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Posts for: Ballard
May 20, 2024 11:45:07 #
stepping beyond wrote:
Those images Ballard are really awesome . YOU MUST REALLY LOVE YOUR SKIES ! The detail is outstanding from JWST , It does have a clear view always.
Hi stepping beyond
Thanks for viewing the images of the Sombrero Galaxy and for the comment. In general the skies are not too bad (Bortle 4 and slowing getting higher as Grass Valley grows) this is the first deep sky image I've been able to get here this year due to clouds and turbulence. I'm hoping to do some more deep sky shots once the moon gets out of the way in a week or so. The JWST doesn't have the problem of atmosphere or moonlight getting in the way.
May 19, 2024 14:12:28 #
bwana wrote:
Great Sombrero but I'm going to wait until I have the equipment to turn out an image similar to the JWST recent release 
, per:
, per:Hi bwa
Thanks for viewing the images of M104 and for the comment. Yep Cannot get the same detail as JWST, but I didn't need to spend 10+ billion dollars on the equipment either.
May 19, 2024 12:40:38 #
alberio wrote:
One of my favorites, and you did it justice. I doubt seriously if my 840mm would bring it in close enough to do any processing worthwhile.
That big gun you have really performs well.
That big gun you have really performs well.
Hi Alberio
Thanks for checking out the images of M104 and for the comment. The 16 inch Meade at F10 does a good job but I had to wait for steady nights to get much detail out of the image. I threw out at 30% of the images due to bad seeing, and on multiple nights the auto focus with SGpro wouldn't due to turbulence so it took more than 1/2 month before I could get enough good images.
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May 18, 2024 22:29:15 #
SkyKing wrote:
….wow…wow…wow…did I say wow…WOW…! Really wonderfully done…!!! WOW…!
Hi SkyKing
Thanks for checking out the images of the Sombrero Galaxy and for all the Wows.
May 18, 2024 18:38:51 #
DougS wrote:
Indeed, Beautiful images! And excellent workmanship to make them happen! Thanks for sharing!!!
Hi DougS
Thanks for checking out the photos of the Sombrero Galaxy and for the comment.
May 18, 2024 17:35:01 #
Hi Retired CPO
Thanks for checking out the images of M104 and for the comment.
Thanks for checking out the images of M104 and for the comment.
May 18, 2024 16:29:56 #
Below are a set of image of the Sombrero Galaxy. Due to atmospheric turbulence it took a few weeks to capture enough decent images to stack these images. This object never gets above 39 degrees above the horizon making it more challenging from northern Ca.
The first image is a straight LRGB image. On close inspection you can see a large number of dots in the halo of this galaxy, most of these are globular clusters surrounding this galaxy.
The second image stretched to low end of the data brightened at the expensive of noise to bring out the multitude of distant background galaxies (hundreds can be found when you zoom in, look for the small more elongated and or fuzzy blobs of light.
The third image used the NBRGB script in Pixinsight to add HA data to the image.
The Fourth image is the same as the first except that some HDR processing was done to dim the halo around the galaxy to bring out more details in the galactic core.
Total LRGB imaging time 13 hours 3 minutes. L 125 exp at 2 min, R 58 exp at 3 min, G 75 exp at 3 min, B 50 exp at 3 min)
Additional Ha imaging time 4hours 1 minute 40 second (19 images at 500 seconds each)
All questions comments and suggestions are welcome.
The first image is a straight LRGB image. On close inspection you can see a large number of dots in the halo of this galaxy, most of these are globular clusters surrounding this galaxy.
The second image stretched to low end of the data brightened at the expensive of noise to bring out the multitude of distant background galaxies (hundreds can be found when you zoom in, look for the small more elongated and or fuzzy blobs of light.
The third image used the NBRGB script in Pixinsight to add HA data to the image.
The Fourth image is the same as the first except that some HDR processing was done to dim the halo around the galaxy to bring out more details in the galactic core.
Total LRGB imaging time 13 hours 3 minutes. L 125 exp at 2 min, R 58 exp at 3 min, G 75 exp at 3 min, B 50 exp at 3 min)
Additional Ha imaging time 4hours 1 minute 40 second (19 images at 500 seconds each)
All questions comments and suggestions are welcome.
