The Grus Quartet and thousands of distant galaxies!

[strongmanmike]

This has been the project over the last two imaging sessions. Although it is a relatively popular target I haven't done a colour image of this group since 2005. I managed to get 6hrs over two nights and went reasonably deep (for a 6" anyway:P) and the seeing finally was better than average for a change, not great but not bad at least :scared:
The wide field view is actuallu about a 50% crop of the original full chip image, would have just got lost in the frame otherwise, still I think the resolution holds up ok..? I think there may even be more galaxies in this image than stars :shrug:

If you are on dial-up or have a low usage BB account, when the image starts to download from the links below scroll down to the bottom of the page and hit "large" in the other sizes menu, this will open a much smaller version so you can decide whether you wish to open the "original" and much larger size image :)

I'm happy with how these turned out so I hope you enjoy looking at them, again I recomend hitting F11 on your keyboard for a more unobstructed full screen view when you open an image :)

Here is the low res but full frame "fits perfectly on a 21 inch monitor" version (1.3meg)
http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/116249824/original

Well worth a detailed scan, here is the full size full res version - with many galaxies and galaxy clusters in the background (3.4meg):
http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/116249827/original

Here is a zoom in on the three main galaxies and again showing lots of background galaxies (1 meg):
http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/116249829/original

Lastly this is a close up of the outer member of the Quartet - NGC 7552, I love the shape of this galaxy :thumbsup: (300K)
http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/116249821/original

In a small section of the frame I found these distant galaxy clusters too, if anyone can identify these would be cool, cropped from top left corner of full image:
http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/116253840/original

Mike

[Rod66]

This is from a 6inch??:eyepop::eyepop:

I have got to get me some of this photography gear..

I am in awe..

[DavidU]

What can I say?
stunning work Mike
Whats next ,a TEC 180?:thumbsup:

[beren]

:thumbsup: Top work Mike

[multiweb]

Wow! :eyepop: That's a lot of galaxies in the field. How do you process them? Independently and mask to sharpen? Top pic. :thumbsup:

[renormalised]

Brilliant bit of work....as usual. Great shot, Mike:):)

[Dennis]

Lovely work Mike! I’m pleased to see that you’re still putting your strongman talent to good use by hauling all that gear to your dark sky site!

Cheers

Dennis

[strongmanmike]

Wish I could take all the credit Rod but fact is a good 6" APO with medium FL punches above its weight and constantly surprises all I gotta do is drive it :P



Thanks Dave, I couldn't afford a TEC 180 :eyepop: besides not enough of a jump I don't think anyway




Cheers Beren :)



Hmm?The gbackground galaxies were just there. My basic processing for the lum is: align and sum subs, apply DDP and sharpening, apply log stretch and noise contro if necessary. For the RGB it's: sum subs, apply DDP, saturate to taste, blur RGB, perform LRGB combine in Astroart4 then tweek colour sharpening more noise work etc in PS and that ma friend is just about it, me a simple cook and the galaxies spring out at ya :thumbsup:



Cheers Carl, not sure about brilliant but I was pleased to finallly get a night of good seeing :doh:The details revealed in there well and truly hold there own against a 12.5" F9 RCOS (no AO) image by Steve Crouch actually :D (Steves image is excellent though). My dark sky site outside Newcastle is reasonably dark but the seeing is often ordinary or bad...I think the Yerkes 40" suffered the same problem due to its location though :lol:

[strongmanmike]

:lol: ah yes well...? :rolleyes: I run the Gauntlet occassionally and if the weather is pretty certain I will leave it all setup under a bag for a few nights in a row, this has happend twice now in the last two new moons which is amazing :eyepop:nerve raking but saves plenty of time when trying to do a multiple night project :driving:but yes still have to bring it all back eventually :help:

Mike

[gregbradley]

Fantastic image Mike. I love it.

You're right your AP152 does punch above its weight and a TEC180 whilst a stunner wouldn't be different enough.

Maybe an Orion Optics UK 12 inch F3.8 astrograph though hehehehe.

Greg.

