M1 Crab Nebula

[Darth Takahashi]

This is my first attempt at the Crab Nebula. It a monochrome capture using my HX916 ccd to gather the data. Normally I would use a DSLR however I was not sure that an unmodded DSLR would be able to detect and record much detail.

Telescope: TOA130F

Camera: HX916

Filter: CLS

Integration: 45 Min's (No dark's and No flats)

Next time I might push the magnification and image scale higher.

Finding these things is always the hardest challenge, even with charts and planetarium software. In fact, these tools can add to the frustration, since they clearly indicate some is there that you cannot see.

M1 appear as the faintest of silver smudges in the eyepiece and then once the camera was in place, it jumped into view with as little as 15 seconds of integration.

Neil.

[Psychobilly]

Very nice indeed Neil Think you made the right camera choice the difference between a modded and unmodded DSLR is quite a lot on this one...

Billy...

[Aza]

Great result for 45 minutes! I would never be able to do this hobby without my GO-TO. So hats off to you

[greenkat]

excellent pic

[Darth Takahashi]

Thanks for the comments so far, here is the same picture now reprocessed with dark's taken last night. I'm about to post a closeup of the crab shortly.

I have applied a little bit of deconvolution to the final image.

Not really convinced, I might have increased the resolution of the larger structures at the expense of the finer detail?

Neil

[MidnightSun]

Very nice indeed... It does take some patience to find these things sometime. And that can run short, especially in the winter...

[barkis]

A great capture and process Neil.

M1 is a faint critter when you are trying the eyeball method of location. You did it, and it's turned out a great Image.

Ron.

[Albireo380]

A good 'un Neil. Saw M1 myself on Fri night from up around Grantown on Spey. Difficult to focus on the detail, but in my case, it might have been due to the single Malt : )

Good image.

Tom

[Darth Takahashi]

Thanks Ron & Tom,

I have the feeling that under dark sky's I'd be hitting bull-eyes all night long but under our less than perfect sky's, what you think you see or what you might imagined you saw are so indistinguishable, well you know the rest.

Yes, I can imagine that the single Malt doesn't help, but it does keep you WARM inside ;-)

Neil.

[barkis]

Thanks Ron & Tom,

I have the feeling that under dark sky's I'd be hitting bull-eyes all night long but under our less than perfect sky's, what you think you see or what you might imagined you saw are so indistinguishable, well you know the rest.

Yes, I can imagine that the single Malt doesn't help, but it does keep you WARM inside ;-)

Neil.

And it makes failure to find things easier to bear.

Ron.