Just for fun

LewisM · #1 15-02-2013, 05:51 PM

Just for fun, I went back and processed my VERY old data back from when I had NO guiding, an HEQ5 mount, and a Maksutov scope

My how things have changed since this data was taken back in the day. THis was even with my Canon 40D

These are 11 minutes worth of 30 second unguided subs of the M 16 area.

I stretched it as far as this paltry data would allow

TRIED denoising it as much as possible. All fun. Gee, I really hope I have improved since then

Hey, I am bored on a rainy day! Indulge me. I was surprised I got the detail I did with it

Can't wait for the M8/M16 etc season again. So many old targets I need to revisit and do BIG subs on

rmuhlack (Richard) · #2 15-02-2013, 07:42 PM

Imaging without guiding on a Mak (with their typical long focal lengths) would have been a challenge.

Here is my "before and after". This was my first image with my modded 400D from about this time last year, and was only my second night ever of imaging through a telescope. 15 x 60s unguided subs with a 200mm f4 newt on a EQ6

The first is processed with DSS and darktable (which is a linux version of Lightroom)
The second is the same raw data processed in PixInsight. My processing has improved, and im very fortunate to have the dark skies that make this sort of shot so much easier than it would be from the city. Am also very thankful to the kind folks here on IIS who made it possible for me to prepare and learn to the extent that this shot was even possible so early in my imaging 'career'.

btw, i'm sure you'll be pleased Lewis to hear of another person jumping on the Vixen bandwagon...I will hopefully be taking delivery soon of a vixen VC200L. Have heard lots of good things about these scopes, so am pretty excited

LewisM · #3 15-02-2013, 08:18 PM

Oh, the VC200L is incredible, but VERY finnicky to collimate exactly. The spider vanes really need thinning too (mine were).

Did you buy Bretts? THAT was a dream scope for me

Vixen... once bitten, never look back

LewisM · #4 15-02-2013, 08:20 PM

Having fun today - just found every scrap of NGC 1365 I have, and am letting DSS crunch it down, with 50 iterations of a median kappa. SHOULD give me a bit of 2hrs data. Be interesting when finished - I'll post it here, unless it turns out really good!