NGC 6357 The Lobster Nebula

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

While all those lucky buggers were swilling beer and lapping up all those awards in Parkes...I was out where I belong .. in the cold grabbing data

This is the first of two data sets gathered Friday and Saturday nights. The good thing was the seeing was excellent for a change and remained so for 1.5 nights woohoo . The guide star hardly moved all night and went for hours without a single even random excursion, outside the 1 pixel radius circle in Astroart (1 arc sec) = heaven.

The new camera purred like a pussy cat without missing a beat too, the air reached basically 100% humidity in the end too (foggy and everything was soaked, including me!) but with no sign of CCD widow fogging, a real pleasure to use.

Here is the usual data set of images of The Lobster Nebula in Scorpius. To see the largest file in each case, scroll to the bottom of each image page and click on "original" in the other sizes menu.

I think the Ha only version is my favourite actually, lots of fine wispy details showing up well in the Ha contrast.

Enjoy

Mike

[Alchemy (Clive)]

Yes Michael, sounds like you didn't get the invite to the awards? The image presented is ok not burnt out in the brighter areas , still retaining data in the faint bits.

Re the awards, just took a look at the winners lists, plenty names there we don't see at IIS, with today's equipment such as these cameras you are using , the gap between the top end has closed, it will be harder to get "that" image,

I have noticed of late certainly here a decided swing to wider field images using big megapixel cameras. No recession here it seems.


Anyway back to your images, always of a good quality, and I like your passion.

Clive.

[h0ughy (David)]

LOL you must have been watching Masterchef last night Mike to come out with a Lobster!!? So was M6 a focus run?

[gregbradley]

I was expecting a nicely done but a bit of a boring object image but I was nicely surprised.

You've done a wonderful job of this one and the fabulous seeing shows through. There's more detail in that image than any other I have seen of that object. Worth the cold and the dew!

Of interest too, is that only 2 out of the previous 7 yearly winners of the Malin Award used high end gear (CCD cameras etc). Its more about an image that is impactful with the general public in mind that would inspire and interest them to be involved with astrophotography. So high end cameras and gear is no guarantee at all. A clever and well executed DSLR image is more likely to bag it. 325,000 people viewed last years images so its quite a big deal. Possibly one of the most viewed in the world.

Greg.

[Hagar (Doug)]

Very nice Mike. Great detail and colour but the background does seem a little blue and blotchy. May just be this laptop screen (Not yet calibrated).
How do you get bseeing like this, I would kill for this. mine at best is about 3 arcsec.

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by Alchemy

Yes Michael, sounds like you didn't get the invite to the awards? The image presented is ok not burnt out in the brighter areas , still retaining data in the faint bits.

Re the awards, just took a look at the winners lists, plenty names there we don't see at IIS, with today's equipment such as these cameras you are using , the gap between the top end has closed, it will be harder to get "that" image,

I have noticed of late certainly here a decided swing to wider field images using big megapixel cameras. No recession here it seems.


Anyway back to your images, always of a good quality, and I like your passion.

Clive.

No probs re the awards, I was just thinking of them all and how exciting it is at the awards presentation, while I was out there rugged up in the cold , a small plus of not being chosen this year I guess...ie I could image

Glad you thought the image was ok Clive

Mike

Originally Posted by h0ughy

LOL you must have been watching Masterchef last night Mike to come out with a Lobster!!? So was M6 a focus run?

Well known nebula not my moniker.

M6 is still to come

Originally Posted by gregbradley

I was expecting a nicely done but a bit of a boring object image but I was nicely surprised.

You've done a wonderful job of this one and the fabulous seeing shows through. There's more detail in that image than any other I have seen of that object. Worth the cold and the dew!

Of interest too, is that only 2 out of the previous 7 yearly winners of the Malin Award used high end gear (CCD cameras etc). Its more about an image that is impactful with the general public in mind that would inspire and interest them to be involved with astrophotography. So high end cameras and gear is no guarantee at all. A clever and well executed DSLR image is more likely to bag it. 325,000 people viewed last years images so its quite a big deal. Possibly one of the most viewed in the world.

Greg.

Cheers Greg, glad you liked the creepy crawly ...

Re the DM's, it is also about an image that David likes, it is not "always" just the impactful images that get a mention and that's a good thing because if only the big punchy images got a look in there'd be an awful lot of sky that would never feature in the awards .

Originally Posted by Hagar

Very nice Mike. Great detail and colour but the background does seem a little blue and blotchy. May just be this laptop screen (Not yet calibrated).
How do you get bseeing like this, I would kill for this. mine at best is about 3 arcsec.

Cheers Doug

The blotchyness comes about from the usual squeeze I put on to reveal fainter outer stuff, I didn't think it was that bad though ...but I'll have another look, cheers for the feedback

Mike

[TrevorW]

Very colourful image Mike

[DavidTrap (David)]

Very impressive,

DT

[jase (Jason)]

Well done Mike. I like the Ha rendition the most, the LHaRGB blend not so... I'm not certain of star colours that's all. I'm under the impression the large star SAO208789 is actually orange being a K/M class, but your rendition presents it as a light blue. On a straight RGB combine, is it also blue? Perhaps the blend has result in a colour shift. Not sure. Love the details though.

