Ha widefield Swan Nebula area *Full frame added*

[multiweb]

Hi all, here's a test shot, widish field I did tonight while testing my "new balance system" on my small 5" newt. That's 14x600s with a Baader Ha7nm and a QHY8. I also posted a crop which is a closer view of the central area of the wider field. The moon was very close but tonight was too good not to image - nice, dry and clear :)

Here's a link to the full field if anyone's interested: http://www.multiweb.com.au/astro/M17_ha_f.jpg [3MB]

[Alchemy]

hi marc,

youve got right down to the faint stuff , but i think the highlights are just a tiny bit much ( it could be my laptop screen too).

try this

1. open a less processed (darker version) you should have a couple of these as the qhy8 has a good well depth.

2. layer the darker over the lighter

3. hide all using a layer mask

4. use the paintbrush at about 5% opacity and 100% flow, set the brush size to half the width of the bright section.

5. paint back the detail until you have detail and it looks natural.

you can use ahigher or lower setting for opacity , 5 % is pretty much foolproof.

this should bring back some highlight detail for you

cheers clive.

[Omaroo]

It might be your laptop Clive - I can see detail at all levels, including variation within the central column. There doesn't appear to be any blown areas on my monitor at all.

Marc - very nice. What is the new balance system all about? Where do you position your camera - at the typical equatorially-mounted visual position (side) or with the tube rotated such that the bulk of the camera and finder combination is balanced and slung underneath?

[peeb61]

Marc,
Awesome mate, nailed it beautifully!

Paul

[peter_4059]

Nice going Marc. That combination of the 5" and the QHY8 sure does produce a wide field. The guiding and focus look good and there's plenty of detail in it.

Peter

[RB]

Lovely result Marc, nice sharp detail.

:thumbsup:

[Tamtarn]

Very nice widefield from the 5" Marc, well framed with plenty of good detail.
Excellent work. :thumbsup:

[renormalised]

Nice shots, Marc. The QHY8 and the 5" looks like a good combo for WF shots. Bit of noise in the piccies, but that's the Moon. Try this guy for size on a dark night....that'll look really good:D

[multiweb]

Thanks for the comments Clive -fixed now :thumbsup:


Thanks Chris, underside? I wish :whistle: I tried but my tube is actually two shorts and the focuser bumped into the DEC motor. I got an Aluminium plate 90x500x13mm that I drilled and tapped to fit on the losmandy universal plate. My scope now looks like it's got wings. The focuser with extension tubes will be firmly braced on one side and the other side will have counterweights. I did that so I can balance a 2X barlow on it. Will post a picture of the frankenstein monster when completed. :P


Thanks Paul, glad you liked it.


Thanks Peter. Yeah I was pretty happy with it considering it was right next to the moon. Ha's really good value for times like this. :) (i.e. only clear nights when moon is up :nerd:)


Thanks for the good feedback Andrew.:thumbsup:


Thanks guys. There seems to be so much Ha in the area that it looks like I might aim a bit lower on my next run and see what's at the bottom of the frame too.



Thanks mate. :thumbsup: Dark skies? Nah... Ha or narrow band on dark skies, I'd feel like I'm wasting the dark skies. I do RGB on dark skies. :lol:. Only Ha from light polluted Hinchinbrook observatory. So close to the M7 you need an E-tag :)

[Alchemy]

oh well thats possible, the laptop has low contrast and is a bit on the lighter side of town. but its the only one connected to the internet... all others are quarantined so to speak.

[DavidU]

A terrific shot Marc. Great for a 5"
Imagine what you could do with a 10" RC

[strongmanmike]

Yes looks excellent Marc, lots of detail and contrast without being harsh, nice job. It's a great field and provides lots of variation for composition and yours looks good.

Mike

[multiweb]

:lol: I do have a C11 which I'm still tweaking. Not an RC but I should get some better resolution with deep stuff. Thanks for the comments David. :thumbsup:

Thanks Mike - glad you liked it. :thumbsup:

[dugnsuz]

Love the widefield image Marc - lots of detail there.
I'll have to try that myself soon, but you've set a high bar there!
Really starting to like the ha stuff (my own included!!:P)
Top stuff, the QHY8 can produce some very nice results.
Doug

[Hagar]

Very nice marc. Love the full frame version, it's well worth a look.

I tried sending you the dark frame but it was too big for email. You might want to look carefully at your full frame version and see some of the black speckled areas on the left of the frame. I would think these are a result of our discussions re your dark frame. I would post your dark and get Qui to take a look at it. It's not to visible but it is there.

[multiweb]

Thanks for the feedback Doug 'n' Doug :) . Glad you like it guys. :thumbsup:

[bluescope]

Looks very smooth to me Marc ... no burn outs !

:thumbsup:

[Astrobserver99]

Great shot. Love to see a color version.

[Bassnut]

Excellent detail there Marc, and yes, no burn outs, top work :thumbsup:

[multiweb]

Thanks guys - no burn outs then :lol: I'll use that as a lum to do an LRGB blend then. :thumbsup: