Sombrero Galaxy (M104)
May 22, 2017 02:55:46 #
This is a stack of 60x200 second exposures, shot last night. Normal Equip and processing.
May 22, 2017 03:53:08 #
Ed Greding
Loc: Texas
Sorry this reply is so late. Congrats on a fine photo of M104. I'd like to know the equipment. Nothing here (central Texas) but clouds and rain for weeks.
May 22, 2017 10:17:30 #
Hi Ed, I shot this with a QHY12 CCD camera on a Celestron RASA astrograph. I use a Celestron CGE Pro mount and an Orion Starshooter Autoguider. The 200 light frames are stacked using Nebulosity 4 and post processed in Photoshop CC.
May 22, 2017 10:38:32 #
Europa wrote:
This is a stack of 60x200 second exposures, shot last night. Normal Equip and processing.
Very nice. One of my favorite galaxies.
May 22, 2017 10:56:29 #
Thanks Jim, I have to look back to see why my stars turned odd colors, but it's kinda nice with the blue.
May 22, 2017 13:21:47 #
May 22, 2017 14:03:04 #
Thanks sonny... I didn't have perfect Polar Align, but it was doing better. I only used the mounts alignment routine, not PHD's alignment. Not sure if that was a freak thing or PHD doesn't do it right. I'll have to play with that some more.
May 22, 2017 14:50:09 #
Europa wrote:
Thanks Jim, I have to look back to see why my stars turned odd colors, but it's kinda nice with the blue.
Yes, is kind of blue. Here is a touch up using Lightroom. In the White Balance adjustment section, there is an eye dropper. If you press that eye dropper and click on something that should be white (I picked the core of the galaxy), it will adjust the image accordingly so that that point is white and everything will be adjusted to match.
May 22, 2017 15:34:01 #
JimH123 wrote:
Yes, is kind of blue. Here is a touch up using Lightroom. In the White Balance adjustment section, there is an eye dropper. If you press that eye dropper and click on something that should be white (I picked the core of the galaxy), it will adjust the image accordingly so that that point is white and everything will be adjusted to match.
That is a cool feature. I'll have to check your version when I get home.
May 22, 2017 15:45:30 #
It's all learning what works best for you and your equipment. It appears your guiding was very good.
Since I don't move my mount in and out, leaving it set up, it holds it's Polar aim well.
Honestly, I don't fuss around trying to get some magical Polar Alignment. If Polaris is in my Guide camera's view, it has worked fine for me. Reason being, Polar Alignment is a mechanical value of mount placement. Pretty close is pretty good.
Star Alignment trains the controllers brain where the stars are.
I haven't even done an All Star Polar Alignment in a while now. So I think maybe the NexStar is learning, and zeroing in it's accuracy. I've been told it is a learning computer. And if that is true, not changing the mechanical adjustments allows it to use past coordinates to be more accurate. Or that's my current line of thought.
Now if I travel somewhere, I think I would run an All Star Polar Alignment to get things as right as I could for that site. But at home, no.
I use to have Stellarium open during my alignment process. So I could click on the telescope symbol, then the centering control, and the Star field moved while the telescope symbol stayed centered.
But lately, for reasons unknown to me, it has been working better to only have PHD2 open. And using the virtual NexRemote controller.
(I use PHD2's view from the guide camera as my eyepiece. And it's Bulls-eye imposed (view menu) to center my alignment Star)
At this point it seems to me to be faster, and more accurate acquiring the target stars.
Go Figure.
(Also, it adds credence to the remote recording where it is. I think of it as the hand controller writing to a Bios.)
But after my 2+4 Stars alignment, I open Stellarium and things work good letting Stellarium slew the telescope.
I'm still training myself to use the RA/DEC settings for target acquisition that Brian W brought to the table. The last couple of nights I've been working on entering the RA/DEC in Stellarium, then having it slew to the target and getting PHD2 guiding on as fast as possible. I've found that I can copy and paste the RA or DEC from the website The Sky Live to Stellarium and Badda-Boom, Badda-Bing.
