Horsehead from Glebe

[Zuts]

Hi,

Not a great image but i finally got autoguiding working and am just happy that i can see the horse.

EQ6, Meade ED80
Guided with Phd, EQUSB
400D, Astronomic UHC, TV 0.8 reducer

2 by 8 min
2 by 5 min
5 and 8 min darks

Stacked in DSS

Thanks for looking

[Lee]

Awesome - can't think of worse conditions to be imaging under - a great job.... maybe a modded camera and Ha filter are in your future???? ;)

[Zuts]

Thanks Lee,

Had to process heaps to see any detail, even 8 minutes is not enough but any longer and i think too noisy. I will try 10 minutes next time. Also i forgot my IR/UV filter which may make a difference next time.

I would love a st4000cxm :)

Paul

[CoombellKid]

I reckon that is a top shot if taken from Glebe, I used to be up in Ultimo so
I can rmember the light polution.

greaty effort!!

regards,CS

[Zuts]

Thanks Rob,

I set up in a park in Glebe and am surrounded by streetlights and get the headlights of oncoming cars. I go there coz i can set up on a cement cricket pitch and its close to home.

I think i can fight the LP with a UHC filter but thats not so hot for galaxies. I have found the broadband blockers like orion lpr, baader skyglow to be useless but the astronomic is great on nebulas.

The problem now is the camera. Even if i modded it i think 10 minutes in summer with a DSLR is pushing it. Next time i will try in camera noise reduction rather than darks and see if canon has some magic up their sleeves :)

Paul

[Kal]

Nice pic Paul!

If I can make a suggestion then it would be to work on taking a flat image (you can do this simply by taking an exposure with a white t-shirt over your dewshield I believe), and this would allow you to process out the vignetting.

[Zuts]

Thanks Andrew,

Good idea, I am getting sick of the gradient in all my images so i will....once i learn how.

Can it be inside pointed at a light?
How long an exposure?
Is one enough?
Does it have to be a white tshirt?

so many questions, i guess i should do some googling :)

Paul

[Lee]

At the moment - I hold white piece of paper in front of the scope with the observatory light on - you really just need an evenly illuminated light source.
The main rule is that you must keep the relationship between the scope and camera exactly the same, including focus.

Google up astrophotography and "flat frames" and you'll find heaps.....

[Zuts]

Thanks Lee, will do :)

[Kal]

There is also some information on flats in one of the articles here on IIS

flats and darks explained (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/index.php?id=63,211,0,0,1,0)

You are already ahead of me in astrophotography, I'm still working on getting autoguiding working properly :whistle:

[Zuts]

I was amazed with autoguiding. Everything in astronomy is expensive and hard except this.

I have a cheap (ebay) 70 mm saxon achro and once i worked out how to focus it with my 100 buck meade dsi i was autoguiding in a few minutes with PHD a brilliant program.

Maybe i was lucky, but strangely this was an easier thing for me. Now drift alignment, that took me ages to learn and was very confusing. I am getting better at it and doing wide field makes it a bit easier but it still takes an hour.

Anyway, try PHD if you havnt already it is @#$% fantastic.

Paul

[Kal]

I'll give PHD a shot. I was *trying* to use guidedog last saturday night and everytime I connected my telescope it would stop it tracking. Very annoying!

[Zuts]

Good luck :)

I have an EQ6 and shoestring adaptor but hopefully it will work no problems on your scope.

Paul

[Ric]

Well done Paul, you've got some tough conditions up there but you've come up with a great image.

Cheers