[strongmanmike]

Great glad to hear :)





Ya know It would be difficult to ever go with an untested product again in that price bracket, just not worth the heartache..besides no money now anyway :(

Mike

[Peter Ward]

Cool. Nicely done.

AP refractors are, well, sublime.

Wish I could use mine....but sadly :sadeyes: camera-less until the new imaging toy arrives next month

[renormalised]

Nah....how about this...

http://www.discmounts.com/gallerys/NEAF09/Resources/IMG_3588.jpg

or this....

http://www.discmounts.com/gallerys/NEAF09/Resources/_MG_5478.jpg

or this...

http://www.discmounts.com/gallerys/NEAF09/Resources/_MG_5473.jpg

:D:D:D

[BerrieK]

Just fininshed waddling around the full size full resolution version (gotta love broadband)...so many galaxy-lets in the background - or are they tiny little spaceships? or was there some muck on the filters?

Amazing pic. Whats the blue haloed star in the top left corner? I cant see such a halo around any other stars in the field (I'm not an imager - 'please explain'?).

(surely this one must have hurt just a little bit!! :P)

Kerrie :)

[strongmanmike]

Cheers

What did you do with the STL Peter? A trade-in perhaps?

Mike

[Peter Ward]

Nah...would have like to have kept it, but discovered how much a dual plate racing clutch on a certain red car costs ... :(

And...bugger ...50mm square filters don't help ;)

[Jen]

:eyepop::eyepop: wow Mike all that with a 6" what the ......... :P
beautiful pic as always you make it look so easy
I love your work and dedication :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
cheers

[strongmanmike]

Yes Postman Pat has the same issue with his vehicle :P



Yes having to up to a bigger filterwheel and filters is so far preventing me from moving into bigger CCD acerage for the PoLine too :sadeyes: would just be a simple chip switch for me too, in the same body I think?

....maybe I just replace the clutch? :P

[strongmanmike]

Thanks ladies, it is always nice to receive comments from you guys, makes me feel...?..complete :D

Kezza, the blue halo around the that star is just an optical effect from the cover slip on the chip, the light bounces off the front surface of the chip , hits the cover slip above it and reflects back down on to the chip surface, the curve of the field flattener causes these halos to be off centre in the corners.

Mike

[marc4darkskies]

A positively yummy image Mike :thumbsup::thumbsup: - the up close version is a smorgasbord of tid bits!

Cheers, Marcus

[Ric]

Excellent image Mike, those galaxies certainly jump out and grab you by the boo boo.

Cheers

[Paul Haese]

Great image mate. Colour is great, the galaxies are so bright and really stand out against the sky background. Superb work.

[Bassnut]

Yes, those galaxys really stand out (without much processing it seems), excellent work Mike.

[rogerg]

Stunning, absolutely brilliant :thumbsup:

[tornado33]

I really like the processing, it looks very "natural" not over cooked or artificially smoothed. It looks as if every bit of data was bought to light without loss or distortion.
Scott

[strongmanmike]

THanks Marcus

I love fields rich in distant galaxies particularly if nearer objects are in the forground, it really puts an astro pic in perspective unlike any nebula shot can do no matter how spectacularly colourful it is. Incidentaly a lovely colourful nebula has won the amateur deep sky category at the DM's every year so far, hmmm? I recon your 4945 should have taken the top prize :thumbsup:



Boo boo :eyepop: ouch :P Cheers Ric



Yes this image came together better than expected, like a good spag bol sauce, every image result is a bit different no matter how close you try to stick to a recipe :)... the jump out at ya look was a nice bonus, a bit or Oregano may have been the trick though? :P



Yes I think my usual processing routine is much less complicated than a lot of other imagers..? I like to keep an image from looking processed, I don't always get it spot on but I try :)



Thanks Rog, knew you'd like it being a galaxy man :thumbsup:



Cheers Scotty as I said to Fred above getting a natural look is usually my goal but it is often hard to do 100%. having said that unnatural images can still "look" cool if the image accentuates some feature or other. Your comment on the smoothing is on the money, to me smoothing is used way too much by many people and the image ends up looking plastic and more like science fiction art than photography..?

