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#41
Astrophotography / More from Petts Wood in May
Last post by Roberto - May 22, 2025, 12:31:42
Moon - 5 May 2025 - Montes Apenninus and Craters

Acquisition: 150 × 8.00ms

Equipment:
- Telescope: TEC MC250 f/20
- Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
- Mount: Astro-Physics 1100GTO
- Accessory: Sherizhe eADC
- Software: Emil Kraaikamp AutoStakkert!, Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight, Torsten Edelmann FireCapture

For more information, visit AstroBin:
https://app.astrobin.com/i/5mpg9m

Montes Apenninus & Archimedes


Ptolemaeus, Alphonsus, Arzachel


Sun Ha and CaH - 10 May 2025 - SHG700 and Coronado DS SM60 animations

Acquisition: 5 × 0.43ms

Equipment:
- Telescope: Moonraker 94mm F/7 Refractor
- Cameras: ToupTek G3M 678M, ZWO ASI174MM
- Mount: Astro-Physics 1100GTO
- Filters: Antlia Solar Discover Dualband Energy Rejection Filter (ERF) Antlia Solar Discover Dualband Energy Rejection Filter (ERF), MLAstro SHG 700, Solarscope 60mm Etalon
- Accessory: Meade 3x Telenegative Multi-Coated
- Software: AstroSharp Ltd SharpCap, Cédric Champeau JSol'Ex, Emil Kraaikamp AutoStakkert!, Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

For more information, visit AstroBin:
https://app.astrobin.com/i/17o4p6

Prominence animation



Full disc using SHG700


Sun Ha - 11 May 2025 - Mosaic Full Disc - Prominence Animation

Acquisition: 150 × 6.00ms

Equipment:
- Telescope: Moonraker 94mm F/7 Refractor
- Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
- Mount: Astro-Physics 1100GTO
- Filter: Solarscope 60mm Etalon
- Accessory: Meade 3x Telenegative Multi-Coated
- Software: AstroSharp Ltd SharpCap, Chris Garry Planetary Imaging PreProcessor (PIPP), Filip Szczerek ImPPG (Image Post-Processor), Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

For more information, visit AstroBin:
https://app.astrobin.com/i/kg8rgy

Animation



Full disc



NGC5907, 5905, 5908, 5879 and M102 - LRGB

Total integration: 39h 35m

Integration per filter:
- LP: 13h (78 × 600")
- Multiband: 13h 10m (79 × 600")
- No filter: 13h 25m (161 × 300")

Equipment:
- Optics: Astro-Physics StarFire EDF 152mm f/7.5, Astro-Physics StarFire GTX 110mm f/6, Astro-Physics Stowaway 92mm f/6.65
- Cameras: Moravian Instruments C5A-100M, ToupTek SkyEye24AC, ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
- Mount: Astro-Physics 1600GTO-AE
- Filters: Antlia ALP-T Dualband 3nm Ha & OIII 2", IDAS LPS-P2 50 mm
- Accessories: Astro-Physics 0.83x CCD Telecompressor Corrector for 110mm f/6 StarFire GTX (110TCC), Astro-Physics 0.8x CCD Telecompressor for 92/105mm (92TCC), Astro-Physics F/5.7 CCD Telecompressor Corrector for 160f/7.5 StarFire EDF (160TCC), Moravian Instruments External Filter Wheel 7x50mm
- Software: Open PHD Guiding Project PHD2, Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight, Stefan Berg Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy (N.I.N.A. / NINA), Tom Palmer Target Scheduler

For more information, visit AstroBin:
https://app.astrobin.com/i/ukmto6



LDN1261, 1262, LBN573, 575 in Cepheus - LRGB and Dualband data

Total integration: 30h 35m

Integration per filter:
- LP: 10h 10m (61 × 600")
- Multiband: 10h 20m (62 × 600")
- No filter: 10h 5m (121 × 300")

Equipment:
- Optics: Astro-Physics StarFire EDF 152mm f/7.5, Astro-Physics StarFire GTX 110mm f/6, Astro-Physics Stowaway 92mm f/6.65
- Cameras: Moravian Instruments C5A-100M, ToupTek SkyEye24AC, ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
- Mount: Astro-Physics 1600GTO-AE
- Filters: Antlia ALP-T Dualband 3nm Ha & OIII 2", IDAS LPS-P2 50 mm
- Accessories: Astro-Physics 0.83x CCD Telecompressor Corrector for 110mm f/6 StarFire GTX (110TCC), Astro-Physics 0.8x CCD Telecompressor for 92/105mm (92TCC), Astro-Physics F/5.7 CCD Telecompressor Corrector for 160f/7.5 StarFire EDF (160TCC), Moravian Instruments External Filter Wheel 7x50mm
- Software: Open PHD Guiding Project PHD2, Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight, Stefan Berg Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy (N.I.N.A. / NINA), Tom Palmer Target Scheduler

For more information, visit AstroBin:
https://app.astrobin.com/i/zklqbn



Roberto
#42
Astrophotography / Re: Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex
Last post by Dave A - May 17, 2025, 15:00:21
Lovely image Robert
The colours are great
#43
Astrophotography / Re: Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex
Last post by Carole - May 17, 2025, 10:42:17
Lovely Robert, one of my favourite targets.  However unlike you, it took me 2 trips to Spain and 2 trips to DSC to get anything decent, spread over 6 years. 

