CCD imaging activity as it happens
Well I finally managed a Hubble Palette image of NGC 7380 after gathering 4.25 hours of S-II data over a couple of evenings. This one took a lot of processing but I found the chapter on narrowband imaging in 'Lessons from the Masters' very useful. One of the main challenges was getting the colour balance right-the H-a data can really swamp the image. The addition of the super-luminance layer also really helped to preserve some fine detail.
De-saturation helped get rid of the strong magenta in the star colours.
On with the next target.....
Well the nights have started to draw in a bit now which means that the new imaging season can start. I've decided to continue with Hubble Palette narrowband imaging this year so look forward to getting some decent images!
My latest image is a bicolour (Ha:sG:OIII) process of NGC 7380-The Wizard Nebula, a large nebula in Cepheus. Total exposure time - 3.5 hours hydrogen alpha (from 2011) and 4 hour of oxygen-III. Although the skies have been clear, the seeing hasn't been great and individual 15 minute O-III subframes have shown little nebulosity. Despite this I hope I've managed to come up with a decent image. The next plan will be to add some S-II data to develop a Hubble Palette image
Well the shorter nights have made deep sky imaging pretty much impossible when you have to be up early in the morning! I have however just uploaded a shot of the Leo Triplet from some data captured back in February. Since I last had a go at this object I have discovered how to process the data without burning out the galaxy cores. This meant that the detail in the galaxy arms has been preserved. Obviously some RGB data would be nice but that will have to wait.
Currently the cameras are off the scopes and I have spent a few evenings observing the planets Saturn and Mars. I'd forgotten just how sharp my Takahashi FS-102 was on planets. Saturn looked stunning in particular.
Looking forward to the nights drawing in a bit so I can get some imaging done at reasonable hours! Still deciding on a target but I'm keen to try some more tricolour narrowband imaging in the next few months
It has certainly been a better week this week for astronomy, although the Moon has been quite high in the sky for astroimaging. Nevertheless I managed an image of a beautiful spiral galaxy in Ursa Major. Galaxy season is now here, so I have decided to try LRGB imaging again as the evenings aren't dark enough at this time of year for the hours of exposure demanded by narrowband imaging. I've selected a number of galaxy groupings and star clusters to target over the next couple of months.
This week I also had to replace the desiccant within my CCD camera. I had started to notice a patch of condensation appearing on the images-a sign that the desiccant needed replacing. This is relatively straightforward although it does involve dismantling the camera and opening the CCD chamber itself. It was also a good opportunity to give the filters a clean in readiness for the galaxy imaging.
On the visual astronomy front, I have spent a couple of enjoyable sessions viewing Jupiter with the 8'' Newtonian. At high power, some detail is visible within the cloud bands. Earlier this week there was a shadow transit of Io which was great to see, as was the emergence of the moon itself from in front of the planetary disk. Last weekend I spent a couple of hours tracking down some galaxies in Leo and Ursa Major. The EQ-5 setting circles aren't bad and do seem to work! The Leo Triplet was nice to see, although quite washed out in the moonlight. This will certainly be one of my next targets. I did try it a couple of years ago, but was not happy with the result. Now being more familiar with the CCD and image processing I look forward to giving it another go.
Well it has been a couple of months since my last blog post. As many will know, the weather in the UK has been particularly bad for many weeks now. Deep sky imaging has been virtually impossible, with not a single clear usable moonless night. I've finally managed to generate a six hour hydrogen alpha exposure of IC 410, 'The Tadpoles' in Auriga. I'm not sure when I will get the OIII or SII data!
On the visual astronomy front, the Tolcarn Observatory Astronomy Group has had a couple of clear club nights, albeit with the moon in the sky. Last week we had the opportunity to test a mate's new scope; a William Optics GT-102 triplet refractor. The build quality on this scope is excellent, with a feathertouch focuser and integrated camera angle adjuster. We had some cracking views of Jupiter at high magnification. That night was also the first time I've seen the 14'' Meade LX200 show what it can really do. At 280x magnification we detected structure in the bands and the Great Red Spot itself. I've never seen Jupiter so clear. I'm looking forward to some galaxy hunts with this light bucket! The Takahashi TSA-120 also did not disappoint, with clear crisp views of the planet.