My first CCD Image Tarrantula

[Striker]

This CCD stuff is a huge learning curve for me.

I am going to take it a step at a time. firstly working with only luminance channel..color can come later once I work out what the hell I am doing.

This image is 30 x 1 minute unguided exposure just dark subtracted..flats can also come later...lol

Cant get the autoguiding working the internal guider and are awaiting for my external guide camera.

Scope 10" LX200R imaged at F10 2500mm FL
Camera STL11000 binned 2x2 at -15
Processed in Imagesplus and Photoshop

I am not sure how this will look on your monitor as I am processing everything on my Laptop until My new monitor turns up tomorrow.

Pretty happy with first result
Slightly Higher Rez
http://www.users.on.net/~striker/Tarrantula-full.jpg

Please guidance needed

[[1ponders]]

Looks pretty good Tony. :thumbsup: A bit more exposure will be nice when you get the guiding working. It does look a bit soft in the corners and along the margins, but I imagine that is a bit of curvature, the central area looks tight :cool2:

How are you going finding a field flattener?

[beren]

Can't offer guidance but I can offer some praise, well done on your first image with your new setup looks promising indeed Tony :thumbsup:

[tornado33]

Plenty of detail there.
Is that a full spectrum image? that is, is each pixel seeing the full spectrum from red to blue?
Whats the go with the internal guider, it wont lock onto a guidestar?
Scott

[RB]

Show-off !!! :P

:lol:




J/K, I love it Tony!
:thumbsup:

[Striker]

Paul, Cant find anything that will work and will fit with the LX200R..UNLESS YOU GO TO HUGE DOLLARS.

I honestly dont want to do real widefield anyway.

I think I will be able to make it work at F10 binned at 2x2.
giving me 1.5 arcsecond per pixel

I have tried the lumicon OAG used as a Focal reducer but the vignetting is huge and I think its that bad that it cuts out the internal guider chip.

Scott,

The internal guiding chip is so small and at F10 2500mm does not give my much of the sky to find a star...plus I cant get the ccdsoft program to write the correct histogram so all the guiding chip is doing is picking up hotpixels..I thought I had it sorted but it's not.

Regarding full spectrum...I imagine so....its just the monochrome chip using UV/IR blocking filter which is called Luminance..I hope that's right..someone can correct me.

Thanks guys.

[rogerg]

CCDSoft should be taking the guide images using auto-darkframe subtraction, so you shouldn't have hot pixels in the guide image (within reason). Not sure what's going on there - perhaps there's a checkbox somewhere to turn it on/off that I haven't used for so long I've fogotten? It is normal that CCDSoft would do it's own auto contrast/histogram for the autoguider exposures and you can't change that (that I'm aware of) but I've never had problems with it.

Sounds like you need a brighter guide star anyway (and yes, it's often a challenge to find one - I was using 10 second exposures for guide stars for NGC 1232 the other night - colour filters were extending guide exposures considerably).

I've recently discovered myself that what's referred to Luminance is actually IR cut. I'm surprised and don't understand why. I find a large difference in detail resolved when taking an image through the "L" filter vs just clear (no filter), presumably because the ST7 picks up so much IR ... might be the same for the STL11000.. don't know. I'm yet to experiment to see what difference using L vs clear has on RGB images.

Btw.. nice start :thumbsup:

Working at 2x2 sounds like a safe way to go, and quite tollerable considering the megapixels of the CCD. If I bin 2x2 I end up with a tiny image :)

Roger.

[atalas]

Nice start Tony.

[Striker]

Thanks Guys,

Roger I will experiment with the guider tonight..I dont have it set for auto dark subtraction.

Either way I think I will be doing my autoguiding externaly through the ED80.

Hurry up guide head I am waiting for you...lol

[Dennis]

Hi Tony

An excellent start to your cooled B&W ccd imaging career. I started off with an ST5 with a meagre 320x240 pixels. :rofl: :rofl:

How are you focusing? Are you using CCDSoft, manually, or an external focuser? The stars looked slightly off focus on my monitor.

If you would like me to drop round one evening, I would be happy to join you in the Tardis, as I have been using CCDSoft V5 for 4 or 5 years now.

Cheers

Dennis

[Striker]

Thanks Dennis,

I will take you up on your offer as I am manualy focusing via the primary miror which is not ideal.

I am looking to get the Feathertouch focusing system to automate my focusing.

wait till I sort this focuser and guide camera out and you will get an invite...thanks

[gbeal]

Nice shot Tony, still using my old focal reducer, LOL.
The F/T auto focuser is a great piece of kit by all accounts, I have just finished speaking to the man himself. As Dennis suggests, try the focus thing in Maxim or CCDSoft.
Darn good first image though.

[Striker]

I actualy ordered the Feathertouch system not long ago but stopped the order to give the Lumicon a go first...whilst just purchasing the Feathertouch Micro for the primary focussing.

But its looking more likely I will go back to my original order.

Email has been sent to Starlight Instruments.

[acropolite]

Even if it's not perfect you've got the lingo down pat. Great start Tony. :thumbsup:

[2020BC]

At 2.5 metres focal length, Tony, this is a very good image. That G-11 must be tracking so-o-o sweet.

[seeker372011]

well thats a nice foretaste of good things to come...i'm sure you will overcome the current niggles

but for a first light thats terrific

[spearo]

Tony,
the detail and resolution are really impressive
cant wait to see the colors coming through
frank

[spacezebra]

Excellent image Tony:thumbsup:

Cheers Petra

[iceman]

Not bad for a first light Tony ;) Can't wait for more.

Nothing is meant to be easy, you'll get over the dramas and produce stunning results i'm sure.

[Ken]

Great first shot especially at that focal length . I noticed the stars are slightly softer on one side of the image this could be collimation but more likely the camera is not sitting square in the focuser.Clear skies Ken

[Octane]

Tony,

A great start. :)

Regards,
Humayun

[Ric]

Hi Tony, thats a great looking image the Nebula is quite detailed, looking forward to the colour version.

cheers

[jase]

Nice "first light" image Tony. Looking forward to seeing more.

[Garyh]

I agree with everyone!
Its a great first shot Tony, only uphill from here!!!
Cheers Gary

[Striker]

Thanks for everyone support and tips,

Also thanks to Roger

I did get the internal guiding working by applying autodark..that seem to help a lot....managed to do some 5 minute exposure's last night..I have yet to process them...things are moving along nicely now...I think

Another 3 months of trialing and playing and I may move onto color images....lol


Tony

[tornado33]

Many years ago A mate bought round a then new SBIG7 I think it was, to try on my scope, heres the results
http://cust.idl.net.au/josiah/SBIG.htm
back then he software was DOS based, but surprisingly easy to use. Focussing was a breeze using a Heartman mask, draw a box round a star and the camera will just keep sending small images with that star in the centre, and highly magnified, so focussing is done in real time.
I cant remember how we did the darks, I think we just took a dark and set the software to automatically subtract it from the light images then and there. I only had one night with it on my scope,would loved to have had more.
Scott