couple of galaxies - NGC1398 and NGC7424

[Shiraz]

Hi

been out of action for a while, but managed to get some data on these - not totally pleased with image quality, but they are spectacular objects and it is a joy to have their images.

NGC1398
scaled: http://www.astrobin.com/full/141747/0/
full res: http://www.astrobin.com/full/141747/0/?real=&mod=

NGC7424
full res: http://www.astrobin.com/full/141748/0/?real=&mod=

First serious outings for the EQ8 - went OK.

thanks for looking. Ray

[Rod771]

They look good Ray. Its always pleasing when new equipment behaves.

Cheers

Rod

[RickS]

A lovely pair of images, Ray. I spent a lot of time on NGC7424 at Astrofest year before last and it is a very dim and difficult target!

Cheers,
Rick.

[rogerg]

Wow, NGC1398 in particular is spectacular. Very nice images.

[strongmanmike]

Another two excellent images Ray, 1398 is particularly lovely with its fine inner ring/arms and the overall feel of the image is very captivating and it has your classic hallmark clean punching above your weight look :thumbsup: I was going to shoot this galaxy myself actually but sheesh :rolleyes: there are sooo many options this time of year huh? :lol: 7424 is really good too but maybe lacks a bit of colour variation perhaps? (minor critique)

Like your work :)

Mike

[Placidus]

Agree that 1398 is especially fine. A beautiful galaxy and a beautiful image. And the background of 1398 is beautifully rich in little fellows showing form. Best, Mike

[tilbrook@rbe.ne]

Great work again Ray!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Ditto on 1398, the detail is amazing.

Cheers,

Justin.

[Shiraz]

thanks Rod. yep it isn't always the case that new gear behaves :lol:



thanks Rick. Agree, 7424 is quite dim - it was quite hard to get from this site (no longer as dark as it was)


Thanks very much Roger for your generous comment.


Thank you Mike. I also like 1398, but it was initially a disappointment, since it was fairly dim and featureless. However, the data responded to some digging and the final result was worthwhile. It's like being in a lolly shop with so many galaxies to choose from.:) I agree with your critique on 7424 - the background noise intrudes as well as the colour being a bit one dimensional.


Thanks very much Mike. Yes I was amazed at how much background stuff showed up and the image was processed to bring them out.


G'day Justin. Thanks very much for the positive comments.

Regards Ray

[gregbradley]

Great shots Ray. 1398 as mentioned by others is very spectacular. 7424 is really a bit beyond the reach of amatuer scopes but you have done well for such a difficult galaxy.

Greg.

[multiweb]

Never cease to amaze Ray. I saw that galaxy in Adam Block's shot but I reckon yours is better. The other spiral is just the icing on the cake. When I eventually get to start shooting galaxies I'll be talking to you. You're the man! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Stevec35]

Only just saw these Ray. Very nice indeed, particularly NGC 1398.

Cheers

Steve

[Paul Haese]

1398 is my pick. The detail is nice and sharp and the field of view presented around the outside is good too. Nice work Ray.

[clive milne]

It is good to see you imaging again Ray, and as is typical from you, your latest images are pleasing to the eye.

I'll be careful to qualify the following comments as a matter of personal preference rather than criticism. (which would be undeserved)
The 7424 image might be better with a little less decon. Some of the stars show a slight dark donut effect, and appear to have lost their gausian intensity profile. It is difficult to make an objective assessment of the colour balance viewing these on my phone (S4) but I am inclined to think that pulling the colour saturation back a touch might add to the realism of both images. 7424 looks a little brown/purple to me.

anyway, two very good shots of some challenging targets.
As always, it is good to see the results of your work and I look forward to seeing more.

best

c

[marc4darkskies]

Excellent Ray! 1398 is definitely my favorite!

Cheers, Marcus

[Shiraz]

Thanks very much Greg. agree the 7424 is not too brilliant, but the problem was a lack of good data. I only had a couple of hours at about 2 arcsec and had to use some with up to 3 arcsec to get the noise down a bit. But I like the galaxy and will try again next year if possible.


Very generous Comments Marc and much appreciated.



thanks very much Steve.


Thank you Paul - I was pleased with the surrounding field.


Thanks for the thoughtful post Clive. I have revisited the 7424 data but to date have some difficulty in getting anything better out of the limited resolution subs - if I wind back the deconvolution too far, a fair bit of structure fades as well. However, I will persevere, since I think I may possibly have found a way to get around at least part of the problem. The star profiles are compressed at the top end as a byproduct of the stretching process - I have tried masking to partially retain the original profiles, but didn't like the side effects, so now just accept that the stars will have flattened profiles. However, agree that overuse of deconvolution has added it's own distinctive distortion in this image.

I take the point on colour and saturation and will redo.

Will post some revised images after Christmas.


Thanks Marcus - appreciated.

Regards Ray

[clive milne]

All the best for Christmas Ray, if you get a chance, have a look at Mike's (Placidus) rendition of 7424. .... there is a lot to like about it.

best

c

[Amaranthus]

NGC7424 is superb. Nice work Ray. It's nice to see what you're doing with the 694 sensor. I got my QHY22 as an early Xmas present, but have not yet tried it out in anger -- this is further whetting my appetite!

[John K]

Amazing detail there Ray - don't see too many people imaging these especially with the level of detail you have achieved. Good to hear that the EQ8 is working well for you as well.

John K.

[stevous67]

NGC1398 is excellent, nicely processed / captured Ray.

Steve

[alpal]

Hi Ray,
NGC1398 has an unusual structure.
At magnitude 9.7 you've done well to pull that one out of noise.
You've shown great detail.

I notice you use an RCC1 corrector on a 10" f/4 Newt with a small H694 sensor.
Do you know how a larger QHY9m with a KAF8300 would go on the same system?
I am thinking that there would be vignetting & not 100% illumination?
( I am just wondering if my similar optical train would work on such a Newt. )

cheers
Allan

[Shiraz]

thanks Clive - yes it is very good.



Thanks very much Barry, looking forward to seeing your results - you will be using a Newtonian?


Hi John. thanks very much.


Thanks Steve.


Thanks Allan.

depends on seeing, but the 250 Newt would be a pretty good match to an 8300 in average conditions. If you got some really good seeing, drizzle stacking would be the go, since the larger pixels of the 8300 would limit sampling in the very best conditions. Pity you are not closer, we could try it out.

Vignetting would be an issue at the extremities of the chip, but for galaxies, that is a minor concern.

regards Ray

[Amaranthus]

Yes, my main astrograph for this new CCD will be an 8" f/4 newt. I'll also use my ED80T for widefield and my C8 for up close.