Heee's baaaack....

[ptc (Richard)]

Yep old Orion is blazing overhead in all of its magnificence if you rise before the sun....

AndI managed to do just that using a new mount (AP1200GTO #3) and recently upgraded PL3200 (new sensor, std grade versus eng).

I caught this image of M42 in S2/Ha/O3 using the AP155EDf f/7 without flattener, PL3200 camera and Cust Sci 3nm FWHM S2/Ha/O3 filters. My darned S2 filter has always given these horrendous reflections so that's the reason for the huge red haloes... I used this filter to take my first S2/Ha/O3 image way back in 2003 so it is sort of sentimental plus this is only available now on custom order basis.

This is a total of 299 x 90 seconds of exposures: details are broken down on my webpage

http://www.narrowbandimaging.com/m42...2hao3_page.htm

[En1gma (Robert)]

Narrowband = pure awesomeness

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

The colours actually looks quite nice Richard, nice early capture of this perenial favourite. The halos aren't really a big issue for me, optical instruments have stuff like this present in varying degrees and I recon it's just part of life and makes an image more real...remember the Crossley Reflector images?...they were the Hubble images of the pre 60's

Mike

[multiweb (Marc)]

Great shot. Lovely colors!

[Hagar (Doug)]

Lovely image Richard. He will have to wait until he is a bit higher in the sky for me and until I get the RC off the mount and the FSQ back in action again.
As a target this is one of the best but also one of the hardest to capture well. Looking forward to trying again this year.

[ptc (Richard)]

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

The colours actually looks quite nice Richard, nice early capture of this perenial favourite. The halos aren't really a big issue for me, optical instruments have stuff like this present in varying degrees and I recon it's just part of life and makes an image more real...remember the Crossley Reflector images?...they were the Hubble images of the pre 60's

Mike

Hey the Crossley is about 25miles from where I am typing this.... right up on Mt Hamilton to the east of San Jose, Ca.

Yep those big haloes give it authenticity: sort of like scars on leather.

on the colors: I had no idea how they would turn out until I combined the three channels. Every time I do this one it comes out looking different

[ptc (Richard)]

Originally Posted by En1gma

Narrowband = pure awesomeness

Hey I like that comment: right to the point, Sir!

[Garyh]

I must admit that looks pretty nice! Different color to the normal but it really works nicely!

[gregbradley]

Nice image Richard. The shorter exposures and lots of them worked well. I guess the file sizes for the 3200 makes that feasible.

Wow, is that another camera? How many do you have?
Didn't you have an ML3200? I saw you posted you switched to a higher grade chip.

Greg.

[ptc (Richard)]

Originally Posted by gregbradley

Nice image Richard. The shorter exposures and lots of them worked well. I guess the file sizes for the 3200 makes that feasible.

Wow, is that another camera? How many do you have?
Didn't you have an ML3200? I saw you posted you switched to a higher grade chip.

Greg.

I mistyped: it is a PL3200

I've had the PL3200 for a long time but haven't used it much in the past year or so. But I recently got a third mount so it is getting used again

Yes, I did upgrade the sensor from an eng grade one to a standard grade and these are the first images I have published from the new mount and the upgraded sensor

I have four imaging cameras and three guide cameras to answer your question. For guide cameras I use SBIG ST7s. They work well and are cheap.