Lambda Centauri to Eta Carina.

[Retrograde]

Hi all,

this was my first attempt at a mosaic from SPSP last month.

I arrived on the Thursday with only a quick test image with the Samyang 135mm f2 under my belt prior. I decided to try a two-panel mosaic incorporating the Running Chicken/Lambda Centauri nebula and Eta Carina. Unfortunately I only got through 12 x 90 sec subs on the left panel before the clouds rolled in so had to wait until the following evening to grab the other panel (in which I used the same number of subs in order to match).

As I've mentioned previously, focus at f2.8 is critical and I didn't quite have it nailed on the first night resulting in very slight red/magenta fringing around some of the stars. When I re-did the focus on the second night the star images weren't necessarily any smaller but they were certainly a lot cleaner. Lesson learned (and applied on the Rho mosaic posted previously) :)

Because of the slightly different focus and resulting colour balance (+ different sky conditions between the two nights) getting these two panels stitched nicely in photoshop was impossible so I ended up using MS ICE which did a much better job.

Anyway it's a nice field and the result is reasonable for only 18 mins of data per panel I suppose ;).

Bigger version here: http://www.astrobin.com/full/299475/0/?nc=user

[strongmanmike]

Another good'un Pete, like the framing too.

You are doing some fine work with that lens :thumbsup:

How did you find the conditions at SPSP overall? Where were you setup?

Mike

[RickS]

Nice composition, Pete. I like that a lot.

[multiweb]

Great fov Pete. All the favourites in one go. :thumbsup:

[gregbradley]

A lovely widefield. Nicely done.

That Samyang 135 2 is an interesting lens. It get a lot of good reviews.

I am looking to do some lens imaging again. I may look into that one. The classic is the Zeiss 135 APO but I am not sure if there is much of a difference.
Another I read is good is the Voigtlander 135 1.8. There is also a Sigma art 135 1.8. So many choices.

Greg.

[Retrograde]

Thanks Mike!

SPSP was pretty good despite a little cloud and a bit of wind (not to mention lots and lots of dew!). I'd take 2 1/2 clear nights out of 3 any time.

I was set up in the little 'alleyway' between the driveway and the main observing field. All of us there are pretty much in the same place every year. :)



Thanks very much Rick!



Cheers Marc.
There's lots of close-ups and wide-angles of the region but not so many at in-between focal-lengths.

[strongmanmike]

Dang! I gotta get down that way more often next year, I always forget people are down there :rolleyes:

Yes it was dewy huh?, but I guess clear is No 1, seeing is No 2, transparency is No 3 and dew is No 4 in order of wishes :)

Mike

[Placidus]

A very fine starscape, Pete.

As Marc said, all the favorites at once - your widefield image reminds us that the galaxy isn't really populated with discrete objects, but with a continuum of activity.

I particularly like the serpiginous back-to-front S-shaped river of bright blue stars that threads upward from the running chicken and eventually hooks around and embraces eta carinae.

Well done.
Mike

[Camelopardalis]

Nicely done Pete :thumbsup: lovely rich colours. That 135 looks a cracker, taming ultra fast f-ratios is ultra tricky with only a focus ring :D

[Atmos]

Fantastic area Pete :) It can be nice seeing where some of the objects are in relation to one another.

As for the Samyang 135mm, from what I've heard it can suffer from balling effects and it isn't quite as sharp as the Zeiss 135... the Zeiss is more expensive, is sharper and doesn't suffer from halo effects that can plague the Samyang.

Read a review of the Sigma 135mm, it is the sharpest lens LensTip has ever tested but it does seem to suffer from a lot of sample variation, the couple that have been tested on CN not producing as fine results in the field as in house testing would suggest. Still cheaper than the Zeiss though.

[Retrograde]

Thanks Greg!

If money was no object then it would be hard to go past the Zeiss. I've seen some fantastic images with it but it was out of my price range.



Yes come and visit us next year.
Dew can be dealt with of course but not cloud. I'm certainly not complaining about the conditions we had this year :)



Thanks Mike.
Yes it's a very rich, inter-connected region - I didn't even realise that the Statue of Liberty Nebula (not having ever tried to image it) was also there right in the centre.



Cheers Dunk. After SPSP I think I know what I'm doing with the focus now and all the shots I took on the second night came out really well.



Thanks Colin. Seems there are more and more choices for mid-focal-length lenses out there. I'd love a Zeiss Sonnar but couldn't justify the price for the limited amount of imaging I do (& it doesn't have a native Pentax K-mount option anyway). A Nikon D810A + Zeiss Sonnar would be my dream wide-field rig but I'm still happy with the results from my set-up so far.
Sigma look like they are making great progress with their lens options and Samyang also suffers from a lot of QC issues I believe

[topheart]

Hi Pete,

Very nice field of view!!
well done!!
Cheers,
Tim

[Retrograde]

Thanks very much Tim!

Cheers,
Pete

[mikeoday005]

Lovely image Pete.

[Slawomir]

Nice work successfully stitching it together Pete :thumbsup:

[Retrograde]

Thanks Mike.



Thanks Suavi. :)