Soul Nebula HaHOO bicolor

[Rodd]

My first color image with the "fixed FSQ".  I call it the poor mans broadband because it is reminiscent of RGB (more correctly, the inferior mans broadband.  First of all, the filters are are more expensive, but more importantly, the broadband is plain old harder to do!) Having a real issue with guiding--just can't seem to get decent guiding for more than a little while.  Not sure why.  I am imaging at 2.46 arcsec/pix, so poorer guiding than I am used to , up to a point, is OK.  total rms of .65 is as good as I can get with the lodestar 2x and 250 mm guide scope--but I experience frequent bouts of instability where total rms will be 1.2- 1.6.  I don't use subs collected during those times (I usually stop imaging ang struggle to solve the problem).  Changing targets is a death toll for my evening.  I have looked at differential flexure, mount balance, guider calibration, guide cam focus...to no avail.  I used to use this same guider system to guide the TOA 130 at .77 arcsec/pix.  Stars were good, FWHM values were decent.  Unless I solve the problem, I won't be able to guide the TOA with the guide scope.  Maybe the Lodestar is dying-subs look pretty poor--guide stars are rectangles with halos.  At least it works some time--or, put more accurately, is not bad enough at times to be noticed at 2.46 arcsec/pix.  The stacks for this image have FWHM of about 4.2.  At 2.46 arcsec/pixel that is about 1.7 pixels across the FWHM....not bad.  1.6 is the target.  

As usual, I found this bicolor image a real challenge to process.  I plan on creating a Hubble Palette version as soon as I can collect the SII.  I would have rather started with broadband, but the Moon was full when I put the FSQ on the mount.  This image represents a full Moon image.  Its a bit more saturated than I typically like, but I can't seem to change that with sacrificing something else.  Maybe I need more OIII.

FSQ 106 with 0.6x reducer and ASI 1600 with 3nm Ha and OIII filters.  12 hours of Ha (144 300 sec subs) and 5.8 hours of OIII (70 300 sec subs)

 

I reprocessed the image to what I believe is a much better effect.  I left the original and attached the image right after it.

Edited October 17, 2022 by Rodd

[simmo39]

Nice!

[Rodd]

2 minutes ago, simmo39 said:

Nice!

Thanks Simmo.  Looking forward to the SII so I can back off the saturation a bit

[Rodd]

Here is a more refined version. It’s growing on me but k botched it and must start again 

[Stuart1971]

On 16/10/2022 at 21:12, Rodd said:

My first color image with the "fixed FSQ".  I call it the poor mans broadband because it is reminiscent of RGB (more correctly, the inferior mans broadband.  First of all, the filters are are more expensive, but more importantly, the broadband is plain old harder to do!) Having a real issue with guiding--just can't seem to get decent guiding for more than a little while.  Not sure why.  I am imaging at 2.46 arcsec/pix, so poorer guiding than I am used to , up to a point, is OK.  total rms of .65 is as good as I can get with the lodestar 2x and 250 mm guide scope--but I experience frequent bouts of instability where total rms will be 1.2- 1.6.  I don't use subs collected during those times (I usually stop imaging ang struggle to solve the problem).  Changing targets is a death toll for my evening.  I have looked at differential flexure, mount balance, guider calibration, guide cam focus...to no avail.  I used to use this same guider system to guide the TOA 130 at .77 arcsec/pix.  Stars were good, FWHM values were decent.  Unless I solve the problem, I won't be able to guide the TOA with the guide scope.  Maybe the Lodestar is dying-subs look pretty poor--guide stars are rectangles with halos.  At least it works some time--or, put more accurately, is not bad enough at times to be noticed at 2.46 arcsec/pix.  The stacks for this image have FWHM of about 4.2.  At 2.46 arcsec/pixel that is about 1.7 pixels across the FWHM....not bad.  1.6 is the target.  

As usual, I found this bicolor image a real challenge to process.  I plan on creating a Hubble Palette version as soon as I can collect the SII.  I would have rather started with broadband, but the Moon was full when I put the FSQ on the mount.  This image represents a full Moon image.  Its a bit more saturated than I typically like, but I can't seem to change that with sacrificing something else.  Maybe I need more OIII.

FSQ 106 with 0.6x reducer and ASI 1600 with 3nm Ha and OIII filters.  12 hours of Ha (144 300 sec subs) and 5.8 hours of OIII (70 300 sec subs)

 

I reprocessed the image to what I believe is a much better effect.  I left the original and attached the image right after it.

Super image…👍🏻
I had similar issues to you when I used a Lodestar x2, in the end I sold it and bought the ASI174m mini, and wow, what a difference that made, with the smaller pixels and at least twice the sensitivity, it just made all the difference….I ended up putting it down to the big 8.5 micron pixels of the lodestar, just not suiting my set up, I image at 1.72”/pixel, and guide at 3.75”/pixel

[Rodd]

That sounds reasonable. But I was able to guide with this setup while imaging at .77”.  It was never a problem.  It’s just weird.