M33 repro

[peter_4059 (Peter)]

Following on from my PI quest, I've had another go at my M33 data. I've ended up in a similar place colour-wise compared to my earlier attempts however this one has a bit more saturation and is smoother than before.

As always comments and advice welcome.

Here's the full res version:
http://astrob.in/204566/C/

Thanks for looking!

[marc4darkskies (Marcus)]

You're cooking with gas Peter! Really nice! You're nailing the colours IMO and, like your 253, detail is very respectable!

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Have to agree with Marcus here

For the sake of some constructive feedback, as good as they look, both this and your 253 image do have a slightly out of focus feel or perhaps more of a graded softening caused perhaps by layered or selective noise reduction/smoothing..? Of course the effect on M33 could well be influenced strongly by the low altitude above the horizon too..?

Still, enjoyed the view, thanks

Mike

[RobF (Rob)]

Really enjoying your repros Peter. Another winner.

[RickS (Rick)]

You must have a workflow that produces the goods now, Peter. Another excellent image.

[multiweb (Marc)]

+1 Whatever you're doing. Peter, it's working!
PS: does it involve cheese and wine... coz if it does I might have a chance to learn.

[ozstronomer (Geoff)]

Repro looks great Peter, well done

[peter_4059 (Peter)]

Originally Posted by marc4darkskies

You're cooking with gas Peter! Really nice! You're nailing the colours IMO and, like your 253, detail is very respectable!

Marcus, thanks for the feedback. It's been a long time coming so nice to feel like I'm making progress.

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Have to agree with Marcus here

For the sake of some constructive feedback, as good as they look, both this and your 253 image do have a slightly out of focus feel or perhaps more of a graded softening caused perhaps by layered or selective noise reduction/smoothing..? Of course the effect on M33 could well be influenced strongly by the low altitude above the horizon too..?

Still, enjoyed the view, thanks

Mike

Mike - all honest feedback is gratefully received. Thanks for taking the time to help

Originally Posted by RobF

Really enjoying your repros Peter. Another winner.

Cheers Rob. It has got to be up there with the best Astrofests I've attended. Nice to have something to show for it also!

Originally Posted by RickS

You must have a workflow that produces the goods now, Peter. Another excellent image.

Rick, Thanks for the encouragement and for getting me started on PI.

Originally Posted by multiweb

+1 Whatever you're doing. Peter, it's working!
PS: does it involve cheese and wine... coz if it does I might have a chance to learn.

Not enough of either Marc but I should work on that!

Originally Posted by ozstronomer

Repro looks great Peter, well done

Cheers Geoff.

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by peter_4059

Mike - all honest feedback is gratefully received. Thanks for taking the time to help

Mate no problemo, after looking at your raw Lum file as well as your final work so much now, I actually think I was being a bit picky both are pretty darn good images mate, especially for the pedigree (cost) of the scope!!

Mike

[Garbz (Chris)]

Really love the contrast. You've made it stand out rather well. Was this visible only or did you blend in some Ha?

[peter_4059 (Peter)]

Mike,

Thanks for taking a look at the raw files. It's good to help me focus my improvement efforts.

Chris, no Ha - just LRGB.

Peter

[Paul Haese]

I like the colours and smooth look the image. Not sure about the focus though. How are you focusing?

[John K]

Great text book image and colour on this object and looks like the Meade SN and QSI CCD camera deliver the goods!! and obviously the skill to process!!

[peter_4059 (Peter)]

Originally Posted by Paul Haese

I like the colours and smooth look the image. Not sure about the focus though. How are you focusing?

Hi Paul, I'm focusing with V curves in SGP and periodically verifying with a Bahtinov mask. I'm finding the V-curve is quite flat at the bottom which might make it hard for the software to find the best focus point. I assume this is one of the challenges of an f4 system?

Originally Posted by John K

Great text book image and colour on this object and looks like the Meade SN and QSI CCD camera deliver the goods!! and obviously the skill to process!!

Thanks for the feedback John. I do like the SN10 and it certainly addressed the issues I'd had at Astrofest for many years with my Newt dewing up. I was also surprised and how much data it collects in relatively short exposures compared to the f5 Newt. The SN10/QSI combination seems to work well however I did need to beef up the OTA where the focuser attaches as the camera is quite heavy and it sits out quite a distance with the SN10 focuser configuration.

[Stevec35 (Steve)]

I think that's pretty good for a southern hemisphere M33 Peter. The colour and texture look great. While there is a slightly soft look this is hardly the optimum hemisphere to view this one from and maybe that's down to seeing issues.

Cheers

Steve