May comparison

[xelasnave]

There seems some agreement to go for the Cats Paw Nebula if we can get the weather to grant us some clear sky.
Here are some photos to find the Cats Paw but be careful you dont get the Lobster Nebula like I did.

But using these photos wven if you dont have a goto mount you should be able to find it...particularly if you are using a camera lens and all the photos here were with a camera lens ... some images are a crop but I hope it will enable those with just a camera and a tripod to have a go.
Alex

[xelasnave]

Closer

[Benjamin]

Have an old Cats Paw from last July shot with a modded Canon 40D and an f9 ED100 - 22x 300s subs. Rough but I do love the object. Great seeing it in context Alex. Will hopefully get some time to get some Ha on this as we head into May. Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/full/306746/0/?real=&mod=

[PKay]

Youv'e set the bar high Alex!

So much colour, beautiful pieces of art, shame about the yellow circles.

But I still don't know where it is, what do I tell my GoTo?

Also a nice image from Ben :thumbsup:

Look forward to finding it :)

And don't forget the capture details!! Were all learning here!!

[xelasnave]

Peter it may be a good idea for you to post some notes of a technical nature.

Thanks for your kind words re the first images...thank goodness the circles are yellow as I was not sure if they may be green.

I think it is Benjamin who has set the bar rather high but perhaps the thing to remember is that it should be about personal best efforts...I would love to see if anyone can manage a static tripod wide field for example with relatively cheap gear...

I have some great news...some may recall that I believed that the lap top I purchased with a specific demand that it had usb 3 did not in fact have usb 3...I called the retailer who assured me that it did have usb 3 but today I had my friend at Country IT in Casino take a look and he was able to tell me the thing has a usb 2 and a usb 3 so most happy as I can buy a narrow band set up ...maybe.

But the really good news was on openning up the lap top he was able to tell me he can take it up to 16 gig of ram.

Now I am not sure exactly how this will make life better but I am hoping that DSS wont take as long and that I can up the number of images to stack.

Peter I saw an interesting utube vid about signal to noise which I cant link unfortunately ...sometimes but not always on this phone...but he seemed to know his stuff and said a lot of light frames did help improve things, also longer exposures so I am going to try and achieve both...300 frames at at least thirty seconds but hopefully when I get back to Sydney the pole master will have arrived so when next up here I will achieve a polar alignment that at least will enable say 2 minute captures...And if I can get the auto guiding working and all the stuff related to power supply etc etc I can get serious.

Plus I will "blue print" the little HEQ5 as there is now some point to the exercise..I have a few ideas to improve it and its rather poor tripod..it can be better.

It is surprising the amount of energy even at this level one puts into the sport and when you are past the use by date like me the simplest of tasks present as difficult.

I may bite the bullet and install a permanent pier and a "cube" here.

..having built one the next should be a snap...digging the hole and pouring the cement will take all the mental and physical strength I can muster.

It is so extremely frustrating not to be able to work for more than a couple of minutes before needing to rest.

Still I will be patient and remember that saying...you can eat an elephant if you take little bites and often.

And I downloaded an app that gives exact long and lat and elevation which should help a little setting up the mount.

Slewing takes so much time however as opposed to manual but I guess I will just have to endure if I am to reap the benefits of goto.

All good and more than one reason to wake up tomorrow:)
Alex

[raymo]

Nice image Ben, but I notice that the stars are not round, but pointed at the bottom; have you sorted out that problem?
raymo

[rcheshire]

Cats Paw - For anyone eyeballing it...

[Benjamin]

Stars are my nemesis, be it colour, shape, halos... I get the feeling on this one that I should have abondoned more subs. Mostly I think they had roundish stars but a few I’m sure didn’t and I would have tried to just get more time rather than quality time!

[John5]

Hi Alex,
I am an absolute noob, albeit with a technical background. I have found that rather than use the synscan controller with the HEQ5, downloading the ASCOM drivers and Cartes de Ciele and controlling the lot on my laptop is the way to go. I know the hand controller will now gather dust - CdC appears intuitive to use and you can set up individual charts covering particular areas of interest.

While I have yet to master the total package of CdC, ASCOM, Backyard EOS etc, I must say that CDC / laptop/ ASCOM combo is a great substitute for the hand controller and slewing seems to work fine as long as polar alignment is OK. This evening I have just completed what I think will be my first sort-of-decent data captures - we will now see if the steep learning curve flattens out a bit!

