M16 with the CDK-20

[Gama]

Sorry guys not as much time to spare lately in imaging.:( Lousy weather with high moisture and some fog didnt help yesterday either.
Struggled to get as much data as i could, just poor conditions.
Of course the bad light pollution in this area doesnt help.
I really need to get a IDAS LPS filter, as its just a shame to waste such a great scope on sky glow.
Too boot, i noticed some PEC in the subs, so i have to fix it in PHD next time.
Quickly processed, with a little too much sharpness.
Sorry for the tiny file size guys.

Scope CDK-20
Camera QHY-8
Exposure 140 minutes (30x5 minute subs)
Cropped slightly to remove drift (Alignment, another thing to fix one day !).:doh:

OOPS, sorry, forgot : No darks flats or bias used either.

Theo

[iceman]

Stunning depth and sharpness!

[CometGuy]

Theo,

Great image, especially from within the suburbs of Melbourne! You can already see the potential of that scope..

Terry

[Gama]

Yeah, bad enough to not be able to see much with the eye.
But one day soon, i'll move to the sticks..

Hows your camera going, i seen some really great shots recently.

Theo

[h0ughy]

gee what a cruddy scope (man that is clear and crisp). fantastic result for a roughy

[multiweb]

Very cool - as sharp as it gets :eyepop::thumbsup:

[Alchemy]

up close and personal ... whats the FL of this scope?

[Hagar]

Very very nice Theo. Taken a while to get this one. Make some time and keep them coming.

[Paul Haese]

Very sharp and smooth image. Well done.

[AlexN]

Nice Theo! Good to see an image out of this scope after having waited so long! Some of the stars look a little fatter than they should given the detail in the nebula etc, is that a bi-product of the processing or something else?

Looks fantastic in any case! Such fine detail...

[Gama]

Hi Clive,

Focal length's 3454mm, so a bit of a challenge for the guider.





Hi Alex,
At these focal lengths, with atmospherics and sky glow, they will be larger than normal.
The FWHM on focussing i got nothing under 5 during the session.
Even my secondary started fogging up with dew.

Heres one when conditions werent as bad, its the Bug nebular. Exposure is a single 2 minute frame.



Theo

[jjjnettie]

:eyepop: Wowee!
Incredibly sharp.

[telecasterguru]

M16 looks deep and even the bug for 2 min is fantastic.
Great work.

Frank

[strongmanmike]

Not bad for early days Theo :thumbsup:

Looks like the seeing may certainly have hindered here but could also be the processing, that scope is by all reports a corker. Mike Berthon-Jones has a 12.5" CDK and his images from reasonably light poluted western suburbs of Sydney are mighty fine with very tight stars. While I suspected it due to amazing images from Philip Kellers scopes, Mikes images are enough to suggest that the CDK is a better scope than an RC.

Keep at it, I look froward to seeing what comes from this moster scope.

Mike

[Inmykombi]

Wow, what a beautiful image there Theo.
Excellent contrast and sharpness.
It doesnt look over-sharpened to me at all.

Great work.:thumbsup:

[Gama]

Theres a big difference in focal length of 1000mm between the 2 scopes, and that makes a huge difference when conditions are poor. You just magnify more seeing error with the longer FL.
As shown with the sigle sub of the bug nebula, a huge difference during different nights of seeing.
During that night i got just over 3 FWHM on focusing.
Star dancing was near non excistent.
Speaking about the 12.5" CDK, it is a popular scope, but i think with these new cheaper RC's, its going to be a real big competition.

Theo

[multiweb]

2min sub on the bug nebula ... That's insane! :eyepop: I've seen 3 hours+ shots on it that don't even come close to this. This scope is a light bucket alright :thumbsup:

[bloodhound31]

That is awesome! I think that is my favorite M16 of all time! Now my new desktop wallpaper.

Teach me O astroguru.:scared:

Baz.

[Alchemy]

wow detail !

get the right conditions and its great, bad seeing...... its all over at that FL

[jase]

Don't know if it was seeing or poor focus, though it can be difficult to obtain focus when the seeing is poor at this FL. I'd be placing more attention to your skills at the computer as I don't feel you're getting the maximum from such an instrument. Apologies if this sounds blunt, but when you've paid the mega bucks, I'd be expecting the mega images. The data appears to show promise. Very keen to see how you progress - keep at it.

[gregbradley]

Exceptional detail there, M16 stands out nicely.

Greg.

[renormalised]

Damn...that's sharp enough to cut steel!!!!:eyepop::eyepop:

Not bad for no flats or darks, and cruddy viewing:)

[Gama]

Well, had a little more time this weekend, so i done a better half ass job this time. Spent a little longer processing it, looks better now.

Theo

[seeker372011]

awesome..the reprocess looks really good

[AlexN]

Reprocess is AMAZING!

The entire image still looks a little red.. I've got to wonder if maybe your LPS filter is the cause?

Stars also seem to have no colour, apart from red... However as I said. the image is amazing.. Definitely shows what your setup is capable of...

I'd love to capture such detail!!

Alex.

[DavidU]

Superb shot !
Thats a very nice scope, awesome spot diagram. > 1pcsl size to the edge of a 35mm CCD:eyepop:

[Matty P]

The repro is awesome. So much detail!

Looking forward to more. :thumbsup:

[strongmanmike]

No too disimilar to this shot:

http://messier.obspm.fr/more/m016_b_image.html

:thumbsup:

Mike

[Peter Ward]

Not bad, but a little too overcooked due the black "sharpening" doughnuts

[Gama]

Hmmmmm, Donuts ..


Theo

[TrevorW]

Hey Theo what reducer did you use with this, probably a tad too red but I'm also wondering what Pete emant by doughnuts

Cheers

[Peter Ward]

If you aggressively apply a sharpening filter you get an artifact that looks like a black ring..or doughnut...around the stars.

These rings are not real...or in the data as such...they are simply a by-product of heavy processing
(obvious in the cropped/enlarged attachment )

[TrevorW]

Oh now I see, ta

[Gama]

Also known as black eyes. So anyone want one ? :P

Also come from using the "High pass filter" option too.

Theo

[Ric]

They are fantastic images Theo.

I find the sharpness and depth of them quite stunning.

Looking forward to seeing more of your work.

Cheers

[RobF]

Ditto. Stunning effort - thanks for showing.
Damn - there's drool in my keyboard!.....:rolleyes: