In the Shadow of the Horsehead

[Rod771 (Rod)]

Fantastic image Rolf! Incredible detail in the Horse itself - amazing!

Well done

[SkyViking (Rolf)]

Originally Posted by dvj

That is an A-class image.

I've never thought of the Horsehead itself casting a shadow in the foreground dust clouds. Guess I'll be getting rid of that Honders soon.

Thanks John, you can send the Honders my way if you want, I can always use an extra finderscope
Seriously though, I love the efficiency and simplicity of a large Newtonian, and IMHO with a decent corrector they produce images rivalling any other system.

Originally Posted by Stevec35

Top result Rolf!

Cheers

Steve

Thank you Steve, I just went for an easy target to stretch the wings of the new scope, but it did turn out nicely.

Originally Posted by alistairsam

I've never thought of that either. you've brought out the dust details really well and the shadow really stands out. really cool especially from outer suburbs seeing. Was there any Light pollution to contend with?

Cheers
Alistair

Cheers Alistair, yes that shadow caught my eye during processing so decided to show as much of the structures in the dust as I could.
Re light pollution, I have the light dome of Auckland to the NE where Orion was positioned during all the data gathering, so theoretically it will have interfered with the image, but I didn't notice any strong gradients or similar in the data.

Originally Posted by DJT

Stunning picture, Rolf. Well done

Thanks David!

Originally Posted by David Fitz-Henr

Well done Rolf, a brilliant first image with your new scope! Nice colours and you have brought out a wealth of fine detail with 7 hours of luminance data My only suggestion would be that there does appear to be some sharpening artefacts in some of the dim regions in the nebula, but a minor observation on a great image.

Glad you liked it David. It was a joy to play with the data and see what could be brought out. As mentioned earlier I did experiment with my processing flow and tried some new things, and the result probably shows some artefacts at full resolution. I plan to refine my technique so stay tuned

Originally Posted by iceman

Stunning image, Rolf. Congratulations.

This is now IOTW.

Thank you very much Mike, that's an honour! The new scope certainly passed the test

Originally Posted by Paul Haese

Nice work Rolf, Like I said on FB, there is plenty to like in this image. The full size image presents pretty well overall. Like the colour and detail. All these images of the Horse Head are making me impatient to finish the data collection for my image. Been months since I started, but I have a goal. Lovely work again Rolf. Top shelf.

Thanks Paul, it was fun to try imaging this one as I've never done it before. I haven't even seen it visually although I have tried a couple of times but with no success. I suppose the new scope with its fresh coatings and larger aperture might give me a glimpse visually, I must try that.

Originally Posted by John Hothersall

You've achieved great depth, the reflection neb has comes out extremely well, love the highlights on the horse. Very powerful image.

John.

Cheers John, I'm glad you liked NGC2023 too. Was it not for the Horsehead this would be a popular nebula in its own right, but alas it lies in the shadow of its more famous neighbour, literally!

[SkyViking (Rolf)]

Originally Posted by Rod771

Fantastic image Rolf! Incredible detail in the Horse itself - amazing!

Well done

Thank you Rod!

[Peter Ward]

What's not to like?

Beautiful optics. Excellent guiding.

I'm hard pushed to find any processing artifacts.

None really.

Stars are well resolved and tight (something you can only get with a long FL ).

More data would smooth out the continuum, but so what.

A benchmark HH for sure

[alpal]

Rolf,

I love the efficiency and simplicity of a large Newtonian,
and IMHO with a decent corrector they produce images rivaling any other system.

Hi Rolf,
I had a look at all your pics & noted this one:
http://www.rolfolsenastrophotography...ss/i-pnZShqQ/A

I can't quite understand how the guitar string collimation system works
& also why it doesn't cause multiple diffraction spikes?

The collimation you have achieved is obviously superb.
An RC or classical Cassegrain would have better spot sizes further off axis
but the KAF8300 is not such a large sensor where it would be apparent.

Still - I have learnt a lot from your thread about building this scope:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...t=98823&page=2

I am thinking of ideas on how to improve my own setup.

Congratulations on the IOTW.

cheers
Allan

[Octane (Humayun)]

What an outstanding image, my friend.

H

[marc4darkskies (Marcus)]

Yes indeed ... outstanding Rolf! Congrats!

Cheers, Marcus

[SkyViking (Rolf)]

Originally Posted by Peter Ward

What's not to like?

Beautiful optics. Excellent guiding.

I'm hard pushed to find any processing artifacts.

None really.

Stars are well resolved and tight (something you can only get with a long FL ).

More data would smooth out the continuum, but so what.

A benchmark HH for sure

Thanks very much for the kind words Peter! I also expect improved seeing conditions once more settled weather rolls in here. So even higher resolution should be possible

Originally Posted by alpal

Rolf,
Hi Rolf,
I had a look at all your pics & noted this one:
http://www.rolfolsenastrophotography...ss/i-pnZShqQ/A

I can't quite understand how the guitar string collimation system works
& also why it doesn't cause multiple diffraction spikes?

