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  #1  
Old 01-08-2014, 08:18 PM
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Camelopardalis (Dunk)
Drifting from the pole

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[AstroFest] Andromeda Galaxy, M31

My first real foray into galaxy capturing, besides our own of course, naturally I chose one I was familiar with which just happens to be big and bright, so be gentle with me

WO Zenithstar 71mm with 0.8x reducer/flattener
Unguided NEQ6
Canon 1100D (standard)

25x 4 minute exposures at ISO1600 before dawn stopped play, 20 darks, 10 bias, temperature hovering in the very low single digits. Stacked with DSS then very minor tinkering afterwards to bring out the whole galactic disc, the stacked image is the lowest noise result I've ever processed

As always, any suggestions for how to improve my skills in any way appreciated!
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  #2  
Old 01-08-2014, 10:07 PM
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troypiggo (Troy)
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That's really nice. On my monitor it looks like some purple fringing on the stars, but my eyes are tired and could be playing tricks.
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  #3  
Old 01-08-2014, 10:32 PM
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sungrazer (Karen)
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Nice one

Hi Dunk

Ihis is a terrific shot and great contrast in the processing. 4 mins unguided - you must have good polar alignment. The EQ6 is quite good isn't it.
cheers
Karen
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  #4  
Old 01-08-2014, 10:38 PM
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Camelopardalis (Dunk)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by troypiggo View Post
That's really nice. On my monitor it looks like some purple fringing on the stars, but my eyes are tired and could be playing tricks.
Thanks Troy - I don't think your eyes are playing tricks, the scope is an ED doublet, so it's not perfect but it's what I've got...once I've got some more experience under my belt, I'll no doubt be looking for a better corrected scope
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Old 01-08-2014, 10:41 PM
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Camelopardalis (Dunk)
Drifting from the pole

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Thanks Karen! I'm really pleased with how it came out. For the polar alignment, I had help from an expert apparently I was close, and the drift alignment was a learning experience in itself! The scope has a pretty short focal length with the reducer on, about 340mm.
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  #6  
Old 01-08-2014, 10:43 PM
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Spookyer (Brett)
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Nice work!
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  #7  
Old 02-08-2014, 09:11 AM
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Camelopardalis (Dunk)
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Thanks Brett!
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  #8  
Old 02-08-2014, 10:48 AM
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cometcatcher (Kevin)
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Really nice M31 Dunk! I need to image this again one morning with the ED80. It's been 24 years since last time!

There are ways to reduce the CA a bit in processing but it's not too bad in this pic.
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  #9  
Old 02-08-2014, 11:07 AM
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RB (Andrew)
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Dunk that's a very nice M31.
Well done.

RB
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  #10  
Old 02-08-2014, 12:06 PM
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killswitch (Edison)
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Very nice Dunk, well done. How high did Andromeda get over there?
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  #11  
Old 02-08-2014, 12:19 PM
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jjjnettie (Jeanette)
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Beautifully processed.
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  #12  
Old 02-08-2014, 04:15 PM
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RickS (Rick)
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Very nice work!
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Old 02-08-2014, 10:25 PM
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Nice work mate. I think many would agree that you seem to be moving along well with the photography and no longer need the 13mm Ethos, and I know just the guy to take care of it for you. I'll see what I can salvage after the Mac arrives. Probably junk but I had a great time.
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Old 02-08-2014, 11:09 PM
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AG Hybrid (Adrian)
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Nice one. How many hours did it take to get your eq6 polar aligned?
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  #15  
Old 03-08-2014, 08:20 PM
RobC (Rob)
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Good one Dunk. Congratulations

Cheers

Rob
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  #16  
Old 03-08-2014, 08:25 PM
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Camelopardalis (Dunk)
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Thanks for your kind comments everyone, I really had a lot of fun with this one, the scope had ice on it by the time it was done Andromeda is really photogenic and did me proud!

Quote:
Originally Posted by killswitch View Post
Very nice Dunk, well done. How high did Andromeda get over there?
A smidgen under 22 degrees... at 41*N declination it's really a good northern object, and I thought it would be a bit of a stretch but the atmospheric tainting at the site was really minimal, just beautiful. It'd be interesting to take a few shots with the same parameters from the airfield for comparison.

Quote:
Originally Posted by geoffw89 View Post
Nice work mate. I think many would agree that you seem to be moving along well with the photography and no longer need the 13mm Ethos, and I know just the guy to take care of it for you. I'll see what I can salvage after the Mac arrives. Probably junk but I had a great time.
OK cool, I'll ship it up to you for safe keeping... oh wait... Australia post is quoting $650

Quote:
Originally Posted by AG Hybrid View Post
Nice one. How many hours did it take to get your eq6 polar aligned?
I had a good stab and did take some not-total-junk subs the first night, but on the second night I called in "the management"...and now owe them a debt that cannot be repaid
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  #17  
Old 11-09-2014, 07:42 PM
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Repro

Felt like a little repro today, so here's another try, same data but different process. This one has less of the cold blue and more of a warm dirty feel to it, that I'd expect for a galaxy not too dissimilar from our own, and there's a little more contrast squeezed out of the dust lanes. It's lacking the blue fringe around the edge of the galactic disc that I've seen in other folks images, perhaps that only comes through with much longer exposure time
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  #18  
Old 11-09-2014, 07:52 PM
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AstroJason (Jason)
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These look great mate, real nice work!
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  #19  
Old 11-09-2014, 08:52 PM
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Camelopardalis (Dunk)
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Thanks mate! Need more data...does it ever end?
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  #20  
Old 14-09-2014, 05:08 PM
Ross G
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My favourite object.....nice looking capture!

Ross.
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