The Horsehead Nebula/IC434 VC200L

[leinad]

This is one of my first DSO attempts using the Vixen VC200L with focal reducer and modded 40D.

Processing didnt come out how I thought it would, though it did teach me a number things to improve on when guiding and imaging.
I blurred too much I think to try remove noise in the image.

12 x 300s ISO800, 5 x 900s ISO400
http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt197/Leinads_pics/horsehead2.jpg
http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt197/Leinads_pics/horsehead.jpg

notes:
more exposures needed! and more darks
Darks/Bias/Flats taken at ~same temp before packing up and dropping PWR from the camera.
Flats !!

Constructive criticism welcome :)

[dpastern]

That's quite a respectable effort imho. Noise doesn't appear to bad, and details are good. Sure, more data would be nice, but I think the image looks quite good as is. I believe the horsehead nebula isn't one of the easier ones to image too.

Dave

[AlexN]

Looks good... as you say, more exposure will do the trick.. I'd stick to one exposure length at one ISO rating if I were you also... for a target like IC434, if you can run 900sec subs with good accuracy, you should run 900sec at ISO800 and take plenty of darks in a similar temperature.. exposure is the go...

[TrevorW]

Not bad actually

[leinad]

Thanks guys. Yeah that was my thought also Alex.

I hope to get quite a few more hrs worth in the next few mths

Need to get the peltier cooled case temp regulated so I can push more time with less noise, and finish the lightbox :)

[leinad]

Here is ISO400 stacked only which I'd like to push a few hrs more.
I think I need twice as many darks to help get rid of the banding that can be seen when stretching. annoying...

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt197/Leinads_pics/horse_iso400.jpg

[TheDecepticon]

Not too bad at all! I have never tried to do this object at all! Are you using the camera in the cooler box?:shrug:

[leinad]

Not using it as yet, but yes the camera in cooler box alternative.

[TheDecepticon]

:question::question:So, are you using the camera in the cooler box?:question::question:
It seems strange for that camera to have a banding issue. You have bad EMF giving you bad EMI. I have 10Gb of data on that camera with no banding issues at all. Search the Deep Space section for images taken with it to see, but you have something in your setup giving you a huge interference, usually a fan will do this. Good luck.
Again, great image. :)

[multiweb]

That's very nice Leinad. Focus, tracking, composition, it's all there. You just need more data. Well done. :thumbsup:

[leinad]

No, not using the cooler box as yet.

EMF ?
Nothing is contributing to it that I'm aware of. No fans on setup.
It couldn't be my laptop (about 2yrs old) that would be causing it would it ??

Banding is seen even in darks and bias, where the camera is running from battery completely isolated in another room with laptop. :confused2:
I'll have to use the timer remote tonight and do a run of biases, darks, etc in another room of the house or outside, away from any electrical equipment and see if it's still there.

[TheDecepticon]

I don't know what or where the fault might be, mate. I just know that I used that camera before and after it was modded and banding wasn't a problem for me with up to 15 min exposures. I just had a play with a 15 sec, 180 sec & 900sec dark and a flat frame, stretched the heck out of them in PS CS3 with no trace of banding. I didn't use bias frames as "the bias information is in the dark" as I'm led to believe. Things like that are very hard to track down. Try it on another PC and see what happens.:thumbsup:

[AlexN]

This is true, if you are using darks of equal exposure duration to the lights (ie. not scaling longer darks to suit shorter subs) your bias information is recorded in the dark frame, and by subtracting bias frames from already dark frame corrected images, you are introducing noise rather than eliminating it..

[leinad]

I have no idea what it could be either as yet.

The camera when it arrived had the focusing screen unlatched which I latched back in. I've changed the metering mode since also. Banding is seen with and without filter clip.

I'll have to do some more testing later tonight.

[Geoff45]

Nice image of what is always a difficult object. I think a little more processing would help. Here is a quick stretch in Photoshop

[atalas]

A very nice image Leinad!

[leinad]

Thank you guys,
here is slight improvement on stretching, blurring and sharpening.
http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt197/Leinads_pics/horsehead-1.jpg