The Starburst Galaxy

[ballaratdragons]

I'll say sorry right up front for the amount of terrible Amp Glow in this image. I have tried almost everything imaginable to get rid of it.

NGC 1313 'The Starburst Galaxy' in Reticulum.

ED80, Focal Reducer, Modified Toucam 840k.
20 x 3 minute images stacked in Registax 3. Cropped, Rotated & Processed in PS.

I like it, just a pity I can't clean it up any better.

[Dietmar]

hi!

detail and color look very good!
the gradient - what is the oriin of this?

[Garyh]

Nice and deep Ken!! even though your poor toucam is on its last legs you can still do amazing things with it!
You will have to get a new one soon!! one with the amp off mod done too!!
cheers Gary

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks Dietmar.

The download Amplifier sits on the corner of the chip in many cameras. It emits heat and electromagnetic field, which affects the chip on long exposures. With the Toucam is is very noticable.

It can be made to turn off, and only come back on when the image is ready to download to the computer, but it's a Modification that's beyond my capabilities of doing.



Yep Gary, it would be great to have 'Amp off'. Then I could go even deeper, like I really want to do. I want to tease out more distant Galaxy Clusters.
:thumbsup:
Or get a much better camera. :sadeyes:

EDIT: I forgot to put this in the 1st post: NGC 1313 was approx 18 degrees above the Horizon!!! Seeing 3/10 due to fog and wind, Trans 6/10. Temp -3c.

[Ric]

Hi Ken, the galaxy is a beauty. You have captured some lovely detail and colour in that image.

Very nice

[xelasnave]

Great work Ken:thumbsup: ... I cant see any amp glow but I love that foreground cloud you have captured;)
I think you are managing great stuff ... when is your next movie I liked the last one:thumbsup: .. you are indeed a very creative chap good on you.
alex

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks Alex,

My next 'You Tube' instalment comes out when I have enough new images to finish it. It is about half done, just waiting for me to get some good images of new stuff. :thumbsup:

The new video has an interesting start to it ;) but I'm not giving any hints. You'll just have to wait :lol:

[tornado33]

can see colour in it too, very deep for a webcam well done :)
Scott

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks Scott. That's with an Astronomiks IR/UV Filter too. Not bad colour considering I am already struggling to get good images and the filter knocks it down about another 5%.

[DeanoNZL]

Ken,
Are you having a public funeral for the Webcam, or will it be a private affair?
It has surely "gone where no webcam has gone before":D
Any hint's as to what the next camera will be?
Great work, BTW.

[ballaratdragons]

Gee mine is nearly as good as this one from the ESO! :lol:

It appears to me that the stars don't match between mine and theirs :shrug:

But what a great looking Galaxy!!! :) (their image I mean :lol: )

[ballaratdragons]

Might just shoot it at high noon! :lol:

No hints as to the next camera, coz I don't even know :shrug: It's all down to dollars which direction I go. At present I might be able to spring for a $29 webcam at Officeworks :sadeyes:
:lol:

[beren]

:thumbsup: geez Ken your a champ, great image

[erick]

What about this, Ken - excuse the sloppy freehand!

[ballaratdragons]

Your sloppiness is excused Eric :lol:

You might be on to something. It looks as if they are rotated nowhere near close to being in similiar planes. :thumbsup:

[Dr Nick]

other than the amp glow, thats a nice pic you have there... ;)

[ballaratdragons]

Yep, you are right Eric! :thumbsup:

I rotated the ESA image around 100 degrees to the right, and Bingo!! The stars match :)

But I notice there is a bright piece of Nebula or Starfield missing on the right arm in my image :scared:

[jase]

Again, a great effort Ken.:thumbsup: I'm impressed by the galaxy structure you've acquired with the web cam.

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks Jase.

If you could've seen what I was imaging thru at 18 degrees, you would be horrified :lol:

The thick fog was being blown along by strong wind :eyepop:

I am amazed I got anything at all!!!!

[Tamtarn]

Great effort once again Ken considering the conditions and a dying Toucam :sadeyes:

[Lee]

Excellent job.... that little webcam belongs in a museum when it retires!

[Shawn]

I had a play with it Ken

[ballaratdragons]

That looks great Shawn! You did a good job of getting rid of the Amp Glow :thumbsup: and retaining the Galaxy.

I tried several ways, but all of them faded the detail in the Galaxy.

[Shawn]

Striaght forward process... Ken

Duplicate the Image. On the duplicate,

shrink bright areas until stars dissapear, then blur really badly, mask galaxy area with value from clear sky area without amp glow. then blur really badly again.. This creates an artificial dark with mask .. Subtract this from the original, and viola...

Hope that helps...

S

[Shawn]

This is what the mask/dark looked like....

Still learning myself.....:)

[ballaratdragons]

I can't follow your method, ya lost me, but you did a mighty fine job :thumbsup:

[Shawn]

I can explain in better detail if you wish Ken, S

[ballaratdragons]

Not a good day for trying to concentrate on processing, Shawn. I just spend 3 hours doing some artwork and the whole program crashed and I lost the lot!

Not in a good frame of mind to try anything at the moment.

After a good long cool-down my brain might be able to handle it, thanks :thumbsup:

[Shawn]

No worries, and sorry to hear of the meltdown...

Chin up

S