Annual M31- Andromeda

[Icesheet]

Probably my favourite target and one I always turn to when trying new gear. I also like to use it to try and gauge my progress in this hobby. 

 

I recently made the decision to move away from a mono camera to OSC. The ASI1600mm was my first dedicated astro camera and it showed me the value of a cooled camera over a DSLR. However, despite the obvious benefits I had a largely frustrating time, mainly because I ended up with so many unfinished images due to weather leaving me short of a complete data set. So, having read the reviews of the ASI2600MC I jumped at the chance of a customer return from FLO. 

 

This is 60x180sec at Gain 100 through an Esprit 100 ED, calibrated with darks and flats. First impressions are that the sensor is extremely clean and the increased FOV it offers coming from the 4/3 ASI1600mm is very nice! I don't think I'll regret the decision moving to it. I'm sure I'll return to mono at some point again in the future but at the moment I'm hoping this camera will help me get more completed images than I have been managing to.

 

Processed in PI and photoshop. I feel a lot more comfortable in PI now and I think it's starting to show in my images. Still a lot to learn though. I'm happy this is my best effort at M31 to date but those of you with a critical eye will likely notice some issues. I posted about it earlier so please comment if you have the chance. Also, as always happy to hear any other suggestions for improvement

 

Edited October 15, 2021 by Icesheet

[megrez]

That's beautiful, so much detail and nice colours. I would be well chuffed with a result like that!

Interesting what you're saying about mono vs colour cameras. I went from DSLR (Fuji XT2) to OSC (ASI533MC) with the thought that once I got the hang of the whole lot of capturing and processing images properly then I would 'upgrade' to a larger mono camera. But I'm not so sure now. Mono may be more sensitive and have better resolution, but with OSC you end up with a complete image to enjoy straight away.

Rolf.

[Astroscot2]

That's a wonderful M31 and I would be pleased with it.  Similar story to mine and others on the forum who have moved from mono to OSC. I think with the UK weather and weeks between imaging, OSC helps with motivation knowing you have something even with a short imaging time. I was out for a few hours during the week on M31 with the 2600MC, not processed yet but looks promising. 

Mark

[The Lazy Astronomer]

Lovely detail in the dust lanes. I also note you've got a blueish hue in m110 - l got a similar colour on my recent first attempt at m31, so, nice to see our results agree there at least (some images have it with this blueish tone, others, a more yellowish one).

46 minutes ago, megrez said:

That's beautiful, so much detail and nice colours. I would be well chuffed with a result like that!

Interesting what you're saying about mono vs colour cameras. I went from DSLR (Fuji XT2) to OSC (ASI533MC) with the thought that once I got the hang of the whole lot of capturing and processing images properly then I would 'upgrade' to a larger mono camera. But I'm not so sure now. Mono may be more sensitive and have better resolution, but with OSC you end up with a complete image to enjoy straight away.

Rolf.

One way around it if you have an autofocuser and have set focus offsets for each filter is to shoot them in a loop, rather than in blocks.

If I want to try and ensure I get all of the colour channels on a target, I do a sort of hybrid: I'll shoot 5 subs each of RGB, and 15 luminance and repeat until enough data gathered. Big advantage of modern CMOS cameras is long sub exposures are not needed, so you can complete one loop quite quickly.

 

[Icesheet]

6 hours ago, megrez said:

That's beautiful, so much detail and nice colours. I would be well chuffed with a result like that!

Interesting what you're saying about mono vs colour cameras. I went from DSLR (Fuji XT2) to OSC (ASI533MC) with the thought that once I got the hang of the whole lot of capturing and processing images properly then I would 'upgrade' to a larger mono camera. But I'm not so sure now. Mono may be more sensitive and have better resolution, but with OSC you end up with a complete image to enjoy straight away.

Rolf.

Thanks for the comments!

The new generation of OSC sensors have closed the gap on mono for sure and with dual/ tri band filters you can now even get a taster of narrowband. For sure overall mono offers more flexibility, efficiency and probably quality if your conditions allow but for me there’s no rush to go back. 
 

5 hours ago, Astroscot2 said:

That's a wonderful M31 and I would be pleased with it.  Similar story to mine and others on the forum who have moved from mono to OSC. I think with the UK weather and weeks between imaging, OSC helps with motivation knowing you have something even with a short imaging time. I was out for a few hours during the week on M31 with the 2600MC, not processed yet but looks promising. 

Mark

Thanks Mark! I remember your post. Seems to be ringing true with many of us at the moment. Look forward to seeing your M31 when you finish it!

 

5 hours ago, The Lazy Astronomer said:

Lovely detail in the dust lanes. I also note you've got a blueish hue in m110 - l got a similar colour on my recent first attempt at m31, so, nice to see our results agree there at least (some images have it with this blueish tone, others, a more yellowish one).

 

Thanks! I’ve noticed that myself. I’m happy that yours agree with mine! There’s always seems to be a debate about colours and getting the right balance. Glad you like it.