Omega Last Night

[Itchy]

Hi Guys

It seems like forever ago that I was last able to get any imaging done. I managed to get out last night for the first time in over a month. The session was mainly for testing of my new 12V power supply, including a 12volt hair dryer tp keep the dew away. Everything seems to work well and I am now mains power independant. Anyhow, here is the result.

Omega Centauri: 20x30sec, unmodded 300D, LXD55 SN10, Prime focus, MPCC, unguided. processed in Imagesplus 2.75 and Photoshop CS2

http://users.bigpond.net.au/itchysastro/OmegaPSSSweb.jpg

Comments welcome

Cheers

[Vermin]

Top stuff Tony.

[RB]

Spectacular Tony.
Great detail and the colours are great.

It's certainly a bonus to be mains independent especially if away from home.

[astronut]

WOW!!!!!:eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :jawdrop: :jawdrop: :jawdrop: :jawdrop:

[ving]

very cool tony :D
very cool indeed!

[Lester]

Great shot Tony. Nothing motivates me more than seeing spectacular shots like that.

[Striker]

Nothing less then brilliant Tony (offcourse with that name)...lol

[mick pinner]

would it be possible to post a stacked but unprocessed shot for comparison.

[h0ughy]

Nice effort, thanks for sharing

[Striker]

Mick

A stacked and unproccessed image through Images plus is virtualy jet black..it's just part of the proccessing through this program.

Tony could post the image after a bit of digital enhancemant before sending it too photoshop for cleaning up but otherwise the image would just look like a black frame with maybe a few stars visiable.

Bit scary when you first use the program....but all the detail is hidden.
Being a cluster Tony would have more detail in the unproccessed image then say a neb unproccessed image.

Hope this explains a little.

[Striker]

Tony...hope you dont mind me showing the difference of unproccessed and proccessed images through the software you and I use...Imagesplus 2.75

Mick

This is the same image of Eta Carina..... image 1 is stacked aligned and calibrated and the 2nd is the same image but just finaly proccessed.

The only differerence between both these images is the second has digital developement and enhanced in photshopCS....but otherwise their identical...cant you tell...lol

[ving]

hmm... no difference between them tony... no idea what your talkin bout ;)

[EzyStyles]

very nice Tony. keep em coming!

[tornado33]

Very nice, the stars sharp right out to the edges, you use the coma corrector nowdays ?
Scott

[Brad Moore]

Hi Tony,

Top shot! I can even start to see some colour in the stars. Good job with the processing.

Cheers,
Brad

[acropolite]

Nice shot Tony, can't beat globs for wow factor. :thumbsup:

[Rodstar]

Beautiful Itchy, nice to see some colour variation in components stars, as some images of Omega C look monochromatic, like a pot of beans boiled for too long.

[Itchy]

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments.

It was a pleasing result, especially considering that I really rushed things. I didn't spend the time to drift align, but I think I was lucky to plonk the tripod in the same spot as my previous session, so it was pretty close.

Sorry that it has taken a while for me to get back here. One of the side effects of Sunday night's session was a strained back from lifting my gear. I am not supposed to be sitting at the computer at all at the moment (don't tell my wife :whistle: ;) ).

Once again, thanks

[Itchy]

Hi Mick,

Tony (Striker) is right. The unprocessed stack is the product of Linear RAW conversion and is therefore fairly dark. I have attached it, as well as the frame after initial Digital Development. It is this second frame that I use as my starting point in Photoshop.

I hope this helps.

cheers

[Itchy]

Hi Scott,

Thanks and yes, I wouldn't be without my MPCC. It also doubles (triples?) as a 2" T adapter and a 48mm filter holder :D .

I am very happy with its performance on the SN.

Cheers

[Itchy]

Hi Brad,

Thanks. That means a lot coming from a master like yourself.

cheers

[JohnH]

Itchy,

I noticed in your shot there seems to be elongation of the core in the E-W direction, at least assuming N is up. I took another run at Omega C last night, this time guided so my stars are round. I do not see the same oval shape of central condensation as you have - is this is real and I have lost the information by clipping or is there some distortion somewhere?

[Striker]

I never get sick of hearing that...lol

Tony have you decided to get the baader UHC-s Filter

Obviously not for cluster but for neb's and galaxy's...brilliant.

[Itchy]

I'll be sure not to agree with you from now on lol.:rofl:

I have been using the Baader UHC-s filter for a couple of months now. I didn't use it on the omega shot and I haven't tried it on a galaxy as yet. I used it on my LMC shot recently, taped to the front of a 135mm lens:

http://users.bigpond.net.au/itchysastro/LMC20x3min135mm.jpg

Cheers

[Itchy]

Hi John,

To be truthful, I can't see the difference that you suggest. I do note that your image is rotated 90 deg CCW compared to mine. I have looked at various transforms and can't really see a difference.

Cheers

[JohnH]

You are correct a 90 deg rotation makes the images comparable, there must be a slight N-S bulge, if I get time I might try to measure this somehow.

[venus]

That's a great pic Tony