Deep Sky
What I usually do!
All images are 'real' - I like WYSIWYG imaging as they are what they are and analyse them sometime.
In the sense I 'do not paint' them, but in certain cases and using various editing programs I simply do my best to raise or lower colours and luminance in various parts of an image to bring out the best of them.
Therefore any colour is what it is, but may be enhanced, spikes are real if I used a Newtonian telescope.
I very often do not use darks or flats.
But in certain cases I do use the flats, when object is very luminous and you have to.
I do not really care about APOD and all that, all I am interested is in enjoying it and sometime check what is barely visible and bring it out - if possible and mainly using free programs.
I use or used GIMP for artistic digital drawing, during lockdown and even done some greeting cards, but I am now using it more on astronomy too.
Trying to learn how to use it proficiently.
No Pigs-in-sight (Pixinsight!), at present - do I really need it?
Astronomo.Space
No Pigs-in-sight (Pixinsight!), at present – do I really need it?
Leo Triplet – NGC3628 (left) M65 M66 – 15 April 2021 – AR152/988 QHY294c Pro 0.8x
Re-processed in August 2022
M82 – NGC 3034 – Cigar Galaxy – 10 Feb 2019 – 00:30-01:06 – Re-processed on 01 Aug 2022
M81 – NGC 3031 – Bode’s Galaxy – 10 Feb 2019 – 21:00-00:00UT
Third Re-editing of M82
Got a bit more data from this bas set of images a-la-try-my-best !
M1 – NGC 1952 – Crab Nebula (Taurus A) – 10 Feb 2019 – 20-21:00UT
Re-editing of M1 Crab Nebula – 04 Jan 2023
M1 – NGC 1952 – Crab Nebula (Taurus A) – 10 Feb 2019 – 20-21:00UT
Re-editing of M1 Crab Nebula – 03 Aug 2022
M33 Triangulum Galaxy – 13 Jan 2019 – 20:54UT Managed only 60 min Skywatcher 250PX Canon 100D no Coma correction
This was a salvage operation, no good flats and only ~60 min or less!
13 Jan 2019 23:30UT – IC443 Jellyfish Nebula or Sharpless 248
IC1590 Cr8 Pacman Nebula 30 Dec 2018 – 20:08H – another short 6m test image as below Re-processed on 07 Aug 2022
M27 Dumbbell Nebula 1 Nov 2018 ~21:50UT
The little dot in the middle is the star responsible for all this! Also it is supposed to be as large as Earth now it has shrunk!
B33 Horsehead – NGC2023 IC431-2-5 in Orion 7-10 Oct 2018 SW 72ED Pro Canon 100D Orion 0.8x – 9x images = 55m various ISO & Exposure Times
M45 – Seven Sisters Sep-Oct 2018 sessions combination – 133m total
M31 M32 M110 Andromeda Galaxy 6-9 Oct 2018 – You can see the no-dithering effect! Re-edited on 26 Nov 2022 – This is actually almost as it was and without flats – they were not usable! So there are smudges and colour bands too!
M31 M32 M110 Andromeda Galaxy 6-9 Oct 2018 – You can see the no-dithering effect! Re-edited on 07 Aug 2022
IC1396 – IC1396A (Elephant’s Trunk Nebula) – HD 206267A Triple Star System 2-6-9 Oct 2018
Over 5h of data, not sure if it is all, as I lost Processing data – only 1h used – 72ED 100D 0.8x
The North American Nebula NGC 7000 – 16 Aug 2018
AR102 F5 CLS-CCD 100D Baader Modified – series 120s 300s total 57 min
M51 – 19 May 2018
SW 250PX Canon 100D – ~ 21minutes stack!
M101 (NGC5457) Pinwheel Galaxy – 13-16 May 2018 – 22:19-00:35UT
M101 Pinwheel Galaxy 13 May 2018 ~00:00UT – only 50m total – no flats
M57 07 May 2018
C11 NGC7635 Bubble Nebula
M42 Trapezium, etc. – 9 Dec 2017 LX200 178C ~49 short 30s
M43 The Plume of Orion (M42) – 9 Dec 2017
LX200 178C – x3 shots
M42 Trapezium, etc. – 17 Nov 2017
250PX 178C
~33 short 5s exposure with HIGH gain – stretching etc.
