David wins again!
I must admit your helix shot will be soo hard to top with any gear similar to what us amateurs can get a hold off at this time!
Your image shows more fainter Ha as well. Those hubble boys need a brush up on processing!
As revealing as this image is Gary there is room for a better rendition but with just 6" of glass trained on it, even after 27hrs of exposure one has to really push the super faint and rarely (if ever?) seen data for it to show up, so while it is certainly real it is a little patchy in places from a processing perfectionists viewpoint - buuut I can accept that when it results in revealing even more depth than Hubble
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobF
I just love these comparisons with state of the art Mike. Top work of course, but please keep 'em coming in the future too!
Ah yeh, when I get good data again I'm sure I will ...The seeing wasn't even that good most of the nights I collected this data set so I can't imagine what it would be like to live at Paranal ..I would probably die of exhaustion, you know, 120hr images
Nah, the star is there in the HST shot just very tiny and hard to see at the resolution posted. In the full res HST image however it is just seeable The filters HST uses do this with some stars.
Great work stick it to NASA, actually some of the pro observatory shots I see published don't look to much better than some of the amateur images getting around. I am also taking this object at the moment but will have to lift my game to match your's.
Clear skies Ken
Superb work as usual. I have seen this piece before and always use it as a comparison piece; thinking some day I will get something close to this with the RC. I have my doubts to be honest, but one has to have a goal or two.
Cheers Ric but I don't think Hubble has anything to worry about...her Helix image was downgraded by crappy Earth bound data collected by the crappy 4m Blanco reflector
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken
Great work stick it to NASA, actually some of the pro observatory shots I see published don't look to much better than some of the amateur images getting around. I am also taking this object at the moment but will have to lift my game to match your's.
Clear skies Ken
Mate with an 18" and cooled CCD at your disposal I would expect you will have no issues producing a great image
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Haese
Superb work as usual. I have seen this piece before and always use it as a comparison piece; thinking some day I will get something close to this with the RC. I have my doubts to be honest, but one has to have a goal or two.
Well thanks Paul, like many of my better images I tend to come back to work on them periodically over many months, always tweeking them to eek every bit out of the data I can...I am a slow learner but I more or less get there in the end
Quote:
Originally Posted by alexch
WOW! I like your wide-filed version better than Hubble's
Imagine what NASA could achieve if they sent you into space instead...
I'm not much good without my scope and CCD Alex, so they would have to come too...and then there's my Becks
Unbelievable.
That's terrific work Mike and just what I expect from you mate.
LOL Dave, doesn't sound like Mike will give in to your suggestion.
Maybe he'll give it a go on St Paddy's day.
yeh right, I think all the PS sliders were at max already 
maybe another application could extract that data?
...The seeing wasn't even that good most of the nights I collected this data set so I can't imagine what it would be like to live at Paranal 
..I would probably die of exhaustion, you know, 120hr images 
noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo .....
