M57 12x240s ISO 800 Using meade 12" LX200

[Daniel]

Ok guys, now I know it's not a great image, I was trying some polar alignment experiments last night and It put my alignment all out of whack, so even though this is guided, It's pretty shamefull when you look at Robert's crescent nebula.

Even so, I thought I'd post it as it's the first time I've sorted out the 12" scope and got it properly (albeit mis-aligned) imaging.

I've also got an M16  I took last night which I still need to process, had a little test look at it DSS Live and it seems to have more definition than my older one, we shall see once it's processed properly.

Anyway, here it is, as I said, I know the guidings off, but im glad to finally sort the focus on this thing




oh, and this is Un-Cropped

[RobertM]

Daniel,  that's pretty good at such a long f/l and the colour balance looks spot on.  Seems to me like you have the creep in the image that I've been seeing   I think polar alignment will help a lot...

[Daniel]

Yes, I'm also going to try putting a barlow onto my guidescope in the hope that it'll improve accuracy

[Mike]

It will. However, note it will also exagerate the movement of the star if the seeing is bad. As long as whatever movement is sub-pixel depending on your image scale your guiding should be spot on.

[JohnP]

Looks good to me - Well done.

Also looks like M27 not M57.... Yes I know your were only testing....!!!!

Cheers,  John

[Daniel]

Heh, sorry, I always get those numbers mixed up, M27 and 57 being pretty promenent planetary nebula's, which reminds me I'll have to try 57 soon, my last image of it was rubbish!

[JohnP]

No problems Daniel - you are not the only one.....

[Carole]

Nice image Daniel I know you have to sort out the guiding (which I have only done once myself, so who am I to talk?).

I cannot remember numbers hardly at all, I know them by their names, but if any-one spouts numbers, apart from a very few that I have managed to retain, I am completely lost.

I tried to learn them by number but after a short while they had gone again.

Does any-one else have this problem?

Carole

[Ian]

yup, if it doesn't mean anything, it doesn't stick in my mind. I can remember some M numbers, but most I'd hazard a guess at.

I'm quite good at remembering IP addresses though. Maybe I should try and learn things at work...

[MarkS]

Nice image Daniel! 
It looks very similar to the one I took with my own Canon - I suppose that's not really a surprise. 

I guess you took it on a recnet warm evening - how noisy is the background? i.e. what would happen if you didn't make the background quite so black?
And did you use darks in your processing?

[Mike]

I'm actually working on a computer program, for my own use, to help me learn the sky objects. Once it's at the alpha stage i'll let you have a copy (don't hold your breath though).

[Carole]

I have been drawing a sky chart for some time (since I did my GCSE course as it was one of the projects I didn't choose but thought I'd do it later).  It is to learn the constellations and where they are in relation to each other (gets a bit hairy near the poles), then I add the nebulae and galaxies in relation to the constellations.  I don't add any more until I've learnt what is there and then only add one new constellation at a time, unless I've gone somewhere and spotted one I've not seen before.  It is taking a long time, but it does stick that way.

It also helps to remember where they lie in relation to 0.00 RA and declination, can't remember the figures but it gives a rough picture in the mind which certainly helped me with a quiz answer on one occasion.

Would be interested in seeing your programme Mike when you've finished. 

Carole

[Daniel]

I'll have to post the not so dark version when i get the chance (at work right now) I took this last night so it was pretty warm and the image is a little noisy, I took about 20 minutes worth of darks (240s  ISO 800) but i'd definetly like to get longer on this as well as get my guiding working better next time.

[Daniel]

Oh, just remembered, as promissed here is a less harshly processed version of M27