Uploads from BudgetAstro, with geodata

M51 The Whirlpool Galaxy 2013

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:50:52 -0700

Not my favourite subject, but not a lot up there at the moment, and we had a couple of clear nights :)

Five sessions between 1-29 April 2013 - total 10 hours 38 minutes. I don't think giving the total exposure is of much help to anyone really, as the result depends on so many factors, not least the quality of your skies (pretty low in my case). But it at least demonstrates how much effort has been expended :)

And the stars are almost round :)

SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
159 subs, 3-6 mins, iso 800, total 10 hours 40 minutes
Guiding: Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS (2 x drizzle) and processed in CS5.

Another M31, with apologies :)

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 07:24:02 -0700

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

Downloaded the trial version of PixInsight the other day (for the third time), and gave it a good going over, as much as I could. Finally came to the conclusion, rightly or wrongly, that there isn't a huge amount in PI that can't be done in PS, with one or two exceptions, one of which is DBE.

I used DBE on this as the gradient had caused problems in my previous iterations, then processed in PS. One other plus from PI was that, having studied a few tutorials, I learnt a bit more about noise reduction, and put that into practice.

This has to be my final version of this - I'm not going to get anything more out of it. I think it beats my previous one :) I saw a version of this the other day, probably better than this, that consisted of less than 3 hours of 5 minute subs - my skies got a verbal lashing that night, I can tell ya! :)

SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
16 hours of 4 - 12 minute subs @ ISO 640 - 1600
Guiding: Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in PI and CS5

Triple Cluster in Cassiopeia August 2012

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 14:19:55 -0700

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

Excuse me whilst I faff about with old data - just having fun.

I'd just got the ED80 and was testing it along with the guiding. Not sure I was pointing at the intended target, but hey ho :)

Not a lot you can do with this apart from slap a few spikes about. Looks kinda pretty though, so I thought I'd post it :)

SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
18 x 180 secs, iso1600, total 54 minutes
Guiding: Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5. Spikes courtesy of Star Spikes Pro

Christmas Tree and Cone Nebula revisited

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 03:35:25 -0700

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

This is now 275 subs over 8 sessions totalling 17 hours, and is slowly getting there. Still needs more time, but I suspect it will have to wait until next year now. Used a different processing technique to my previous sad looking version, and it seems to have done the trick. Got Hubble's Variable thingy in there this time as well :)

I won't be sorry to see the back of this :)

SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
275 subs, 3-6 mins, iso 800-1600, total 17 hours
Guiding (RA only): Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5. Spikes courtesy of Star Spikes Pro

Leo Triplet March 2013

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:49:52 -0700

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

Reprocess

Last night I added some time to a session I did in February for a total of just over four hours of 3 minute subs. Struggled to beat the first version I did of this 2 years ago, and that was only 28 minutes for heavens sake! Got there in the end though :)

That star was gagging for some spikes :)

SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
84 x 180sec subs, iso 800, for a total of 4 hours 10 minutes
Guiding (RA only): Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5. Spikes by StarSpikes Pro

Christmas Tree Cluster and Cone Nebula March 2013

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:40:06 -0800

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

Much needed reprocess :)

This is a pigging thing! Either my skies ain't up to it or the ED80 is too slow, but this is 11 hours of hard work (well, sort of) and required no small amount of encouragement during processing. And the noise you wouldn't believe!

Unlikely to get the opportunity to add to it this year, so maybe next :)

No apology for the spikes - they hide a multitude of sins, and it is a christmas tree after all :)

SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
162 subs, 3-6 mins, iso 800-1600, total 11 hours 2 minutes
Guiding (RA only): Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5

Starless Horsey

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:46:41 -0800

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

Inspired by Erik's recent image, and being bored after being clouded out for what seems like decades, I thought I'd faff about :)

A starless version of my recent collaboration with Dave Williams. I've left IC 431 and 434 in there because they are nebulae after all. I've also left in Alnitak and his buddy as I'm not good enough to take them out :)

I won't submit this to astrometry, as it may struggle :)

Rosette Nebula HaRGB Collaboration 15 January 2013

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 16:11:03 -0800

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

Yet another collaboration between Dave Williams (Ha) and myself (RGB). After a month without a single usable clear sky, we finally got one, so I quickly read all the user manuals for my kit again and got out there. Freezing cold, but I suffered in silence (as there was no-one else there) and soldiered on. Managed 2 hours of 3 minute subs and combined Dave's Ha as luminance, as before.