Regards, John5

[xelasnave]

Thank you John for taking the time to share your experience.

I have downloaded the ASCOM software and I did have CdC but now that I look I dont see it..maybe I uninstaled it in a moment of befuddlement.

I still have Stellarium which I think does the same...If I uninstalled CdC it was probably because I did not like it as much as Stellarium.

Unfortunately I am one of those "dont read the directions" type of people and back in an era when that demonstrated decent inteligence one could get by but I find these days the habit works against me such that I find instructions etc tiersome:) but I need to throw off that approach and get the goto and indeed ASCOM opperative.

Usually when I decide to capture an object I move the mount to that region manually and adjust things exclusively for that target area..balance the scope and camera and make sure the two cables:D dont hang to interfere or present the possibility of getting in the way during my capture session. However I admit this trip I would cover the whole sky in a night to get as much as I could going for quantity not quality and not caring to improve the gear but to get out of it all it could offer in its current state of lack of refinement.

But in truth since I started back, after a ten year lay off and being used to the luxury of a permanent mount and observatory, I am not yet in a placewhere I can think about taking advantage of lap top control.

I have most everything I need but with the weather has been providing such limited opportunity so I find if I can get out there I shoot rather than get new things working..

.Ironically I purchased the guide camera and guide scope last year and have yet to "read the directions" but most of my problems turn on not getting decent polar alignment.

I have resorted to a fancy pole master and hopefully polar becomes less of an issue.

I once prided myself on long unguided exposures (most doable at short F/Ls and a blue printed and trained EQ 6) because having the permanent set up and the time I had the mount spot on (the EQ6 not the new HEQ5) and fine tunned as you could expect from hours of internal attention.

I look forward to seeing you post some images hopefully in the future.
Thank you again for your guidance.
alex

[xelasnave]

Thank you Rowland:thumbsup: thats what we need.

alex

[xelasnave]

I tried to nail the Cats Paw but nothing seemed to appear and I was sure that it would have been in the field of view.

Maybe not one for the city or I was in the wrong place☺

Anyone else trying for it?

Alex

[PKay]

Yes. Waiting for that big bright thing to go away...

[Lognic04]

Hi Alex, last night i didnt image the cats paw but the prawn nebula, which is similar in location and type. Extremely faint and needs a super extreme stretch to be seen in the sub. Will be interesting to see what i get!

[LewisM]

Cat's Paw Nebula is NGC 6334 for everyone with a GOTO mount or similar.

[xelasnave]

Got to get the goto in opperation down here for sure I can see enough to rely on my manual approach.
Alex

[xelasnave]

I threw out the stack may be I should stack again and see if I can drag anything out in a savage process.
Alex

[xelasnave]

Its gone enough now maybe.
Alex

[kosborn]

Hi Alex,

I have a huge tree in my front yard (to the east) many metres high so for me the Cat's Paw doesn't rise until about 10:30pm. Last night though I got a good couple of hours in until clouds came over about 12:30. I was imaging narrow band 5 minute subs but there was a very strong Ha signal so I'm guessing it should be well visible in rgb with shorter subs. The recent spectacular image of the "half chicken and chips" by RickS in the big person's astrophotography forum (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment_browse.php?a=227406) inspired me to spend some time on the Running Chicken while waiting for the Cat's Paw to appear. Looking at the half chicken and chips it seems like I should be patient and spend many, many hours integrating subs...

Kevin

[LewisM]

Was going to try tonight, but that horrible white stuff appeared this afternoon

[xelasnave]

I will have another go maybe but both mounts need a pull down..the new heq 5 got to hot and the grease melted it seems...I thought I had the heat covered but apparently not.
Excuses excuses but I am so sick of dismanling mounts.
I have even thought of power screw drivers and allen keys and do an f1 pull down approach in mind mumbing speed..for utube☺ or at least for me to make it less tiresome.
I got the Eq6 just great in dec with no back lash but the thing wont move under motor power. A little bit but only enough for a short dither..which is sortta ok but I need goto down here so it will have to be slacked off..so I guess I cant gave what I wont get..pull it down and back off a few settings...mmm I will give it some of the new fancy grease that I got for the heq 5 ... that right going with grease..I like just oil on the gears but you have to pull it down often for lubrication. Should look at getting an oil line in there maybe...and self clean thingy.

