IC4606 Rho Ophiuchi

[DavidTrap]

Here is my offering of Rho Ophiuchi.

This was the first run with the camera lens adapter for my QSI583. I used a 20yo Nikon 85mm F1.8 lens at F4 - hence the 18-point stars. I also used a new belt drive focuser. I'll post some photos of the rig in due course.

I was quite impressed at Maxim being able to plate solve these widefield images and collected this data using an automated run in CCDC. The are 50mins of data for each LRGB filters - all 5 minute subs. L was taken a bin 1x1, while RGB were bin 2x2. Taken out at Leyburn during August's new moon - thanks to Ray & Steve for suggestions on composition!

Need to do some more research on processing widefields in PI.

Comments & criticisms welcome as usual.

Link (http://users.tpg.com.au/dctrap/astrophotos/IC4606_LRGB_extrasatfullsize.jpg) to full size JPEG - 5Mb.

Note - the compression on the attached image is pretty heavy to fit in the 200kb limit...

DT

[alpal]

That's a fantastic picture.
I will have to pick up an old Nikon lens - I think!

[RickS]

That's really lovely, David! The processing looks pretty good, especially for a first widefield using new gear.

Cheers,
Rick.

[strongmanmike]

......:clap:

Fabulous result, what a purler Dave.

The 5meg is a must see

I have found that many IIS viewers will only look at the attached thread thumbnail if it is provided, rather than bother with the large size link...no idea why, I suspect a bit of lazyness and simple hasty care factor :shrug:

BTW David Malin loooooves this area.... ;)

Mike

[tilbrook@rbe.ne]

Oustanding David!!

That 20 year old lens sure works well, love the colour balance and the dark filaments have good depth.

Cheers,

Justin.

[RobF]

What an absolute STUNNER David. The colours and tightness of the stars are just fantastic for a lens image. Agreed the big image is a must see. Incredible detail.

(did I mention I like it....? ;) )

[h0ughy]

great image and colours - well done. you are working some magic there

[DavidTrap]

Thanks for the rapid fire comments everyone!

I'm pretty stoked with the detail. I've been watching Marc & Greg (plus others) do some amazing shots with their larger chips and Pentax lenses, but have had to wait 9 months for this focuser to arrive so I could try my combination. They're made by a guy in America as a sideline business. I ordered it in November and there were "many delays". It seems to work quite well and plugs directly into my AP computer which means I can control the focuser from Maxim via ASCOM. It's a servo motor rather than a stepper, so it doesn't plug into a Robofocus controller. The main reason I tried this combination was the mounting bracket and belts that he sold with the focuser - all up it was a reasonable package deal.

I didn't have any autofocus programmed, so focusing was done with a bahtinov mask for the 4 inch Tak balanced atop the lens (fortunately the target had just transited the meridian so the front of the lens was flat!) The diffraction spikes it produced were faint, but seem to have delivered the goods! It was only focused once at the start of almost 4hrs of imaging. I did have a dew strip around a metal lens hood (thanks eBay - <$10), so this may have helped keep the lens temp constant on what turned out to be a -5 degree night in Tropical Queensland!

Here is a photo of the rig - the Tak serves as the guidescope. To achieve focus with the camera lens on the QSI, I have to change faceplates which means I lose off-axis guiding. You can't see the focuser - it's on the other side of the CCD/Lens setup.

DT

[RobF]

Impressive and worth waiting for. Thanks for pics.
What did the lens itself cost if you don't mind prying? :whistle:

[jjjnettie]

A cracking image!!
So much goodness to it, the fine detail in the dust, the colours are so rich and I love the stars.

[DavidTrap]

Absolutely no idea what the lens would cost now. Dad bought it in 1992 - probably ~$500 then!! His SLR days are behind him, so I've acquired the useful lenses. He always loved wide aperture prime lenses, so I'm fortunate to have an 85mm f1.8 and 50mm f1.4 at my disposal!

DT

[DavidTrap]

Ta JJJ,

I was worried I'd pushed the saturation too far, but no one has commented yet.

DT

[RobF]

I've gotta get a look in that man-cave next time at Leyburn. Was eyeing it off with jealously last time up there (from the outside)! :lol:

[DavidTrap]

I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time to buy it! To build one myself would have taken a year or more!

DT

[RobF]

Seems fitting it uses cold room panels? I thought minus 2.7 in June was pretty cool with a fine dusting of icing sugar frost over everything at 3am. Minus 5 is getting towards "Man from Snowy River" territory.

[DavidTrap]

I have photos to prove -5 for the doubters out there too!!

DT

[multiweb]

The resolution is quite awesome on the milkyway side of the picture. Really good star density. Superb colors too. Cracker of a shot. :thumbsup:

[ozstronomer]

David that's a fantastic shot, always wanted to get this area of the sky.

That 50mm lens works well, the nifty- fifty i have has curvature even at F5.6. Your image looks quite flat, well done

Geoff

[DavidTrap]

Thanks Marc - I've been watching your work for a while...

