Virgo Cluster around M84, M86 and M87

[marc4darkskies (Marcus)]

Finally! ... first (imaging) light for my new PME!

Here's a deep rendition of the Virgo cluster centered on M84, M86 and M87. Given my less than pitch black skies and its fairly low altitude (max 44 degrees), I'm pretty pleased with the result (especially since I only have 150mm of aperture!!).

I think I've struck a good balance with noise and faint detail too - not too smooth and not too grainy. But judge for yourself of course - often it's a matter of personal taste how much noise is tolerable.

There's a lot to see in this image!! A plethora of galaxies bright and faint, the jet at the core of M87 and faint tidal streams (look at about the 8 o'clock position from NGC 4435 and NGC 4438 for example) etc. I've also spotted and verified very faint streams in the darkness between M87 and NGC 4438 after doing some extreme stretching - not worth posting though, I'd need much darker skies to do them justice.

I really enjoy browsing this image and I hope you do too. Like all galaxy clusters, it has an awsomeness that a straight neb shot doesn't have.

Small:
http://upload.pbase.com/gailmarc/image/133798560/large

Large (3.9M):
http://upload.pbase.com/gailmarc/ima...98560/original

Cheers, Marcus

[alexch (Alex)]

Stunning! The intercating galaxies at 8 o'clock are a showcase feature with the dust lanes and all.

Thanks for showing it.

Cheers,
Alex

[renormalised (Carl)]

Well Marcus, there's one thing I can say about this piccie....brilliant

The new mount has earnt its keep just with that one shot

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Nice comeback Marcus

Awesome galaxy field huh? sooo many in there and as you say lots to have a surf around, nice! I am looking at it on a vey forgiving screen at work so I will have another gander when I get home but at this stage the noise looks ok to me .

Please post the stretched version showing those faint structures, who cares if it isn't a human eye natural version, be cool just to see'em.

Not sure the viewer is going to notice whether it was taken with a PME or EM400 but I imagine the imager (you) has noticed changes there.

I was considering this area as first light for the AG12 actually but I'm not sure I will have completed testing and have moved back to dark skies in time

Another great job mate and yet another reminder that 1100mmFL and 6" can really take on the bigger guns

Mike

[SkyViking (Rolf)]

What a fabulous image! It's just awesome to swim around in that field, there is so much to see. Lots of globulars are showing around the giant ellipticals as well. I noticed you also captured the jet of M87. Very nice!

[marc4darkskies (Marcus)]

Originally Posted by alexch

Stunning! The intercating galaxies at 8 o'clock are a showcase feature with the dust lanes and all.

Thanks for showing it.

Cheers,
Alex

Thanks Alex! Yes, I love the detail in those small galaxies too - it's like the icing on the cake! It helps to have reasonable seeing too when you're imaging between 22 and 44 degrees altitude.

Originally Posted by renormalised

Well Marcus, there's one thing I can say about this piccie....brilliant

The new mount has earnt its keep just with that one shot

Cheers Carl! Yes, the PME works (!) and sure makes the work flow easier, but the real test will be imaging at longer FLs

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Nice comeback Marcus

Awesome galaxy field huh? sooo many in there and as you say lots to have a surf around, nice! I am looking at it on a vey forgiving screen at work so I will have another gander when I get home but at this stage the noise looks ok to me .

Please post the stretched version showing those faint structures, who cares if it isn't a human eye natural version, be cool just to see'em.

Not sure the viewer is going to notice whether it was taken with a PME or EM400 but I imagine the imager (you) has noticed changes there.

I was considering this area as first light for the AG12 actually but I'm not sure I will have completed testing and have moved back to dark skies in time

Another great job mate and yet another reminder that 1100mmFL and 6" can really take on the bigger guns

Mike

Thanks mate!

Nah, you know the old astrophotographers adage - never post an image you're not completely happy with! There's also the one about always leaving the audience wanting more! The hyper-stretched image was just an experiment and not worthy of broad attention. There's just too much noise and even some residual gradient. I wish I could have darker skies <sigh>

It would be great if you could image it too with the new scope - THAT would be interesting! So, hurry up with the testing!!

The PME's claim to fame would not be noticeable in such a short FL image. My EM-400 would have produced the same result. Wait till I get my 14" DSI though (http://www.deepskyinstruments.com/rc14c.htm) - that will be the acid test!

Originally Posted by SkyViking

What a fabulous image! It's just awesome to swim around in that field, there is so much to see. Lots of globulars are showing around the giant ellipticals as well. I noticed you also captured the jet of M87. Very nice!

Thanks a lot Rolf, glad you liked it! It's definitely an image that needs to be viewed and appreciated at full res! None of this 50% guff!

[TrevorW]

OMG it's full of galaxies

actually quite good

[Ephemeral (John)]

Gee that's a great image

[marc4darkskies (Marcus)]

Originally Posted by TrevorW

OMG it's full of galaxies

actually quite good

Originally Posted by Ephemeral

Gee that's a great image

Thanks guys! Even when I zoom in to 400% it's hard to find a patch that doesn't have a galaxy in it!

[h0ughy (David)]

very nice Marcus, great sampler

[renormalised (Carl)]

14" DSI....need to be a bit more ambitious, Marcus. Bump it up a few inches

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Nah, you know the old astrophotographers adage - never post an image you're not completely happy with!

Sorry, that ain't one of mine heck, I have a few examples where I was still improving the image months afterwards, if I played by your adage the objects of my posts would often be out by seasons

It would be great if you could image it too with the new scope - THAT would be interesting! So, hurry up with the testing!!

