DSLR M42 with Open Source Workflow

[beka]

Hi all,

Here is the requisite M42 image. It was taken using my NexStar 102 SLT and Canon 700D - 40X20sec lights at ISO 400 and 20 flats captured with Ekos (Astroberry server), processed with Siril and Gimp. Sky is around Bortle 5. The chromatic abberation though clearly present, seem to be less than I have had in past attempts with this telescope. I think it is due to more careful focusing. My personal taste in astrophotography is a preference towards not losing information that is present in the image, while going for better esthetic results. I thus tried not to lose faint stars and nebulosity in favor of trying to get a dark background. Although I am not displeased with the result, of course I am now thinking about a dedicated astro camera and and APO (or small RC) scope and equatorial mount and filters... it is fortunate that these things are so hard to get where I am!

Thanks for looking!

 

[happy-kat]

That's a great capture and work around of the CA.

 

[Rallemikken]

I live just below the arctic circle, and will not have dark skies untill september. That gives me a lot of time to restack and finetune postprocessing skills. Somewhere there is a line you should not cross, regarding the altering of data. Looks like we share the same attitude. To bring out the genuine data in a picture is one thing, to alter the data to make it something you think it should look like (or think others will like) is another.  Thats why I use a DSLR. True, consistent and honest colors (and an affordable price).

I am learning to use Siril, and have relied on the usual workflow: Stacking with the recommended settings, color calibration (or fotometric color calibration), background extraction, removing of green noise, asinh stretching and finally export as tiff. The rest has been done in Gimp. Lately I've spend more time restacking  with different settings, and found big differences in the resulting fits. Not always consistent, each motiv have one optimum. And I have found out that using Gimp instead  of the half-automated image-prosessing in Siril often preserves more details. This soon turns out as a maze......

[juno16]

Hi beka,

 

Your image is extraordinary considering the very small amount of “time on target” and modest equipment used.

Many more 20” exposures and delicate processing could greatly enhance your image by bringing out the dimmer areas and lower noise significantly.

Very nice work on this image! Looking forward to seeing your future images!