A nice lot of information there, I will attempt to summarise at Members images. 

I remember your previous Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex from a fair few years ago, this is a step up from that one. 
I am always fascinated by the bit that joins the Antares Nebula to the Rho Ophiuchi nebula with that "pinched" appearance.  It took me some years to realise that is in fact dark nebulosity causing that pinched look.  I can see it quite well on your image. 

Carole

#44
Astrophotography / Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex
Last post by RobertM - May 16, 2025, 18:30:28
This is probably the most colourful part of the whole sky and is my second image with the little Askar SQA55 from Isla Palma. 



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A crop of M4 Globular cluster from the image with a bit less stretch:




There's obviously a lot going on in this colourful part of the sky:

This area of the sky is mostly in the constellation of Scorpious however the top right quadrant is in the constellation of Ophiuchus.  The whole complex is one of the closest star forming regions to us.

1. To the top left quadrant is Antares and the associated orange nebula complex it illuminates.  The star is a red giant of about 15 solar masses and is actually one of the largest stars visible to the naked eye, it's diameter puts its surface out at about the asteroid belt (if centred on the sun)!
2. The right middle quadrant contains the blue subgiant star Rho Ophiuchi (brighter of the three) and the blue nebula lit up by it's emissions.
3. Imbedded in the Antares nebula is the blue reflection nebula IC4605 illuminated by the hot blue star 22 Scorpii.
4. To the bottom left of middle is the multiple star system Sigma Scorpii surrounded by both emission and reflection nebula ionised by the star.  Also called the Sigma Scorpii nebula the official designation is Sh2-9.
5. Just right of centre is the reflection nebula IC4603 which is primarily illuminated by the intense UV radiation of the hot young star HD147889.  There is also a slightly reddish tint caused  excited Ha emissions.
6. In the lower left is the M4 Globular cluster.  This cluster is about 75 light years across and 6,000 light years away making it visually the same size as the full moon.  It is also notable as the first globular cluster where individual stars were resolved.  You can also see the faint dust lane present in most globulars.
7. In the lower right hand corner is M80, which is 20% larger than M4 but also over five times further away, it is also one of the densest of the Milky Way globulars.  A lot of the stars in the cluster are metal deficient indicating very old stars (perhaps 10 billion years or more).

Capture details:
Location: Puntagorda, Islas La Palma
Telescope: ASKAR SQA55
Camera: ASI2600MC Duo
Filter: Player One UV/IR cut
Mount: ZWO AM3
Capture hardware ASIAir Plus
SubExposures: 19 x 300s


#45
Astrophotography / Re: IC4592 (the Blue horsehead...
Last post by RobertM - May 16, 2025, 18:08:51
Thank you Carole
#46
Astrophotography / Re: M94
Last post by JohnH - May 12, 2025, 07:24:58
I am very happy with "reasonable results of targets otherwise likely impossible"!  :)

John
#47
Astrophotography / Re: M94
Last post by Carole - May 09, 2025, 16:54:46
It is certainly experimental but gets you reasonable results of targets otherwise likely imossible with conventional LRGB. 

Carole

#48
Astrophotography / M94
Last post by JohnH - May 09, 2025, 13:04:44
M94 is known as The Cat's Eye Galaxy or The Crocodile's Eye Galaxy.



FOV - 28' x 28' (Cropped from approximately 160' x 100')

Total imaging time 13 hours 27 minutes.

Processing: Pixinsight, GraXpert and Affinity Photo 2

This time I varied my processing slightly, Luminance is *just* Dual Band (Ha Oiii) - 5 hours 20 minutes.
Chrominance:
R - 1 hour 28 minutes
G - 1 hour 28.5 minutes
B - 1 hour 30 minutes
Ha - 3 hours 40 minutes

(Any disparity in totals due to rejected subframes)

Telescope - Sharpstar 15028 HNT
Camera - ZWO ASI1600MM Pro (monochrome -cooled to -10C)
Mount - iOptron CEM25P
Assorted ZWO gubbins - Electronic Focus, Filterwheel, Guide camera and telescope and ASIAir Pro.
Location: Bromley (Bortle 7)

I posted this image with an explanation of why I use a Dual Band filter for Luminance and how I use it on Astrobin. The general consensus from experts (Carole dissenting  :D  ) seems to be that I am totally wrong and that I will miss too much detail and too much of the spectrum and that I should use very short UV/IR filter images and remove the gradient from each one before integrating. For the moment I am happy to continue with what I am doing. As far as I am concerned it is a hybrid Broadband/Narrowband image (akin to using a Dual Band filter with an OSC camera) and goes a long way to defeating light pollution.

One thing I could, I suppose, is to create a "pseudo Luminance" from RGB and use that to create the star layer. That could give me better star colour.

I look forward to trying it out on nice big nebulae when the nights begin to get darker.

Regards,

John
 
#49
Astrophotography / Re: IC4592 (the Blue horsehead...
Last post by Carole - May 09, 2025, 10:16:36
I've replaced with this new version on Members Images. 
#50
Astrophotography / Re: IC4592 (the Blue horsehead...
Last post by RobertM - May 09, 2025, 10:08:12
Thanks all

I've added a touch more saturation to this version to bring out the brown dust a bit more:



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