Cygnus Loop hybrid image.

[ollypenrice]

This combines newly acquired RASA/ASI2600 OSC data with older CCD OIII/Ha/LRGB data from our Tak FSQ106N. The RASA part was in conjunction with Paul Kummer who owns the scope and camera in our robotic shed.

Unfortunately the RASA's robotic focus motor has packed up and will have to go back for repair. However, Goran has said that he finds the RASA holds focus really well and so it does. We do a manual focus at the start of the night and, while we can't get it as tight as the computer can, it does hold steady for the night. 

RASA, about 3 hours per panel, four panels. Tak data was in 3 panels.

Olly

 

[DaveS]

Oh my, that *is* deep! Especially around Pickering's (Should really be Fleming's) Triangle, which always looks more like a tree to me.

[vineyard]

Exquisite.  Parts of Pickering's Triangle look like a Marvel female super hero descending with arms raised. And the delicate thin strands (from middle stretching down to 6oclock, 5 o'clock) 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾!

[Tom OD]

How many hours are you up to now on this?

 

[Laurin Dave]

Nice one Olly..  I assume that only the RGB is from the RASA......   the question on everyone's lips is how does the RASA ASI2600mc stack up against the Tak106/Atik 11000mono?  

Dave

[ollypenrice]

2 hours ago, Laurin Dave said:

Nice one Olly..  I assume that only the RGB is from the RASA......   the question on everyone's lips is how does the RASA ASI2600mc stack up against the Tak106/Atik 11000mono?  

Dave

Well... on this target, and without any NB filtration, I doubt you'd go as deep you'd go with filtration, but that's not a surprise. There's an awful lot of very faint Ha and OIII in the Veil complex. This is what about 60x3 minutes per panel gave just in the RASA/ASI2600 OSC:

I see it as a rather different kind of image and like it in its own right. The big take away from this rendition is the way it shows the cleaned sky within the loop. The SN shock front has swept out the central region of space within the roughly spherical shell. I guess this shows well because the RASA is so good at finding dust, which makes it good at showing where there isn't any, as well. On the other hand it doesn't give refractor stars but if I can get Star Xterminator to download successfully I'll try a de-starring processing job.

An interesting note: this data had no calibration at all and was taken through ABE before being given to Registar to have the 4 linear panels joined. The result was absolutely seamless, which is highly unusual in my experience. (...and very welcome!)

Olly

3 hours ago, Tom OD said:

How many hours are you up to now on this?

 

I can't remember but it's probably over forty.

Olly

 

[Stuf1978]

Very nicely done 👍

[JamesF]

3 hours ago, vineyard said:

Exquisite.  Parts of Pickering's Triangle look like a Marvel female super hero descending with arms raised. And the delicate thin strands (from middle stretching down to 6oclock, 5 o'clock) 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾!

I was just thinking that if the image is rotated 90° clockwise, I see a mermaid swimming on her back, with a large wave about to break over her

James

[simmo39]

Well that is nice! great detail!

[ollypenrice]

39 minutes ago, JamesF said:

I was just thinking that if the image is rotated 90° clockwise, I see a mermaid swimming on her back, with a large wave about to break over her

James

But don't most men see that when they close their eyes?

lly

[Tom OD]

1 hour ago, ollypenrice said:

if I can get Star Xterminator to download successfully I'll try a de-starring processing job.

Have you a Windows 10 PC in your office? The read me file says thats the minimum requirement

T.

[Allinthehead]

You've gone deep on that Olly, nice to see some dust in there too.

[ollypenrice]

57 minutes ago, Tom OD said:

Have you a Windows 10 PC in your office? The read me file says thats the minimum requirement

T.

Yes, I think it was just an internet glitch.

[Knight of Clear Skies]

4 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

The big take away from this rendition is the way it shows the cleaned sky within the loop. The SN shock front has swept out the central region of space within the roughly spherical shell.

It's a literal as well as a figurative broom.

[MartinB]

Beautiful Veil Olly and lovely star colour as always.  

I didn't know about StarXterminator.  Have just downloaded it and given it a try.  Very impressive.  Definitely a good alternative to Starnet++ but more work needed to see whether it is worth the money.  

