First Light M25C!

[Warhen]

Thought I'd check in and say hi!

Here is first light with my new M25C. Per Bud Guinn's suggestion, this was 2x2 binning of the one-shot with excellent result! As I'm 'scopeless' at the moment, this was the little Borg 45ED.

http://www.billionsandbillions.com/Display.html (http://www.billionsandbillions.com/Display.html)

My STV is down and must go back to SBIG, so I'll not be imaging for awhile, but I'll be checking in. I'll use the time to finish up Astroart Preprocessing Tutorials for ip4ap.com, look forward to doing some writing for Al Degutis' SkyInsight Newsletter, and do some processing.


Enjoy,
Warren

[ving]

thats pretty neat. shows a stack of detail! :)
you have to be happy with that.

I am not sure if you'd be up for it or not but i am sure mike would love an astroart tute on this website (have i overstepped a boundary?).

[tornado33]

Great image there, good tracking. Do you use a separate guidescope?
Thanks
Scott

[Lester]

Welcome Warren,

couldn't believe my eyes, thats a total of 9 hours exposure time, if that was any deeper there wouldn't be a hole deep enough to put it in.

Fantastic and thanks for sharing it.

[Warhen]

Thanks guys. Four hours actually- 8 x 30'. Yes, I use the STV eFinder to guide.

Truly, Warren

[Striker]

Hi warren.....great image...just curious why your were using a colour sensor to do HA images...normaly us DSLR users are the ones trying to image in HA with colour chips.....lol

[gbeal]

Beat me to it Tony, I was wondering the same thing. I didn't think the colour chips were too keen on Ha??

[tornado33]

Yes I guess only the pixel elements with red lenses over them will be recording light http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayer_filter
In some respects I wish Canon would make some "factory seconds" that is image sensors with no coloured lenses, that way if I used my ha filter I could have every pixel recording light. It would be like gaining about 2 stops of speed with no noise increase :)

[Warhen]

Hi guys,
My budget doesn't allow for two cameras, and desire for an affordable, cooled CCD w/APS-size detector led me to the M25C. Given my limited good weather, One-Shot is the only way to go.

As you can see, very good Ha is possible with a one-shot. Though only R pixels 'see', adequate signal for the detector which is quite sensitive in Ha is key.

An option is 2x2 binning and eliminating the Bayer so that all pixels are working together. The result is comparable with the 1x1 result, as the G and B data must be discarded there anyway.

Another option is shooting 1x1, but rather than color-convert, do a pseudo 2x2 bin and upsize. This keeps the better resolution and rounder stars, but also uses the G and pure noise B channel. Even so, if R signal is adequate, it rises above the noise very well.

Truly,