M13

[Rodd]

I finally got this data looking more natural.  I really struggled with brightness ( over stretch), saturation (globular clusters just are not THAT colorful), and, well, a million things.  It’s amazing how a very slight adjustment can so greatly effect the  image.   If I want improvement, I will have to collect more and better data.   
 

c11ddge asi 1600. 4 hours of RGB using 20 sec unguided subs.  (I now use an OAG)

[simmo39]

Nice!

[Rodd]

1 hour ago, simmo39 said:

Nice!

It DOES pay to keep banging your head against the wall!

[tooth_dr]

Very nice Rodd. I just switched over to a larger scope and was going to shoot m13 but my spacing is off.  I think you’ve done a brilliant job here. 

[Fegato]

Yes that's very good. I don't even attempt GCs, but I suppose I should have another go and see if I can improve over one or two early attempts. Somehow, stars always seem to be a problem for me, so shooting loads of them and nothing else hasn't appealed!...

[Rodd]

1 hour ago, Fegato said:

Yes that's very good. I don't even attempt GCs, but I suppose I should have another go and see if I can improve over one or two early attempts. Somehow, stars always seem to be a problem for me, so shooting loads of them and nothing else hasn't appealed!...

Thanks 

 

1 hour ago, Fegato said:

Yes that's very good. I don't even attempt GCs, but I suppose I should have another go and see if I can improve over one or two early attempts. Somehow, stars always seem to be a problem for me, so shooting loads of them and nothing else hasn't appealed!...

Thanks Fegato.  I use to feel the same. Still do sort if. Stars are my weakest element.  I think the key is not exceeding the full well capacity and being conservative with the stretch

[assouptro]

Lovely rendition of a difficult object Rodd 

I keep coming back to this year after year as it was the first DSO I saw through my first “serious” telescope and I will never forget that feeling of excitement and awe! 
I like the star shapes, and the colours and your control of the core 

Its better than my last attempt 

thanks for sharing 

Bryan

[Rodd]

6 hours ago, assouptro said:

Lovely rendition of a difficult object Rodd 

I keep coming back to this year after year as it was the first DSO I saw through my first “serious” telescope and I will never forget that feeling of excitement and awe! 
I like the star shapes, and the colours and your control of the core 

Its better than my last attempt 

thanks for sharing 

Bryan

Thanks Bryan. I can imagine what this target looks like in a big scope from a dark sight. 

[ollypenrice]

These targets are absolute murder: at the eyepiece they glitter, in images they rarely do. This is a good rendition, for sure.

If I were processing this I'd try one last thing, a bit of sharpening, more pronounced in the core and dropping off to nothing by the edge of the cluster. I wouldn't normally sharpen stars but, in this case, it would be a matter more of adding contrast to the core than of sharpening it. Sharpening is simply a small scale boosting of contrast, after all.

Is this your full FOV? I think globulars benefit from a bit of dark sky context to make them pop.

Olly

Edited April 22, 2022 by ollypenrice
typo

[Spile]

16 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

These targets are absolute murder: at the eyepiece they glitter, in images they rarely do

So true and why I get so much from being a visual observer. I liken it to a 3D animation, and I have never seen that in an image.

[Rodd]

3 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

These targets are absolute murder: at the eyepiece they glitter, in images they rarely do. This is a good rendition, for sure.

If I were processing this I'd try one last thing, a bit of sharpening, more pronounced in the core and dropping off to nothing by the edge of the cluster. I wouldn't normally sharpen stars but, in this case, it would be a matter more of adding contrast to the core than of sharpening it. Sharpening is simply a small scale boosting of contrast, after all.

Is this your full FOV? I think globulars benefit from a bit of dark sky context to make them pop.

Olly

Thanks Olly.  Interesting idea with the sharpening.  I’ll give that a go.  The core is the trickiest part, to remove the glare so individual stars are visible without losing a “globe like” look.  As far as the FOV, alas, this is it. This was initially intended as a core image-like images of Omega Centauri that completely fill the FOV.  But my focal length wasn’t quite long enough for that.  I am finding that I am not wholly satisfied with any focal length yet, which is in marked contrast to something I believe, that they are all great!  

[Rodd]

4 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

a bit of sharpening, more pronounced in the core and dropping off to nothing by the edge of the cluster.

Great Idea Olly--I didn't go crazy with it--maybe less than you had envisioned, but it is noticiable (if you squint)