SGL 2022 Challenge 10 - Stars

[MartinB]

What could be simpler?  When deep sky imaging stars tend to be things that have to be "managed" in order to avoid detracting from our intended target.  This is a shame because stars are such beautiful things.  This challenge places stars centre stage.  We are looking for images purely consiting of stars, either a single star, doubles or open clusters.  Globular clusters are excluded from the challenge.  

If you have any queries about the challenge please contact me via PM rather than from within this thread.

Please provide information regarding how  you went about capturing your image including equipment used.

Start date 1st October 2022

End date 31st December 2022

No entries will be accepted after this date.

As previously the winner and runners up will receive an SGL challenge mug showing their image along with a virtual medal-of-honour for their SGL signature.

Please post entries directly into this thread

To keep the thread manageable for the judges please do not post comments about entries, emoji reactions are welcome of course.

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RULES

All data must be captured and processed by you (no collaborative entries). 
Data must be captured during the challenge start & end dates. 
Multiple entries are allowed but please make a fresh post within the thread.
Multiple submissions of the same image, processed differently, will not be accepted.

 

[tomato]

Just stars? Now that is a challenge...🙂

[Pete Presland]

A great idea for those really cold, dark, crispy, winter nights, sounds great just saying that 🙂 

[DaveS]

Gosh, looks like I'm the first to post!

The Owl Cluster. 12 subs in G2v calibration with the ODK rig in my sig. Started immediately after Astro Dark so quite a bit of moonlight.

Each stack cropped to remove dither edges, given a gradient reduction and star erosion.

After RGB combination a DDP was applied with slight saturation boost, then a Richardson-Lucy deconvolution. Finally a slight histogram stretch to push the background down before saving as a JPEG

[woldsman]

A post to keep the owl company. Messier 34 imaged 7th October (94% waxing gibbous Moon). L 120 x30”, RGB @ 20 x 180”. William Optics GT71 & zwo asi 183 mono.

 

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by woldsman
Revised image

[Simon Pepper]

Here is my first entry into this one. I think just stars is actually harder than it sounds especially without the star diffraction spikes which I think provide some interesting characteristics to the larger stars. I may even try the fishing line trick to see if I can create some artificial spikes on my next outing. Adding them in post always looks cheap and nasty! This is the White Rose Cluster NGC7789 in Cassiopeia I shot LRGB, however as per my poor processing skills combining L to RGB I recycle binned the Lum and just used the RGB.  A little over 4 hours total of RGB all 60s subs as this was shot on the 10/10/22 during the full moon. Scope was WO Redcat and 1600mm Pro.

[Clarkey]

I'll add this image as it is the first image I have managed since the beginning of the summer. Unfortunately, I built myself an imaging observatory in September - so it has been cloudy ever since. Apologies to anyone in the North West UK.....

This is a cluster of star clusters. This includes M103, the Fuzzy Butterfly Cluster (NGC654), the Lawnmower Cluster (NGC663), the Yin-Yang Cluster (NGC659) and IC166. Taken with a StellaMira 90mm Triplet with the 0.8 flattener reducer in LRGB using a 1600MM PRO. Processing was kept to a minimum with gradient removal, a slight stretch, levels adjustment and a bit of additional vibrance. All done in APP and Affinity.

 

Edited November 9, 2022 by Clarkey

[DaveS]

Inevitably, someone's going to post an image of the double cluster, so here's mine.

This is a two pane mosaic (My first) with the main capture on the 12th. using the ODK rig.  I set up to get 12 subs of RGB on each panel, but not all made it into the stacks, plus I had persistent dew problems requiring pickup capture.

After stacking the individual RGB stacks were cropped and given a gradient reduction. After Trichromy another crop followed by DDP and a Richardson-Lucy deconvolution. Care was taken to match the histograms on the two panes.

The mosaic was assembled using the Mosaic tool in AstroArt 8. After another gradient reduction there was a slight Saturation Boost and several rounds of Histogram Stretch..

 

[woldsman]

Some more stars - NGC 188 imaged November 11 & 12 (85-91% waning gibbous Moon) between long bouts of cloud & fog. WO GT 71, ZWO asi 183 mono, L 101x30”, RGB each 20x60”.  A few issues targeting & guiding so close to Polaris - so pleased to get something from these two sessions.

 

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by woldsman
Image revision

[Red Chilli]

Redcat 51, ST8300m, iOptron Cem25- L-30x180 sec, RGB 3x12x180sec, SQML~20.10

Acquisition: APT, PHD2, CdC

Processed with Pixinsight and Affinity Photo

[alacant]

Hi everyone

Nice to see so many stars. We spend €enormous to be able to take images thereof. Then obliterate them to death!

Here is HD34452 and friends in between the -not easy to avoid- gas and dust of Auriga. 

