End of season Eagle

[strongmanmike]

Well I had to test my new RoboFocus... which worked quite nicely and lifted my heavy camera+filterwheel+4"FF fine...much less wasted time now I don't have to push up on the back of my camera to get the focuser to move up everytime I focus!!! hallelulia! :thumbsup:

I have always wanted to do the Eagle in narrow band and although it wasn't ideally placed for long exposures (imaged from 70deg elev down to less than 20deg each night). This was shot over two nights and I shared the altitudes between the filters so that each filter had a reasonable shoot at decent altitude above the horizon. The seeing was poor though for most of both nights plus the lower altitude effect didn't help but the sufficient exposure allowed me to save some detail I guess? :sadeyes: Done with a large bright gibbous moon up too - ah, narrow band filters, gotta love'em huh? :lol:

I decided the FOV the Starfire gives on this target with the 35mm chip is just a bit too big so I have cropped about 30% off the full frame to improve the composition.

:question: Maybe it's not an Eagle at all but...a Green Parrot? :P

Small size attached for those on dial up but for those who want a proper look here are links to larger versions, enjoy :thumbsup::

Medium size image (1550 X 1000 = 1.8meg):
http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/117847261/original

Full size Full resolution space walk (2130 X 1380 = 3.7meg):
http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/117846672/original

Full size close up crop of the Parrots head :D (800k):
http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/117846975/original

Mike

[DavidU]

Ok Mike, are you trying to make me give up any future plans to image?
Thats really nice ! and I love the color. You kept it from being too "neon" looking.
Awesome image (as per bleeding normal):P:D

[mill]

Very nice image and the green makes the features stand out nicely.
Looks like i have to save up for some narrow band filters (at least one).

[Screwdriverone]

Oh very nice Mike,

Not a big fan of Narrowband colour scheme, just normally don't like the look of it, but that one "feels" VERY nice.

Well done indeed.

Cheers

Chris

[alan meehan]

Ahh Pretty Poly

[multiweb]

:eyepop: Awesome Mike. One of my favourite neb. Just love the greens and blues. Go Green! :lol: :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[atalas]

Great shot big fella! chip to wide? no way mate! you get that excellent detail out from the pillars and do an enlarged crop of the pillars and your winning! that could easily handle It,top shot Mike.

ps. post It up on Saint Patrick's Day,the Irish would love you!

[dpastern]

That's a very nice narrowband image Michael. A very nice subtle ghostly glow.

Dave

[scopemankit]

Great image, what filters were used?

[jjjnettie]

Peacock Colours!!
Nice one Mike.

[Kevnool]

Great image Mike I like it alot.
Cheers Kev.

[AlexN]

Its just much of the same awesomeness I have come to expect from you mate...

Glad to hear the Robo-focus works well, I'm getting pretty keen on the idea of robo-focus myself.. More keen after hearing it easily lifts all your camera gear..

[Hagar]

The Incredible Hulk does it again. GGGREEEEEENN. Not sure about the colour but the detail is very nice indeed. I seem to think you have done just as well with RGB and the colour is more paletable.
Not sure about NB imaging as yet. I have just bought some NB filters but may just synth the colour to RGB. Good to see someone is getting some clear skies. Misserable here with the best snow fall for the season last week.

[strongmanmike]

Thanks Dave but please don't give up on imaging cause I post a green Peacock :lol:. Glad you liked the treatment, it's always hard to decide exactly how to [present a NB image.



Yeh go for it Marty I use the new low reflection Astronomik NB filters and they are great, their 11.8nm band pass is very useful as it allows some stars to show through and super long subs aren't mandatory (I use 15min with 6" at F7.5 but 10min is enough for the brighter nebs) but as this image shows, ya can still image under a big bright moonlit sky :thumbsup:



Thanks Chris, I tried to present a soft natural look...?..with unnatural colours :question: :P



Ah yes...you love Frog Green huh Marc? :lol: Glad you like it



Yes 1140mm FL of good optics is quite versatile..ah yes, as I've said a few times before :rolleyes: :P

The seeing was atrocious Big Louie, in fact most nights out where I image are pretty crap compared to what I was used to a couple of years ago in Canberra, now I rarely have even above average seeing :sadeyes: I've had the odd reasonable night or part night of good seeing but alas mostly it's frustratingly poor.

Ah to be sure to be sure :thumbsup:



Cheers Dave yes I was happy with the slight glow too, I think this was largely a result of the poor seeing but it seems to work :shrug:



Hi Chris, I use the new Astronomik 11.8nm low reflection HaOIIISII set, I also have the HBeta filter but my 7 position FW is now full, to use it I would need to change one out...one day.