I may add more RGB as and when the opportunity arises (hopefully this side of Christmas) but for the time being I'm quite pleased with this effort.

RGB (Me) :
SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
39 x 180secs iso 800 (1 hour 57 minutes)
Guiding (RA only): Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD

Ha (Dave Williams):
10 x 600 secs (I hour 40 minutes)
Nikon 180mm lens @ f2.8 (heavily cropped)
Moravian G2 8300
Astrodon 5nm Ha filter

Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5

2012 Mosaic

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 14:45:35 -0800

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

Working on the assumption that I'm unlikely to add to this in 2012, these are my efforts for the last 12 months :)

2012 was not a good year weather wise, even by UK standards. I struggled to find 12 images to go in this, but that could be down to the fact that I tend to spend more time on each image these days. Anyway, thanks for all your kind comments and faves over the last year, and I wish you all a peaceful Christmas, and a multitude of clear skies in 2013 :)

M42 and the Running Man 9 Dec 2012 HaRGB Collaboration

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:30:05 -0800

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

Another collaboration with my northern buddy, Dave Williams, who once again kindly provided the Ha, which was used as luminance. I also layered in the M42 I did earlier this year to improve the colour. This again demonstrates just how much the ED80 leaves the 200p in its wake :)

RGB :
SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
31 x 240secs iso 800, 30 x 8 secs iso 800 for the core (2 hours 8 minutes)
Guiding (RA only): Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5

Ha (Dave Williams):
10 x 600 secs (I hour 40 minutes)
250mm Hasselblad lens at f4
Moravian G2 8300
5nm filter

Horsehead and Flame Collaboration Repro

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 03:02:09 -0800

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

Following comments made by Jean Jacquinot on my last iteration of this thing, a committee meeting was convened, and the man from the frozen north agreed that some detail had been lost. It was decided that a reprocess was in order, and this has now been actioned. Above is the result :)

Does Flickr sharpen images when you upload them? It certainly seems to. Anyway, a full reprocess, colour tweaked in places, etc. etc. Better I think. Thanks to Jean for pointing out my previous oversight :)

Last iteration here, for comparison.

I now regard the horsey in the same light as Andromeda, so I'll say goodbye to it until next year :)

RGB (Moi):
SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
45 x 180secs iso 800, 60 x 180secs iso 640 (5 hours 15 minutes)
Guiding (RA only): Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5

Ha (Dave Williams):
15 x 600secs (2 hours 30 minutes)
Used Hasselblad 250mm f4 lens at f4 (cropped - quite a bit!)
Moravian G2 8300
Astrodon 5nm Ha filter
Takahashi EM200 mount
Guiding: DMK through an old 100mm M42 lens

Horsehead and Flame Collaboration L(Ha)RGB

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:16:08 -0800

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

I managed to add 3 hours to my previous version of this on Saturday night, but that has little to do with the above result. This is my first attempt at collaboration with my good friend Dave Williams (whom I have never met, as he lives in the frozen northern wastelands known as Manchester). Dave works in NB, and provided Ha, which I added as a luminance layer (after trying a few other techniques without success), and this is the result. Now I'm fully aware that what you can see above is predominantly luminance, with a bit of RGB thrown in to provide character, so Dave very much deserves most of the credit for this image. However, as he's not on Flickr, I'm happy to accept it :)

This is also my first attempt at combining Ha with RGB (albeit as luminance), and It makes my previous version look a bit sick :)

RGB:
SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
45 x 180secs iso 800, 60 x 180secs iso 640 (5 hours 15 minutes)
Guiding (RA only): Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5

Ha:
15 x 600secs (2 hours 30 minutes)
Used Hasselblad 250mm f4 lens at f4 (cropped - quite a bit!)
Moravian G2 8300
Astrodon 5nm Ha filter
Takahashi EM200 mount
Guiding: DMK through an old 100mm M42 lens

Horsehead and Flame 11 November 2012

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 11:52:26 -0800

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

Yet another clear night - whatever next?! :)

I did another 4 hours on M33 last night, only to discover at the end that the dew band wasn't working - 4 hours wasted, more or less. Not to be deterred, and with Orion waving at me invitingly, I had a go at good ol' long face. The ED80 works miracles on this, compared to the 200p :)

SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
45 x 180secs iso 800 (2 hours 15 minutes)
Guiding (RA only): Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5

