More from the new camera, taken on 5/1/13. Slight difference here is that I could only get an hour as wispy clouds ruined my fun. Also, processed slightly in Nebulosity and Startools only.
I'm having fun with this new CCD, it's lovely to see the histogram full after stacking in DSS.
Thanks for stopping by to take a gander
Image details:
Target: NGC2024 - The Flame Nebula Camera: Atik 314L+ OSC CCD Scope: Skywatcher BD200N Reflector Mount: HEQ5Pro Guide: PHD guiding using EQmod and DBK21AU618 on Orion 50mm guidescope Total Time: 1 hour CCD Temp: -5 degrees Celsius Exposures: 20 x 180 sec Darks/Bias/Flats: 20 x 180 sec darks, 10 x 180 sec bias, no flats. Capture Program: Artemis Capture Processing: DSS, Startools, Nebulosity
Can you remember the maximum exposures that you used to use? I find between 3 mins and 5 mins seem to be about right, although 5 mins seems to overexpose certain objects.
My suburban sky tends to muddy up the subs if I go too long, so I have been limiting the subs to 3 mins as a trade off.
Firstly, I used 8 to 10 min subs. But I Always used a light pollution filter Hutech - LPS - so no sky glow presented.
I must admit that the Atik 314L had a tendancy to "clip" images when there was a large dynamic range in the image (EG Eta Carinae etc). But I found that its sensativity enabled me to stretch the image without too much noise - therefore I masked the brighter portions and balanced out the image.
The Atik 4000 has a totally different affect on dynamic range. It is more balanced BUT not quite as sensative - so I dont have to mask out the brigh spots, simply strech the entire image.
All trial and error!
The Atik 314L is superb for resolutions requiring a closer view, such as galaxies, full frame nebula shots. The Atik 4000 is great for a wider view
I was wondering if a UV/IR filter would help to reduce some of the star bloat on really bright stars....
I tried my moon and skyglow filter on the nosepiece and it didnt work very well, similarly with the MPCC, didnt do anything positive. I might need to invest in a Hutech LPS as the CLS EOS clip works very well on the DSLR.
UV/IR is essentlal for imaging with Mono CCD cameras (not needed with most RGB filters as it is essentially built in to the spectrum). Not needed with Most LP filters either.
Check with your OSC specs if the grid lense has UV/IR block incorporated.
Great to see a shot of the Flame! Though it appears often in Horsehead images it seems very overlooked as a target on its own, but it's a very interesting object. Well done and congratulations with the new camera.
Alnitak is in the frame - thats going to hurt your dynamic range and make image processing a bit harder
It also looks like you have some very slight vignetting. Is your nose piece 2 inch, or 1 1/4?
Hi Paul,
It has a 1.25" nosepiece, I intend to try out a 2" adaptor to see if it fixes this as the coma is quite slight without the MPCC due to the small chip size. The only 2" barrel I can use at the moment is the MPCC, so I may try and remove the lens from that and see if this works, otherwise shell out for a 2" adapter.
Yes, I tried to keep Alnitak out of the frame but the diffraction spikes intruded in there and I was trying to keep the Flame front and centre due to the reduced FOV.
Great to see a shot of the Flame! Though it appears often in Horsehead images it seems very overlooked as a target on its own, but it's a very interesting object. Well done and congratulations with the new camera.
Thanks Rolf,
One reason I got this camera is the narrow FOV so I can get up nice and close to some small PNs and other galaxy groups. I compared this using CCD calc prior to purchase to make sure I was happy with the narrowness of the pics I would get from my 1000 FL scope.
I tried out my 0.63 focal reducer to see if I can fix some slight undersampling (?) but couldnt get focus with it so I think I may need the small extension tube I found in my kit to get it right.
The Flame is one of the objects I could see quite clearly with my 12" dob at Leura, so I have always had a soft spot for it. I thought it needed its own shot and I think it came out quite well.
Ahhh - that explains it I think. The reflector, the coma corrector, the distance from the chip, the 1 1/4 inch nose piece is going to conspire against you with vignetting for sure.
I would strongly recommend a 2 inch adaptor + the coma corrector becuase you dont have to worry about a filter wheel as it is an OSC and so distance from chip should not be too much of an issue for you with regards to the correct spacing for the coma corrector.
I think that will make a huge differenc to your images with an even spread of light across the chip!
Ahhh - that explains it I think. The reflector, the coma corrector, the distance from the chip, the 1 1/4 inch nose piece is going to conspire against you with vignetting for sure.
I would strongly recommend a 2 inch adaptor + the coma corrector becuase you dont have to worry about a filter wheel as it is an OSC and so distance from chip should not be too much of an issue for you with regards to the correct spacing for the coma corrector.
I think that will make a huge differenc to your images with an even spread of light across the chip!
Looking forward to seeing them
I didnt use the MPCC for this shot, its the 1.25" nosepiece only....Being an F5 means I have always got coma and pretty horrid vignetting on the DSLR APS sensor, I find this is quite manageable for now.
I might try the coma corrector again next time out, and even try the focal reducer to make my scope a 630mm FL, probable make the coma and vignetting worse, but its all a learning process to find the best combination for the new camera.
I even have my brother in law's Black Diamond ED80 on loan at the moment so I am definitely going to try this one out too as this seems to be perfectly suited to the ATIK 314L+ chip size
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