With a full comb of feathers displayed just for you Jeanette :wink2: :evil:



Cheers Kev :)



Awe Alex shucks :thanx:

The only issue I have with RoboFocus is that becasue I use it in manual mode there are only two speeds - a single step or lots (which is pretty fast and doesn't alow for fine control when there is a delay in the focus window of even a second) and when pressing in single steps it recommends not pressing fast, so it is not always clear where that sweet spot is exactly, I like being able to move in and out of focus faster initially to see more clearly where the sweet spot is. Of course the fact that I don't have to keep getting up to help the focuser lift my image train anymore is a god send...I had been putting up with the hair pulling scenario for way too long :mad2:.



Now Dougy if ya not really sure you like NB images why did ya buy a set of NB filters?

Sooooo why is Red/magenta better than Green/blue then, huh? :shrug: :)

We've had quite a few good nights here in Newie that I've missed actually...wish I had an observatory in my backyard...:violin::sadeyes:

Mike

[Tom Davis]

Gorgeous!! Now, this new moon shoot some short RGB frames and replace the stars in the narrowband version with the RGB stars. That will be a stunner of an image!

Tom

[Hagar]

Experiment, experiment, experiment. The detail aquired by NB makes the capture worth while.
Red at least looks like what we have come to expect/ used to. No other real reason. Take it up with Peter Ward. I do recall him winging about true colour of 2070 when taken with an unmodded DSLR.

I have the observatory but pretty ordinary seeing and at the moment lots of clouds.:question::question::mad2::q uestion::question:

[kinetic]

Beautiful image Mike.
Just to add a comment (from someone way-unqualified to comment btw)...

Page 9 of the US S&T for October has a shot taken with
an Alta back illuminated CCD and RCOS 0.61m RC.
Mike, your image is equal if not far better than that image.
Colour is just sublime....love it.

Steve

[marc4darkskies]

Polly wanna cracker? ..... aaaaaaarrkk!!! Who's a pretty birdy then? ... aaaarrrrkk!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

So why mannually focus?! Download FocusMax! - it's free and effective!

Cheers, Marcus

[AlexN]

I agree with Marcus.. Get a hold of FocusMax.. No more fiddling... just click on focus... Free, Accurate, Quick.

[jase]

A great result Mike. Personally, I'd like to see more SII coming through for aesthetics.

Great to see you're trying your hand at computerised focusing - not sure why it took you so long... Don't stop now, improve the data acquisition efficiency with automated focusing.

[strongmanmike]

Ah...soooo is that a very valid reason though..? :shrug: Hubble and other large observatory scopes have been displaying images in the non visual pallets for ages now, doesn't mean they aren't valid, exciting or beautiful. I think aesthetics is certainly part of it but that is certainly possible to acheive with a number of colour combinations really..? Like interior decorating or acquiring a taste for..?.. Parmesian Cheese, Olives or even Vegemite? :D



Ah "true" is the operative word there as in visible light presentation validity, if that is your goal then NB is not the way nor is a wonkey colour sensitivity within a camera system.

Yes but I am still Jealous of you :sadeyes:



Cheers Tom

I will do that eventually I guess, I am fairly new to narrow band so give me time... I am still in the mind set that a narrow band image should kind'a have narrowband looking stars too...:question: of course deep down I know this is only an excuse :P



Cheers Steve

Love to see that image, who took it and I'll look it up on the net. I am sure you are just being nice?

Here is a FOV that may have been closer to that of the .61m RCOS?:

http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/117865317/original

Mike



Might try that but since I am forced to be out at the scope anyway I'm thinking there is probably little advantage in automating the focus, I'm not sure I would trust it in poor seeing either :shrug: . I'm a big FFF (ferociously fickle focuser :screwy:). I even refocus for each filter :thumbsup: sure it's a very well corrected APO but after all it is still a refractor with a two element FF and no matter what anyone says there is always a tiny bit of color focus shift particularly with the blue filter.



Yes Alex...maybe...?



I agree, more SII might be good, this narrowband fiddling is like mixing paint :rolleyes:

I really am only using RoboFocus for its far superior ability to lift the very heavy combination of big FLI ProLine + Filterwheel + 4" FF, the JMI MotoFocus couldn't handle it very well. The other abilities of RoboCop still remain unutilised...? "Dead or alive, you're coming with me"

[spearo]

very cool Mike
Great contrast in the Pillars
well done!
frank

[strongmanmike]

Here is the (almost) full field of view in Halpha, some minor cropping to remove unregistered bits of the overlapping sub frames:

(1.3meg)
http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/117944208/original

Mike

[gregbradley]

Very sharp and well captured.

I personally prefer narrowband to have more red as the colours are then more balanced and more RGB. The effect is usually more pleasing. As S11 is so dim it needs to be stretched harder to make up for its dimmness whereas RGB there is not such a difference in sensitivity. Without stretching your S11 may not be contributing anything to the image.

As you say you can present it any way you like but some ways are more generally appealling than others.

Greg.