[CometGuy]

Mike,

A big :thumbsup: from me!

Great to see a detailed image of this part of the sky.

Terry

[RB]

Absolutely stunning Mike !!
The galaxies are just glowing with colour and detail.
I love the results a fine refractor can yield and in the hands of someone like you the results are breathtaking.

Top stuff mate.

[strongmanmike]

Cheers Terry



I think the AP could shine in anyones hands it's a real piece of work, everytime I see what it can do I stop fretting about not having a bigger scope. I used to be a diffraction spike lover but I'm not so sure now..?

Mike
err?..I'd still like a 14" F3.6 astrograph though :P

[danielsun]

Stunning Mike, :thumbsup: The ultra deep galaxy's are incredible, would be interesting to know what magnitude the are.


Cheers Daniel.

[strongmanmike]

Glad you enjoyed it Daniel

Here is a crop showing Galaxy Cluster Abell 1111 with the magnitudes of two of the brightest of the faint fuzzies marked, just to give you an idea:

http://upload.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/116253840/original

The faintest galaxies would be well below Mag20

Mike

[danielsun]

Not wrong Mike!! :eyepop:

[strongmanmike]

Actually Dan, Terry ran a bit if the image through Astrometrica and it showed mag 20.5 bits :D

Cool huh?

Mike

[atalas]

Wow! great and deep....what's the magenta doing in the stars dude?

[scopemankit]

Beautiful image. There must be 100 or more galaxies in that area!!

[Octane]

Mike,

Fantastic work.

I simply love all that intricate detail (pinks) in the (mainly) blue spiral arms.

Unfortunately, I went over my data allowance so can't view the larger version until it is reset. It's OK, though, as I have your heavenly bodies bookmarked -- it's my portal to Mike's world and I visit regularly. ;)

+1 with Louie's comment, though. Anyway, I don't think it detracts too much from the image.

Well done, dude!

Regards,
Humayun

[Hagar]

Magnificent detail in the main galaxies but the hundreds of others just jump ou to say HELLO.
Beautiful Mike.

[strongmanmike]

Dunno Louie, some of you guys just see things in my images that I ..well..don't..?..I must be going :screwy: :lol: glad you like the image though :thumbsup:



Thanks Chris
Probably need at least one more zero after that 100 though :whistle:



Yes the seeing on both nights was better than average at times for a change Humvee :scared: Ah yes the European Heavenly bodies image, one of my favourites too :thumbsup: Re the magenta in the stars, I don't really see it but I'm not disputing it isn't there...I just can't taste it :shrug:



Cheers Doug, I did half the capture with the chip in one orientation and the other half of the image run with the chip rotated about 60deg so I had to crop a lot off, given the image goes to at least mag 20.5, the uncropped full frame image would have had literally 1000's of galaxies detactable I am sure.

[glenc]

That is a fantastic image. The faint galaxies starting from the top left are LEDA 95174, LEDA 95173, PGC 71042 and PGC 71043.
Their mags are 16.1, 16.3, 14.7 & 14.7 respectively according to Guide 8. Your image shows them as mag 16.4, 16.0, x & 14.5

[PeterM]

Superb image Mike.
You never fail to amaze with detail and quality. Thanks for sharing your works.
PeterM.

[strongmanmike]

Ah yes I used Star Atlas Pro by Paul Mayo and I got the top two galaxies back to front but realised after I had posted but thought it was semantics really and close enough so just left it :P



No worries Peter, I am really glad you liked it, the hours at the scope are really worth it when people enjoy the results :thumbsup:

Mike

[h0ughy]

nice one mike - love the image its such a treat

[Craig_L]

Great image Mike. Certainly shows the enormity of the Universe. God must be busy indeed.

[Deeno]

Stunning!!!:jawdrop:
Excuse my while I retrieve my jaw from the floor...........

[strongmanmike]

Cheers Dave :)




And it's only 50% of the full frame too Craig, there are a lot of galaxies in our Universe for sure.




Glad ya liked it Deeno :lol:

[mike-wulff]

WOW!

Very Nice.