The Eta the Centa and Tarantula

[beren]

Had a good time last night experimenting with different stacking/processing methods though PS and registax and trying a few things with the D70. Stated off getting a good drift alignment happening , got it to a point where there was no drift in 5 min then completed RA pec training {wanted to do DEC training but that would have been a test of patience}. After all that i still had tracking errors , blast , but getting there.
First DSO was the Eta carinea neb , wanted a wide feild shot so i used my 300mm nikkor lens at f/5 /800iso , got 6 frames at 2 min each and stacked them first in PS { bit of a pain to do } then tried registax . Thought registax turned out better , heres the image , thought i would get more detail though.....

[beren]

Heres Cent a 4 min at F/10 using the D70 dark frame subtraction , tracking error there of course, tried 4 x 1 min stacked images but thought the first turne dout better

[atalas]

Hi beren, keep up the good work mate , try finding the limit of your mount without star trailing ,I think you will find well under 2minutes try about 1 minute after drift align , then multiple shots and stack . Try about 10 or more !

Louie:cheers:

[beren]

Thanks Louie , ill do that when i go out again , stacking in PS is a a pain ill try experimenting with registax .

[gbeal]

Or get a guidescope and StarMate set up. Good idea of Louies though.

[toetoe]

Keep the pics coming guys, all good stuff for us beginers.

[atalas]

Hey Gary, it's Louie !OK Big Guy ':rofl:


Louie :wink2:

[rumples riot]

Hey Stuart nice to see you making progress. Welcome to the world of getting your alignment just right. I found that this can be a trial especially when you tighten down the three outside bolts. I find that the wedge always moves just a little bit. This limits the time down to 3 minutes where the star does not move. Your D70 shots are coming along nicely, just watch your ISO rating. The first shot is sweet but the other two have quite a lot of grain in them. Aside from the obvious tracking errors these shots show real promise. Centaurus A is quite visible and the dust lane is standing out. As for Tarantula, I imagine that you may be feeling the same frustrations that I did when imaged this target.

Anyway, you are well on your way, and the next time you will produce even better results. keep em coming.