Stacks from last new moon

[multiweb (Marc)]

I finally completed all the widefields I took from the house last new moon week-end. I used PixInsight to do them, that's why it took so long. Not a software issue, just a user issue: I can't bloody use it properly but I'm getting there and it's growing on me. I don't think it does it all but it has definitely some very interesting features and in particular does a much better job with star registration (for widefields at least) than anything else I've used, CCD Stack with the CCDIS plugin or even registar.

The milkyway is part of the timelapse I did previously so I stacked about 200 frames of the best 15s and cropped slightly to get rid of the overlaps. That's 18mm shot with the NEX-5.

All the others are QHY8 with SMC Pentax-M 100mm fully open. I have approx. 63 x 600s on omega/Centaurus A. No hint of flux nebula though or it must be swamped into the stars.

The southern cross was 20x300s, Carina region 10x300s.

I have bigger ones below (1:1)
Omega/Centaurus A
Southern Cross
Carina Region
Milkyway

I'm still working on the Rosette/Cone and Orion. Trying to do a HaRGB blend in PI so more reading involved. Hopefully I get it right. I don't have any shortage of Ha shots on either so I might as well use them.

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

They look great Marc, wow that's a lot of sky shots, nicely colour balanced with no gradients, did you need to do much gradient removal? You must have had good weather up there.

Lets hope next weekend is good too

Mike

[Ross G]

Great photos Marc.

Great wide view.

Great colours.

Great composition.

The stars look sharp and tight right to the edges. Pretty good for a camera lens at full aperture.


Thanks.

Ross.

[Dennis]

An excellent set Marc – thanks for these amazing views!

Cheers

Dennis

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Not too shabby at all Marc

I really like the way NGC4945 sneaked in at the top right corner of pic 1

Nice colours in all 4 images

[RobF (Rob)]

Great stuff Marc. I just dunno how you manage to be so productive some nights. You really seem to sink your teeth into it! Must have been sleepy the next morning.

[h0ughy (David)]

nice shots Marc. like no 1 but 2 seems to have a blue reflection in it- well seems to with my eyes finding pixinsight ok now?

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

They look great Marc, wow that's a lot of sky shots, nicely colour balanced with no gradients, did you need to do much gradient removal? You must have had good weather up there.

Lets hope next weekend is good too

Mike

Thanks Mike. I find the colour balance more intuitive in PI than CCD Stack so it helped a bit getting the histogram right. Little bit of green on SE horizon that I got out with Gradient Xterminator on the milkyway shot.

Originally Posted by Ross G

Great photos Marc.

Great wide view.

Great colours.

Great composition.

The stars look sharp and tight right to the edges. Pretty good for a camera lens at full aperture.


Thanks.

Ross.

Thanks Ross. I think the lens is actually not half bad. My registration in previous shots must have been out.

Originally Posted by Dennis

An excellent set Marc – thanks for these amazing views!

Cheers

Dennis

Thanks a lot Dennis. Glad you've enjoyed the view.

Originally Posted by ballaratdragons

Not too shabby at all Marc

I really like the way NGC4945 sneaked in at the top right corner of pic 1

Nice colours in all 4 images

Thanks Ken. I thought it was a reflection at first then held on the clone tool

Originally Posted by RobF

Great stuff Marc. I just dunno how you manage to be so productive some nights. You really seem to sink your teeth into it! Must have been sleepy the next morning.

Thanks Rob. That's one and a half night of clear skies. I had the DSLR shooting for 20h so that's a lot of sub. And I did my other stuff on the scope. Myself I was mostly next to the fire chillin' out. Not productive at all.

Originally Posted by h0ughy

nice shots Marc. like no 1 but 2 seems to have a blue reflection in it- well seems to with my eyes finding pixinsight ok now?

Thanks David. Yes it's the back reflection from the front of the lens to the fringe killer filter. I forgot to space it further up. I got most of the blue halos out but couldn't bother doing it properly. Too lazy.