Ngc2070

etill (Elliot) · #1 30-01-2020, 03:10 PM

I decided to try the Tarantula nebula again last night. It may have been a bit hot for the 5 minute exposures, or maybe the object is a bit bright.

I also started dithering between every second exposure, but set it up wrong so about a third of them started before phd2 finished settling down and had to be discarded.

22 x 5min subs, ISO800
Canon 60D unmodified
Vixen 200mm at F/4, CGEM
I ended up with more flats and darks than the lights, so just used 20 of each.

All processed in PixInsight. It's still pretty noisy but it was much worse to begin with.

The first attempt at this is here, different framing though: https://www.astrobin.com/9i15t8/0/

I'm not sure which is better or which I prefer yet.

casstony · #2 30-01-2020, 03:16 PM

I like the astrobin image Elliot - nice and sharp. IIS degrades the image though so it can be hard to tell.
It's a lot harder to get a decent broadband image of the Tarantula than some of the other bright nebulae.

etill (Elliot) · #3 30-01-2020, 03:20 PM

Thanks, I'm going to pull the filter out of the canon as it's only used for this now. Then perhaps try some suitable filters with that. The heat is a real struggle at the moment, I'd like to get something cooled and be done with it, which would probably be mono, but I need more practice with what I have first.

Saturnine (Jeff) · #4 30-01-2020, 04:15 PM

The Astrobin image is certainly much better detail. A fine image with nice detail in the heart of the Tarantula.

etill (Elliot) · #5 30-01-2020, 05:15 PM

Thanks, I had thought I was a bit heavy handed with the HDR and contrast enhancement processing in the first one.

I think I like the framing better in this one, I was trying to get some of the clusters and smaller nebulosity more evenly represented. This second one has a lot less processing other than the noise reduction which I was trying out in two phases (one with the linear data and a touch up after stretching).

I was planning a first attempt at a properly framed mosiac (3x3 of the SMC) using NINA tonight, but I just went outside to check out the conditions and its 40 odd at the moment so that may not work out well.

Ant0nio (Tony) · #6 30-01-2020, 10:57 PM

Lovely image Elliot, as others have already mentioned the Astrobin version is noticeably much better.
Cheers,
Tony