The Leo Triplet....work in progress.

[RobH]

I was considering not bothering posting this THB, after seeing Maurice’s wonderful image of the same region taken from Les Granges in southern France, but then I reminded myself that it wasn’t actually too bad considering my light polluted skies, so here it is.

I had a bit of a fight on my hands processing the image, and nearly threw in the towel, but persevered, and am quite pleased with the result, although I had very little useable colour data, so if I get the opportunity, I’ll be adding a lot more and then reprocess the whole thing, hence the work in progress.

The main issue I had to deal with was that my flats didn’t match the image, and after a bit of checking, I found that the filter wheel doesn’t return to the same position every time....it’s an SX wheel, and I’m getting another to try and hope that it’s better.

It meant that I had dust donuts that I couldn’t lose, so what I ended up doing was cutting and pasting sections from before and after the meridian flip, where the dust was in different sections of the image.

I also went in and altered pixel values at individual pixel level, and used the clone tool a lot too....a lot of work but lots of learning too.

All subs were 10 minutes unbinned, only 5 each of green and blue, and 7 red, but 50 luminance, so quite a bit to work with there, although adding some 15 minute subs might be an idea as I’d like to go deeper.

Due to the lack of colour data, there was quite a lot of colour noise to deal with at various processing stages, so any more colour data added should dealk with that and allow me to get away without any noise reduction, which I hate using but was essential in this image.

Imaged from Weymouth with a TMB152@F8 and SXVR H18 camera, guided with a lodestar and SX OAG.

I’ve added an image taken with my 500D while the main scope was imaging to give an idea of the local light pollution at the time also....it’s 30 x 3 minutes stacked in maxim with no processing done.

Cheers

Rob

[Darth Takahashi]

Excellent work as usual Rob. I'm also waiting for this one to come around so that I can image it. You already have a lot of detail in there with the lums so it can only get better with more colour data. Still its a fine looking capture right now.

I don't care too much for the diffraction spikes but that's just my personal opinion, I find them a little distracting.

I to sometimes look at the images posted here a little dejectedly, especially some of the outstanding stuff from our colleagues who are a little further south. It not just because their sky's are better but mainly because they have a lot more clear nights...

When I retire, its definitely going to be to the south of France for me!

[adamsp123]

Nice one Rob and well worth your effort, that horrid orange mush on the second pic looks sadly familiar.

[RobH]

Thanks guys.....Pete, I think the LP is getting worse where we are, especially in that direction, as that is Portland harbour, where the Olympic sailing is happening next year, and lots of construction has gone on

[ollypenrice]

It's very nice, Rob, and positively heroic in view of the LP and flats difficulties. The tidal tail really does need a dark site, I think. No, that is a fine Triplet without a doubt.

Olly

[adamsp123]

I now have a new arc of light about 15 degrees wide running vertically from my east to zenith due to the extra lights they have put into the new car park and one way system in welshpool, very noticable as we have had mists for many nights now....and the orange street lights...... at least many go off at 1am.

[RobH]

Sorry to hear that you're suffering too Pete.

Olly....I must drag myself down to your place for a good length of time I reckon

[peter shah]

superb start rob...detail in the galaxies is lovely

[MikeD]

Looking real nice Rob, you have recoverd very well from bad flats( i can't see the fixes)

Imaging through Lp is a pain but results like this are all the more satisfying.

Mike

[mftoet]

Considering the light polluted conditions, it's a very good image! I guess the colour is the most difficult thing to capture when you have to deal with light pollution. My sky at home (I live between Rotterdam and The Hague, Holland) has a mag. 18.5 background. At Les Granges/Etoile I reach 21.5. That's a BIG difference. I don't even bother trying (L)RGB at home, just narrowband. Although there are some Dutch colleagues who get nice results with light pollution rejection filters (Astronomik CLS, Baader UHC). Might try that in the future. I wonder how much longer one has to expose under a mag. 18.5 sky to reach the same result as gathered under a mag. 21.5 sky. I don't know if it's even possible to reach the same depth, especially for elusive details as the tidal tail.

[prokyon]

I am very impressed! So bad conditions and such a great result, wow. Keep on!!!

Cheers

Werner

[Vega]

Amazing detail for the total exposure time

Matt

[msinclairinork]

I also went in and altered pixel values at individual pixel level

Another tip added to the astro-photographer's trick book!

This is a great image Rob!

Glad you posted it!

Michael

[RobH]

Thanks again all......I really must get some more RGB for this though....there's a little star colour showing, but not enough, and the blues in M66 could do with coming out more.

Don't know if I'll get the chance though as I'll be away with MrsH for most of April, and then work gets silly up until August, with August off and then busy again until Christmas....hey, it's money in the bank though!!

[ollypenrice]

Sorry to hear that you're suffering too Pete.

Olly....I must drag myself down to your place for a good length of time I reckon

Be great to see you and get multiple guns blazing! Tom(O'D) and I machine gun the sky together from time to time, FSQs, a Go-Go...

Olly

[Steve 1962]

Rob

That's a really nice image...and thanks for sharing your problems - I find it really helpful to read what issues people experience and how they overcome them - as Michael's already said - great for the notebook!

Cheers

Steve