M64 Shenanigans

Ryderscope (Rodney) · #1 09-06-2019, 10:33 PM

Funny things can happen on Sunday nights whilst processing data from a recently completed data capture on M64. I ran the data through the pre processing steps, opened the integrated masters and, OMG - what is that luminous nebula looking stuff on the left of the image

I had not seen any hint of nebula on any of the images of M64 that I had found previously. Even the ones with a slightly wider field.

So, convinced that something disastrous had happened, I took another set of flats as it had to be something wrong with the flats - right? Did that, ran through the calibration, registration and integration - same thing

So then I thought, it can't be integrated flux nebula - can it

So we did a search on "IFN near M64" and hit this post on CN from Rogelio Bernal Andreo. A very wide field around M64 showing TONS of IFN surrounding the galaxy. Whew! problem (which wasn't a problem) solved

I've attached a screen shot from my PI work space. The image on the left is a rotated, cropped and registered grey scale version of RBA's image to match it up against my luminance master on the right. The IFN matches up perfectly.

I was originally going to do a 100% crop due to my largish FOV but I will leave it as a slightly wider field now and see what I can do with the IFN in the processing.

Clear skies.

strongmanmike (Michael) · #2 09-06-2019, 11:10 PM

Very funny Rod, must have made you freak at first

...nice one and yep keep the galactic cirrus, always looks cool in a galaxy image

Mike

Placidus (Mike and Trish) · #3 10-06-2019, 08:12 AM

Absolutely definitely real.

(It was lots of fun seeing your permanent set-up the other day).

How long was your exposure?

Ryderscope (Rodney) · #4 10-06-2019, 09:26 AM

Thanks MnT and Mike. It was good to find out it is real. The exposure time for all channels is 300 seconds (approximately 30 subs per channel) which is more than enough for the galaxy. This question has however prompted a thought that one could do longer exposures (and/or more of them) to capture some more detail in the IFN and then process that separately. It's getting a bit too late in the year now to do that for this object but is certainly something to consider for next season.

Clear skies.

Atmos (Colin) · #5 10-06-2019, 11:18 AM

I had the same "issue" the first time I did a really wide field shot of the Large Magellanic Cloud, had all this weirdness in one corner of the frame and it turned out to be dust

Nicely captured though

Retrograde (Pete) · #6 10-06-2019, 11:41 AM

Very cool capture Rodney and a rather funny story.
I think "what's gone wrong' would probably be my reaction as well.

Ryderscope (Rodney) · #7 10-06-2019, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atmos

I had the same "issue" the first time I did a really wide field shot of the Large Magellanic Cloud, had all this weirdness in one corner of the frame and it turned out to be dust

Nicely captured though

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retrograde

Very cool capture Rodney and a rather funny story.
I think "what's gone wrong' would probably be my reaction as well.

Weirdness indeed. Good to see others have trod this path before

Clear skies.