The Centaur's Cave - AG12

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

I wanted to grab IC 2948 in Centaurus before it moved too low this season and finally a clear night presented itself

So...fighting the onset of a flu with panadol and hot tea I still managed an allnight session on Saturday night in brisk conditions......err?..and now have full blown Flu (and the runs !!!) - off work

Plenty of moon so this is once again a narrowband concoction ...also once again the seeing was crappola (I have never seen anything but white circles for Newcastle on the 7 day timer weather site ). I also fought some image plane tilt/flexure - must have been the specific location in the sky?

Having passed the meridian, once again the extra apperture and speed of the AG12 allowed for a deep image to be collected in just half a night - thank god

Looking like a cave with Hercules tourch in it and being in Centaurus, the name kinda made sense ...nobody can see the running chicken anyway

Here is a modest crop of the good bits displayed at 50% full res

The Centaur's Cave

Here is the album with the full 1.8deg X 1.8deg field version and other crops, including a close up of the Centaur's droppings

Centaur's Cave Album

At least it didn't friggin rain on me this time

Cheers

Mike

[renormalised (Carl)]

Brilliant piccie, as usual

The chicken....found him splattered all over the road, back down the way. Must've been a passing semi

[midnight (Darrin)]

Magic! How much time do you spend on processing? I am getting what seems to be good data from my targets but my processing skills are as dodgey as for now. Love your work Mike!

Darrin...

[mill (Martin)]

Very nice looking droppings Mike
What would you get if the seeing is perfect?
Looks already very nice

[gregbradley]

Fabulous image Mike. I wasn't sure what it was at first - so this is the Running Chicken Nebula?

It looks really different in your image as you have really brought out the 3D aspect of the target not seen in other images.

Your new scope is superb.

Greg.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Nice album. Those bok globules really stand out.
PS: the shot is mirrored again.

[RobF (Rob)]

Thanks for sharing the journey (and the pics ) Mike. Hope you fight those rotten bugs off soon too. Sounds like more than the usual setting up and pulling down woes faced this time around.

Love the presentation of the album shots too - you're way ahead of the crowd with this sort of thing.

[Lester]

You are one Very dedicated chap, Mike. Hope you get well soon, thanks for the view. All the best.

[John Hothersall]

Those colours of orange and blue are so rich and love the Bok's.

JohnH.

[h0ughy (David)]

certainly a huge expanse of gas and dirt - well done while imaging on your sickbed. Hope you get well soon Mike - so you paid the $15 dollars yet....?

[Alchemy (Clive)]

Like the detail in the torch area, you'd have to be one of the most passionate imagers I know, imaging with the flu in the cold... That's dedication.

[allan gould]

Brilliant once again. I'm enormously impressed by your scope, ability and fortitude - I'm running out of praises so I'll have to use my thesaurus next time.

[marc4darkskies (Marcus)]

A piece of crap Mike ... Centaur crap that is

Yep, looking really good there mate - the colours are quite pleasing (for an NB image ). I like the Centaur's Cave crop the best. Your stars are looking quite tight too.

Get well soon!

Cheers, Marcus

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

That's certainly given it a different perspective! I like it a lot!

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by renormalised

Brilliant piccie, as usual

The chicken....found him splattered all over the road, back down the way. Must've been a passing semi

Cheers Carl, yep that's her...forgot her highway code

Originally Posted by midnight

Magic! How much time do you spend on processing? I am getting what seems to be good data from my targets but my processing skills are as dodgey as for now. Love your work Mike!

Darrin...

Thanks Darrin glad you like it. How much time do I spend on processing .... ...plenty You coming to AAIC next month at the Gold Coast?

Originally Posted by mill

Very nice looking droppings Mike
What would you get if the seeing is perfect?
Looks already very nice

Good question Martin ..one day

Originally Posted by gregbradley

Fabulous image Mike. I wasn't sure what it was at first - so this is the Running Chicken Nebula?

It looks really different in your image as you have really brought out the 3D aspect of the target not seen in other images.

Your new scope is superb.

Greg.

Yep it's the running Chicken Nebula alright, teh full frame gets her all in too, she fills the frame and is running to the right

Yep, the new scope is not perfect but it has it's good points...the Starfire is still the bomb though

Originally Posted by multiweb

Nice album. Those bok globules really stand out.
PS: the shot is mirrored again.

Cheers Marc

Bah!!..Frenchmen

Originally Posted by RobF

Thanks for sharing the journey (and the pics ) Mike. Hope you fight those rotten bugs off soon too. Sounds like more than the usual setting up and pulling down woes faced this time around.

Love the presentation of the album shots too - you're way ahead of the crowd with this sort of thing.

Thanks Robbo

Yeh, the bug isn't nice, not sleeping well and my chest is like a phlem tanker at the moment, been through more tissues than a peep show.

