I wasn't going to post these, seeing how there are already some amazing images of the same target here. However, I changed my mind and will be inflicting my work upon you...
I promised oska some more words this time around... So sit back with a suitable drink and let's get on with it.
We finally got some clear skies here and I took advantage of a few scant hours of good viewing (before the humidity ramped up and mist rolled in) to grab more data of NGC5128 (aka Centaurus A).
For the first image here, I combined the data from my previous session with the new data to get a composite image. As with all astro work, more data makes for better images.
I was initially concerned about stacking the two sets of data because I used different camera setups. (The first set had no filters in place, whilst the second had the UV-IR Cut filter and hence a different camera rotation because of a different optical train.)
However, there's a handy Python program called 'SiriLic' that creates custom SiriL scripts and allows for all manner of different image data sets. It's a bit tricky to get up and running if you're not using their pre-built packages and unfamiliar with the command-line interface.
Interestingly, scaling the image down appears to have given the blue-tinted stars a green tinge. If I get motivated I can go back and see where that oddity came from.
On top of that, my flat frames didn't seem to work out quite right (what else is new??) so the dust-motes on the telescope lens weren't removed fully. So I had to crop the image tightly to avoid them. I suspect that a good cleaning session of the lens will sort that out - as well as more experimentation with getting the flat frames better. We'll see.
I had originally planned to get 4 hours worth of data but had to give up with only 3. The clear skies vanished into a hazy mist that rendered all but the brightest stars invisible. Of course, that totally screwed up the guiding and what images were captured were so over-exposed as to be totally useless. The joys of having a hobby that's so dependant on the weather...
Both images clearly show the dark dust/gas lanes that bisect the galaxy, and the huge spread of stars from the central core.
Both sets of data were stacked using SiriLic, then pre-proc'd in SiriL, final processing in Affinity Photo
This second image uses only the data from the most recent session, so I didn't need to worry about getting everything aligned correctly.
I also tried stacking it with SiriL, but the results weren't great, so Affinity Photo got the nod for this one. (I was testing out AstroPixelProcessor but the trial license has expired and I haven't gotten around to buying it yet. At a bit under AUD$300 it might be a while before I do take the plunge.)
Image details:
* As above
* Filter: UV-IR Cut
* Stacked and proc'd in Affinity Photo
Nice shot V, congratz. Sorry no idea where the tint came from, intriguing. The second sesh brought the noise way down although there's still a bit in the background, is there a denoise you can use? NoiseX' will work with AP, apparently? Better spend than APP IMHO.
APP does magic with "[not] same camera & optics" and mosaics.
I too am looking forward to the day Siril takes over.
Sat down with a wee sherry and the experience was utterly delightful.
Alex - I'm glad the parcel arrived safely, and I expect that come Friday you'll be up and running around like a young fella again.
John - Yeah, that extra 3 hours of data did a lot to bring the noise down and the detail up. I didn't use any of Affinity's noise reduction filters as I didn't think it was needed. I'll agree about APP and it's mosaic capabilities - it's nothing short of magic.