[ollypenrice]

17 hours ago, MartinB said:

Beautiful Veil Olly and lovely star colour as always.  

I didn't know about StarXterminator.  Have just downloaded it and given it a try.  Very impressive.  Definitely a good alternative to Starnet++ but more work needed to see whether it is worth the money.  

Starnet won't run on our huge files from the ASI2600, Martin. I'm hoping it will work with Xterminator.

Interestingly the RASA/ASI gives excellent star colour. Given the F2 and the reduced well depth one might have expected the reverse, but no, it's good. Stars are quite soft in the RASA so maybe the colour is coming from the weaker outer edges of the stars, I don't know.

Olly

[MartinB]

6 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

Starnet won't run on our huge files from the ASI2600, Martin. I'm hoping it will work with Xterminator.

It works ok on my one and only 2600mc image using my 4 year old Dell XPS laptop.  Takes about 5 mins.  StarXterminator works fine as well and takes a similar amount of time.  The StarXterminator results look much better to me, smoother and better elimination of larger stars.  More funds may be on their way to Russ Croman!

[FranckiM06]

Splendid result Olly  Wonderful. 

[astro mick]

To be honest this is a bit of a dissapointment for me Olly,seems to lack your usual clarity and exerllence.

Perhaps a little more sharpening.

However its still a pleasing image,just not your best.

Mick.

[astro mick]

Morning Olly.

I take back the above comment.I failed to read your answers to above comments.Apparently the softness is caused by the effects  on the stars by the Rasa.Do you know why it has this effect?

Mick.🤐

[Magnum]

well done Olly

[ollypenrice]

On 03/12/2021 at 14:53, astro mick said:

To be honest this is a bit of a dissapointment for me Olly,seems to lack your usual clarity and exerllence.

Perhaps a little more sharpening.

However its still a pleasing image,just not your best.

Mick.

 

On 05/12/2021 at 11:22, astro mick said:

Morning Olly.

I take back the above comment.I failed to read your answers to above comments.Apparently the softness is caused by the effects  on the stars by the Rasa.Do you know why it has this effect?

Mick.🤐

I agree with your reservations, Mick, so please don't apologize. I've struggled with this image at every stage of its long evolution and this is as good as I've got it.

It has two problems. 1) It would be deep by narrowband standards, I think it's fair to say, yet it's a broadband image in a dense starfield, so the stars are always going to be a challenge since they are not going to be narrowband-sized. I was hoping to de-star and re-star the image but Starnet++ would not handle the file sizes and our internet won't handle the StarXterminator download!  2) I've never liked the colour, particularly the red. The RASA data improved it but it's still too pink.

The RASA 8 (this one and others, I believe) doesn't produce the tightest stars. There's the F2 light cone, the large central obstruction and the need to route the cables in front of the corrector which all play a part, I guess. Actually getting round stars across the chip has taken considerable effort with tilt and collimation and they are still not perfect. Finding optimal focus is, at present, a matter of compromising between corners. More work on collimation, tilt and cable route may help.

Going deep in broadband in such a dense starfield is difficult. Excuses excuses!

😁lly

[astro mick]

6 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

 

I agree with your reservations, Mick, so please don't apologize. I've struggled with this image at every stage of its long evolution and this is as good as I've got it.

It has two problems. 1) It would be deep by narrowband standards, I think it's fair to say, yet it's a broadband image in a dense starfield, so the stars are always going to be a challenge since they are not going to be narrowband-sized. I was hoping to de-star and re-star the image but Starnet++ would not handle the file sizes and our internet won't handle the StarXterminator download!  2) I've never liked the colour, particularly the red. The RASA data improved it but it's still too pink.

The RASA 8 (this one and others, I believe) doesn't produce the tightest stars. There's the F2 light cone, the large central obstruction and the need to route the cables in front of the corrector which all play a part, I guess. Actually getting round stars across the chip has taken considerable effort with tilt and collimation and they are still not perfect. Finding optimal focus is, at present, a matter of compromising between corners. More work on collimation, tilt and cable route may help.

Going deep in broadband in such a dense starfield is difficult. Excuses excuses!

😁lly

That all makes a lot of sense,and its one hell of a Star field.

Mick.

[AndysAstroPix]

Nice image - dynamic range is well handled too 👍