C23 NGC891 17 Nov 2017
250PX 178C – test
C11 NGC7635 & M52 Wide Field Mono 29 Oct 2017
Tested 178M on TS60
M52 (top left) Salt & Pepper Cluster – Middle huge star is M-Giant 4 Cas – 29 Oct 2017
M52 Open star Cluster – Salt and Pepper – 29 Oct 2017
C11 NGC7635 Bubble Nebula 29 Oct 2017
C11 NGC7635 Bubble Nebula 29 Oct 2017
Tested 178c on AR152
IC59 IC63 – Reflections Nebulae in Cassiopeia – 24 Oct 2017
x104 45s ISO6400 Canon 100D Mod. AR152 0.8x – No Flats – I call it Fox-Head Nebula !
NGC 281 IC11 Pacman Emission Nebula in Cassioipeia – 22 Oct 2017
x90 45s ISO 1600 Canon 100D mod. – No flats AR152 0.8x
C27 NGC6888 SN remnant & part of surrounding HUGE area – different processing – bear in mind this was taken using a cheap ST80 £. 100 telescope at the time!
C27 NGC6888 SN remnant & part of surrounding HUGE area IC4996 Cygnus Cluster – Bottom Right
M27 Dumbbell Planetary Nebula – 19-20 Sep 2017
Just 9x Lights 240s ISO800 – 100D AR152 x0.8
C33 NGC6992 CED182D – Eastern Veil Nebula – 03 Sep 2017 – 00:20UT 250PX 100D 80x 60s various ISO – No Flats – no PHD2
C33 NGC6992 Ced182d 03 Sep 2017 _ 00:20UT
Re-Processed 25 Sep 2017
C34 NGC6960 Western Veil Nebula
Supernova Remnant in Cygnus 02 Sep 2017 22:25UT
SW 250PX 0.9 Coma C. Canon 100D Baader Mod. 1600ISO 5x 60s – lost flats!
M13 in Hercules 02 Sep 2012 ~ 22:00UT
23 x 45s ISO800 stacked – SW 250PX CLS Canon 100D – no flats or darks
NGC7209 in Lacerta + Perseids strike 17 August 2017
C19 IC5146 Cocoon Nebula 17 Aug 2017 ~2342UT 5x 600s ISO1600 100D possibly AR152 0.8x- my first long exposures
C27 Crescent Nebula – 17 Aug 2017 21:00-22:00UT
Re-processed on 20 February 2023 with a different approach – due to not enough data = bad!
C27 Crescent Nebula – Wolf Rayet Star Nebula
17 Aug 2017 21:00-22:00UT 1x 120s 1x 600s 2x 720s = 36 minute only – 200-800-1600 ISO – PHD2 rarely working Canon 100D Baader modified – AR152 – 0.8x CLS standard filter – no flats or darks – no Pigs in Sight !
M57 – 16 July 2017 ~ 23:30UT
M57 – 17-18 June 2017 ~ 01:00UT
M13 in Hercules – 14 May 2017 ~23:42UT Stack of a few Colour images LX200 10″ 0.5x reducer 178c camera
M13 in Hercules – 14 May 2017 ~23:00UT Stack of 14 Monochrome images LX200 10″ 0.5x reducer 178c camera
M3 Globular Cluster in Canes Venatici TEST – 02-03 April 2017
M81 core – 02 April 2017 ~21:30UT x5 Short Exposure 250PX + 178c Cam test
M82 – 02 April 2017 ~21:10UT
Tested 250PX + 178c Cam with internal IR filter – no extra filters used – see neighbour’s light halo (bottom left!)
x30 45s different monochrome stacked takes
M82 – 02 April 2017 ~21:10UT Tested 250PX + 178c Cam with internal IR filter – no extra filters used – see neighbour’s light halo x65 45s stacked takes
M82 – 02 April 2017 ~20:06UT
Tested 250PX + 178c Cam with a 45s shot then edited with Photoshop – all stars are real
Just a Testing shot (again) near IC443 – I think top left of it
2-3 Jan 2017 23:00-01:00 UT
(PHD2 was not working)
ti Rosette Nebula C49 centred on 12 Monoceros
2 Jan 2017 21:00-22:00 UT
(after GOOD Polar Alignment and a LIVE EQ6t tuning – yes, while working to smooth DEC & it seems to have worked – DEC was steady all then time)
CA-100Cle
A weird one!
What is it?
Just Telescope optics affected by atmosphere?
M42 Orion Nebula camera testing 01 November 2016 ~00:32UT Short fast exposures. Testing guide camera but PHD did not work – could not find mount! Re-Processed in Dec 2018