M81, M82 and another fuzzy 31.1.2011

[Carole]

My first attempt at these galaxies.  Glad to have got them but I can see I need to do a lot more subs from a dark site.  

24 x 6mins (my longest subs to date), + darks, flats and Bias
Modified Canon EOS 450D with CLS clip filter
WO Megrez 72 APO, guided with ST 80, QHY5 and PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in PS CS3

Usual guiding problems these were the best of the bunch. 

[Fay]

Nice to see Ursa Major again, nice image Carole

[Mac]

Nice capture,

Looks like you getting the hand of it now.
Mac.

[Fay]

How is your progress with the obsy Mac?

[mickw]

Fuzzy is NGC 3077

Very nice

Same as my image from October DSC - but better - cow 

[Mike]

How is your progress with the obsy Mac?

THREAD HIJACK ALERT 

[Mac]

 

[Carole]

Thanks Fay and Mac.

Fuzzy is NGC 3077

Also thanks for this Mick, tried to look it up on Starry Night and Stellarium, but was not even shown let alone labelled.

Carole

[PhilB]

Nice image, Carole. Good to see that you didn't fall victim to the mist that collected here.

[Carole]

the mist that collected here.

that's a bummer Phil, no, it was clear up to about midnight (ish).

Carole

[RobertM]

That's a really good start Carole, you will find the faint stuff is really hard work.  I think you'll need 4x the subs to get something noise free.

Robert

[Carole]

I think you'll need 4x the subs to get something noise free.

So I am realising Robert.  I'm treating my "first try images of each object" as a practice go to suss out what's required.

I think a dark site will help too.

Carole

[MarkS]

A great result there Carole for a light polluted site! 
M81 and M82 is always a good combination - is it that time of year already?

My only slight criticism is that the core of M82 looks burnt out - no colour coming through.  Check the subs to see if they are burnt out, also.  Otherwise it's a processing problem.

Mark

[Carole]

My only slight criticism is that the core of M82 looks burnt out - no colour coming through.  Check the subs to see if they are burnt out, also.

Will do.  Some of the feedback I have been getting suggests it's difficult to process these two galaxies together as the degree of brightness is different, so now I know that I might try a re-process.
I must say examining the single raw files I was hoping for better detail from M82.

Carole

[Carole]

Been fiddling around with this for days.  Quite difficult to progress M82 separately. 
But this is my best effort:



Think I might have managed to get the sky slightly darker too.

Carole