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by TrevorW

Very colourful image Mike

Thanks Trev, I was happy with the colours too

Very impressive,

DT

Cheers David, it is a very intricate nebula actually with a lot of fine wispy detail

Originally Posted by jase

Well done Mike. I like the Ha rendition the most, the LHaRGB blend not so... I'm not certain of star colours that's all. I'm under the impression the large star SAO208789 is actually orange being a K/M class, but your rendition presents it as a light blue. On a straight RGB combine, is it also blue? Perhaps the blend has result in a colour shift. Not sure. Love the details though.

I like the Ha the most too, I often do, I think it is the raw contrast it provides that looks good?

Regarding the star colours...hmmm, while sure, perhaps not perfect, I think they are in the ball park and seem to match ok with StarAtlas Pro colours and the straight RGB..? I was quite happy with the star colours actually anyway the colour of one star ain't gunna cause any sleep loss

Cheers anyway...Malin winner

[Garyh]

That Ha one certainly packs a lot of detail! real nice.
Plenty of detail in the Lhargb rendition as well
Like Greg mentions, I find this area a bit boring but what you have done with it makes me change my mind!

[DavidU (Dave)]

Very nice (and BIG) image Mike, love the colour.
I noted you are one of the few who have ever had enough gut's to clean an AP objective lens. (I would have had kittens !)

[richardo (Rich)]

Damn beautiful image here Migel!
Full res version looks great on my 24"!
Lovely depth and detail to the core brought out by the Ha; nice rich saturation, resolution and pin pricks for the tiny stars.
Once again the Starfire delivers the goods... accompanied by your behemoth of a camera and of course some good skies.
Just a hint of colour speckle from the lower centre below the neb across to the lower right hand corner.. that's the only area.

Yes my pick is the Ha.... always something about Ha/ B&W... maybe its the tiny stars, maybe it's the contrast and depth, maybe I should blame my parents for not getting a colour TV when they first came out and all the other kids had one

All the best
Rich

[multiweb (Marc)]

Great Ha Mike. Very detailed.

[SkyViking (Rolf)]

Another fabulous image Mike, there's a great amount of detail in there! I think I can see a tiny upside down 'pillar of creation' in the centre of the crop. And the Ha version is just stunning. Thanks for sharing

[CoolhandJo (Paul)]

Lovely image. Exotic like colours!

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by Garyh

That Ha one certainly packs a lot of detail! real nice.
Plenty of detail in the Lhargb rendition as well
Like Greg mentions, I find this area a bit boring but what you have done with it makes me change my mind!

Cheers Gazza, I was after a bold looking version with some contrast, I wanted it more or less a natural colour image but bold none the less.

Originally Posted by DavidU

Very nice (and BIG) image Mike, love the colour.
I noted you are one of the few who have ever had enough gut's to clean an AP objective lens. (I would have had kittens !)

Thanks Dave, only big images for me. Actually the full frame image displayed is only 50% of full size. Although I often to do it, sometimes displaying the full frame full res isn't worth it because you need to pan around to see it all which can be fun in a galaxy field but I recon a nebula shot often needs to be enjoyed a little more in one go..?

Actually the cleaning of the AP glass was very simple and easy and after having done it now I wouldn't hesitate to do it again should the need arrise.

Originally Posted by richardo

Damn beautiful image here Migel!
Full res version looks great on my 24"!
Lovely depth and detail to the core brought out by the Ha; nice rich saturation, resolution and pin pricks for the tiny stars.
Once again the Starfire delivers the goods... accompanied by your behemoth of a camera and of course some good skies.
Just a hint of colour speckle from the lower centre below the neb across to the lower right hand corner.. that's the only area.

Yes my pick is the Ha.... always something about Ha/ B&W... maybe its the tiny stars, maybe it's the contrast and depth, maybe I should blame my parents for not getting a colour TV when they first came out and all the other kids had one

All the best
Rich

Thanks so much Richard

The Ha looks the goods huh?

It doesn't seem to happen all that often at my dark site but when the seeing is on the money it is really quite a buzz! . I use my guide errors to asess the seeing actually and at one stage on Saturday night the average guide errors hovered around 0.1 pixel (or less) at 2"/pixel, for 20 to 30min at a time. Being from the old hand guiding days, to think I am getting ave errors of just 0.2" for half an hour at a time is just mind boggling really

[RobF (Rob)]

Wonderful work Mike. Its sort of "all the same pink" throughout this neb, so agreed the Ha really is a pleasure to take in. Sublime.....

[Paul Haese]

Love the Ha version but my favourite is the medium close up. Detail, colour and globules.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

One could get lost in there. Plenty of nooks and crannies to explore.