Fireworks galaxy in Grus

[strongmanmike]

I was planning a much deeper image but this has proved a bit laborious to complete and I got bored :lol: It wasn't the processing but the acquisition...the bloody weather was so annoying, it took three nights and crappy high cloud ruined big swaths of each night and the seeing was pretty average to below average. When the seeing was good the cloud would roll in :rolleyes: man one of the most frustrating images I have completed.

In the end the processing was quite straight forward (love this SX camera!). Yeah some more data would have assisted but meah, I am no Rolf 120hrs Olsen :lol:...too impatient especially when cloud stuffs up three nights :mad2:

It's just over 7hrs worth all up including 70min of Ha to highlight the HII regions a bit.

Located in Grus, this galaxy looks to me a bit like the famous northern sky galaxy M101 but is about a 1/4 the size at just 9' X 8' - like M101 though, it has cool colourful knotted arms :)

NGC 7424 (http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/151804453/original)

100% crop HERE (http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/152182991/original)

HERE (http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/152201823/original) is a comparison with the 8.1m VLT of the central 6.5' X 7.2' of the galaxy..ah sigh...Oh to have better seeing and an extra 7.8m of aperture :sadeyes:

[RickS]

Nice one, Mike! You got a good result despite the frustration. I found this one difficult as well...

Cheers,
Rick.

[Larryp]

Very nice, Mike!

[peter_4059]

Good Job Mike. Like the colours. Must be pretty faint.

[multiweb]

Great colors. Some really nice details in the core dust lanes. Wider field is my pick. :thumbsup:

[cybereye]

Bloody nice!!

You're not going to believe this but I'm currently in the process of collecting data on this sucker from the 'burbs. At a magnitude of 11 and my first lot of data being cloud affected the result of 2.5hrs is pretty dim! I'm going to persevere because I'm keen to see what I can do from the backyard here in Brissie....

But then, having seen your fantastic result I might just try imaging something else... :question:

Cheers,
Mario

PS NGC7424 is so dim that I gave up last Friday night because I thought I couldn't find it. Turns out on the Saturday night I was in the right spot, just couldn't see it!!

[gregbradley]

A very impressive for a small dim galaxy.

Greg.

[IanP]

Yeah, it’s a very dim sucker! but you’ve nailed it!
Thanks for sharing!
:thumbsup:

[jase]

Excellent image Mike! Nice work on the addition of Ha data to make the HII regions pop. Love the colour. Its a stunning galaxy though I do feel its screaming for more focal length. Never the less a great result. The wider field view is my pick over the 100% crop. Well done.

[strongmanmike]

Oh the processing was a cinch, it was the infuriating arrival of solid high and mucky cloud that really pissed me off :mad2: I was planning a good deep exposure on this but I am simply not that interested in spending 3+ nights on one single object anymore...too much Universe out there to capture under the new dome...if I lived high in teh Andes maybe... :thumbsup:



Cheers Larry



Yes quite faint at 23.4mag/squ arc sec - as a comparison, another faint galaxy, NGC 6744 in Pavo is brighter at 22.7mag/sq arc sec all compared to NGC 253 which is a super bright 21.3mag/squ arc sec = a big difference :)



Cheers Marc, this is a difficult galaxy to render well, a high mountain in the Andes...err?..have I mentioned that before :question:



Yes it is faint (see reply to Pete) but I am sure with your now famous processing tenacity (rivalling the famous Sidonioing:lol:) you will produce something more than respectable Muzza ;)



Cheers Greg



Cheers, glad you think so Ian, from a high mountain in a pristine location things might have been better :P



Yeah I guess :question: buuut in the end you have to use what you have at ya disposal and where it is located too huh?..having said that, I recon the 12" with just 1120mm FL at F3.8 holds its own against these two formidable 3300mm FL 14.5" RC shots..? ;)

http://www.astrosurf.com/antilhue/ngc_7424_in_grus.htm

http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/NGC7424-NewM.html

Mike

[h0ughy]

wow stunning work and results there Mike.

[John Hothersall]

This one is faint but a fast scope really helps, 7424 does have lovely knots within and some Ha you have shown clearly. This is an attractive galaxy/image just a pity it is not bigger and brighter like M83.

John.

[naskies]

Wow, great colours - especially with the extra Ha :thumbsup: I love all the little galaxies in the background too.

[Shiraz]

another beauty Mike - Ha adds a nice bit of definition. Regards Ray

[SkyViking]

Beautiful shot you got there Mike, very nice colours and processing. And it's a great galaxy too. A pity it's not closer to us since it seems to contain so many cool HII regions etc.
I wonder if there is a Hubble image of this one, that would be interesting.
Thanks for the view Mike!

[strongmanmike]

Cheers Dave glad you enjoyed the view



Thanks John..or a bigger scope on a high steady skies mountain :)



Thanks Dave yes background galaxies are always good to have in an image, creates perspective



Thanks ray :thumbsup:



I agree Rolf, HERE (http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/152201823/original) is a comparison with an image by the VLT in Chile :thumbsup:

Mike

[marc4darkskies]

Sympathies Mike, I hear you mate! I get very cranky (with a 'p') with the cloud gods here too - regularly :mad2:. They like to play peekaboo.

