Andromeda Galaxy 2008

[RB]

Last Saturday night I planned on an all-night session just on M31 hoping to get as much data as possible.
Weather looked promising when I was setting up but unfortunately turned nasty through the night with high winds, cutting short my attempt at M31.

Still I did manage to get PHD guiding very well with 10 min subs and so here is Andromeda from my place which barley rises to 9°.

Four x 10 min light, (6) dark, (15) flat, & (10) Bias frames.
Originally planned on more subs so I set ISO to 400 which if I'd known about the weather change I would have used ISO 800 instead.

I've also attached a mono version as well.

Larger file view here (900kb): Andromeda M31 (http://www.astro-image.org/page/ds/m31.htm)

Back in 2006 I tried imaging M31 for the first time, at only 16 min total @ 1600 ISO, see this thread (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=11424&highlight=m31), and you can see a vast improvement with this attemp.

Hope you enjoy.

:)

[iceman]

Stunning result! I am enjoying!

I want to get an image like this! For only 9deg that's beautiful work.

[sheeny]

Good one, Andrew! A significant improvement.

I prefer the colour version but the stars seem smaller/sharper in the mono version. Is it just one channel?

Al.

[peeb61]

Awesome Andrew!
The quality is superb....now you have me thinking! (Big shoes to fill though)

Paul

[h0ughy]

Brilliant - was that with the TAK guide scope or the d1ck smith 15mm refractor?

[Striker]

I like it Andrew.

I think it's about time you move onto dedicated CCD imaging...whats holding you back, surely you can trade in one of the kids there worth heaps now a days......lol

[gmbfilter]

Great shots Andrew, proof you were doing something astronomical on Pony Club night...still would have been great to see everything in action

[leon]

Gee Andrew that is stunning, :eyepop: such detail, I like it, :thumbsup: and would kill to be able to get this one day, but from home that is just not on, unless i pull down the neighbours shed :lol: :lol:

Fantastic work mate.

Leon :thumbsup:

[[1ponders]]

What a cracker RB!!! 9 deg. Woo Hoo. :cool: Talk about dedication.

[Ric]

Lovely image Andrew, the detail is fantastic.

Cheers

[CoombellKid]

That is awesome, one of the better images of M31 by an amateur I've ever
seen!!!!

regards,CS

[Deeno]

Phewoar!!!!!!
Sen-bloody-sational!!!
Thats it...I'm going to stick to observing and simply admire what you guys do.

[dugnsuz]

That's one helluva image Andrew.
When is Andromeda at its highest in the Southern sky?
Well done
Doug

[spearo]

Cheeez Wiz! That's impressive!
congrats
frank

[seeker372011]

nice work
its such a difficult target because its so low isnt it..you wouldnt pick this for a southern hemisphere rendering so well done

[jjjnettie]

You've captured M31 beautifully.
It's a pity it's such an awkward size to fit in the FOV.

[Dennis]

Hi Andrew

That is one seriously stunning image for 9 degrees altitude - I would not have believed this project was feasible! Fantastic work to have wrestled so much detail, smoothness and image quality from what I suspect was quite marginal data. I struggle with anything at less than 30 degrees!

Cheers

Dennis

[Garyh]

Nice Andrew! nothing like good old M31.
Beautiful job even with your session cut real short!
cheers Gary

[RB]

Cheers Mike.

Thanks Al, yes I prefer the colour version too, I thought I'd try converting it to mono in PS (all channels) and I tried a slight reduction to see if I could squeeze more detail out so that's probably why the stars are smaller.


LOL Houghy, no this was done using the good ol' TOA 130 mate. :lol:


:lol: Nah I cherish my kids way too much Tony.
I still haven't scratched the surface with the 20Da I feel and have a long way to go before moving up to CCD, "small step sparks" LOL.


See I told you I wasn't making excuses, I really was imaging on Sat night.
The thing is I could only image M31 from my place, can't manage it from the pony club, but I promise I'll bring the gear up there one night Geoff. :whistle:


Cheers Paul, nah mate regular shoes LOL, I just push those pixels around till they settle down and behave somewhat. :D


You could always ask permission to setup on the neighbour's shed Leon. :lol:
Cheers mate.


Much appreciated Paul, yep 9 deg when it was at it's highest, the neighbours must have though I was spying on them. :whistle:

Gratsié Ric !


Thank you so much Rob !


We'll be taking lessons from you soon Deeno !

Cheers Doug, it transits now around midnight (but you have to look north :lol: j/k)


Onya Frank.

Thank you Narayan, much appreciated.


I know jjj, I was contemplating a mosaic at on stage but I didn't trust the weather to hold out over a few night that I required to do it justice.
But I have hopes one day....


Thank you so much for your kind words Dennis, at one stage PHD was loosing the guide star because of low horizon haze, it literally was in the murk.
Once the wind picked up that was it, all over.


