Deep Halpha Helix - AG12

[strongmanmike]

Having spent a week of my life imaging this baby nearly two years ago I didn't feel like doing another image of it just yet :scared:...so this started out as just a field of view test on Saturday night... but the first few 5min subs showed quite a bit so I decided to see what 2hrs worth of 5min subs would reveal, just for fun.

The seeing wasn't as good as 2 years ago but this is still almost as much depth as I got with the 6" Starfire in 10hrs worth of 15min Ha subs and not that far off the whole 27hr SIIHaOIII effort from 09.

It's a surprising result and from a light polluted sky - it was just an experiment so the processing was not pedantic :) (I had a flat issue too..not sure what happened there but only noticable in the full frame version?)

Full frame at 35% full res (http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/136114100/original)

Closer crop at 70% full res (http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/136114176/original)

Mike hated by Malin :( :lol:

[richardo]

Yep, pretty amazing Mike for the 2 hours and in poor conditions. Picked up the outer halos very easily and even extension loops to these.. wow. The festoon like structures that radiate out from the centre is being picked out as well.
Another hour would clean it up beautifully. (looking at it with the Helix taking up all my 24" monitor )
Add some SII & OIII and this'll be just a stunner.

I find with my newt that it is quite forgiving in average to poor conditions.. looks like you might be finding this as well?

Mmm, gotta love that, a scope that cuts through the slop:D
Colour please!

All the best
Rich

[Tom Davis]

I feel a famous Mike ultra ubber deep Helix image coming on!!!!

Wonderful image!

Tom

[Alchemy]

Double extended loops .... Wow.

[gregbradley]

Wow Mike. This is why you got this type of scope. Fabulous.
That sort of image is just awesome and worth all the trouble you went through to arrive there.

Now if I can only get my CDK to perform like that! (got a reducer arriving this week that will make it F4.45).

Greg.

[iceman]

Stunning image Mike!

Maybe it's the name Mike - I'm hated by Malin this year too ;)

[pmrid]

Wow. When you see images like that, with the subtle wispy shell extensions so clear, I find myself thinking what it must look like in 3-D and what forces are working there to produce those hapes and sizes. Very evocative stuff Mike.

Peter

[Hagar]

You have to be very happy with a result like this considering it's 5 minute subs only. This scope is proving to be a real sky killer or is it mainly your persistance and overall skills shinning to the surface. Your eye for detail and ability to get focus just right must play a big part in the final product as well.
I know shorter focal length makes life a whole lot easier with guiding but focus then becomes the paramount item to overcome. You seem to nail focus everytime you image and from what you say it's all done by eye.
Hats off to you.

[multiweb]

Noice! That's going to be epic. :thumbsup: How many outer shells are you going for this time? Half a dozen? :D

[strongmanmike]

Hey thanks everyone :thumbsup:

As I said, this was really just a testy play image :P...but it sure shows the power of this OTA :thumbsup:

Not sure I could be bothered producing another deep narrow band image of this target so sooon after the last version :question:...but then again maybe an LHaRGB...hmmmm? need to get to dark steady skies.....

Yes Doug, focus is everything! ;)

Cheers

One of the Malin hated Mikes :sadeyes:

[Paul Haese]

Very 3D look to the ring structures. Love the cometary detail too. Nice deep subs and at 5 minutes too. Lovely work big fella. Field of view is pretty good even on the full frame image.

Not hated by Malin for the 4th year in a row.:P

[strongmanmike]

Cheers Paul, I was very surprised at the depth in such a short time, on reflexion I think it is actually deeper than the 10hrs Ha with teh starfire and PL11002...? I used extraction techniques on the Starfire data but not here, only levels, curves and a touch of shadow highlights, I think with better flats it may have been a little better even,..?



You can't say the feeling has been mutual through that 4 years though :lol:

[allan gould]

I love the three dimensionality of your wide field shot. Really detailed and evocative. Just beautiful and that scope is a real photon chugger.

[SkyViking]

That's very promising, certainly a lot of detail for such short subs. You must be very happy with that.
I don't think the Helix is something I'll get to image any time soon, it would have to be a 10x10 mosaic with my tiny chip. :lol::P

Now let's have the ultra deep version (you know you want it...) :D

[Stevec35]

Absolutely nothing wrong with that. Terrific image!

Steve

[strongmanmike]

Thanks Alan, yes the Helix is indeed a mystical object in narrowband light.



Cheers Rolf, yes for a quicky it is pretty deep, you should get yourself a fast newt :P...you don't need a big CCD really for this one, there is a lot of sky around my shot. If I was to go very deep again on this object I would like to do a deep lum and some RGB to show up all the background galaxies in the region that are near invisible in narrowband. Some decent seeing wouldn't go astray either :rolleyes:



Thanks Steve, I am certainly happy with her (Agi) speed, just what I was after :thumbsup:

[atalas]

Great detail!

[RobF]

Yes, beware the AG12. You don't know the power of the.......telescope :question: :fight::fight:

Wonderful deep image for so little time. Actually I find it sort of refreshing that you've posted this impromptu effort Mike. Sort of re-assuring for the rest of us that every session isn't necessarily a perfectly planned and executed masterpiece effort ;)

[strongmanmike]

Cheers Robbo

That's me, I am not so pretentious that I must only post an image once it is perfect, on occassions I do that but meeah imaging is about, well, imaging, not just trying to impress to the n'th degree to be somehow deluded that you are some sort of master (Luke?) :thumbsup:

Mike

[Paul Haese]

Yeah true enough.:sadeyes:

[John Hothersall]

That is very impressive, F3.8 gives you the signal for sure and I think the challenge is on.

John.

[strongmanmike]

Cheers Johnny

The idea of getting those outer-outer loops and extensions in only 2hrs is pretty exciting :).

Yes, I think a trip to dark (and hopefully steadier) skies is very near :thumbsup:

Mike

[Tandum]

That's for sure, I don't think I've even seen them in an image before. What a ripper :)

[strongmanmike]

Oh I gott'em before alright but I recon this AG12 data is actually better, I had to push the crap out of the Starfire data to reveal them and that was with 10hrs of Ha and 27hrs total!

See this data set (http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/helix_nebula)

Mike

[Peter Ward]

Nice.

I'm of the understanding that the limiting stellar values are aperture driven (with the 12" having about 3.5x more flux gathering than the 6" AP)...and not to take anything away from the AG12.... but that's why the AP152 had to work so hard.

[[1ponders]]

Noice Moike! 3D indeed and i didn't need the glasses. :thumbsup:

[sjastro]

Very impressive image Mike.

Regards

Steven

[TheDecepticon]

Ooooh-la-la! Can't wait for the colour!! Very nice Mike.:eyepop:

[strongmanmike]

Yep taking into account the central obstruction you are correct plus the singnal to noise ratio is improved by focal ratio too so F3.8 helps a lot with the extended faint features compared to the F8.3 of the Starfire.

Mike

[strongmanmike]

Cheers boys, we will see about the colour....:question:

Mike