NGC 5128 Centaurus A with 2600MC

[Startrek]

Captured NGC 5128 Centaurus A Galaxy after Sombrero on the same night but in the early hours, finished up at 3.00am
South Coast NSW Bortle 3
Great seeing conditions
NexDome Obs
8” f5 GSO newt
Skywatcher EQ6-R mount
ZWOASI2600MC set in Ascom to Highest Dynamic Range, Gain 0 cooled to -15C
42 x 4 minute dithered guided subs
Goto and Nav EQMOD and Stellarium
Frame focus and capture APT
PHD2 Multistar guiding 0.65 arc sec total
Stacked in DSS
Processed in Startools V1.7 OSC linear data set

Original frame
Cropped frame
Super cropped frame to show core detail

Comments most welcome
Thanks

[strongmanmike]

Overall, looks pretty good Martin, how can we ever get sick of that amazing dust lane, huh? Nice colours and detail :thumbsup:

As feedback, it looks a tad clipped ? ie the halo-background transition is abruptly black on my monitor, should be more gradual.

Mike

[astronobob]

Real good details in there Martin, rich colours going on, any more might of tipped the edge, soo nicely controlled on the saturating or what have you.

I also thought the Halo was suppressed a bit as well, but the image is clean, smooth and sharp in all the right places, top stuff :thumbsup:

[FranckiM06]

It is beautiful image.

[Startrek]

Bob
Thanks
The halo was suppressed on purpose, I use the Contrast module to adjust the brightness and give the core more detail in the darker areas. Maybe a tad to strong with it just the same
Appreciate your comments
Martin

[Startrek]

Franck,
Thank you for your nice comment
I’m sure you enjoy using your 2600MC as well , a fantastic camera
Martin

[Robert_T]

great hamburger martin with plenty of detail in the fillings... on my to do list, but still working through the nebulae ;-)

[Startrek]

Robert
Thanks
The fillings the best part especially if you get in nice and close with good resolution and contrast
Martin

[Ant0nio]

Hey Martin,
that's a very decent Cent A & great to see it posted on the main forum too. :thumbsup:
Cheers,
Tony

[Startrek]

Tony
Thanks mate
A little bit more focal length and aperture would have been nice, maybe a scope upgrade later in the year
Have you been imaging lately ? Haven’t seen you on the forum for a while ?
Thanks again
Martin

[gregbradley]

A nice burger there Martin.

Greg.

[Startrek]

Greg,
Thanks for your support
So far since moving from beginner section ( nearly 4 years ) to deep space in January I’ve been humbled by the number of positive comments from everyone
Much appreciated
Cheers
Martin

[Ant0nio]

Yes, still imaging Martin. I have a few unfinished projects that the weather & other commitments have gotten in the way of but I hope to get them posted soon.
I've started using Siril for processing which is looking promising, still in the learning curve though.
Your work has shown a marked improvement with your new camera Martin so well done mate.
Cheers for now & stay safe from the dreaded Covid thing,
Tony

[Retrograde]

Very nice Martin, you're doing some great work with that ASI2600.:)
I've recently become a 2600MC owner as well (and should hopefully have some images to show soon! :thumbsup: )

[Startrek]

Pete
Thanks
Appreciate you commenting and love this camera ( especially with an L Extreme filter on the end )
What scope will you be using your 2600MC

I don’t want to alarm you but did you read my post in the Astrophotography and Imaging Equipment section
My 2600MC is on its way back to ZWO in China for a warranty clean up and check. The post explains everything
Hopefully you purchased yours recently ( January 2021 onwards ) as most of the problems with grease on the sensor ( world wide ) have occurred with cameras that are between 6 and 9 months old. ZWO have developed a procedure to clean the camera to minimise warranty returns I suspect but I decided to send mine back as it’s their responsibility
Cheers
Martin

[Retrograde]

Hi Martin - using mine with a Skywatcher 190mm Mak-Newt primarily.

Yes I read the thread (thanks for posting it too as it's great info).
I purchased my camera about the beginning of April from Testar who were the only ones locally with stock. Not sure how long they'd had them there but not long is my guess given how quickly this camera has been selling.

Hopefully yours will be sorted soon and you'll be back to imaging with it. :thumbsup:
Cheers Pete

[Startrek]

Thanks I’m expecting 6 weeks but could be sooner. As long as it’s cleaned and no more issues in the future
Nice scope there, your going to really be surprised how good this camera performs
Another tip , I’ve imaged with the camera set at highest dynamic range gain 0 and lowest read noise ( Ascom driver using APT ) and find under both dark skies and Bortle 8 heavy light pollution the camera works best at highest dynamic range. Try both yourself once your up and running.
Good luck
Martin

[Ryderscope]

That has come out well Martin with a nice glowing orb around the galaxy and good colours in the core.

[Startrek]

Rodney
Thanks for your nice comment
Unfortunately my 2600MC is on its way to ZWO in China for a warranty repair to clean silicon grease from the sensor
Very frustrating but looking forward to imaging a whole bunch of nebula in July onwards when it’s back in the scope
Using my old Canon 600D as a back up camera ( better than nothing )
Thanks
Martin