I set up with the old refractor to check out the Sun but it won't fit the way I want in the cube. Had the little zwo in the refractor on resting on a chair looking at leaves.
Alex

[xelasnave]

I missed doing the running chicken I dont know why I didnt do it when up North...too concerned about M83 I think and taken with the rising other end of the Milky Way.
Alex

[Benjamin]

Had another crack at this with minimal time - 10 x 120s Ha, 14 x 10s RGB (so 27 minutes all up). Was really happy with the colour I could get with the moon up and the LP in my backyard. Stars the usual disaster on the 8" Newt (guiding mostly and some kind of tilt in the image train). Again tried to process into vaguely round blobs but given the initially streaky stars lots of definition is lost in the nebula itself. Odd colours too seemed to arise but think that's down to the lack of time and noise being read into everything?

[PKay]

Well done Ben :thumbsup:

It looks like a magnificent painting that should be hung in a gallery.

[Lognic04]

The prawn! :) more details in the thread in deep space section.

[xelasnave]

I finally managed something:).
In Sydney and rather windy which does not usually bother me but getting focus was not easy with the star jumping around.

I used the 8 inch reflector F5 (still not adjusted and as is from Andrews Communications), Camera the 24 meg Nikon D5500 unmoddified and going with my now usual approach at 1600 iso, 30 second subs but a lot:rolleyes:...199 in all....And this was on the EQ6 mount in the new cube (little observatory 4x4x4ft)..which is working out fantastic..it is snug but I fit and can sit on a little chair... well its some sort of antique thing so I should replace it with something else.

Told DSS to select 95 % and it stacked 173...so more than usua:Dl...ditthered a bit:P but did not put in much effort there as I was not confident if I had it as nothing showed in the subs at all...the stars looked in the right spot but so did they the other night when I mised it. Despite a dither took 16 darks ...no lights cause I was so very tired and I could not find any clean white t shirts and no bias because it would have taken far too long:lol:


Processed in Adobe camera raw and photoshop then in Gimp about 30 minutes so an extrodinary amount of time on processing;)

At first I could not get any colour but then somehow it popped out:eyepop: and it became difficult to get rid of it:shrug:...anyways I hope the colour is not too bad as I tried really I tried to get it right ..but I cant tell so its a guess really:sadeyes:.

alex

[xelasnave]

That is excellent and what a hard act to follow as they say in parliment.
Brown? what brown:D

You did well and good on you for contributing to this months efforts:thumbsup:.
alex

[xelasnave]

Thank you for posting here Logan.
But hang on its us old fellas who should be showing you what to do not the other way around:D.

I was thinking you should tell the journalist who gave you some fame that you are building a scope..thats newsworthy stuff for them, so you are doing them a favour, plus you get your message out there again.

Dont stop pumping and even if the water is a long way down the sweeter it will be ...and if you stop the water in the pipe goes all the way back down and you have to start again....

Again thanks for posting here it all helps to encourage new folk and young folk so them seeing what you are doing is really a wonderful thing.

alex

[xelasnave]

Logan...Great image by the way...that is a great set up you have.
alex

[Benjamin]

Looks great Alex. It is a very red object. When getting the very short 10s RGB subs there was very little G and B (only around the upper middle ‘pad’ with the streak through it).

[xelasnave]

I think I may have lost data looking at that red in my image ..its like flat paint.
But I was tired when I processed it.
I went to bed 3am last night and the night before so this morning processing was a hurried affair..I think when I realised it was there I slacked off to have a snooze.
Now that I am retired I have to get my sleep at night😊
Alex

[xelasnave]

OK where is it on the map herewith☺
Alex

[Lognic04]

:thumbsup:

[Atmos]

This is one that I want to photograph again but fate has been against me recently. Every clear night in Melbourne has been a night that I haven’t gotten home until 11:30pm and needing to go to sleep for my 5:45 work alarm :(

So, this is last year’s effort with a Nikon D810 and a 130mm F/5.2.
19x300s at ISO 800.

[xelasnave]

You do such wonderful images Colin.
They are inspirational not in the sence that I think that I could ever do as good ...its like watching a great bike rider and knowing what it takes to take it to that level...but that there is someone out there who can do things so well.

