NGC 1763 with RC6 and Seestar

[dugnsuz]

NGC 1763 (the Bean nebula) - an emission nebula with an embeded star cluster sitting on the outskirts of the Large Magellanic Cloud in the constellation Dorado approximately 160000 light years from Hahndorf!


First 2 pics taken with my 'big rig' - 6" Ritchey-Chrétien telescope (Focal length 1370mm), presented in the SHO (Hubble) and HOO palettes. The last pic is the same object taken with the relatively inexpensive Seestar S50 smart telescope for comparison (and debate!!)

Big Boy versions...
https://astrob.in/s5q205/0/ (https://astrob.in/s5q205/0/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1pX1D_o 4kQY3t2ApcvF9a3VzQiKpfH5fdmxwimIqWQ IeqUBGWQrkrYoZo_aem_JRdXI1xTNkSYBZH QHbPwow)
https://astrob.in/8fu8v1/0/ (https://astrob.in/8fu8v1/0/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0vAkTDl ZssO-qJycEtJaP77Mgjeo3myk3_vmXsJzDZIG_V-liAnyQ-k1Y_aem__p5Zco6dKqnjZu__GqLHBA)
https://astrob.in/zfhli2/0/ (https://astrob.in/zfhli2/0/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3uQSemg KB0Ps3qrD4rzlEme8A9TDWdmE8lTaeykzOX KTgbC2fcHWfOdyw_aem_1hP_pz-sfhXilzRYDdnvMg)

Cheers
Doug

[Mickoid]

Doug, nice comparison. Your RC6 shines when viewing the hi res Astrobin posts. However, for the huge difference in focal length and light gathering ability of the 6 inch, the Seestar stacks up surprisingly well against it. Quite amazing that these dsys such small optics and advanced capturing software can compete with much larger more traditional telescope designs.

[dugnsuz]

Thanks Michael - I often take the Seestar away on caravan camping trips with Pixinsight on the laptop. Images from the S50 pose challenges to my usual PI workflow which keep me learning, so I find it a very useful tool in combo with the processing side of things.

I love the Seestar’s simplicity as a travel scope. Very small footprint in terms of storage and out in the field - I’m still a bit reluctant to leave $10k worth of ‘big rig’ outside on my campsite, as opposed to $800 worth (although that would be a gut punch of a loss too!)

Cheers for the comments
Doug

[leon]

Hey Doug both great images mate, however my two cents worth is that I reckon the Seestar is just that bit sharper, pretty good going for the humble little fella.
Well done indeed.

Leon

[VYCanisMajoris]

Doug, thanks for providing the comparison between the RC6 and the Seestar. I had a look at the images on Astrobin. The RC6 wins hands down, but the performance of the Seestar is remarkable for the price and, I presume, ease of use. And it's cheaper than a decent DSLR or mirrorless with a telephoto, so it would be a great option for those that are looking to dabble in astrophotography. But it's very far from convincing me to give up my rat's nest of cables, minicomputer, ASCOM drivers, OAG, EFW....:)

Cheers
John

[dugnsuz]

Thanks all, very kind

leon - Seestar image might be helped by clearer/darker skies here in Berri (camping trip here right now)

Doug :thumbsup:

[leon]

Yep that will do it, keep up the good work.

Leon

[N1]

Great comparison!!

I'm not the most competent commenter on DSO AP, but the full-res version from the RC6 looks better in abolutely every way than that from the SeeStar, and the difference is not subtle.

Has the SeeStar image been cropped at all though to achieve a similar image scale in its presentation?

[dugnsuz]

Cheers Mirko - the Seestar image was cropped just enough to remove the annoying field rotation stacking artefacts, so not much really.
I prefer the detail in the RC6 images, although they were a difficult birth so to speak - misshapen stars and soft detail etc - final images a bit soft as a result?