Andromeda Galaxy 2008

[RB (Andrew)]

Last Saturday night I planned on an all-night session just on M31 hoping to get as much data as possible.
Weather looked promising when I was setting up but unfortunately turned nasty through the night with high winds, cutting short my attempt at M31.

Still I did manage to get PHD guiding very well with 10 min subs and so here is Andromeda from my place which barley rises to 9°.

Four x 10 min light, (6) dark, (15) flat, & (10) Bias frames.
Originally planned on more subs so I set ISO to 400 which if I'd known about the weather change I would have used ISO 800 instead.

I've also attached a mono version as well.

Larger file view here (900kb): Andromeda M31

Back in 2006 I tried imaging M31 for the first time, at only 16 min total @ 1600 ISO, see this thread, and you can see a vast improvement with this attemp.

Hope you enjoy.

[iceman (Mike)]

Stunning result! I am enjoying!

I want to get an image like this! For only 9deg that's beautiful work.

[sheeny (Al)]

Good one, Andrew! A significant improvement.

I prefer the colour version but the stars seem smaller/sharper in the mono version. Is it just one channel?

Al.

[peeb61 (Paul)]

Awesome Andrew!
The quality is superb....now you have me thinking! (Big shoes to fill though)

Paul

[h0ughy (David)]

Brilliant - was that with the TAK guide scope or the d1ck smith 15mm refractor?

[Striker (Tony)]

I like it Andrew.

I think it's about time you move onto dedicated CCD imaging...whats holding you back, surely you can trade in one of the kids there worth heaps now a days......lol

[gmbfilter (Geoff)]

Great shots Andrew, proof you were doing something astronomical on Pony Club night...still would have been great to see everything in action

[leon]

Gee Andrew that is stunning, such detail, I like it, and would kill to be able to get this one day, but from home that is just not on, unless i pull down the neighbours shed

Fantastic work mate.

Leon

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

What a cracker RB!!! 9 deg. Woo Hoo. Talk about dedication.

[Ric]

Lovely image Andrew, the detail is fantastic.

Cheers

[CoombellKid]

That is awesome, one of the better images of M31 by an amateur I've ever
seen!!!!

regards,CS

[Deeno]

Phewoar!!!!!!
Sen-bloody-sational!!!
Thats it...I'm going to stick to observing and simply admire what you guys do.

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

That's one helluva image Andrew.
When is Andromeda at its highest in the Southern sky?
Well done
Doug

[spearo (Frank)]

Cheeez Wiz! That's impressive!
congrats
frank

[seeker372011 (Narayan)]

nice work
its such a difficult target because its so low isnt it..you wouldnt pick this for a southern hemisphere rendering so well done

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

You've captured M31 beautifully.
It's a pity it's such an awkward size to fit in the FOV.

[Dennis]

Hi Andrew

That is one seriously stunning image for 9 degrees altitude - I would not have believed this project was feasible! Fantastic work to have wrestled so much detail, smoothness and image quality from what I suspect was quite marginal data. I struggle with anything at less than 30 degrees!

Cheers

Dennis

[Garyh]

Nice Andrew! nothing like good old M31.
Beautiful job even with your session cut real short!
cheers Gary

[RB (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by iceman

Stunning result! I am enjoying!

I want to get an image like this! For only 9deg that's beautiful work.

Cheers Mike.

Originally Posted by sheeny

Good one, Andrew! A significant improvement.

I prefer the colour version but the stars seem smaller/sharper in the mono version. Is it just one channel?

Al.

Thanks Al, yes I prefer the colour version too, I thought I'd try converting it to mono in PS (all channels) and I tried a slight reduction to see if I could squeeze more detail out so that's probably why the stars are smaller.

Originally Posted by h0ughy

Brilliant - was that with the TAK guide scope or the d1ck smith 15mm refractor?

LOL Houghy, no this was done using the good ol' TOA 130 mate.

Originally Posted by Striker

I like it Andrew.

I think it's about time you move onto dedicated CCD imaging...whats holding you back, surely you can trade in one of the kids there worth heaps now a days......lol

Nah I cherish my kids way too much Tony.
I still haven't scratched the surface with the 20Da I feel and have a long way to go before moving up to CCD, "small step sparks" LOL.

Originally Posted by gmbfilter

Great shots Andrew, proof you were doing something astronomical on Pony Club night...still would have been great to see everything in action

See I told you I wasn't making excuses, I really was imaging on Sat night.
The thing is I could only image M31 from my place, can't manage it from the pony club, but I promise I'll bring the gear up there one night Geoff.

Originally Posted by peeb61

Awesome Andrew!
The quality is superb....now you have me thinking! (Big shoes to fill though)

Paul

Cheers Paul, nah mate regular shoes LOL, I just push those pixels around till they settle down and behave somewhat.

Originally Posted by leon

Gee Andrew that is stunning, such detail, I like it, and would kill to be able to get this one day, but from home that is just not on, unless i pull down the neighbours shed

Fantastic work mate.

Leon

You could always ask permission to setup on the neighbour's shed Leon.
Cheers mate.

Originally Posted by [1ponders]

What a cracker RB!!! 9 deg. Woo Hoo. Talk about dedication.

Much appreciated Paul, yep 9 deg when it was at it's highest, the neighbours must have though I was spying on them.

Originally Posted by Ric

Lovely image Andrew, the detail is fantastic.

Cheers

Gratsié Ric !

Originally Posted by CoombellKid

That is awesome, one of the better images of M31 by an amateur I've ever
seen!!!!

regards,CS

Thank you so much Rob !

Originally Posted by Deeno

Phewoar!!!!!!
Sen-bloody-sational!!!
Thats it...I'm going to stick to observing and simply admire what you guys do.

We'll be taking lessons from you soon Deeno !

Originally Posted by dugnsuz

That's one helluva image Andrew.
When is Andromeda at its highest in the Southern sky?
Well done
Doug

Cheers Doug, it transits now around midnight (but you have to look north j/k)

Originally Posted by spearo

Cheeez Wiz! That's impressive!
congrats
frank

Onya Frank.

Originally Posted by seeker372011

nice work
its such a difficult target because its so low isnt it..you wouldnt pick this for a southern hemisphere rendering so well done

Thank you Narayan, much appreciated.

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

You've captured M31 beautifully.
It's a pity it's such an awkward size to fit in the FOV.

I know jjj, I was contemplating a mosaic at on stage but I didn't trust the weather to hold out over a few night that I required to do it justice.
But I have hopes one day....

Originally Posted by Dennis

Hi Andrew

That is one seriously stunning image for 9 degrees altitude - I would not have believed this project was feasible! Fantastic work to have wrestled so much detail, smoothness and image quality from what I suspect was quite marginal data. I struggle with anything at less than 30 degrees!

Cheers

Dennis

Thank you so much for your kind words Dennis, at one stage PHD was loosing the guide star because of low horizon haze, it literally was in the murk.
Once the wind picked up that was it, all over.

Originally Posted by Garyh

Nice Andrew! nothing like good old M31.
Beautiful job even with your session cut real short!
cheers Gary

Thanks Gary I'm hoping I can train my scope on other celestial jewels now that I've got guiding.
It was a real treat to get 10 min subs.

[Lester]

Top image, and for that altitude = fantastic.