NGC7000 Pier 4, 30x120s

Nice process Dave ?


I hope you do not mind but I edited your post in order to add the image inline into the post

steve

Thanks Steve.  No problem with the edit.  How do you add images inline?

Dave

Thanks Steve.  No problem with the edit.  How do you add images inline?

Dave

with this, press insert then press again when "in message" comes or something like that LOL

Steve

Right Steve got it now - thanks.

The attached shows the result after calibration, registration and integration in APP (mostly default settings were used).  CFA had to be enabled and RGGB was chosen for the pattern. The histogram was very well balanced for colour but the RHS of the image was green indicating a light gradient.  Once this was removed (excellent video tutorials on the APP website), the image was fairly easy to process - always an indicator of good quality data.

Dave

That’s great to hear on all counts

Pier 4 being so wide, loves a good gradient lol

adapter being fitted tomorrow on Pier 6 but looking at the weather I won’t know if my maths was correct for a good few days  

Steve

Great stuff Dave, glad you managed to process this. Keep going...

Good afternoon Dave,

That came out really well and from what you said here and earlier I am seriously considering APP. It sounds a lot friendlier to use than Pixinsight. It/you did an excellent job on that gradient, something I dread dealing with. Thanks for the link to the hi-res on Astrobin where it really shows just what a great image it is zoomed in.

Having found that link I see you've quite a collection which I shall enjoy browsing. Never get tired of looking at Lunar landscapes and I see there's a lot to look at.

Best regards,

Ray

Thanks for the interest Ray.

With APP I have only started to scratch the surface.  The light gradient removal process seems to have a big impact on the final result.  For APP light pollution and star colour correction see Part 3

Attached is the outcome from another attempt at processing the stack.   What is encouraging is that the 2 brightest stars are showing accurate colour as described in the star catalogues.



There is still a way to go with this yet as this is my first exposure to lens (as opposed to scope) data.  I am trying to produce accurate colour influenced by Roger Clark , see his section 2 articles.  I looked on Astrobin for  NGC7000 but it looks like anything goes, so I am still searching for what is accurate colour for NGC7000. 

As for Pixinsight, there is a guy at the local astro club who uses it.  He has 10 years experience and is trying to answer questions that I haven't yet thought to ask.  With imaging I think it is a progressive hobby; trying to use tools that are too complex for my skill level would be a negative thing.  APP gives me more than I need (for now).

As for my lunar images, I think these are my best 2 to date

Clavius

Lunar terminator, 9-panel mosaic

The high quality data that I am now getting from Roboscopes will mean I will be on a big learning curve with processing as there are now no excuses.

Dave

This is an HDR version - 30x120s + 45x60s  processed in APP with each set of exposures assigned to its own session.  Hi-res image here .  I think the colours are better (more realistic) than the original plus the lower length exposures have tamed the 2 brightest stars.

Dave 

 

Agreed, the colour is more complete across the image. Well worth doing

Hi Dave,

Fully agree with Mr. A that this technique you employed has resulted in an improvement across the image and has sorted out those intrusive stars. I am familiar with the Clarkvision site and been getting tips on various things from there over the years. Thanks for all the info about APP, it may take a time for me to get used to, but looks like it will make it  a lot easier to create all the filter stacks once all the data has been loaded. 

Those lunar images are amazing. Great job and a lot of patience no doubt to create such seamless mosaics. Patience, not one of my strongest traits.  

It's great when people like yourself are willing to share their knowledge and experiences so freely, and hopefully in time more people of a similar disposition will enrol and join the forum. Thanks Dave.

Best regards,  Ray

Steve - thanks for that observation.  At the moment I am struggling with the lens as I have never had so much data from so little integration time.  The 120s has really caught me out on the f/2.  If I was working at home with new equipment (or a new object) I would take exposures of different lengths and look at the histograms in FITS Liberator.   NGC7000 is looking like a 90s object on Pier 4.

Ray - thanks.  The HDR technique certainly does tame the bright stars.  This  is a better demo of HDR.  At least in APP you don't have to be a propeller-head to apply the technique.  On lunar mosaics I use Microsoft Image Composite Editor (ICE).  Just drag the panels and click 'stitch'.  The trick I use is to rotate the camera so the up/down and left/right buttons on the hand controller move up/down and left/right.  That makes it easier to decide on the panels.  I use a big overlap and capture the panels quickly as the illumination of the disk is always changing which can lead to a patchwork of different brightness.  The lunar stuff has benefited from attending 2 x 6 hour workshops a year apart run by Damian Peach plus many failures and experiments.  I think I am at the limits of the QHY5LII-M camera now for lunar work.

Dave