Thanks for looking.

eos700d + Bresser-150: 90 min,  ISO800:: st 1.8.527

Edited November 30, 2022 by alacant

[markse68]

This is P-Cyg and surroundings- from data I've been collecting for Hoys. ~15 x 300s per RGBHa, QSI583, 8" f4.5 newt. Siril

Not sure it fits the rules as there's hydrogen nebulosity all around and I even caught a cute little ring nebula in top left corner which is Aro 15 I think. Lots of young stars in the region- IC 4996 is the young cluster near the bottom. 

When I look at star fields like this I can't help noticing all the lines and arcs of stars. Are they linear clusters or just chance alignments? this image has many

Mark

Edit: I don't know why the colours come out subdued on here compared to in windows photos app but here's a more festively stretched version

edit: strange- P-Cyg is classified as a hypergiant luminous blue variable. Blue! Is it my processing? It’s surrounded by shells from historic eruptions that may be reddening its light but it looks very orange- maybe also the heightened Ha in my processing 🤔

Edited December 4, 2022 by markse68

[alacant]

Another go. This time in the nebula-safe area of Perseo.

NGC 1245

Thanks for looking.

eos700d: 90 min ISO800: st 1.8.527

Edited November 30, 2022 by alacant

[alacant]

More nebula-safe stars. Alas, there are -perhaps disqualifying- dark bits.

l to r ngc869, ngc884 and ngc957 in Perseo.

Thanks for looking.

eos700d + asahi takumar 200: ~90min, ISO800: st 1.8.527

Edited November 30, 2022 by alacant

[GalaxyGael]

My only image for an age...what an Autumn !

So this is a bundle of nice clusters including the fuzzy butterfly, lawnmower cluster, ying-yang cluster (NGC 663, NGC 659, NGC 654, IC 166) and some others. Widefield with an Askar FRA300 and asi2600mc, ~10.5 hrs of 2 min subs under a 95% moon without any extra filters. Captured over the last two nights in the fresh bitter cold.

Processed in Astropixel Processor with 2nd order LNC with 3 iterations to help with moonglow gradients and a Bottle 6/7 sky. PS CS5 to finish.

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by GalaxyGael
Added NGC numbers

[Fegato]

Some nice shots here, well done all!

The RASA isn't really renowned for shooting good stars, so imaging asterisms is not something I've done with it before. However, after weeks of cloud, a bit of clear sky and a bright moon led me to have a go at a couple earlier in the month. If nothing else, a bit of cannon fodder for you!

This is Kemble's Cascade in Camelopardalis. Named after Father Lucian Kemble (1922-99) who spotted it with his binoculars - a straight-ish line of stars covering about 3 degrees of sky. Edit: Open cluster NGC1502 sits towards the top right of the Cascade.

RASA 11 on CEM120, ASI2400MC Pro, two panel mosaic total of 150 x 5s.

Edited December 12, 2022 by Fegato
add reference to NGC1502

[Elp]

First time entering an image for a challenge as usually time runs out when trying to coincide with clear nights for experimenting. Also my first time imaging an open star cluster as usually I'm trying to do nebulae. I ended up starting this on the fortuitous freezing clear nights to coincide with the Mars opposition waiting for Mars to move over away from an LED lamppost, my other target M33 also had the same issue. I like the widefield the Z61 allows and is especially good for starfields, I wonder what it would pickup after around 10-20 hours?

[Red Chilli]

M44

Canon 200mm 2.8L @f3.5, Canon 6D, SkyGuider - 60x60sec  ISO 2000

Processed with Pixinsight and Affinity Photo

[Red Chilli]

[Stefan73]

Here's NGC 457 (Owl Cluster) and NGC 436 together. 

148 x 3 minute exposures over two nights on 20th and 23rd December taken with a 130PDS and ASI 2600.

Stacked in Siril and processed with GraXpert and Startools.

Thanks for looking and Happy Christmas all! 🎄

[woldsman]

One more imaged in the early hours at the end of a session after the main target dipped below a building.  Same equipment: WO GT71 & ZWOasi183 mono. L 56 x 30", G 14 x 60", R 14 x 60", B 18 x 60".  M35 and NGC 2158  in Gemini. Processed in Startools & Affinity. Have learned a lot from this challenge - stars are hard!

 

[Whistlin Bob]

Here's Caroline's Rose in Cassiopeia. This one is a favourite visual target for me, but always seem to struggle to quite capture the magic in a camera. I think the dark lanes are in this if you squint a bit!!! This is 2 hours of 60s exposures, filterless, with a 130pds and an SVBony 405cc. 

Edit: On looking at this again, I really wasn't keen on the colour balance- so have tried to fx.

Edited December 30, 2022 by Whistlin Bob
Never happy with my own pictures!

[MartinB]

The challenge is now closed.  The results will be announced within the next 2 weeks.

[MartinB]

The results are in!

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/405115-sgl-challenge-10-stars/