Tomorrow will be the start by the looks of it...I am actually about as scared as I am excited

The PME's claim to fame would not be noticeable in such a short FL image. My EM-400 would have produced the same result. Wait till I get my 14" DSI though (http://www.deepskyinstruments.com/rc14c.htm) - that will be the acid test!

Yeh..? I dunno, I think the EM400 would have handled a 14" CF RC, the beauty of the PME will be that you can have the 14" RC and the TOA mounted side by side and with ease, and have the robotic capabilities to boot

Soooo...that 14" DSI a deffinite or still a maybe..?

Mike

[marc4darkskies (Marcus)]

Originally Posted by renormalised

14" DSI....need to be a bit more ambitious, Marcus. Bump it up a few inches

Alas, it's got to fit into a 2.4m dome when tandum mounted Maybe I should upgrade that too!! ... NOT!

Originally Posted by h0ughy

very nice Marcus, great sampler

Cheers Houghy! Got that dome working yet?

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Sorry, that ain't one of mine heck, I have a few examples where I was still improving the image months afterwards, if I played by your adage the objects of my posts would often be out by seasons

We all do that! It's just nice to know I can get to that depth from my location! Quite surprising really although my northern horizon is pretty dark. If I took some 30 min lum subs and sum combined I might have the S/N to to see them better. Hmmm, must try that!

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Tomorrow will be the start by the looks of it...I am actually about as scared as I am excited

May the new equipment gods smile upon you!

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Yeh..? I dunno, I think the EM400 would have handled a 14" CF RC, the beauty of the PME will be that you can have the 14" RC and the TOA mounted side by side and with ease, and have the robotic capabilities to boot

Soooo...that 14" DSI a deffinite or still a maybe..?

Mike

No, the EM-400 would start to struggle with a 32 kg scope plus 4 kg of imaging train.

The DSI is the best I've seen so far ... it's at the top of my list. If the AU$ reaches 1.10 (which they're suggesting might happen) I may just go for it!

[richardo (Rich)]

Nice image here Marcus, especially for 6".. well not the size but the way you use it.. (dare I say it )
Lots of little fuzzies floating in the background.

I would Guess you're enjoying the new mount.. mmm, of course!

Man, love the look of the new scope you're going to get... wow, what a piece of precision art! And really, a very good price.

Rich

[atalas]

Wonderful field Marcus! eye popping shot.

[marc4darkskies (Marcus)]

Originally Posted by richardo

Nice image here Marcus, especially for 6".. well not the size but the way you use it.. (dare I say it http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/..../rolleye09.gif)
Lots of little fuzzies floating in the background.

I would Guess you're enjoying the new mounthttp://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/..../winking70.gif.. mmm, of course!

Man, love the look of the new scope you're going to get... wow, what a piece of precision art! And really, a very good price.

Rich

Thanks a lot Rich! I think we're so used to seeing magnificent images from huge aperture scopes under dark skies we forget that the humble suburban 6" is very capable, albeit with longer exposures.

I think the DSI might give an RCOS a run for it's money ... at less than half the price (!) even with the fused quartz mirror and a Pyxis rotator! Not ready to outlay the $$ yet, but it's at the top of my list!

Originally Posted by atalas

Wonderful field Marcus! eye popping shot.

Thanks Louie, glad you liked it!

[gregbradley]

Another wonderful image Marcus. The stars are absolutely perfect. Your time spent setting up your mount so thoroughly has paid off.
Maybe I am imagining it but it seems to me the stars are more perfect than with your EM400. It all adds a bit more sharpness and detail that your terrific TOA can pick up. A rich galaxy cluster. How do guys find out about these great objects??

An RC14C does sound like a great buy. Roth Ritter posted many top images using the RCOS10 astrograph which RCOS stopped making for some reason. It'd be good though to talk to those using one to make sure it does what its supposed to.

Greg.

[marc4darkskies (Marcus)]

Originally Posted by gregbradley

Another wonderful image Marcus. The stars are absolutely perfect. Your time spent setting up your mount so thoroughly has paid off.
Maybe I am imagining it but it seems to me the stars are more perfect than with your EM400. It all adds a bit more sharpness and detail that your terrific TOA can pick up. A rich galaxy cluster. How do guys find out about these great objects??

An RC14C does sound like a great buy. Roth Ritter posted many top images using the RCOS10 astrograph which RCOS stopped making for some reason. It'd be good though to talk to those using one to make sure it does what its supposed to.

Greg.

Thanks Greg! Perhaps imaging at the native FL of the TOA might have something to do with it ... perfectly flat field. The seeing was quite good too.

On paper the RC14C looks better than anything else I've seen and the images I've seen coming from it are spot on and seem to match the spec. Of course it has a lot to do with the skill of the person using it and that's the point - before you buy a scope for AP work you want to see the best that it can do in the hands of an expert. It puzzles me why makers of some scopes show sample images in their galleries that are not up to scratch.

[multiweb (Marc)]

That is an amazing shot. Really superb.

[gregbradley]

That sounds good about the RC14C. I know what you mean about some of the daggy images some manufacturers post. It doesn't inspire confidence.

Greg.

Originally Posted by marc4darkskies

Thanks Greg! Perhaps imaging at the native FL of the TOA might have something to do with it ... perfectly flat field. The seeing was quite good too.

On paper the RC14C looks better than anything else I've seen and the images I've seen coming from it are spot on and seem to match the spec. Of course it has a lot to do with the skill of the person using it and that's the point - before you buy a scope for AP work you want to see the best that it can do in the hands of an expert. It puzzles me why makers of some scopes show sample images in their galleries that are not up to scratch.