe, haze, sometimes wind but i don't image when windy even little, and moon light which i always try to image when the moon is half or new moon time just in case.

6. I live under Bortle 8 sky, and i can't drive to darker skies, so not sure if that will affect my exposure settings or not, because i will not shoot only narrowbanding, but also broadbanding if possible, but i only practice now with narrowbanding mainly Ha.

7. I was using Astrodon Ha 5nm, a bit contrasty over another filters of another brands, so i heard it requires longer exposures, and later i am planning to buy a cheaper filter Ha but 3nm, for more narrower and better contrast and stars stretching, you think 3min [180sec] will be sufficient even with many frames and long integration?

I am still learning although i started 4 years ago, but i was busy with planetary and having issues with guiding and my DSO setup in general, so i didn't make any good astrophotography yet, so i am deciding since last year that i will try to finish my equipment first and i do practice time to time while i am finishing it so i will be ready, now processing i have to learn, i just feel like if i don't have good data then no point to bother and waste time in processing, i got many free data from others that i can process easily with great results, so i thought that i should have that first then, and processing will come later anytime, even there are people will process for me if i gave them my data, but to have that data that good is my goal now, and i hope i will get there sooner or later.

 

Thank you very much for commenting in my post, i thought no one will comment here, no one is interested or my image is that so bad, just learning.

[peter shah]

I do prefer the top image out to the two, its beautiful and deep, I would also suggest you do a little less noise reduction, you have already highlighted your issues......A lovely image all the same.

[TareqPhoto]

6 hours ago, peter shah said:

I do prefer the top image out to the two, its beautiful and deep, I would also suggest you do a little less noise reduction, you have already highlighted your issues......A lovely image all the same.

I will, just i don't care about results now, i only care about equipment to finish, once i do that then all nice results will come eventually, and i hope i finish this before they start to install all LED street lights in my area and operate them.

[GiorgioF]

Tareq thanks for all the details.

I can answer for my experience. We have similar situation. I'm under b8 sky too and can't travel outside of the city (covid limitations and no time....) So I must enjoy my backyard too.

I attach here one try of the same subject, with 139/50 and 180" exposure. My telescope is a f4,8 (80/480 reduced). The shot is a stack of 20 minutes without proper calibration and without a lot of postprocessing. It is just to verify the data of the first night on the subject and correct something if needed before go on. Usually I go for a minimum of 5 hours per channel in narrowband.

Details are coming out despite missing the flat and the dark. 

I was also thinking that short exposure are not enough but experience gave me the evidence. stars are more thin and dynamic range increase. I'm using asi1600mm and my filter Halpha is 7nm, baader. Sincerely, I envy yours as it's more narrow but can't quantify the difference  because I never try them. Surely a 3nm will be better but I must sell one kidney to buy a set of them.

Anyway you may try once and see. Even with an achromatic lens you can achieve great result as the focus is only on one wavelength (not three as in RGB).

People more experienced than me could surely give bette and more detailed comments and suggestions. I'm a novice too.

 

[TareqPhoto]

That is a great image you did, keep at it.

Well, i am still learning, i can do whatever exposure, 1 minute, 2, 3, 5, 10, it doesn't matter, i did read many topics and discussions about having shorter exposures but many frames or less frames but longer exposures, and it shows that the longer exposures giving better noise signal ratio after all, so i decided maybe i limit it to 5 minutes instead of 10 minutes.

I still have the original data, i can stack with those calibration frames, or i can process the stacked one better way without much noise reduction, i can't say i am excellent in processing, i also learn about processing, i have a lot of issues to solve, and by the way, this image i posted above i did it with bad focus, and maybe not perfect back focus, means all issues can be out at once, i just don't care about all that until i have a real imaging scope, i will never try to waste my time perfecting an achromatic scope, i already ordered an APO triplet, and i am also trying to find another APO cheap scope to team with that triplet giving same or similar FOV of this image here [ST80 + 0.8x = 320mm], by then only i can spend time perfecting everything.

I am still testing my filters, funny that i bought this Astrodon Ha 5nm in 2017 but i didn't use it much yet, and then i bought Chroma OIII 3nm in late 2019 and then Chroma SII 3nm in early 2020 and until now i didn't test them, i was busy in 2018-2019 with planetary, i didn't fix the issue with guiding, so i waste like almost 3 years without guiding until i figured it out at late 2019 and then i practice with guiding, but again in 2020 i was busy with new virus situations and i decided that i only have to buy more, so i didn't care to go out much to image and practice, and i managed to buy stuff last year, and i keep buying this year to finish, i tried to practice with Ha only, i wasn't trying to perfect anything because my setup wasn't ready, we have clear nights here a lot, so i am not worried to rush things out, i can have time, so all what i try to do is finishing my setup and buying stuff, but i still can share my simple bad results around anyway, learning more about what i should do and how to fix, that's all.