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Steve 1962

By Steve 1962
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Steve 1962

Steve 1962

Posted
Posted

Hi, my name's Steve and I've had a scope (a Skywatcher 100ED Pro on an HEQ5 Pro) for about three years. After, I'll be honest, being disappointed with how little I could see through it, I turned to imaging and gradually "fought" my way through the problems of focussing, guiding, stacking to get to where I am now - just playing with a new CLS CCD filter and thinking about getting my DSLR modded.

I don't get out with the kit often enough really - but I think I'm getting a bit better. I particularly enjoy the image processing bit (in the warm!) and seem to end up tinkering for hours to end up with something like the attached image of M42 (this was 7 x 120 + 10 30 sec images and any comments / critisisms / suggestions would be really welcome please).

Anyway - thanks for all the help you've been to me when I've visited as a guest - and I hope to play a more active role in future.

Cheers

Steve

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F15Rules

F15Rules

Posted
Posted

Hi Steve,

Welcome to SGL!:).

If that image was taken with your Skywatcher there is clearly nothing wrong with the scope! That's a lovely picture.

I'm actually surprised that you were disappointed with what you could see visually. I have a Celestron ED100R which is optically identical to yours and I am very pleased with it. Perhaps it's worth offering a few points to consider?

1. Visual observing is very subjective and depends on what you like looking at. If, like me, you like the Moon and Planets, also Double Stars, then your Skywatcher will perform very well on these targets..of course, aperture rules, but on Mars, Jupiter and Saturn you should get some very pleasing views.

2. Practice makes perfect!:mad:. Just as a camera captures more of an image with time, so visual observing improves with time (practice). Also, I believe it takes a good hour for our eyes to fully dark adapt, so if you just pop out for 20 minutes you are unlikely to get the full benefit of dark adaptation. Also, the more you look, the more you will see. At the recent opposition of Mars, I absolutely know that I could see significantly more detail after looking at the planet for an hour than when I started. We are talking about subtle details visually so it does take time to build the experience over time, of spotting small but real details.

3. DSO objects like M42 will always look very different visually compared to your beautiful image. Peoples' preferences are very personal. For myself, I like both looking at and admiring images such as yours and also seeing the object "in person" with my own eyes. And for me, the wispy, greenish delicacy of M42 with the Trap nestling at the centre is in its' own way just as rewarding as looking at the amazing colours picked up by your imaging equipment. Both equally of value, just different.

Thanks for sharing your lovely image. M42 is a bit of a cliche to some, but I never tire of seeing it, visually or photographically:hello2:..

best wishes

Dave

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johnh

johnh

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Welcome Steve, you'll go far with your imaging if that is your standard. M42 area is full of dark dust and between M42 and Running Man there are mountains of dust that your image just hints at, stretching it more may show this dust silhouetted against Running Man.

JohnH.

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Steve 1962

Steve 1962

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Thanks for all the nice comments about the M42 image - and I hope didn't offend anyone by saying I was disappointed with the visual views - in actual fact I found the views of objects like Saturn, Hercules Cluster, the Trapezium, Jupiter...... absolutely stunning. I guess it's all down to personal choice and expectations - I was just drawn to sticking a camera to the scope because I love bright colourful "Hubble" type images that I can show friend and family. Anyway - thanks for the welcome - the M42 image was taken with a William Optic ZS70 with the Flattener III, with an unmodded EOS 400d with no filteration. The mount was guided using a SW 100ED Pro fitted with a Phillips Webcam using PHD for about 10 each 30 and 120 sec exposures (120 secs was all the skyglow would allow - hence my recent CLS CCD filter purchase), stacked with Nebulosity 2, played with in Photoshop CS3 using Noel Carboni's actions and finally "de grained " with Neat Image. It's a shame that M42 has gone behind my neighbour's house now, because I love this area of the sky and I'm sure I can get some more of the dust etc. with longer exposures using the CLS filter - maybe next year!

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glowjet

glowjet

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Posted

Hi Steve,

A very warm welcome to SGL, hope you enjoy the forum, stunning image of M42 by the way, if I come anywhere, near once I have purchased the necessary bits and pieces, I shall be well pleased.

John.

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