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May 14, 2024 16:31:34 #
alberio wrote:
Hi Ballard, thanks for your comment.
ASKAR 120MM F7APO with field flattener, Canon R6, ISO 12,800 6X30sec subs mounted on a Celestron AVX mount. Of course that is 180sec of lights, 180 of darks, the flats were shorter and bias frames much shorter. I processed in Siril v1.21 then a bit more in Topaz
I was out in the AZ desert 50miles north of Douglas AZ at the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association CAC site. This is a pretty dark location with class 2 Bortle skies.
ASKAR 120MM F7APO with field flattener, Canon R6, ISO 12,800 6X30sec subs mounted on a Celestron AVX mount. Of course that is 180sec of lights, 180 of darks, the flats were shorter and bias frames much shorter. I processed in Siril v1.21 then a bit more in Topaz
I was out in the AZ desert 50miles north of Douglas AZ at the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association CAC site. This is a pretty dark location with class 2 Bortle skies.
That sound like a great location. I'm in Bortle 4 here in Grass Valley and recently the Jet stream had made for bad seeing.
May 14, 2024 16:26:20 #
alberio wrote:
I've never got much detail in M81, but now I know with more data it should improve. I didn't think M82 looked very well.
M82 needs Ha to really bring out the center otherwise it just looks like an elongated sliver of light (this is why it's called the cigar galaxy).
May 14, 2024 15:00:11 #
alberio wrote:
My rendition of the Eastern (reversed) Veil. I didn't take as many subs as I wanted, 7x30sec, but it still worked out.
nice shot of the Veil Nebula. Looks like around a 500mm to 600mm focal length view.
May 14, 2024 14:55:21 #
alberio wrote:
I finally got a bit of detail on M81. M82 didn't come out like I wanted. 630 sec.
Nice capture of one of my favorite pairs of galaxies.
May 14, 2024 14:54:25 #
alberio wrote:
I had to go about 50 miles north of Mexico Saturday night to capture my favorite Star Cluster. The night was as good as you'd want. This guy was only 10 deg above the horizon and still came out pretty well. I have more victims to show coming up.
Excellent image. This one is hard to shot from the US since it is so far south.
May 14, 2024 14:52:53 #
alberio wrote:
The Needle was pretty sharp for only 180 sec.
Great shot with only 180 seconds. What equipment did you use to take this image.
May 14, 2024 14:51:25 #
[quote=bwana]Many, many nights of Aurora watching and photography. A few below:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-463751-1.html Full Sky
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-528265-1.html STEVE
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-605045-1.html Full Sky
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-693583-1.html Boring Aurora
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-714702-1.html Moderate
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-717484-1.html Amazing Aurora. You could hear this one!
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-748195-1.html STEVE Plus
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-769205-1.html Amazing Colorful Full Sky
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-772136-1.html Full Sky
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-773239-1.html Cloudy Aurora
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-786663-1.html Cloudy Aurora
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-803651-1.html Boring Aurora
And I could go on and on...
As for a correlation between Auroras and solar activity, I don't know if there is much. Some of the best Auroras simply came out of nowhere and a lot of forecast Aurora activity falls flat on its face.
bwa[/quote
Nice set of images.
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-463751-1.html Full Sky
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-528265-1.html STEVE
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-605045-1.html Full Sky
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-693583-1.html Boring Aurora
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-714702-1.html Moderate
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-717484-1.html Amazing Aurora. You could hear this one!
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-748195-1.html STEVE Plus
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-769205-1.html Amazing Colorful Full Sky
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-772136-1.html Full Sky
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-773239-1.html Cloudy Aurora
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-786663-1.html Cloudy Aurora
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-803651-1.html Boring Aurora
And I could go on and on...
As for a correlation between Auroras and solar activity, I don't know if there is much. Some of the best Auroras simply came out of nowhere and a lot of forecast Aurora activity falls flat on its face.
bwa[/quote
Nice set of images.
May 14, 2024 14:50:16 #
jscorbin wrote:
I saw the aurora one night in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, east of San Diego. It was on a field trip there during Easter week in 1978.
Some massive sunspot action, nice images.
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