Originally Posted by Lester

You are one Very dedicated chap, Mike. Hope you get well soon, thanks for the view. All the best.

Dedicated.....idiot perhaps

Originally Posted by John Hothersall

Those colours of orange and blue are so rich and love the Bok's.

JohnH.

Cheers John I have reworked it already, was too green

Originally Posted by h0ughy

certainly a huge expanse of gas and dirt - well done while imaging on your sickbed. Hope you get well soon Mike - so you paid the $15 dollars yet....?

To Imaging and beyond!

No haven't paid yet...better get too it, I think Friday is the deadline

Originally Posted by Alchemy

Like the detail in the torch area, you'd have to be one of the most passionate imagers I know, imaging with the flu in the cold... That's dedication.

Thanks Clive, it was a swop ie the flu for a Running Chicken

Originally Posted by allan gould

Brilliant once again. I'm enormously impressed by your scope, ability and fortitude - I'm running out of praises so I'll have to use my thesaurus next time.

Gee, thanks so much Alan no need for praises just knowing you liked it is good enough

Originally Posted by marc4darkskies

A piece of crap Mike ... Centaur crap that is

Yep, looking really good there mate - the colours are quite pleasing (for an NB image ). I like the Centaur's Cave crop the best. Your stars are looking quite tight too.

Get well soon!

Cheers, Marcus

Thanks Marcus...I was determined to get an image, my efforts were thwarted the last two sessions so this one wasn't going to get away!! ...sick or not...be nice to have a warm control room/study for times like these

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

That's certainly given it a different perspective! I like it a lot!

Great Jeanette, nice to provide something different on a well imaged object

Thanks everyone for looking, I feel rather crap physically but playing with the data over the last few days has been very theraputic

MIke

[richardo (Rich)]

Toughen up son.....
Well, think of it this way Mike, at least you had some time to process the image... in between holding your cheeks together that is

Ah, that der chicken looks like my fov...

This tuned out excellent considering your lousy conditions.... (no pun intended)
The narrow band has brought out some great depth and highlights.
Lucky Aggie is a quick worker

You are getting the same sort of flex in the bottom L/H corner as me at certain positions in the sky.
Mmm, it's a beggar to track down...
Must be time for an oag for us both I think!

The weather down over here is pretty much the same as you folk on the east coast.... mucho crappola!! And.... with the added texture of the ash cloud waffling up just to add to the mix.
Hope it's not going to be one of those winters

Great get old son, .... well worth the flu!!

Rich

[DavidU (Dave)]

Stand out work as usual. Get well soon.

[atalas]

Nice stuff big guy!funky.

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by richardo

Toughen up son.....
Well, think of it this way Mike, at least you had some time to process the image... in between holding your cheeks together that is

Ah, that der chicken looks like my fov...

This tuned out excellent considering your lousy conditions.... (no pun intended)
The narrow band has brought out some great depth and highlights.
Lucky Aggie is a quick worker

You are getting the same sort of flex in the bottom L/H corner as me at certain positions in the sky.
Mmm, it's a beggar to track down...
Must be time for an oag for us both I think!

The weather down over here is pretty much the same as you folk on the east coast.... mucho crappola!! And.... with the added texture of the ash cloud waffling up just to add to the mix.
Hope it's not going to be one of those winters

Great get old son, .... well worth the flu!!

Rich

On ya Richardo, I am really enjoying this narrowband work, the options are endless and the artistic side can come out , it is a good option in poor seeing conditions too. At F3.8 having a 37mmX 37mm chip in a heavy camera and filterwheel really does push the envelope with this scope design...but so far it has been fun and produced some good results. Without an obso though, I certainly haven't enjoyed the crappy and more worryingly, unpredictable Newcastle weather

Re the off axis guider, won't help with this sort of flexure, rather I think we are talking mechanical flexure in the image train distorting the star images, not differential flexure causing guide errors.

Originally Posted by DavidU

Stand out work as usual. Get well soon.

Thanks Dave, I'll get there, colds and flu's always go straight into my chest and then take a week or more to fully clear after feeling better

Originally Posted by atalas

Nice stuff big guy!funky.

Thnaks Louie, every narrowband image comes out differently...it really is like art

[midnight (Darrin)]

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Thanks Darrin glad you like it. How much time do I spend on processing .... ...plenty You coming to AAIC next month at the Gold Coast?

Mike, I desperately wanted to go to AAIC as I had been planning a trip for nearly 3 months but I have been summonsed to appear in an arbritration hearing in Perth for most of July (this is what happens after every major $1billion+ construction project) to provide engineering evidence. Are there any alternatives, maybe a post conference DVD one can buy - I am really p'ed off as I would have loved to have gone.

I have an idea - how about some of you guys at AAIC do a country road tour - kicking off in Perth. You can't beat being there in person!!

Cheers,

Darrin...