NGC6744 my longest image yet 38hours 50 minutes

gregbradley · #1 10-08-2011, 05:28 PM

This is one of the most beautiful southern galaxies and I have always had a fascination with it since Brad Moore posted a luminance image of this several years ago.

It is also quite faint. Very faint really.

This image is the longest image I have taken to date. It is a total of 38:50 hours. It is HaLRGB 40 1295 295 255 235. 10 minute subs each and 7 hours worth were at 15 minute subs.

This image was taken over 3 years. The first 7 hours of the image was taken at my dark site in Bigga NSW with an RCOS 12.5 inch telescope. The next several hours was a Takahashi BRC250 and a FLI Microline 8300 camera with Baader filters. The last section
of about 14 hours is Planewave CDK17 with reducer at F4.45 and a Proline 16803 and taken at my home observatory. There is also TEC180FL and Microline 8300 several hours as well also at my dark site.

The BRC data was quite good. The RCOS data was good. So was the TEC180FL. The Planewave data not bad. Dark skies count for a lot when imaging.

It quite clearly shows the distorted spiral arm that reaches up to the small satellite galaxy and there is another galaxy down low in the image as well. I am not sure if that one is close to the main galaxy. It appears as though it might be.

http://upload.pbase.com/gregbradley/...37118175/large regular

http://upload.pbase.com/gregbradley/...18175/original large

Greg.

DavidU (Dave) · #2 10-08-2011, 05:49 PM

Fabulous image Greg.Good to see the exposure measured an days

Octane (Humayun) · #3 10-08-2011, 06:24 PM

Wowowow!

Can I make a suggestion of upping the saturation a bit?

Outstanding, Greg!

H

gregbradley · #4 10-08-2011, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidU

Fabulous image Greg.Good to see the exposure measured an days

That's funny, yes it is in days.

I have an even longer version I'll post a link to.

Greg.

SkyViking (Rolf) · #5 10-08-2011, 06:39 PM

Wow that's outstanding, what an effort.
Good to see such a massively long exposure. I wonder what is the magnitudes of the faintest stars in that image...?

gregbradley · #6 10-08-2011, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidU

Fabulous image Greg.Good to see the exposure measured an days

Quote:

Originally Posted by Octane

Wowowow!

Can I make a suggestion of upping the saturation a bit?

Outstanding, Greg!

H

Since the first post I found another 7 hours of 12.5 inch RCOS data I added.

I also upped the saturation. Thanks.

I probably have another 6 or 7 hours of CDK17 data at F6.8 if I look.
That would put it over 40 hours.

There's something to be said for keeping your data over the years secure.

Greg.

gregbradley · #7 10-08-2011, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkyViking

Wow that's outstanding, what an effort.
Good to see such a massively long exposure. I wonder what is the magnitudes of the faintest stars in that image...?

Good point. How do you check?

Greg.

allan gould · #8 10-08-2011, 07:04 PM

Greg
Fabulous photo but please stop doing this as I've just retired and I don't have the years left to do this sort of astrophotography.

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #9 10-08-2011, 07:33 PM

Stunning work. An inspiration!

marco (Marco Lorenzi) · #10 10-08-2011, 07:46 PM

Very beautiful subject Greg! It is an amazing collage of exposures/scopes/cameras, it had to take lots of time to process

Congratulation also for the dept you reach.

I would consider to reduce a bit the luminosity of the center, it makes the colors (saturation) suffer a bit there.

Clear Skies
Marco

swannies1983 (Dan) · #11 10-08-2011, 07:51 PM

Talk about dedication...well done

h0ughy (David) · #12 10-08-2011, 08:08 PM

^^^^^^ what they said but with cherry's on top. Awesome but there are some dark halos around some stars where they may have been processed?

atalas · #13 10-08-2011, 08:15 PM

Great work Greg! a marathon effort yielding spectacular results! personally I hope you continue on with this project over the next few years aiming for the big 100 hrs.....wouldn't that be something.

Anybody who's imaged this sucker knows how tough this cookie is to break.

Awesome job so far!

gregbradley · #14 10-08-2011, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allan gould

Greg
Fabulous photo but please stop doing this as I've just retired and I don't have the years left to do this sort of astrophotography.

Haha Allan I intend to do worse!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

Stunning work. An inspiration!

Cheers JJ.

Quote:

Originally Posted by marco

Very beautiful subject Greg! It is an amazing collage of exposures/scopes/cameras, it had to take lots of time to process

Congratulation also for the dept you reach.

I would consider to reduce a bit the luminosity of the center, it makes the colors (saturation) suffer a bit there.

Clear Skies
Marco

I adjusted that a tad in latest version. I found another few hours from CDK17 at F6.8 I have added making it now 38:50 hours.

Quote:

Originally Posted by swannies1983

Talk about dedication...well done

Thanks for that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by h0ughy

^^^^^^ what they said but with cherry's on top. Awesome but there are some dark halos around some stars where they may have been processed?

Perhaps the latest posting is a bit better there. The last data I added had tighter stars.

Quote:

Originally Posted by atalas

Great work Greg! a marathon effort yielding spectacular results! personally I hope you continue on with this project over the next few years aiming for the big 100 hrs.....wouldn't that be something.

Anybody who's imaged this sucker knows how tough this cookie is to break.

Awesome job so far!

Cheers Louie. It pays to keep all your data from previous years.

100 hours, now there is a target! I don't know if anyone has ever done a 100 hour image. Do you know of one?

Greg.

atalas · #15 10-08-2011, 08:31 PM

Hi Greg,maybe Gendler but not all his data....my memory ain't what It use to be mate,could be wrong.

Paul Haese · #16 10-08-2011, 09:42 PM

Lots of data Greg. Good colour.

Leonardo70 (Leonardo Orazi) · #17 10-08-2011, 10:50 PM

Greg ... very impressive ... nice work on, with all the different kind of data right merged.

All the best,
Leo

strongmanmike (Michael) · #18 10-08-2011, 11:35 PM

New extreme sport - Astro Imaging with Greg Bradley! - great project

Mike

Tandum (Robin) · #19 10-08-2011, 11:38 PM

Huge effort Greg. Congrats ...

gregbradley · #20 10-08-2011, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atalas

Hi Greg,maybe Gendler but not all his data....my memory ain't what It use to be mate,could be wrong.

He did a 90 hour M31 I remember that one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Haese

Lots of data Greg. Good colour.

Thanks Paul.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leonardo70

Greg ... very impressive ... nice work on, with all the different kind of data right merged.

All the best,
Leo

Thanks Leo. Its good to have all the data together in one image.

Quote:

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

New extreme sport - Astro Imaging with Greg Bradley! - great project

Mike

Hehe thanks Mike.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tandum

Huge effort Greg. Congrats ...

Thanks Robin.

Greg.