07-2004 - Just compare the newest images near the top of the page with the ones near the bottom and you can see that both equipment & experience make a huge difference. I am now imaging with a SBIG ST2000XM & SBIG CFW8-A filter wheel. My optical tubes consist of an Orion 80mm ED "apo" Refractor & an 8" home-built Newtonian. These ride atop a permanently pier-mounted Losmandy G11 w/ an upgraded R.A. worm gear. This combo is giving me very reliable results.
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New! 07/17/2004 M8- The Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius 25 Minutes Luminance 1x1 binning. 25 minutes each RGB 2x2 binning. DDP and Photoshop curves, levels & color balancing to taste applied. Orion 80mm ED Apo Refractor on Losmandy G11. SBIG ST2000XM CCD Camera & CFW8-a Filter Wheel. Hi Resolution - 1600 x 1200 400k Medium Resolution - 800 x 600 157k |
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M16 Orion 80mm ED Apo f7.5. This is my first Color Image! LRGB 120:20:20:20. 120 luminance (24 Integrations X 5 minutes) averaged. These were combined in Maxim DL 4.0 and then exported to Photoshop. Photoshop curves and levels applied. Orion 80mm ED Apo Refractor on Losmandy G11. SBIG ST2000XM CCD Camera. Hi Resolution - 1600 x 1200 375k Medium Resolution - 800 x 600 149k |
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M101 - Face on Spiral Galaxy in Ursa Major 180 Minutes luminance. All processing done in Photoshop: curves and levels, sharpening, and fixing some noise problems which still abound. Orion 80mm ED Apo @f7.5 Refractor on Losmandy G11. SBIG ST2000XM CCD Camera. Hi Resolution - 1600 x 1200 250k Medium Resolution - 800 x 600 176k |
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M20 - 2004-06-20 30 Minutes (10 x 3 minute integrations) averaged. DDP and Photoshop curves and levels applied. Orion 80mm ED Apo Refractor on Losmandy G11. SBIG ST2000XM CCD Camera. Hi Resolution - 1600 x 1200 247k Medium Resolution - 800 x 600 127k |
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M81 - 2004-04-16 8" Newtonian 5.5. 150 minutes (30 Integrations X 5 minutes) summed. This image was processed by Ron Wodaski. Thanks, Ron. |
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M66 - 2004-03-30 8" Newtonian 5.5. 180 minutes (36 Integrations X 5 minutes) summed. The individual integrations were dark subtracted only, and then DDP & Richardson-Lucy was applied. |
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M13 - 2004-03-14 8" Newtonian 5.5. 26 minutes (26 Integrations X 1 minutes) summed. The individual integrations were dark subtracted only, and then DDP was applied. |
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M81 - 2004-02-28 Orion 80mm ED refractor f7.5. 60 minutes (12 Integrations X 5 minutes) summed. The individual integrations were dark subtracted only, and then DDP was applied. |
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NGC 3628 - 2004-02-28 Orion 80mm ED refractor f7.5. 60 minutes (12 Integrations X 5 minutes) summed. The individual integrations were dark subtracted only, no other processiing. |
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M42 "Orion Nebula" - 2004-02-23 Orion 80mm ED refractor f7.5. 5 Integrations X 3 minutes median combined. The image was dark subtracted, then a log was applied to the histogram, and a sharp filter was applied. |
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IC434 "Horsehead Nebula" - 2004-02-23 Orion 80mm ED refractor f7.5. 65 minutes (13 Integrations X 5 minutes) summed. The individual integrations were dark subtracted, flat-field and bias corrected. |
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M51 "Whirlpool Galaxy" - 2003-12-28 This was taken remotely from within my home to my observatory in the backyard. 8" newt @f5.5. 45 minutes integration (9 x 5). This was taken the night of upgrading my RA worm to a "precision-worm" as offered by Losmandy. The image was dark subtracted, DDP and then a mild sharp filter was applied. It's definately the roundest of stars to date, and the most detail within the galaxy. I hope this is the beginning of a much better imaging routine. |
