August Deep Sky Imaging Challenge - Images & Comments

[DavidTrap (David)]

Thanks to all those who contributed to the July thread! The weather has continued to be unkind, but some photons have been interrupted regardless. Bring on a big high pressure system for Astrofest!

Following the suggestions in the comments thread, this month we'll try incorporating images and comments - hopefully the thread won't get too big... ("Great shot" comments could be sent as PMs?? See the July Comments thread for more details)

Targets for August:
NGC253 - Sculptor Galaxy (A somewhat personal choice - one of the first object I tried to image at Astrofest last year!)
M27 - Dumbell Nebula

Many seasoned imagers will have imaged these targets before, possibly even this year - it would be an exercise in frustration to attempt to find something that had never been done. The challenge may be to image these objects with new equipment or try some new processing techniques.

The challenge is open to all comers. There are no classes or categories – everyone may post images for both objects. Seasoned imagers will hopefully provide some inspiring images, along with advice for beginners with more modest equipment.

Please submit all images with the following standard information:
* Scope: (+/- reducers/flatteners)
* Imaging device:
* Mount:
* Guiding:
* Exposure details: (include ISO for DSLRs, temp for CCDs)
* Stacking method: (Median, average, sigma, etc. Darks, flats &/or bias frames)
* Summary of post processing:
* Darkness of imaging site: (Good, bad, ugly!)
* Date(s) image taken: (Ideally the image will be taken during this month, but previous work is not excluded to allow for weather and other life commitments)

The usual 200kb limit for files applies. Adding a link to a higher resolution file is encouraged.

There will be no voting on the best image(s) of the month. The aims of the game are participation, especially from beginners, and learning, hence the standard list of information requested. The “methodology” of this challenge is open to review, and comments are appreciated – please PM me.

Cheers,
DavidTrap

[TrevorW]

Just a quick one 2hrs data collected last year under a LP skies using a DSLR and the RC

[Garyh]

Well has been a little while since I posted a pic but since it is one of the monthly imaging challenges I thought why not post here...

Taken about 10 days ago from my fairly dark sky site (home )with good seeing and nice transparency!
Image is 22 x 4min @ iso 1250 with modded/cooled 40D through 8" f/4.6 homemade newt on a Losmandy GM-8.
Guided with Toucam and PHD and clibrated with darks and flats in the latest version of Imagesplus. Run through some deconvolution in Pixinsight.
Finished in Photoshop with curves, levels color balance and some layer masks etc...
Been waiting for a nice night to give this one another go as it has been a while!
cheers Gary.

[DavidTrap (David)]

Here are my offering for the month.

NGC253 & M27 - similar runs for both

* Scope: Takahashi FS-102 with F6 focal reducer
* Imaging device: Baader Modified 350D
* Mount: AP Mach1GTO
* Guiding: Orion SSAG with PHD
* Exposure details: 450sec x 15subs, ISO 400
* Stacking method: SigmaClip Combine in Maxim DL with 15 darks & 20 flat frames
* Summary of post processing: Levels, Curves, Saturation, Sharpening, Reduce Noise
* Darkness of imaging site: Camp Duckadang
* Date(s) image taken: 12-08-10

I'm kicking myself that I didn't take the focal reducer off for these image. Neither of these objects fill the field of view, and I'm sure I would have achieved higher magnification without straying into the coma ridden periphery. Also not much colour in NGC253 - Fred sets such a high standard...

DT

[bert (Brett)]

I was not able to get the targets this month. So I have a rehash.


* Scope: VC200 @f6.4
* Imaging device: st4000xcm
* Mount: EQ6
* Guiding: Orion SSAG phd with wobbly WO66 ( I worked that out a couple of weeks later), hellooooo flexure.
* Exposure details: I think 5 mins and around an hour or 2
* Stacking method: Combined in astroart with the wrong darks and no flats
* Summary of post processing: Hideous data capture, massive gradients as was taken near full moon, guider flexure, and miscollimation. Played around with Atalas showing me some techniques in photoshop. But I Had nothing better to post and I wanted to support the deep space challenge. Lou managed to cover a lot of the data faults, but as I said earlier he wasnt trying to process to make it pretty he was just showing techniques. It was just after I had bought my camera and I just wanted to take an image, and I really hadn't got the kinks smoothed out yet.
* Darkness of imaging site: sodium city, with extra moon.
* Date(s) image taken: Around october, 2009

[Octane (Humayun)]

Trevor, your sky background looks good to me. The stars could do with a bit of saturation. Also, I think there's some bizarre midtone clipping occuring in your main galaxy. Lastly, what's with the framing? Were you short of a guide star?

Gary, all I can say is -- wow!

Robin, already commented in your thread!

David, your Dumbell looks great to me. Nice popping colour against a contrasting sky. I reckon your NGC 253 contains a wealth of colour hidden inside. Mind if I have a play around with the posted JPG?

Bert, looks like you've got some great data there. I think you could potentially darken the sky background, whilst brightening the galaxy up via layer masking. The galactic dust could also do with some selective sharpening. A few minor adjustments will really make it pop.

Great work, guys.

H

[DavidTrap (David)]

Originally Posted by Octane

David, your Dumbell looks great to me. Nice popping colour against a contrasting sky. I reckon your NGC 253 contains a wealth of colour hidden inside. Mind if I have a play around with the posted JPG?

H

Thanks for having a fiddle H - I'll send you a higher res cropped TIFF if you want? E-mail me.

DT

[TrevorW]

Thanks H actually crap data need to do again but longer subs and more, framing was just my laziness

Cheers