2nd Attempt at a galaxy (NGC 4945)

[benklerk]

Last week was my best polar alignment so far, got under 1 arc min with guiding. I also changed from ST-4 port guiding to Ascom guiding which seemed to make a big difference.
I spent some time on 2 objects. Redone Omega Cent and NGC 4945.

1 min subs x 20 light
1 min subs x 20 dark

Used DSS and Lightroom 6.

On Nikon D7100 DSLR, used DSS and lightroom 6. HEQ5 EQMOD GSO 6".
Still working on Omega Cent, but still need more data. Next time I might try 2 min subs at ISO 1600 and try and get good flats.

Full picture Hi res
http://i.imgur.com/2vv8xia.jpg

[Atmos (Colin)]

It looks pretty good so far although I would definitely recommend getting flats next time around It'll remove the vignetting in the corners and you'll be surprised just how much it can help with the image overall.
It is a very dusty region (red) and you've have done a good job with limited data.

[LightningNZ (Cam)]

Very impressive result considering only 20 mins of exposure.

[Luke.]

I am only just beginning but I have found the flats do make a massive difference in cleaning up the image for me.
I think the stars look great too! Why is it that I see some pictures where the stars have the spikes and others don't?

[benklerk]

Originally Posted by Luke.

Why is it that I see some pictures where the stars have the spikes and others don't?

It all depends on the type of telescope used. I use a ritchey chretien which is what the hubble telescope uses. Telescopes which have spider vanes produces star spikes.

[Atmos (Colin)]

And pretty much any telescope using a KAF-8300 sensor has spikes too

[Cimitar (Evan)]

Nice round stars and you've picked up some great dust detail in the galaxy Good stuff!

Agree with other comments RE: flats etc. If flats seem a bit daunting at first, I recommend trying an artificial flat method which can be done in photoshop. It works fairly well and will highlight the difference it can make to a regular image. I found this resource very useful when first exploring artificial flats - http://www.corius.net/?page_id=395

RE: Spiked stars - I artificially introduce some into my images (my telescope doesn't cause them) just to enhance the effect at times, depending on my target audience.

Cheers, Evan