Don't be a hater :)

[LewisM]

First real image in 2 years :eyepop:

Only 80 minutes total (16 x 5min guided subs), Esprit 80ED and an OSC.

Night was FRAUGHT with issues - mainly MaxIM NOT loading a single camera driver, so had to use CCDOps, then PHD2 simply refused to start guiding (used PHD1 without a hitch). Mount (Vixen GPD) performed flawlessly, and all the other hardware worked "out of the storage box".

It's 80 minutes...it's noisier than a flock of cockatoos and crows fighting, taken from my home which is very near Canberra Airport (you could hear the LP filter screaming in agony!). It was merely my final get-back-in-the-saddle before embarking on the imaging road ahead practice run to see if everything talked.

I was SUPPOSED to go to the Dark Site tonight, but family commitments saw me not doing that, so settled for suburbia...

I still haven't paid my Astrobin fines (or is that fees?), so here it is in it's noisy glory, further degraded (is that possible?) with JPEG stuff and forum scaling.

70% crop of Me Mate added [http://www.astrobin.com/full/304474/0/?nc=user]

OK, reprocessed - gone for more "traditional" balance (I hope...): http://www.astrobin.com/full/304474/B/?nc=user

Another repro: http://www.astrobin.com/full/304474/C/?nc=user

[JA]

It's all good - lovely vista. Rock it out. No haters here. ... :thumbsup:

Best
JA

[LewisM]

Better?

[JA]

Hi Lewis
I much prefer the first image. The second one is a little veiled by reduced contrast and or a slightly more grainy/less black background. The 1st one :thumbsup: I think it would be great to see any comparison if you also do this at your dark site.

Best
JA

[DaveNZ]

Nice detail and composition with the cluster down below and the nebula on the left.

[Andy01]

Welcome back!
All good, the image has potential to be very nice - just needs lots more data :D

[atalas]

Hate to say It....is good :thumbsup:

[Atmos]

Prefer the first one but it's nice Lewis. It is a Tak though no matter how you've dressed it up ;)

[LewisM]

Hmmmm.


Hmmmmmmm.


Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

In other words, I am currently lost for a smart-arse reply :rofl:

(started re-watching your vids this morning to try to balance the mess out, so you should feel honoured :P)

[LewisM]

It's a Takky-watcher

[Slawomir]

I like the first one more as well. A good start Lewis :thumbsup:

[traveller]

Good to see you catching photons again Lewis.

[Placidus]

A very pleasing result despite the nail-biting frustrations. Great to see you back in the saddle.

[cometcatcher]

Quite nice Lewis. :thumbsup:

[RickS]

Good to see you having a go again, Lewis :)

[LewisM]

That's a thinly veiled response Rick (understandable too lol - I should send you the subs and see what Mr. PixInSight can do with them :) )

[gregbradley]

From your writeup I expected something terrible but its quite respectable.

Equipment quibbles are common. I often have to debug something when starting up that is a permanent setup. All this stuff, cabling, software, computers opens the door for conflict. Fortunately a few things work routinely like rebooting the computer, turning things off and then back on, checking cables etc.

Driver issues can be frustrating though. Some almost refuse to install.

Greg.

[LewisM]

Got it all going again, but ONLY after running as admin. Weird. It kept asking for my licence too...but once run permanently as Admin, it remembers the lic details and loads the drivers. Never had that with the old Win 7 setup, only on 10 (it's the old MaIM 5 - might have 10 issues)

[LewisM]

Anxious to get the darned auto-focus kit...taking it's time - I can see the mis-focus in my stars and it looks like I am not wearing my glasses lol

[strongmanmike]

Best image of the Lagoon taken near Canberra airport, that I have ever seen :)

Mike

[RickS]

It wasn't intended that way, Lewis :thumbsup:

[LewisM]

It's unique - probably the ONLY one ;)

[RickS]

A pic with a plane next to the Hourglass would be a shoo in for an APOD :lol:

[Octane]

Well done, mate! Your best yet.

H

[LewisM]

I think that's a compliment H...maybe LOLOLOLOLOL.

Personally I think it's carp...and I am not in self-deprecation mode ;)

[LewisM]

Hmmm...enough coming over en-route to Adelaide and Perth (Melbourne routing is more northerly) so...I'll give it a crack.

I almost got an RAAF C-17 on low pass going through Orion a couple months back but too blurred

[Octane]

No, no. I meant it, lol.

Colours look good to me, too, given the modest exposure time.

When are you building a permanent setup?

H

[LewisM]

Did you offer me yard space yet? :P

Uploaded some revisions...ay carumba! The noise is deafening! :rofl:

[issdaol]

Yeah have to agree it is carp....and unfocused....:P:lol:

:thumbsup:

[LewisM]

$300

[cometcatcher]

Latest revisions look good. The noise just means you need more subs.

[LewisM]

Boredom means another reprocess lol: http://www.astrobin.com/full/304474/C/?nc=user

[DJT]

Nicely done for a return to imaging! Am a fan of the first one, the colours are pretty cool.

Good luck with the software/hardware issues.

[Atmos]

This one probably looks the most natural colour wise.

[LewisM]

I think so too Colin, thanks.

Sharpsky Pro ordered (my third lol), so hopefully, I might get really sharp images finally :) (assuming I can nut out FocusMax again!)