Double Cluster in Perseus, now featuriing Comet 103P/Hartley

Martin Pugh · #1 08-10-2010, 03:06 PM

Another fine example of a lovely open cluster.
In a departure from my usual multi-hour images, this is a simple RGB, 60 minutes each and synthetic luminance. As the 4degx4deg FOV was simply too big really, I have also cropped this one.

I treated this with a Star Spikes Pro, but reduced the impact by 50%, so I think its okay.

http://www.martinpughastrophotograph...le-Cluster.jpg

cheers and thanks for looking

Martin

TrevorW · #2 08-10-2010, 04:53 PM

Nice one Martin, great colour, round stars, lovely flat background with no discernable gradient

I too use Star Spike Pro on occassions but IMHO with a double cluster like this the added diffractions spikes detract from the overall image in some ways

Just a personal preference

desler · #3 08-10-2010, 05:15 PM

I've been imaging a few clusters trying to achive a similar look to no avail at this point, A beautiful example for me to set a base line. Thank you for sharing.

Darren

gregbradley · #4 08-10-2010, 05:33 PM

Nicely done but probably even still too widefield to highlight the double cluster which is one of the nicest around.

I quite like the diffraction spikes myself.

Greg.

Liz · #5 08-10-2010, 05:42 PM

Great image Martin.

If you did tried that that again tongiht, you would get Comet Hartley nestled in there.

Just saw an image from UK of the very same.

Martin Pugh · #6 08-10-2010, 11:21 PM

Thanks for the comments, particularly regarding the comet (Liz) - I thin I will definitely attempt to image that tonight.

cheers
Martin

alexch (Alex) · #7 08-10-2010, 11:46 PM

Very nice, Martin. Definitely a pleasure to look at - like being at the eyepiece of a large dob. So smooth and without the "over-processed" look.

Thanks for sharing.
Alex

multiweb (Marc) · #8 09-10-2010, 07:12 PM

Great field - looking foward to the inclusion of the comet. Should be interesting.

Alchemy (Clive) · #9 09-10-2010, 08:05 PM

In a word ..... Crisp.

Martin Pugh · #10 10-10-2010, 07:53 AM

Thanks everyone.

Comet? - Ah yes, the one I imaged from about 11.30pm last night through till dawn this morning.

Havent looked at the data yet, and it was moving away from the cluster, so I will have to superimpose it in a position where it was on around 7 Oct; I obviously want to try and keep it technically accurate.

I will also post a version of the cluster without the star spikes, see how it goes.

cheers
Martin

Hagar (Doug) · #11 10-10-2010, 05:39 PM

Very nice clean image Martin, The star colour is lovely and the spikes, well, there is time when they just add that zing to an image and a star cluster is one of them. Beautifully done.

SkyViking (Rolf) · #12 10-10-2010, 07:00 PM

Thats a very nice image indeed. I like the smooth natural look, and I recall having gazed at the Double Cluster many times when I was living in the northern hemisphere. Thank you for sharing this!

Martin Pugh · #13 11-10-2010, 03:36 PM

Hello everyone

I have been looking forward to putting this together.

Thanks to Liz for bringing my attention to Comet Hartley. I imaged it all night a couple of nights ago but have positioned it as it appeared at 1.52am on 8 Oct, otherwise, it would have been outside of the Double Cluster FOV I posted.

Not a terribly impressive comet, and quite difficult to process this really. I had to do some internet research to find out what to expect, so I was pleased to see that my result was very similar to that elsewhere.

http://www.martinpughastrophotograph...3P_Hartley.jpg

Exposure details: RGB, 23 minutes each, with 60 second exposures at 80 second intervals.

Thanks for looking

cheers
Martin

gregbradley · #14 11-10-2010, 03:45 PM

Yeah that's a cool shot. It really makes it doesn't it.

Greg.

iceman (Mike) · #15 11-10-2010, 03:51 PM

Wow how cool is that!

PS: I fixed the URL

Martin Pugh · #16 11-10-2010, 03:53 PM

Thanks Greg/Mike

I think it would have made for a great shot if the comet had a tail, but this was doesnt for some reason, just a balloon of teal colour.

I must stop just cutting and pasting the full URLs into IIS, and use TinyURL instead.

thanks for fixin' it up Mike
Martin

Liz · #17 11-10-2010, 04:30 PM

That looks excellent Martin.

strongmanmike (Michael) · #18 11-10-2010, 04:48 PM

Weeellll ... so this is not the comet as it was in that spot but rather how it looked somewhere else

if so.... isn't this just a mock up then really?

Looks good though

Mike

Martin Pugh · #19 12-10-2010, 12:53 AM

Hi Mike

not photographed a comet before huh?

even a 30 second exposure of a comet will show remarkable movement. So, if you wanted to take an image of a comet, represented as it was in the same fov, your exposures would have to be very short, and therefore, quite unusable.

Comet 3P/Hartley passed by the Double Cluster over about a 2 day period. I imaged the Double Cluster (the image posted) on 1 and 3 Oct, then I started a mosaic of the area 6-8 Oct. Comet moved through 7/8 Oct. So a mock up? Nah.

cheers
Martin

strongmanmike (Michael) · #20 12-10-2010, 09:14 AM

Yeh I have imaged a comet before. I thought you had imaged the comet when it wasn't in the cluster and then pasted it in where it was supposed to have been on a particular date. Instead you imaged the comet when it was actually in the cluster and then pasted it into the cluster shot, taken earlier, in a position where it would have been at a single moment in time, this makes for a slightly more valid alignment capture to me, still a little composed but pretty close

Mike