So far, it's been very pleasing to do a single aim check image, then set up a sequence run. (IE: Comet Johnson, 600s exposures, 25 images, saved to a folder of the date.)
But my latest method (Using Stellarium to Go-To) has been much easier than entering the figures into the hand controller. I'm training myself to be able to do this with consistency. I tend to forget what to do to get it running. But I'm making headway.
Although our mounts are portable, I feel I'm getting better and better results having it stationary, and doing less and less mechanical fiddling with mine. Having my mount Pier-esk.
Since I don't move my mount in and out, leaving it set up, it holds it's Polar aim well.
Honestly, I don't fuss around trying to get some magical Polar Alignment. If Polaris is in my Guide camera's view, it has worked fine for me. Reason being, Polar Alignment is a mechanical value of mount placement. Pretty close is pretty good.
Star Alignment trains the controllers brain where the stars are.
I haven't even done an All Star Polar Alignment in a while now. So I think maybe the NexStar is learning, and zeroing in it's accuracy. I've been told it is a learning computer. And if that is true, not changing the mechanical adjustments allows it to use past coordinates to be more accurate. Or that's my current line of thought.
Now if I travel somewhere, I think I would run an All Star Polar Alignment to get things as right as I could for that site. But at home, no.
I use to have Stellarium open during my alignment process. So I could click on the telescope symbol, then the centering control, and the Star field moved while the telescope symbol stayed centered.
But lately, for reasons unknown to me, it has been working better to only have PHD2 open. And using the virtual NexRemote controller.
(I use PHD2's view from the guide camera as my eyepiece. And it's Bulls-eye imposed (view menu) to center my alignment Star)
At this point it seems to me to be faster, and more accurate acquiring the target stars.
Go Figure.(Also, it adds credence to the remote recording where it is. I think of it as the hand controller writing to a Bios.)
But after my 2+4 Stars alignment, I open Stellarium and things work good letting Stellarium slew the telescope.
I'm still training myself to use the RA/DEC settings for target acquisition that Brian W brought to the table. The last couple of nights I've been working on entering the RA/DEC in Stellarium, then having it slew to the target and getting PHD2 guiding on as fast as possible. I've found that I can copy and paste the RA or DEC from the website The Sky Live to Stellarium and Badda-Boom, Badda-Bing.
So far, it's been very pleasing to do a single aim check image, then set up a sequence run. (IE: Comet Johnson, 600s exposures, 25 images, saved to a folder of the date.)
But my latest method (Using Stellarium to Go-To) has been much easier than entering the figures into the hand controller. I'm training myself to be able to do this with consistency. I tend to forget what to do to get it running. But I'm making headway.
Although our mounts are portable, I feel I'm getting better and better results having it stationary, and doing less and less mechanical fiddling with mine. Having my mount Pier-esk.
May 22, 2017 22:06:02 #
Europa wrote:
This is a stack of 60x200 second exposures, shot last night. Normal Equip and processing.
Beautiful job Brian.
Craig
May 22, 2017 22:14:34 #
Europa wrote:
This is a stack of 60x200 second exposures, shot last night. Normal Equip and processing.
Nice work!
May 23, 2017 12:58:12 #
Europa wrote:
This is a stack of 60x200 second exposures, shot last night. Normal Equip and processing.
Great capture!
I'm glad you're getting some good sky conditions. Mine have been terrible!
bwa
May 23, 2017 13:39:55 #
Yes, I'll take light pollution over clouds any day.
I'm planning a trip to Borrego Springs end of June/begin of July...they have incredible dark skies...just have to deal with 24 hours a day of 115 degree temps.
I'm planning a trip to Borrego Springs end of June/begin of July...they have incredible dark skies...just have to deal with 24 hours a day of 115 degree temps.
May 23, 2017 13:48:31 #
Europa wrote:
...just have to deal with 24 hours a day of 115 degree temps.
...just have to deal with 24 hours a day of 115 degree temps.
Nope! Not my idea of fun. 80F is about my max... 75F is perfect!
bwa
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