Ta Geoff - I wonder if the slightly smaller chip 8300 CCD chip vs a DSLR chip means I'm working from the centre of a lens' illuminated circle and hence less affected by curvature?

DT

[allan gould]

Another ripper David and I love the resolution of the lens you used. Great processing too.

[DavidTrap]

Thanks Allan,

Very happy with this combo. I've got to look at the field of view of my 50mm lens to see if that will take in entire constellations. I will also have to try with my 70-200mm lens, but that's going to require some metalwork to make a bracket. I've got some aluminium here to do it with, but I might leave it till my next weekend on call - gives me something to do while waiting for the phone to ring.

I'm slowly learning the ropes of PI. I'll never truly exploit it's abilities - not unless someone creates some coherent tutorials, or puts together a workshop.

DT

[bokglob]

That is awsome! What else can I say:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Martin Pugh]

Most impressed David. Tis a fine image indeed, and hooking up a camera lens to a cooled CCD camera is great fun. The lens, despite its apparent age, seems to have done a great job - is the image cropped at all?

Star colour also very good

cheers
Martin

[stardust steve]

What a beauty. I opened the large image and was blown away. Zoomed in on the right hand side of the image and got lost in the field of stars:thumbsup:

[prokyon]

Great, my favorite area of the whole sky. You captured it excellently!

[DavidTrap]

Thanks Gents,

Martin - the lens still works fine with my new D800. Bless Nikon for maintaining backwards compatibility. The field is uncropped. Certainly a less stressful evening shooting at 85mm vs 1800mm

DT

[SkyViking]

That's a great image of this beautiful piece of sky, and as a bonus you got 6 globular clusters in one shot! :)
Very nice smooth processing and the colours are just perfect. Thanks for the view.

[RobF]

Troy had suggested a physical get together (and I didn't make much effort at Astrofest must confess :(). Perhaps a thread here where we could list our typical workflows. It more like a computer language sometimes than a recipe processing. PI forum has some interesting threads where people say how they arrived at final image (photo comp pages?).

[Tandum]

Nice image dave, you got it nailed there, pity about all the diffraction spikes :)

[naskies]

Again, well done! Hope to see your rendition of the Blue Horsehead if there's time left this season.

-5 deg... brrr! I've only experienced Leyburn down to -4 deg... my DSLR is remarkably low-noise at those temps.

[DavidTrap]

Thanks Robin - the diffraction spikes are a "Nikon thing", so not all will understand (apologies to Jeep for stealing their line!)

Dave - it certainly was cold. I bought an oil column heater for the caravan and left the generator running until I went to bed - must be getting soft!

DT

[Octane]

That's beautiful. You're making me jealous -- I have to wait until next year to try and finish mine. :(

H

[Leonardo70]

Fantastic David !!!

Leo

[DavidTrap]

Thanks H and Leo

I have vague recollections you have been doing one H - the weather has been trying!!

DT

[Paul Haese]

Nice work David. I have been sorting this particular issue myself with a 683 face plate and Nikon adapter. I am planning to use either the 85 I have or a 135 f2 lens. I would be interested in the focusor chap if you would care to leave a link or PM me his contact details.

Lovely image with nice round stars and excellent saturation.

[Stevec35]

Now that's a really nice image David. Well done!

Steve

[RobF]

I keep coming back to the big jpg of this - I love the 18 spike diffraction pattern on the stars and general clarity and colour. At risk of upsetting someone I really don't think I can remember a better rendition from those of us "north of the border". Stunning pic.

[DJT]

Fantastic image.saturation works for me, well done

[DavidTrap]

Thanks Steve, David & Rob (again!)

Paul - the focuser is a Walter Lee Helifocus. Just be well aware his lead time may be long. Do you have the 135DC lens??

DT

[rcheshire]

Nicely done.

[atalas]

Wonderful work David!well done.

[Paul Haese]

Thanks David and yes I have the DC lens. Sharpest lens on the planet. No one has emulated this lens yet.

[DavidTrap]

Thanks Roland and Louie.

Paul - it would be on my shopping list if I didn't have the 70-200 VR II.

DT

[iceman]

Stunning image David, really loved the large version.

It's now IOTW (http://www.iceinspace.com.au)!

[DavidTrap]

Thanks Mike - an unexpected gong!

DT

[stardust steve]

Good to see your image make an IOTW. Well deserved.:thumbsup:
Congratulations !

[gregbradley]

Congrats on your IOTW David!

Greg.

[Martin Pugh]

Congrats on your IOTW David

Martin

[RobF]

Yep, kudos for an incredibly well executed image. :thumbsup:

[Octane]

Congratulations. :)

H

[Jo41]

What a fantastic shot of one of my favourite parts of the sky. COOL!:thumbsup:

[Ross G]

Hi David,

Congratulations on IOTW.

A beautiful photo.

Great colours, very sharp and a nice wide FOV.

The old Nikon lens works well.

Ross.