L(Ha)RGB Version

M33 Triangulum Galaxy 5 November 2012

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 09:05:59 -0800

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

First clear moonless night since 18 September - I feel so blessed! :)

I use the term "clear" in its loosest possible sense, as it was Guy Fawkes Night here and the smoke from bonfires and fireworks certainly didn't assist much (why do we celebrate someone NOT blowing up Parliament?!). Given the conditions, I'm quite pleased with this, but I'll give it more time if we get another clear night before it disappears :)

Always looks like a galaxy that's just got out of bed and needs combing to me :)

SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
79 x 180secs iso 800 (just short of 4 hours)
Guiding (RA only): Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5

M31 Andromeda - all 16 hours of it :)

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 12:51:29 -0700

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

Right, I'm officially sick to death of Andromeda! This is now 16 hours of varying sub-lengths and ISO settings, and I've reached the point where my skies are going to yield no more. Quite depressing to think that 16 hours here produces the same result as perhaps an hour under dark skies - so this is my final attempt ;) (Wrong!). Better processing than the last shocking effort I think - a little more subtle, and some fainter detail evident (and some detail less evident as the contrast has been turned down a bit!)

Having spent a fortnight thinking about very little else, I can now get on with my life :)

SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
16 hours of 4 - 12 minute subs @ ISO 640 - 1600
Guiding: Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5

M31 Andromeda repro

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 09:30:04 -0700

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

This was inevitable - got to leave it alone now.

Little less brutal, and easier on the blue. Also, I used lens correction in the previous version to compensate for the lack of flattener. That distorts the entire image though, and made the galaxy a little wide of girth! Better in this version I think (if you don't look at the corners) :)

SW ED80/EQ5, cropped
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
18 x 4 mins iso 1600
30 x 6 mins iso 1250
22 x 10 mins iso 800
Guiding: Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5

Reprocessed again here :)

M31 Andromeda 5-7 September 2012

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 10:33:32 -0700

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

Reprocessed here

Three clear nights on the bounce - whatever next?! :)

Took advantage of the weather to give this a really good crack, something I've been waiting to do since the arrival of the ED80. This is full frame, so the focal length is ideal. As near as dammit 8 hours total exposure, made up of various sub lengths and iso settings. The variation in iso seems to improve the overall noise in the final tif, so I was able to stretch this a little further (some would say too far!). Not sure if it's a little too contrasty - all a matter of personal taste I suppose. Overall, I'm very pleased with this :)

SW ED80/EQ5, cropped
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
18 x 4 mins iso 1600
30 x 6 mins iso 1250
22 x 10 mins iso 800
Guiding: Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5

The Bubble Nebula and M52 in Cassiopeia 3 September 2012

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 16:26:45 -0700

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

A bit cloudy last night, and moony, so just managed one hour on this. It tells me I need a flattener! :)

SW ED80/EQ5, cropped
Nikon D70 modded, iso 1600, Baader Neodymium filter
20 x 3 mins for a total of 1 hour
Guiding: Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5

IC 1396 in Cepheus (the top half) 22 August 2012

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 17:59:18 -0700

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

Guess who got an ED80 for his birthday then? :)

This is my first half successful attempt at using the thing with my new go-faster budget guiding kit :) Guiding was fine, but I ran out of vis towards the end, and as the Reading Fest had just kicked off, I had to contend with searchlights passing through the frame every 20 seconds or so! So on that basis, this ain't too bad - even though it needed a little encouragement during the processing :) Horrendously noisy, hence the small image :)

SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, iso 1250, Baader Neodymium filter
15 x 6 mins for a total of 1 hour 30 minutes
Guiding: Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5

Leo Triplet March 2013 revisited

nobody@flickr.com (BudgetAstro) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 15:35:16 -0700

BudgetAstro posted a photo:

I've never used drizzle in DSS before, but I thought I'd give it a crack on this as the galaxies are so tiny. Seems to have yielded some improvement, particularly in M66 - the more interesting of the trio.

Original here for comparison :)

SW ED80/EQ5
Nikon D70 modded, Baader Neodymium filter
84 x 180sec subs, iso 800, for a total of 4 hours 10 minutes
Guiding (RA only): Quickcam Pro4000/9x50 finderscope, PHD
Stacked in DSS (2 x drizzle) and processed in CS5. Spikes by StarSpikes Pro