I think the last time I posted an image here was back in December 2013. Aside from becoming a father and tied down with other things non astro related, I have been plagued by imaging equipment troubles some of which remain unresolved. I am positive a clean streak of hassle free imaging is ahead. I decommissioned my 12.5" RCOS at SSO and replaced it with a tricked up 16" ASA. The pristine dark and steady skies at SSO make astrograph imaging very attractive. The system still needs some further dialling in but no point doing the tweaks until camera repairs are complete. The good folks at Andor provided a loan camera until the Aspen CG16070 is repaired. Whilst not the optimal imaging train configuration at present, I'm just pleased to see the data flowing again having not processing anything for over six months.
Anyway here's my rendition of the elephant trunk nebula of the south, RCW75.
Image details are on the page. Processing is rusty. I had forgotten how overpowering star fields are with a fast instrument. Very easy to wash out the extended object. 'Cant see deep space for the stars' comes to mind alas the forest and tree analogy seems to work better. I hit a balance that worked for my tastes on the third repro, making use of the Ha master as a luminance blend which helped tone down the stars while still embracing them. I'm looking forward to getting a few mosaics done with this set up.
Cheers Kevin. Yes, its a pretty cool target. A mix of everything really with some emission, reflection nebulae and a considerable amount of dust. There are many rarely imaged objects around the coal sack nebula.
Congrats on becoming a dad. That's a hard target to start back into imaging. I am not sure I have seen this one before. You've done it well.
Nice round stars which is a challenge at F3.5.
Off to a good start. I look forward to your 16070 images as that is a sensor I am interested in as well.
Thanks Steve. It would great at a longer focal length...nudge nudge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gregbradley
Congrats on becoming a dad. That's a hard target to start back into imaging. I am not sure I have seen this one before. You've done it well.
Nice round stars which is a challenge at F3.5.
Off to a good start. I look forward to your 16070 images as that is a sensor I am interested in as well.
Greg.
Cheers Greg. I spent a few goes processing the data. First cut was not up to scratch with each successive attempt improving. Imaging at F/9 then shifting gears to F/3.5 is a breath of fresh air. I'll be happier once I get the 16070 back but this is still a glimpse at the systems capabilities. Pixel size is the same between cameras but I was impressed how clean the 16070 was along with its depth with 44k wells. Will keep you posted.
Thanks Rick. You're absolutely right. There are challenges at both ends of the slope but that's what makes imaging interesting. The approach take to processing the data is different, at least for me. I do enjoy wide fields from time to time. This is certainly not a galaxy hunting rig though I may have a crack at few. I enjoy imaging nebulae the most, so its a perfect set up for that. Thanks again.
Nice image Jase. I had wondered why I had not seen anything on FB from you lately. Don't you just love bug hunting of equipment? I am still trying to resolve the field flattening on the RC12. I feel your pain. What is the problem with the camera?
You may have been out of it for a while, but you bring new and interesting targets. Thanks for getting back into it.
I know the feeling (2 young ones taking time away from hobbies)
Thanks Troy. Yes, young ones tend to do that I'm discovering. Wife is already planning number 2, so if that happens we may end up with 2 under 2. Scary. Its a good thing of course...but really other than the equipment troubles I don't have an excuse not to be producing astro images. Its not as though I need to set the equipment up each night, or even physically open the observatory for that matter. Its all done remotely so am hoping family time is maintained.
Its good to see some new targets now and then thats for sure. I think once you get a new bit of gear its always interesting to hit the usual targets for comparison from previous equipment results but I normally take the approach that once you've hit a target, its time to move on to something else. There are so many targets and not enough time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Haese
Nice image Jase. I had wondered why I had not seen anything on FB from you lately. Don't you just love bug hunting of equipment? I am still trying to resolve the field flattening on the RC12. I feel your pain. What is the problem with the camera?
Cheers Paul. Equipment woes have been painful. I've gone through two ccd cameras with this set up so far. Unfortunately my F16M will not work with this optical train as the Wynne corrector spacing requirements don't allow it with an OAG in the path. Bug hunting is time consuming. A lot of trial and error. Similar to you, I will need to hunt down field flattening but will not do so until the original camera is returned. The camera had a digitisation error where a certain range of pixels values were incorrectly presented. It produced a noise like appearance around the stars and the extended object when values hit the specific range. It couldn't be corrected with dithering as the spread was too large. Hopefully not too long now given support have had it for seven weeks. Thanks again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Ward
My only observation would be it looks a little soft.
A great rendering of a tough target just the same.
Fair call Peter. I may need to refocus more often at this speed. Will look into it. The image is au naturel with no sharpening applied. Neb details are all from Ha data. Unsharp mask would have probably made the image snap if applied lightly. Thanks for the feedback. No repro, time to move on.
Nice come back Jase, perhaps not the most spectacular field but interesting none the less.
16" ASA astrograph huh? Pretty similar system (only a bit bigger) to me now..although I haven't had the big chip on mine since mid 2013.
Congratulations on father hood too and go for the next one I say!
I'm an empty nester myself so apart from a full time job, my excuse for lack of images is just the appalling weather in Sydney! Consequently, your comments on getting rusty with processing loom large in my mind also - especially as I get older!
Anyway, this is a nice image! I do tend to agree with Peter though - it lacks the usual "pop factor" I associate with your images. I assume this is first light?
Nice come back Jase, perhaps not the most spectacular field but interesting none the less.
16" ASA astrograph huh? Pretty similar system (only a bit bigger) to me now..although I haven't had the big chip on mine since mid 2013.
Congratulations on father hood too and go for the next one I say!
Mike
Cheers Mike! Fatherhood appears more challenging than processing! Yeah, these obscure targets don't always present an interesting field. I do miss having a rotator for composition, but I sure don't miss having to deal with flats at different position angles. Yep, we run similar scopes now. You made me jealous. Big chip imaging with these scopes certainly present challenges but is rewarding. Am still in the testing phase to iron out the issues so image data is likely to improve. Field of view flatness needs some attention and I suspect it will take most of the effort.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marc4darkskies
Congrats on becoming a dad Jase!
I'm an empty nester myself so apart from a full time job, my excuse for lack of images is just the appalling weather in Sydney! Consequently, your comments on getting rusty with processing loom large in my mind also - especially as I get older!
Anyway, this is a nice image! I do tend to agree with Peter though - it lacks the usual "pop factor" I associate with your images. I assume this is first light?
Cheers, Marcus
Thanks Marcus. Indeed the weather has been rather poor. Blame Greg for his AP system, or soon Peter with his big kahuna alluna. Yes first light image. I have much work to do to get things sorted but much is on hold until the camera gets back. This is test data as I tweak stuff. May as well process it to keep on the beat. I understand your set up down and out too. Equipment gremlins strike again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ross G
Great looking photo Jason.
I like the colour and detail. A new object for me.
Nice one Jason, I did too this object long ago but definitely your image looks better
Congratulation for becoming father, I see even more nights up in front of you
Clear Skies
Marco
Cheers Marco! I'm surprised its not imaged more often. When I check out the milkyway explorer from galaxymap.org, I'm like a kid in a candy store. So may targets to choose from, I'm spoilt for choice! Having a fast scope allows for greater options. Thanks for checking it out!
Big chip imaging with these scopes certainly present challenges but is rewarding. Am still in the testing phase to iron out the issues so image data is likely to improve. Field of view flatness needs some attention and I suspect it will take most of the effort.
