Cepheus Mega-Mosaic 32 panes Ha w.i.p.

[Adreneline]

The 24th and 29th September provided an unexpected few hours of clear skies, the first usable imaging session since 24th August to progress my mega-mosaic.

My challenge to produce a mosaic of 40 frames will need to expand to 50 frames to ensure I cover all of Sh2-129 and NGC7822.

The image below represents 31 hours of imaging time using the RedCat 51 with ASI1600MM on the AZEQ6 mount, with 20% overlap on every frame.

Each individual frame is treated to a dose of APP's LPC process to remove gradients and then cropped and resampled in PI.

APP then took 3 hours 20 mins to produce the mosaic from 32 x2-resampled frames; the resulting image was 486 Mbytes!

This is a starless version thanks to Starnet2. I tried StarXterminator initially but although the process completed and produced the 'star' image there was no sign of the 'starless' version! After that I used NoiseXterminator followed by EZSS, LHE and HT to reset the black point. Resampled x2 again to make the resulting .jpg file a manageable size.

 

More careful and diligent processing is required but at this stage I just want to see how it is all coming together hence the minimalist approach with processes/scripts.

Best downloaded and viewed full-screen.

Adrian

P.S. The chances of completing an SHO version this nebula season are pretty slim I think!

Edited September 30, 2022 by Adreneline
Image updated

[geeklee]

Great update Adrian.  In the UK and this early on in the year (ref dark skies), you've done a superb job to get as much good data as you have already and retaining the patience to chip away at it knowing how worthwhile it'll be at each stage and at the end.

For anyone imaging a small part of this, it's a great reference image to see that object in the surrounding area and what it might be interacting with.

 

[Mr Spock]

Fabulous image. I really like the tonal quality - very delicate but smooth.

[Adreneline]

1 hour ago, geeklee said:

Great update Adrian.  In the UK and this early on in the year (ref dark skies), you've done a superb job to get as much good data as you have already and retaining the patience to chip away at it knowing how worthwhile it'll be at each stage and at the end.

Thanks Lee. It is going to be a long job. I naively thought I might get this done in one season but I think it's going to be two at least. If I end up with 50 hours of Ha I will need twice that in OIII. Using the Samyang might reduce that to 1.5x's but that' still 75 hours and really relying on clear moonless nights - what are they?!!!

1 hour ago, geeklee said:

For anyone imaging a small part of this, it's a great reference image to see that object in the surrounding area and what it might be interacting with.

I love seeing the way it all works and interacts as if one. If only we could fully appreciate the depth in the sky-scape and the real juxtaposition of these structures. I think 3D images may be some way off!

1 hour ago, Mr Spock said:

Fabulous image. I really like the tonal quality - very delicate but smooth.

Thank you Michael for your generous comment. I am really pleased with the way it is coming together so far. I fear adding OIII may spoil it unless it is really good data.

Adrian

[peter shah]

it really does demonstrate the where everything is in the region.....lovely shot

[ollypenrice]

What a glory!  These projects can be very difficult to pull off but are worth it.

I'm extremely impressed by APP as a mosaic-maker.

Olly

[Adreneline]

30 minutes ago, peter shah said:

it really does demonstrate the where everything is in the region.....lovely shot

Thank you Peter; as you say nothing in Cepheus is in isolation - it's a mega nebula!

Adrian

[Adreneline]

20 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

What a glory!  These projects can be very difficult to pull off but are worth it.

I'm extremely impressed by APP as a mosaic-maker.

Olly

Thank you Olly. If I can get to the full 50 frames the resulting image should look quite good with NGC7822 in the top left, IC1396 in the bottom right and a wealth of amazing structure in-between. I just need another 17 hours of clear skies!

APP is amazing. I use it now for all my pre-processing. It is a game-changer for mosaics. I have found using the light pollution tool and peripheral cropping each pane makes a big difference when it comes to obtaining a seamless end result.

Adrian

[tomato]

Fantastic mosaic, I have great respect for both your patience and perseverance to deliver a result like this. 👍

[Adreneline]

10 hours ago, tomato said:

Fantastic mosaic, I have great respect for both your patience and perseverance to deliver a result like this. 👍

Thank you. I find having a project is the best thing - something to get my teeth into - I'm just hoping I've not bitten off more than I can chew.

Time and a lot of clear nights will tell!

Adrian

[assouptro]

simply stunning!

Well done Adrian, we have had an unseasonably dry period and your dedication has paid off!

Thanks for sharing 

Bryan

[Adreneline]

3 hours ago, assouptro said:

simply stunning!

Well done Adrian, we have had an unseasonably dry period and your dedication has paid off!

Thanks for sharing 

Bryan

Thank you Bryan. I’ve still got a long way to go but tonight I’ve managed to get to the 40 frame point - my initial target, now modified to 50. I think getting decent low noise OIII is going to be the real challenge. ”Onward and upward” as my dear departed mother used to say.

Adrian