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M27 "Dumbell Nebula" - 2003-12-12 This was taken remotely from within my home to my observatory in the backyard... outside temp probably about 25 degrees F. 8" newt @f5.5. 36 minutes integration. A mild DDP was applied. This image still needs to flat-framed, and properly dark-subtracted. The sub-integrations were 6 minutes in length, but I had darks only 3 minutes long which I multiplied by 2. Seemed to work ok. |
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M42 "Orion Nebula" - 2003-10-31 This was my initial image with my new ST7 camera. 8" newt @f5.5. 1 minute integration dark subtracted. A log was applied to the histogram, no other processing. |
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M1 "Crab Nebula" - 2003-10-31 8" newt @f5.5. 5 x 2 minute dark subtracted and summed. 5 iterations of a Lucy-Richardson deconvolution were applied, and then a smoothing filter was applied. My mount requires 1/4 second guidescope iterations for in order to track halfway decent... This for a Losmandy G11. I will be upgrading the worm soon, and hope it helps. Here is my previous attempt with a CookBook 245 camera. |
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Saturn - 2003-09-16 8" newt @f15. 31 x 1/2 second integrations summed & sharp filter applied. I'm trying really hard for more detail... It sure is a slow uphill battle. |
Moon - 2003-09-164" refractor @f10. 21 Total integration summed & sharp filter applied. I can't use my 8" because the readout time on the CCD is too long. I had to stack red, blue, and green filters just to knock the brightness down for these .033 second exposures. |
Mars - 2003-09-128" newt @f12. 32 Total integration summed & sharp filter applied. |
Mars - 2003-09-058" newt @f12. 17 Total integration averaged & sharp filter applied. |
M51 - Whirlpool Galaxy - Added 2003-05-128" newt @f5.6. Total integration 17 minutes. 10 dark frames averaged & subtracted, DDP applied. |
M57 - The Ring Nebula - Added 2003-05-128" newt @f10.5. 17 shots X 60. 10 dark frames averaged & subtracted. A log was applied to the histogram, and the result was resampled a little larger and then a mild unsharp mask was applied. |
NGC 891 - Edge-On Galaxy - Added 2002-10-028" newt @f5.6. Total integration 8.5 minutes. 10 dark frames averaged & subtracted. |
M13 - The Hercules Cluster - Added 2002-07-158" newt @f5.6. Total integration 10 minutes w/ cooling. 20 dark frames averaged & subtracted. The resulting image had a mild DDP applied and that's it! |
M27 - The Dumbell Nebula - Added 2002-07-158" newt @f5.6. Total integration 10 minutes w/ cooling. 10 dark frames averaged & subtracted. As in the above image, a was DDP applied although the stars are not as tight in this image. |
M1 - The Crab Nebula - Added 2002-01-198" f5.2 newt. 18 shots X 30 seconds w/ cooling. 10 dark frames averaged & subtracted. The resulting frames registered & summed. |
NGC 4565 - Added 2002-01-148" f5.2 newt. 10 shots X 40 w/ cooling. No dark frames were subtracted due to read-out noise in all frames. |
First Light for my CB245 CCD!M57 - The Ring Nebula 8" f5.2 newt. 10 shots X 8 secs no cooling. A dark frame (5 shots X 8 secs median combined) were subtracted from each frame. The frames were summed. I was satisfied for my first time ever with a CCD. I have been using Iris for processing the images. |
Jupiter First planetary image. 8" newt. CB245 no cooling, 1 exposure .1 sec @ f10.5. Unsharp mask, resampled 2x the original size. |
Jupiter Same frame as left, processed with a little less unsharp masking. 8" newt. CB245 no cooling, 1 exposure .1 sec @ f10.5. Unsharp mask, resampled 2x the original size. |
Jupiter 8" newt. CB245 no cooling, 5 exposures .1 sec @ f10.5. Registered & Median combined. Unsharp mask, resampled 2x the original size. |