Flaming Star Nebula help.

[GrantEb]

Hi all

This was my first go with the Megrez 72 and SW field flattener.

I suppose it's not the best target for a DSLR, but to get more out of it, do you think longer subs or more subs will help?

There are a few things wrong, focus looks a tad off, guiding not the best. And it's a difficult one to process.

9 x 15mins iso800, 7 darks, flats and bias.

Thanks for looking!

Here's the link to the Tiff if you want a go:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16577726/fsnstack3.TIF

[Whippy]

Looking at the image I think your flattener isn't spaced out right or even the wrong one, the stars the edge of the field aren't great.

The flaming star is a lot fainter than you think. I had a go at it last year and was surprised just how faint it is, especially the outer parts. It's a great effort though .

Tony..

[GrantEb]

Thanks Tony.

I'll try find out what the correct spacing is, and check if it is correct.

I had a look at a few of my other images, with shorter exposure times, and it looks much the same. The stars look slightly better in the top corners though. It may be that the camera is not 100% flush with the focusser.

Cheers

[dlp]

Lovely image, and thanks for posting the TIF Grant. I had a go in PI, but I think you've pretty much nailed what's there. I'm guessing the TIF wasn't entirely unprocessed as it was 16bit and the b/g was pretty neutral already. Here's my effort fwiw.

David

[GrantEb]

Nice one David.

I don't know why the file seemed processed. It's straight out of DSS. My settings may be wrong though, I will check it out.

Cheers

[dlp]

On the contrary Grant - I think it means you've got all the settings bang on!