I can see the seeing related softness but it's still a very nice image. I like how the Ha regions pop but you've kept it looking natural. Presentation-wise, I'd go with the wider field.

Cheers, Marcus

[strongmanmike]

Cheers Marcus, yes none of the three nights on this gave me the reasonably good seeing I had for my last image - the Devils Mask (http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/151629696/original) :doh: As I said and apart from the cloud, in the end I got bored waiting and feel the need to move on to something else :)

I will get a great night I know, and when I do this scope-camera combo should really kick details butt :P

Mike

[Paul Haese]

Nice image Mike. Great colours considering the colour collection is a bit light (based on what I heard at AAIC) on. From what the big boys were saying 3 hours minimum on the colours and no binning. So what you have here is pretty good. I really like the Ha development in the image too. An image I am working on presently will need Ha data taken too and that could mean lots of hours. Do you have an uncropped image showing the whole field of view? I know I keep asking this but I am interested in seeing the whole field of view. Often there are many interesting little things to see around these objects.

I can see a PMX or AP900-1200 in your future. Being robotic has helped to gather a lot of data and means I can throw away more too. Best of all you get to sleep and wake up to more data and safe gear. The NJP has been a valiant warrior but it might be time.;)

[strongmanmike]

Ahhh big boys..? Hmm? Wolfgang Promper (http://www.astro-pics.com/images.htm) is famous for producing amazingly colourful images with hardly any colour data too ;) :thumbsup: I don't bin my colour either.



Cheers Paul, the addition of relatively small amounts of Ha in a galaxy shot makes a difference. Not keen when the HII regions dominate but a slight enhancement always looks good I recon :thumbsup:



The wider shot is already about 75% of the full field and cropped mainly to improve composition :shrug:..although in this case clouds produced some residual outer frame gradients and an edge of field star produced a strong glow (not rays) at the bottom of the frame and then there was the dithered edges, which all meant I felt it more pleasing to slightly crop it. THIS (http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/151821652/original) is a full frame image though, kept to preserve the galaxy at the upper right edge there :thumbsup:



Who knows, yes be good for sure, even with the observatory now I am still reluctant to chuck data..but in the end it's all about the money...not sure about you but I don't have endless amounts :lol:

Mike

[RobF]

Wonderful image Mike. You make the processing look so natural and easy, but I'm sure its anything but. Top shot.

[strongmanmike]

Thanks a lot Robbo :thumbsup:

Seriously, this SX camera is amazingly easy to work with, requiring no darks or flats and coupled to the SX OAG it has opened up a whole new world to me and ma trusty AG12 :thumbsup:

Mike

[Leonardo70]

Hey Mike ... great shot. Congrats.

Leo

[jjjnettie]

Those colours are look so natural and real, not over processed. :)
An excellent effort.

[gregbradley]

Yes the SX cam seems to be a gem. I wonder why the other camera makers are not jumping on the Sony bandwagon. They are most likely going to be the manufacturer of the future for astro cam sensors. They are really very dominant on sensors in the camera world now.

Greg.

[tilbrook@rbe.ne]

Right, this ones yours,I've read the post this time!

Instead of just looking at the pretty picture.:P

Your galaxy images are always amazing Mike!:thumbsup:
You have good eye for colours in galaxies, is there some sort of formula / recipe you work to?

Cheers,

Justin.

[strongmanmike]

Thanks Leo, would have been better with better conditions



Thanks Jeanette, despite the acquisition issues the processing was comparatively easy.



I just know this is a great little camera to use :thumbsup:



Thanks Justin :) formula :question: ah yes it was meant to be a secret but since you asked so nicely :whistle:....

Seriously, I process like an artist paints, I use my eye a lot I guess. I have style of sorts I guess but every image is a little different and sometimes they are kinda crap too :whistle: :P

Cheers Mike

[tilbrook@rbe.ne]

Thanks for the formula Mike!!!:)
And :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:I needed a good laugh!

Cheers,

Justin.

[strongmanmike]

Err? why are you laughing :shrug:...I just put the love heart in for a bit of Ha colour :P

[David Fitz-Henr]

Great shot Mike, nice colours and detail; love the wide field shot also :thumbsup: I'd be tempted to raise the black point just a smidgeon above the background noise at the foot of the histogram :scared3: ... personal preference of course ... ;)

[strongmanmike]

You can be tempted - go right ahead :thumbsup: :lol:

Cheers Dave :)

[gregbradley]

I looked at this image again. Wow, it really is quite an impressive image after seeing the 2 14.5 inch RCOS shots you compared it to.

Greg.

[strongmanmike]

Yeah cheers Greg, she does ok :thumbsup:

Mike

[Ross G]

A great looking galaxy photo Mike.

I really like the colours.

Ross.

[strongmanmike]

Cool, nice to hear Rossco :thumbsup:

Mike