And look you need to retire so this work doesnt interfere with your astronomy. ..My advice is make a vast fortune quickly and set up a number of remote observatories around the place so bad weather lessens its impact on photon time.

That why I would love a dragon fly set up no filter wheels as one scope one band.

It was so good when I lived the hermit life..That photo above was taken over and over night after night all night five nights or more but full time ..slept during the day played astronomy all night.
You can never get enough and after a ehile its weird how out there you get...I dont know if you have ever exlerienced standing but loning up with out there even though you are on the planet but your perception changes to out there...you are standing on a big ball ...sounds strange and it was the way I could experience the whole thing.
I cant name a lot of stuff but I have spent just countless hours exploring and its like a city but down here all the streets are gone.
Even when I look at where I know the Milky Way is and know the stars its just foreign somehow..
Alex

[PKay]

I love it Alex, Red and it kept me looking. Sometimes it not about technical perfection. Astro Art.

[xelasnave]

Thank you Logan.
Down here I will strugle to find it yet up North you would see it in the binos I expect.

I just point the scope like a pool que..no problems...you know the ring nebula...looked on the star chart checked where all the balls were ..I mean stars..stood by the scope at the same distance as if it were a pool que maybe more yes perhaps a meter... and lined it up having worked out where all the balls were..I mean stars☺..bent down there was the ring nebula in the field of view.
Down here its just different I need to do goto I guess. Plus I have lived in a house oriented in a certain way different to this so you walk out the door things seem different..
Alex

[xelasnave]

Its tail of the scorpian.
This should be easy for anyone to find I expect and I expect it would be a good object with a camera a d whatever lens you have ...
Folk thinking about aztro photography should find this easily...but will I find it I know where is ..its so worrying when you look and they are not there...third night 3 am I really need a job to get some sleep.

Alex

[xelasnave]

Wait there is it?
Mmmm sleep deprevation is kicking in.
Alex

[xelasnave]

tried a bit harder but I dont know ..been too long on it..but check out the stars with red difraction spikes.
alex

[xelasnave]

Dont think its going to keep..maybe..its a wonder the clouds dont fall down as snow its cold.
alex

[PKay]

It's still May.

Here is my attempt and I have to be honest, pretty...average.

For the amount of effort, sometimes I wonder about 'limited returns'.

Maybe the KISS principle?

30 of 60s, 30 of 120s, 30 of 240s, 10 of 480s. Gain 139.

Each set integrated separately, combined using HDRComposition.

ChrisV - Have fun and stay safe.

[xelasnave]

Peter you are probably tired as you should be more enthusiastic about your capture.
You did well in my view.
Anyways brighten up and come up with an object for June☺.
Alex

[ChrisV]

Peter, that's a pretty damn nice paw - its all there ! I can see the entire paw print.

I wonder though, do you think the spread of different exposures is adding anything as there's not a massive dynamic range in this object ? Someone shoot me down if I'm wrong. I just ask as processing and capturing would be simpler with just the one exposure time ??

[PKay]

Hi Alex

Yes your right as usual. Three nights straight with 5AM bedtimes.
How about the Sun as the next target? :)

Hi Chris

I have to try different techniques to 'wring out' the OSC. Sometimes they work, sometimes not.
Hopefully, when you get back, I can teach you for a change :D

[xelasnave]

Hi Peter
You know how I know dont you;)
I have been about a week now and man my head is all over the place.
Up all night and when I awake its processing until it is time again to image.
Got auto guiding going very well but because of rapid changes in seeing during the night the 30 second grab so far is best it seems...adaptive optics I will call it..you adapt to the conditions☺
Just did a process and selected only 40 out of 100 and being harsh on what gets stacked is working best.
Still up again tonight and maybe do it all again using the 80mm.
Alex

[ChrisV]

That'd be great - I'm always up for something new!!

[kosborn]

Great image. I agree though that with a target that doesn't have such a wide dynamic range that a larger stack of images of the same exposure time might give a better result. But what better result though than to point some glass at the sky and capture and record photons that have been traveling for millions of years!


Kevin

[xelasnave]

We tend to forget what we work with.
It is hard to realise that even imagining m31 we deal with light millions of years old.
Its all to much I think I will lay down.
Dors anyone find the folk they meet daily have no idea...

That is why I go for stuff close ..say like the clouds...only a short distance.
Alex