M101 with Ha

[powerlord]

Forgive me not adding/updating to the original post:

But basically, after this, I captured another 16 hours of OSC data, and then another 5 hours of Ha (well L-ultimate) data.

But try as I might, integrating the extra 16 hours in made no difference whatsoever. I can only conclude that the seeing was especially good for that first night.

So instead, I just left it with the original 4 1/2 hours of RGB, and adding my Ha in while tweaking the contrast a bit, and apply a touch of noiseX.

Because of the faint stuff, I'm posting the png in case that shows it better than the 8 bit compressed jpgs. So it's 47mb. apologies if yer on a slow connection.

 

[CCD-Freak]

Wow....Nice work.

[ollypenrice]

A very strong image indeed.

Olly

[StuartT]

oh boy! That's really something! Well done!

[scotty38]

Nice image but more importantly where is everyone getting these clear nights from as I'm not seeing them here 🙂

[powerlord]

It has been rubbish. I look at this time last year, and I think I'd had something like 30 sessions so far in the year. This year, I've had about 6 or 7. weather absolute pants.

[StuartT]

On 15/04/2023 at 10:07, scotty38 said:

Nice image but more importantly where is everyone getting these clear nights from as I'm not seeing them here 🙂

Oxford has not been too bad. But quite a few night with poor transparency. You go out and see few stars and so set up, only to find they were the mag 1 and 2 stars. Nothing else is showing through so you have to pack up again.

[scotty38]

5 hours ago, StuartT said:

Oxford has not been too bad. But quite a few night with poor transparency. You go out and see few stars and so set up, only to find they were the mag 1 and 2 stars. Nothing else is showing through so you have to pack up again.

Sort of same, looks ok at first glance but then it's just small patches amongst clouds and even that doesn't last.

[StuartT]

15 hours ago, scotty38 said:

Sort of same, looks ok at first glance but then it's just small patches amongst clouds and even that doesn't last.

yep. And as the calendar marches on we are heading into only very late night sessions now before we have to pack up for the summer and just fiddle with our hardware.

(astronomers - the only people who don't like the summer 🤣)

[scotty38]

1 hour ago, StuartT said:

(astronomers - the only people who don't like the summer 🤣)

Very true, I've always loved light nights and before getting interested in astrophotography I used to dread them ending. Now there is a reason so all is good 🙂

[powerlord]

I dunno, I've always managed to get 2-3 hours nb through the summer. Down south anyway.

 

[DaveS]

March 2021 6 sessions, March 2022 8 sessions, March 2023 0 sessions, and I can see April going the same way, then it's May and the end of astronomical darkness.

I wonder why I bother.

[Coco]

That has a 3D look, its fantastic!

[StuartT]

On 17/04/2023 at 16:38, powerlord said:

I dunno, I've always managed to get 2-3 hours nb through the summer. Down south anyway.

 

presumably you are imaging in astro twilight then? (since there is no night from 21 May to 23 July and Oxford is roughly the same latitude as Suffolk)

[powerlord]

8 hours ago, StuartT said:

presumably you are imaging in astro twilight then? (since there is no night from 21 May to 23 July and Oxford is roughly the same latitude as Suffolk)

yup. with NB - well it'll be even narrower this summer with my 3nm L-ultimates, it still seems possible to get decent images. plus there's planets of course, and the moon.

stu

[StuartT]

3 hours ago, powerlord said:

yup. with NB - well it'll be even narrower this summer with my 3nm L-ultimates, it still seems possible to get decent images. plus there's planets of course, and the moon.

stu

yes, I also find that with my L Extreme (7nm) I can start imaging before astro twilight has ended and get decent results.

[Rodd]

How do you add the Ha?  It appears reddish in areas that don’t necessarily have Ha-a magenta-ish cast in the outer spiral arms. LP is tough, even with a magic filter.