Thanks Gary I'm hoping I can train my scope on other celestial jewels now that I've got guiding.
It was a real treat to get 10 min subs.

:thumbsup:

[Lester]

Top image, and for that altitude = fantastic.

[gregbradley]

Fantastic image. Always tantalising to image that one but its so so low.

Greg.

[multiweb]

Great picture Andrew. You nailed it :thumbsup:

[erick]

What a ripper! :thumbsup:

[Matty P]

Whooooaaa! Superb!

Andrew you have done an amazing job with it. So much detail and for only 9 degrees. Say no more! :)

I would love to have a go at imaging M31 one day.

Very well done. :thumbsup:

[Rick Petrie]

You have certainly 'got out' what you have 'put in' RB.
Great detail, smooth contrast and depth perception.
Mighty fine work mate.
Cheers:)

PS How did you achieve such excellence when the seeing was so ordinary? Do you have a magic wand or something?:lol:

[acropolite]

Love your work RB, brilliant, as usual...:thumbsup:

[JohnG]

Nice RB

Very, very nice, an excellent effort. :thumbsup:

Cheers

John G

[RB]

Lester, Greg, Marc, Eric, Matt, Rick, Phil and John thank you so much for your comments, I'm glad you liked it.

I'm so excited now being able to do around 10 min subs, with the recent addition of the guide scope and finally got the guider and PHD sorted out so I'm looking forward to more opportunities.
It was difficult controlling noise in all my previous images because of such short unguided subs, hopefully now I can improve my shots with the longer sub frames.

:)

[Octane]

Andrew,

Nup, not good enough. I was expecting better of you: wide sweeping magenta widefields. I thought your modified 1Ds Mark III would pick up much more data than you've presented. Quite frankly, I'm disappointed. :P

Corker of an image, mate. And, only 40 minutes, too. Dang!

I think M31 has reached its highest point in the sky right now. From now onwards, it's back down she goes. :( I miss out, another year.

Well done!

Regards,
Humayun

[RB]

Cheers Humayun, glad you liked it, LOL nah no 1Ds Mk III mate, I wish.

M31 will be gone for another year now, I won't get a chance at it again either but by next year you'll have your 5D MkII so looking forward to what you come up with.
(I'll help you mask out the magenta :P)

:thumbsup:

[Hagar]

A cracker image and from about 9 degrees. WOW. At that angle I wouldn't be able to move my scope quick enough to keep up with it. This is a lovely galaxy and you have resolved it very well.
Nice work.

[strongmanmike]

Late on this one, I thought Andromeda???..and glossed over it...buzzzz! mistake! :eyepop:really quite good that, nice work indeed!

Mike

[RB]

Thanks fellas, glad you enjoyed. :)

This wind keeps cutting everyones imaging sessions short lately. :(

[Inmykombi]

Wow,

I just found this, and WOW again.

Good on ya Deeno....


Correction....due to a Senior moment....need I say more....:screwy:

Sorry Andrew.

Love the image....

[atalas]

Hi Andrew

Both great looking shots dude ! well done.

[CoolhandJo]

For what its worth .. .inspiring shot!

[Bassnut]

Gaud Andrew, given its low, and with a DSLR, thats a cracker, well done.........., no, no givens, its a cracker regardless ;-).

[gregbradley]

Fabulous.

I have often thought about imaging this one but it is not viewable above my observatory walls. I'd have to setup on my portable tripod which I may do one day.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Greg.

[RB]

Geoff, Louie, Dr Paul, Fred and Greg, many thanks fellas, I appreciate your comments.
I'm very happy with how it turned out and as you can appreciate not too easy an object to image from the Southern Hemi.

LOL Fred you crack me up !!

Cheers

[marc4darkskies]

Good lord!!! How did I miss this one! :doh: I guess I skipped over it when I saw "Andromeda".

That's a great shot Andrew - well done! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Perhaps you just didn't know you're not supposed to be able to image Andromeda well from these latitudes? ;):):lol:

Cheers, Marcus

[richardo]

Yes, missed this post as well.
Man youz were scraping the trees on this image.

Well done to get such a nice image Andrew.

I see it out in my North, and on the odd occasions visually observed it.
But to get an image is something else.

Nice work!

All the best
Rich

[danielsun]

:eyepop:Geez Andrew ,that is an absolute ripper!!
Yet your 2006 shot is excellent but this one is incredible! :thumbsup:

Cheers Daniel.

[RB]

LOL Thanks Marcus, glad you saw it and thanks for the kind words.
It surprised me too to image it while it's so low in the north.


Cheers Rich !
It was so low, I felt like a "barn-stormer"... LOL !!

:lol:



Much appreciated Daniel, cheers mate.

:)

[prova]

How does one (living in Canberra) take images of Andromeda when it's so low in the sky?

Will I have to travel somewhere to do so or is there a time in the near future it will be higher in the sky?