May Challenge Image - M104

[iceman]

Hi all.

We'd love you to take part in the May Imaging Challenge (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/index.php?id=69,198,0,0,1,0). Please post your deep-space images of M104 in this thread. Discussions about the images can also be in this thread.

Please ensure the image obeys the image posting guidelines when you attach them.

For observation reports and sketches of the object, see the "Space & Astronomy Talk" forum.

[rumples riot]

2 x 2minutes
D70 ISO 1000
LX200 10" GPS
Registax and Photoshop 5

[ving]

Ooo! nice start paul!

[toetoe]

The race is on.. Nice shot Paul.

[gbeal]

OK, dug one out from July last year.
As best as I can tell, 2 x 4 minute exposures, at ISO1250, Nikon D100. Scope is either the 10" f5 newt homebrew, or the equally homebrewed MN76 Mak/Newt. (I should write things down).

[Starkler]

An amazing and unique object isnt it. Is there any other galaxy that looks like it?

[EddieT]

Hi all, Here's one from 20th March 2005. Taken with an Intes MN61 (6" f6 Maksutov-Newtonian) and SBIG St10xe. Total exposure time was 220 minutes.

[rumples riot]

Wow, makes mine look like a mistake.

[toetoe]

That is a top shot Eddie, very nice, and Paul there is nothing wrong with your "mistake" it is a mighty fine one to me. :)

[EddieT]

Thanks Peter and Paul. Paul, don't worry I have plenty of shots of this galaxy that are worse than yours! I've been taking images of this one every year for the last eight years :)

[rumples riot]

No it's OK Eddie, This has just made me want to take multiple images. Maybe 20 at 2 minutes. If tonight does not go too late that is what I am going to do. Either that or M83. Here's hoping the skies are good tonight.

[EddieT]

That is the trick Paul. Signal-to-noise ratio is almost everything. I discovered that a few years ago. You can just never have too much signal. I've been known to spend a month or more on one object!

Good luck for tonight, it's currently raining here so doesn't look good for me!

[Astroman]

Nice shots everyone, This galaxy has sentimental value for me, first galaxy I found from light polluted skies (2km from Adelaide CBD) in a 4" Reflector.

[atalas]

Man what a halo in that shot Eddie and check out the dust lane !


Louie:jawdrop:

[Astroman]

I think eddie has found a way to tap into the HST optics :)

[EddieT]

Thanks Louie and Andrew! This one was a bit of a test shot for the MN61 after installing a new focuser. I'm really happy with this scope, though it's hardly a Hubble Andrew. I tried to launch it with my Estes model rocket but found the power cables were too short for orbit :)

[ballaratdragons]

Eddie,

Your shot just blows me away! Not coz it's better than Gary's or Paul's (I like all of them) but because it looks like it is just hanging there in space!!!! Awesome!

[EddieT]

Thanks Ken. It's an awesome object for sure. Well worth imaging again and again. Something tells me it's not the last shot of it that I'm going to take :)

[h0ughy]

Come on fellas, Eddie must have air Brushed it on the background of Gary's photo:P


Fantastic shot
:prey2:

[seeker372011]

Here's what M104 looks like through an ETX 70 and a modified webcam

[rumples riot]

This is my updated version.

12 x 3 minutes
ISO 1600
D70
LX200 10"

This is better than my first image but this is really a very hard target. When I shoot nebula at this time frame the images come out great, Galaxies on the other hand obviously need many hours to get good images.

Anyway enjoy.

[toetoe]

Good dust lane in there Paul.

[iceman]

Great shots Narayan and Paul!

You're still getting great images out of that ETX seeker! Have you hooked the atik up to your C8 yet?

paul, nice improvement! Well done!

[EddieT]

Well done Paul! You must have gotten some decent weather. It hasn't stopped raining here for nearly two weeks.

Galaxies are the hardest to get fine detail with. Typically significant detail is on a much smaller scale to nebulae so the conditions have to be great to resolve them. As with webcam images, the most detail can be obtained by combining many images. I use the sigma-rejection combination method exclusively as it tends to reject the most noise and bring out the most detail.

[videoguy]

Though I'm not really a DSO imager as a rule, just thought I'd mention that nice DSO pic's can be also obtained with integrating video cameras too. Yeah ok..I'm pushing the video thing but it's just another option.

Here's my contribution to the Sombrero Galaxy clan using with a Mintron 13V1 integrating video camera at maximum integration mode of 2.6 seconds and RGB filters. This is a stack of 300 images per colour channel captured from S-VHS video tape with dark and light frames processing. Best of all is that it was taken from the obtrusive lighting of suburban Sydney.

If you'd like to see additional DSO pic's from video then check out my website: http://members.optushome.com.au/ssmassey/deepsky.html

[videoguy]

Whoops..don't know what happened with the attachment there...let's try again

[atalas]

Well Steve your right ! DSO's can be achieved via video .
Good Work !



Louie:2thumbs:

[iceman]

Nice one Steve! Some of the images on your site are fantastic, I love NGC253 and M83!

[EddieT]

Yes well done Steve! That does look great. In my previous post I said Webcam but I meant video :)

It's certainly a capable imaging method with it's own set of methods to master. My attempts at video have been pretty mediocre but I know the fault was not with the equipment so I certainly want to get further into it sometime.

[tornado33]

Hi all
Heres my effort, 10 inch F5.6 scope EOS 300D
two 10 min ISO 200 shots


http://www.users.on.net/~josiah/temp/104.jpg

[seeker372011]

here's my M104 with 8 inch newt, canon 300d

[atalas]

Very nice Narayan!looks cute.


Louie :)