My first astrophotos posted on IIS

[cookie8]

Hi IIS members
Finally managed to upload some photos taken in the last couple of months.After many years of visual I bought a Canon 400D at Christmas and since then cannot put it down whenever the sky was clear.Typical astrophoto fever I guess. All photos are either piggy-backed on the 3"WOZenithStar480mm or prime focus using the same scope. Mount is a SV1 motorised polar aligned but unguided. I am still learning how to manual guide.
Please take a look and welcome any comment.I have a lot to learn from you guys
Gee....I am nervous:D
Cookie(Vincent)

[cookie8]

Forgot to include those shooting info. Here they are:

Moon: ISO200; 1/250sec
Eta Carinae: ISO1600;105sec AutoWB
Jewel Box: ISO 800; 30sec cropped
Omega Centauri: ISO800; 61sec
Orion Constellation: 18-55mm kit lens working at 50mm;
ISO800;180sec;daylightWB;fog filter added
Great Orion Nebula: ISO1600; 63sec;AutoWB cropped

Cookie:)

[erick]

Cookie, I like widefields - so I like Orion and the Jewelbox - but wondering why the Jewelbox is so blue?

I can see the red carbon star beside Mimosa in Crux, but you've managed to pierce it with a diffraction spike! :D But it is showing the red, whereas the bright orange star in the Jewelbox is anaemic ?

But you've made a good start to your imaging career!

[cookie8]

Thanks Eric for looking
I don't know.I am very new to this.Has the blue colour got anything to do with the scope which is not an ED? The Jewel box was taken in my own backyard which is very light polluted.
As for the spike,I put a "false cross" in front of the dew-shield( two rubber bands on a icecream container lid)just experimenting:rolleyes:I like spikes.

Cookie

[spearo]

Well done Cookie,
it's just a matter of working out guiding to get longer exposures,
learning to stack multiple explosures (try Deepskystaker free: http://deepskystacker.free.fr/english/index.html)
and then the fun part of of processing through your favorite photo soft such as Photoshop etc.
heaps of great advice on IIS every step of the way if you want it
cheers
and keep it up
frank

[dannat]

Cookie, I am very impressed with those shots - they are a terrific first up efforts:thumbsup:


I think the shots are a bit blue because of the scope, if you get seious you might want to think about a WO minus violet filter or baader semiapo filer

HOw is the camera - must be great to have taken shots like those
cheers daniel

[Prickly]

Hi Vincent.

Great photos and well tracked. I like the lunar shot very much.

You could use images plus to remove the violet halos. This works pretty well.

In relation to filters - consider a UHCS filter which cuts out a little more of the blue halo than the semiapo (I have a semiapo filter also by the way). You will probably still get a little blue halo on bright stars with the semi apo. Alternatively a contrast booster (which I havent tried) might be ok for similar reasons - check out the transmission curves for these and UHCS if interested. The UHCS by the way doubles as a good light pollution filter for urban photography. You wont be missing your H beta, O3 or H alpha lines with this filter so should still be fine.

The semi apo filter however is great for visual (even better with a pale yellow series 4000 meade filter). I plan to try it with a bright yellow filter photographically and will post the results sometime. The UHCS is good for nebula but no so good for general visual.

Hope this helps.

An impressive entry into digital imaging with a lovely little petzval refractor.

Cheers
David

[Escortitis]

LOL,:lol::lol::lol:

This really is 'individual art' isn't it! I love it.

well done cookie!

George:D

[AlexN]

great shots, i particularly like the one of the great orion neb. (a favorite place of mine to look at..)

[cookie8]

Thanks a lot guys for your feedback:lol:.Looks like my priority is to reduce those blue halos by putting some kind of filter.
Vincent

[h0ughy]

great starting images

[Ric]

Hi Cookie, a fine start to an excellent hobby.

Well done