Horsehead - Deep & Wide (ish) Field

Bolts_Tweed (Mark) · #1 18-10-2009, 10:05 PM

I dont know how this is going to look but here it is anyway. I am working on a cheap View Sonic Monitor plugged into a laptop with a buggered monitor (only internet access I have at the moment) and it is calibrated to my laser printer output so who knows?. I have kept it (the image) pretty subtle with low colour saturation so it shouldnt look like a neon sign outside a bordello - If you could let me know if it appears the calibration is out a heap it would be appreciated - maybe even a tweak so I can match it here may bring this thing into line.

This is one of a mosaic I started at Leyburn Observatory over the weekend. Taken through a Televue np101is with a modded (thanks Eric) 350D. It is 8 x 15 minute subs and 3 x 30 minutes to get as deep as possible with a 4 inch f 5.4 scope. DSS, MaximDL Log Strech, Assorted CS2 including a Multi Layer Deconvolution Blend and High Pass Filter and background smoothing to try for some depth of field.

I know the colour above the horsehead is dodgy (pink) but it just saturates out when you expose long enough to get the brown faint dust cloud below it. Still working on it - but my aim isnt to get a bright red HII region but to bring out fainter dust clouds from here to M78. I have an idea for the final mosaic to make the HII red and the dust brownish.

Any advice re monitor calibration would be appreciated ( and you can rip this to pieces if you like too

) but it would be good to get the monitor somewhere approaching right.

Mark Bolton

DavidU (Dave) · #2 18-10-2009, 10:10 PM

Mark, I think that shot is just wicked ! Very different and VERY good.
Thanx

AlexN · #3 18-10-2009, 10:12 PM

Mark,

Beautiful! Absolutely, Unequivocally - Awesome!

I agree, probably a bit pink above the horse.. other than that she's a ripper! the 30min subs have definitely done their job in pulling out the faint stuff around the horse..

Great work! Cant wait to see the final mosaic!

Bolts_Tweed (Mark) · #4 18-10-2009, 10:15 PM

Thx guys - sounds like to calibration is close then.

Alex - the ST10 is still going great but I am waiting on some LRGB filters at the moment so I decided to go back to old failthful DSLR for the weekend. I am all narrowbanded out but I wish the 350D had the sensitivity of the ST10 - would make for much quicker images

Mark

multiweb (Marc) · #5 18-10-2009, 10:21 PM

Wow! That's quite something! Superb!

AlexN · #6 18-10-2009, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bolts_Tweed

Alex - the ST10 is still going great but I am waiting on some LRGB filters at the moment so I decided to go back to old failthful DSLR for the weekend. I am all narrowbanded out but I wish the 350D had the sensitivity of the ST10 - would make for much quicker images

Mark

You could do RGB as Ha OIII OIII.. would come out looking fairly natural as far as colour is concerned... Just imagine how deep this would have been with the same exposure durations with the ST10!!

that said, you would have had to do a 2~3 panel mosaic to get a similar field of view... Horses for courses I guess! And lets face it, the 350D sure did you proud! Image came out great!

dpastern (Dave Pastern) · #7 18-10-2009, 10:40 PM

Looks really nice to me Mark.

Dave

PS were you Andrew's friend from last months Leyburn that showed me Octans etc?

Bolts_Tweed (Mark) · #8 18-10-2009, 10:56 PM

Thx guys again.

David - should have said gday - I probably spoke to you and didnt know who it was. It was probably Ray or Kevin that showed you Octans - Ray is short and grey and Kevin is short and bald

(they're old mates so I will probably get away with that). Ray has the second last observatory on the left hand side (green metal one)and Kevin usually sets his Dob up outside Rays ob.

Mine is the WR Cedar observatory on the right when you come in. I will usually be in there or in the house (well ok - the house is an ATCO shed but you know what I mean

).

Let me know who you are next time you are out - we'll have a coffee. You cant miss me - I reckon Tolkien modelled Bilbo Baggins on me - short, bald and hairy ears

.

Mark Bolton

dpastern (Dave Pastern) · #9 18-10-2009, 11:07 PM

Nah, it was a Mark, Andrew's mate who turned up (his first time at the Leyburn site). Maybe we didn't meet - there's always next time hehehe. I must be a hobbit as well then, not short, but chubby and I love food. I don't think I met Ray, but I did meet Kevin and had fantastic views through his f4 16" dob. Amazing

I met Glen also, and Mal (and his son), and Julian. Oh, and Nolene (and her husband briefly).

Dave

Sarge (Rod) · #10 18-10-2009, 11:11 PM

As they say "absolutely fabulous." Great shot Mark

Rod

Lester · #11 18-10-2009, 11:46 PM

Fantastic depth to that image Mark. All the best for more.

troypiggo (Troy) · #12 19-10-2009, 06:41 AM

That's a cracker image, Mark. Best of the season for me so far.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dpastern

Nah, it was a Mark, Andrew's mate who turned up (his first time at the Leyburn site).

I think Bolts Tweed Mark has been to Leyburn a few times

dpastern (Dave Pastern) · #13 19-10-2009, 07:24 AM

yeah

I gathered that - now.

Dave

h0ughy (David) · #14 19-10-2009, 07:41 AM

fantastic result Mark

multiweb (Marc) · #15 19-10-2009, 09:01 AM

Had to come back and look at that pic. Mate it really does it for me. There's something about it. I don't know if it's the colors or details and framing but it just works as a whole. Inspirational.

strongmanmike (Michael) · #16 19-10-2009, 09:13 AM

Lovely result Bilbo

Lots of faint stuff pulled out there and the traditional framing is hard to beat. You've handled all the hard bits associated with this field quite well.

Nice job

Mike

PeterM · #17 19-10-2009, 09:43 AM

Mark is perhaps the most laid back astro imager you could ever meet. Fully supported by his wife Debbie in all his astro efforts.
He is his own biggest critic which he then follows with something like "mate I'm just givin' it a go"
He loves this stuff.
Mark, this is without a doubt one of the sweetest images of this area of sky I have ever seen. I'm sure you don't mind, I have saved it and I am using it as my desktop background (crawl).
PeterM.

Bolts_Tweed (Mark) · #18 19-10-2009, 11:39 AM

Thx again guys.

Mr Marples is right - I am pretty critical with my own images. In fact I wouldnt have posted this until i fixed the HII but I want to look at the other HII regions in the mosaic before I go playing around too much and then if I didnt post it now I never would.

I just relaised now there is phrase you dont hear too often - 'Mr Marples is right -

) - luv ya Pete nearly as much as my rottweiler

Thanks for the comments guys

MB

Bolts_Tweed (Mark) · #19 19-10-2009, 02:45 PM

I just thought I would give credit where required (can you spot the academic here). The idea for deep imaging in this region came from Rogelio Andreo

http://blog.deepskycolors.com/

He has some amazimg stuff on his site and what is even more amazing is if you look at his progression over 2 years if you compare his older images to new ones. Talk about going ahead in leaps and bounds

Thanks again for the positive replies but I thought I ahd better give this guy credit for the original idea

MB

Jeffkop (Jeff) · #20 19-10-2009, 04:01 PM

You'de HAVE to be bloody happy with that Mark. Its up there for me with the top images ive seen of this. Great picture to frame n put on the wall.
I will let the experienced guys tell you its pros and cons from an astrophoto point of view ... but from a purely visual approach ... it really does it.