The collimation you have achieved is obviously superb.
An RC or classical Cassegrain would have better spot sizes further off axis
but the KAF8300 is not such a large sensor where it would be apparent.

Still - I have learnt a lot from your thread about building this scope:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...t=98823&page=2

I am thinking of ideas on how to improve my own setup.

Congratulations on the IOTW.

cheers
Allan

Hi Allan and thanks. There are 8 strings attached to the mirror holder and they are arranged in a cross like traditional spider vanes. You can (faintly) see how they line up in this image from the 10" :http://www.rolfolsenastrophotography...#!/i-HG6cQrr/O

Each string can be tightened/loosened via its own guitar tuner, so full positioning and orientation is easy to achieve for the secondary mirror. I have found it much easier than traditional spiders where you typically have to adjust with tools and go back to the eyepiece and check. Here I can turn the guitar tuners by hand while looking in the eyepiece to see the effect. It is also really easy to make careful micro adjustments which helps getting everything aligned optimally.

The two strings that make up each 'vane' don't have to overlap each other but just need to be parallel in order to appear as a single spike in the image, if that is what you mean. They of course also need to be parallel with the two strings on the corresponding opposite side, and overall this lineup can be tricky to achieve but once adjusted I don't have to touch it again since collimation is maintained by adjusting the primary, not the secondary.

Hope that helps

[SkyViking (Rolf)]

Originally Posted by Octane

What an outstanding image, my friend.

H

Thanks very much H, it's a classic target that never disappoints I'm glad to now have an image of it.

Originally Posted by marc4darkskies

Yes indeed ... outstanding Rolf! Congrats!

Cheers, Marcus

Thank you Marcus, it's good to be back in the game again with the new and larger scope finally finished.
Looking forward to your images with your new scope too

[DavidNg (David)]

The Horsehead is pretty detailed, like to color too.
Regards
David

[alpal]

Originally Posted by SkyViking

Hi Allan and thanks. There are 8 strings attached to the mirror holder and they are arranged in a cross like traditional spider vanes. You can (faintly) see how they line up in this image from the 10" :http://www.rolfolsenastrophotography...#!/i-HG6cQrr/O

Each string can be tightened/loosened via its own guitar tuner, so full positioning and orientation is easy to achieve for the secondary mirror. I have found it much easier than traditional spiders where you typically have to adjust with tools and go back to the eyepiece and check. Here I can turn the guitar tuners by hand while looking in the eyepiece to see the effect. It is also really easy to make careful micro adjustments which helps getting everything aligned optimally.

The two strings that make up each 'vane' don't have to overlap each other but just need to be parallel in order to appear as a single spike in the image, if that is what you mean. They of course also need to be parallel with the two strings on the corresponding opposite side, and overall this lineup can be tricky to achieve but once adjusted I don't have to touch it again since collimation is maintained by adjusting the primary, not the secondary.

Hope that helps

Thanks Rolf,
I'm still getting my head around string spiders.
It seems difficult to set up - for advanced telescope makers only!
I will investigate it more & thanks for the photo.

cheers
Allan

[dutch2 (Ingrid)]

I never get sick of seeing the HH nebula
Wonderful image, lots of detail, just stunning.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Great resolution in that shot Rolf. Congrat on IOTW. Well deserved.

[kinetic (Steve)]

Rolf,

what can I say,

brilliant...master class

Steve

[swannies1983 (Dan)]

Absolutely a cracker image!

[SkyViking (Rolf)]

Originally Posted by DavidNg

The Horsehead is pretty detailed, like to color too.
Regards
David

Thank you David!

Originally Posted by dutch2

I never get sick of seeing the HH nebula
Wonderful image, lots of detail, just stunning.

Thanks Ingrid, although I have never imaged the Horsehead before it has always been one of my favourite nebulae

Originally Posted by multiweb

Great resolution in that shot Rolf. Congrat on IOTW. Well deserved.

Thanks very much Marc. I'm happy with the resolution from the new scope and there should even be room for improvement so it'll be interesting to see how the next images turn out, whatever the targets may be.

Originally Posted by kinetic

Rolf,

what can I say,

brilliant...master class

Steve

Thank you Steve, I'm glad you enjoyed it

Originally Posted by swannies1983

Absolutely a cracker image!

Thanks Dan!

[DavidU (Dave)]

Wow, that's amazing Rolf. well done.

[Shiraz (Ray)]

beaut image Rolf - top shelf from the new kit. regards Ray

[ianB (Ian)]

Looks like 3D in some parts, great photo, better than what I have seen in many publications.

[allan gould]

Almost missed this one. An exquisite image in all aspects and really never thought that the HH would throw a shadow until you pointed it out.
Remarkable.
Allan