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| Most Recent Astrophotographic Work (Page 1): |
| The following are the first few images captured with my new setup using the Tak FSQ 106 EDXiii refractor and SXVR-H18 camera. Equipment pictures are on the equipment page. The images are reasonably short duration tests of my first full size mono camera as well as the outcomes of what are initial forays into LRGB and narrowband processing techniques. My basis conclusion is that the H18 (Kodak 8300 based chip) is a difficult animal to work with and that the Tak 106 is the finest piece of glass I have ever looked through - even if to do so I had to spend hundreds of $ on customer adapters to get to the required, exact backfocus arrangement for little reason other than planned incompatibility with other, common adapters and thread sizes :) Smart those Japanese guys! |
| Very first light through the Tak with the reducer at f3.6 using the H18 was on NGC 7000 (North America Nebula) to test the Ha filter. This is 2 stacked 10 minute subframes with a slight stretch. Sweet those Astrodon filters. |
| Second test photo was of the California Nebula in Ha - 3 x 10 minute subframes. The combination of the reduced fast Takahashi and the 3mm thick Astrodon filters is very powerful. |
| My first attempt at Narrowband imaging/processing consisted of 90 minutes of 10 minute subframes (3 @ of Ha, Oiii and Sii). This is photograph was process in both the Hubble Palette (left) and a 'normal' CFHT narrowband palette. It is a weak, but first, attempt and nonetheless a milestone given November, 2011 is my 1 year anniversary of getting my first telescope and camera. |
| Subsequent tests on M42 (the Orion Nebula). From left to right: 1 hour total of Sii, Ha, Oiii in the Hubble Palette, 1 hour Ha, Oiii, Sii narrow band composite, 27 minutes LRGB + 25 min of Ha as Luminance and finally 25 minutes of Ha alone (monochrome image on the far right). Processing this camera is made difficult by the need to take long flats to avoid shutter shadow and the anti-blooming drains seem to be creating a charge overflow at the bottom of the CCD - making darks difficult if not impossible. This puppy is NOT the M25C and Kodak chips do not even come close to the quality of Sony chips. They are noisy and much less sensitive. |
| Further testing still is showing the camera to be worthy with the narrowband filters on strong emission objects but difficult at best in LRGB from my light polluted location. I am considering putting IDAS-LP in-line in front of the LRGB filters on a go-forward. Below is more Narrowband work done over the Thanksgiving holiday, 2011 from Atlanta. |
| Veil Nebula: 3 hours in the Hubble Palette (Sii, Ha, Oiii). Takahashi 106 EDX3 at prime focus. SXVR-H18 Camera. Astrodon filters. 6x10 minute sub-exposures each filter. |
| Rosette Nebula: 2.5 hours presented as both Ha, Oiii, Sii narrowband and in the Hubble Palette (Sii, Ha, Oiii). Takahashi 106 EDX3 at prime focus. SXVR-H18 Camera. Astrodon filters. 5x10 minute sub-exposures each filter. |
| Large resolution version - no star spikes - 7 mb. |
| Ha only - 1 hour - 1200 resolution version. |
| Jupiter, Callisto, Europa, Io and Ganymede: Flea3 ICX618 based video camera - stack of 800 out of 4000 frames. Processed with AutoStakkert and PS4. Takahashi 106 EDX3 at prime focus, Astrodon LRGB filters, Baader 2x VIP modular barlow. |
| IC 434 (Horsehead Nebula): Top Left=75m LRGB+80m Ha; Below that: 80m Ha+10m Oiii+ 10m Sii; Bottom Right: 80m Ha alone. |
| M33 (Triangulum Galaxy): 104 m of LRGB+Ha. |
| Flaming Star Nebula: Narrowband techniques. 1 hour each of Ha, Sii and Oiii combined on the left in the Hubble Palette (Sii, Ha, Oiii) and on the right in the CFHT palette (Ha, Oiii, Sii). |
| Bubble Nebula: Narrowband techniques. 40 minutes (2x20m subs) in each of Ha, Sii and Oiii combined on the left in the Hubble Palette (Sii, Ha, Oiii) and on the right in the CFHT palette (Ha, Oiii, Sii). SXVR-H18 camera. Tak 106 FSQEDXiii Reducer. |
| Simultaneous imaging was done when I did the bubble using my M25C camera in an ED80 is shown for comparison purposes (2 hours). |
| Galaxy M108 and the Owl Nebula. 1.5 hours of short 4 minute subs LRGB with the Tak 106 at prime. H18 camera. |
| 4 Hours so far with the Tak 106 at Prime and the H18 camera on the Tadpole Nebula. This is a test of color technique in Narrowband Hubble Palette and is a definitive work in progress. All 20 and 30 minute sub frames. |
| Simultaneous imaging was done when I did the bubble using my M25C camera in an ED80 is shown for comparison purposes (2 hours). |
| Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443) in Sii, Ha and Oiii (1 hour each). A couple of sizes and processing results are shown. Tak 106 at Prime with an SXVR-H18 camera and Astrodon filters on a G11 mount. Lodestar guiding camera. |
| Tbe CFHT version of narrow band imaging (Canada France Hawaii Telescope) with Ha=Red, Oiii=Green and Sii=Blue. |
| I have long been interested in the this and I am now trying it. Bought my first scope on 11/1/10. The photography side of it is difficult and will take years to learn. Below is archives of first and early attempts. Links to Photo of the week or Gallery of best has the most recent work. |
| Click Page # below for archived astrophotographic work - higher page # is more recent: |
| Astronomy and Astrophotography - Archives - Before I knew what I was doing |
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