Swansea Astronomical Society Blog

My image of the Beehive Star cluster in Cancer taken with my 1300D DSLR Canon camera attached to my 80mm ED APO Sky watcher Refractor telescope fitted with a field flattener.  The telescope was mounted on my EQ5 GOTO Mount. I captured 160 images, at 45s and 800ISO, 35 flat frames and 30 dark frames all stacked in Sequator and processed in Siril and Gimp 2.10. I used an intervalometer to control the camera and a Bahtinov mask to focus on a bright star.

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The Beehive star cluster

Chris Playle

posted by astroimager  # 9:48 PM 0 Comments

I captured Dreyer's nebula on 5 March using my SX694 and 102mm refractor. 18x300s Lum and 6x300s RGB subs with a nearly 50% moon.

Processing done in Pixinsight as usual using my new Apple Mac mini which runs Pixinsight really fast! 

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Dreyer's nebula

Anne Startup

posted by astroimager  # 12:05 PM 0 Comments

I imaged M81 and M82 last night using the Dwarf3. 400 subs using the astro filter followed by 200 subs using the duoband filter. I then stacked and processed both images. Following star removal, I then used the continuum subtraction utility on the red channel of the duoband image and combined it with the RGB image using the NBRGB combination script. This process shows the hydrogen areas of M81 quite well.

Some cropping was needed as, even though I roughly polar aligned the Dwarf3, the narrowband capture was slightly rotated. Star align fixed this well.

posted by astroimager  # 5:58 PM 0 Comments

The Leo Triplet with the Seestar S50. 63 minutes worth of 10s exposures in mosaic mode. Processed in Pixinsight, GraXpert, Cosmic Clarity, Gimp 2.10 and Starnet++

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The Leo Triplet

Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin

posted by astroimager  # 5:47 PM 0 Comments

67 minutes worth of 10s exposures with a Seestar S50. Stacked and partly processed in PixInsight, BG corrected and denoised in GraXpert Further processed in  Cosmic Clarity, Gimp and Starnet++

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M101

Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin

posted by astroimager  # 4:11 PM 0 Comments

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Sunflower galaxy (M63):

3 hours of RGB/Ha data on the Sunflower galaxy (M63) in Canes Venatici some 30 million light years away. The galaxy is thought to contain around 400 billion suns.

The Cone nebula and Christmas Tree Cluster (NGC 2264):

4.5 hours of SHO data of the Cone nebula and Christmas Tree Cluster which lies in the constellation of Monoceros and is around 2,300 light years away. Here new suns are currently being born inside the dense dust clouds causing them to glow brightly 

Chris Bowden

posted by astroimager  # 2:22 PM 0 Comments

Here is LDN 1269, I will redo this target later in the year. I also need to frame it better, image framing showed a lot more detail below, but I guess I need more time on that.

Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 1.25": 37×300″(3h 5′)

Antlia 3nm Narrowband Oxygen III 1.25": 40×300″(3h 20′)

Antlia 3nm Narrowband Sulphur II 1.25": 30×300″(2h 30′)

Integration: 8h 55′

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LDN 1269

John Beer

posted by astroimager  # 2:17 PM 0 Comments

Asteroids 28- Bellona and 8-Flora motion path mosaics:

Image trials of asteroids 28-Bellona and 8-Flora using an ASI 533MM Pro mono camera and a SW Esprit 8ED with FF driven with an iOptron CEM26 drive guided by an ASI462MC camera. All data was acquired using NINA. 

Following a run of imaging regions of sky where these asteroids are currently travelling, I tried both luminance and RGB data to see how I could effectively monitor their movements among the stars.

During each imaging run I shot half a dozen 2 min subs on each channel for the nights I was able to take data and used Pixinsight to align and annotate them using merge mosaic by coordinates and the draw script to add circles and dates of each capture point contained in the mosaic which I then cropped into rectangles. The coloured asteroid points positions against the background stars are quite interesting, as rather than just a grey elongated egg with luminance data, they show- the difference between 12 min integrations of each channel plus the auto focus time so ~ 15 mins elapses between each colour integration to show distinct red green and blue dots. 

The times shown in the RGB data set are the mid times for the subs taken.

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Chris Bowden

posted by astroimager  # 2:13 PM 0 Comments

40% Moon tonight with AstroDMx Capture, an Ekinox ED 80mm refractor and an SC715C OSC camera. Best 75% of the frames in a 1000-frame RAW SER file were debayered and stacked in Autostakkert!4, wavelet processed and white balanced in waveSharp and further processed in Gimp 2.10.

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AstroDMx Capture capturing the RAW data

40% waxing Moon 

Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin

posted by astroimager  # 10:10 PM 0 Comments

Blend of two H-alpha solar images today captured by AstroDMx Capture through a Solarmax II 60, BF15 Ha scope with an SC715C OSC camera and an Altair 462M2 Mono Camera.

Two Overlapping 16 bit 1000-frame SER files were captured with each camera. The best 90% of the frames in each SER file were stacked in Autostakkert!4, wavelet processed in waveSharp, stitched in MS ICE and further processed in Gimp 2.10. In addition, Corresponding SER files were captured exposed for the prominences.

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AstroDMx Capture capturing data from the SVBONY SC715C

The Prominence and Disk images were combined in Gimp 2.10 and the Colour and monochrome camera based files were combined in Picture Window Pro 2.5.

The Sun in H-alpha light

Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin

posted by astroimager  # 5:41 PM 0 Comments

34 x 5 minute exposures of Dreyer's nebula, captured with AstroDMx Capture through a William Optics 81 mm ED APO refractor with an Altair Hypercam 533C 14 bit OSC CMOS camera with an Altair quadband filter. Stretched with unlinked channels and linked channels.

The data were debayered, calibrated, stacked and SpectroPhotometric Color Corrected and stars removed in PixInsight; post processed in the Gimp 2.10, Background extraction, initial denoising and stretching in GraXpert.

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Dreyer's nebula IC 447

posted by astroimager  # 6:07 PM 0 Comments

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Seagull nebula (IC2177):

I have been experimenting with different types of mosaic compositions of late in order to image the progress of two asteroids over time and used the techniques to compile several regions of sky around the Seagull nebula that extends between Canis Major and Monoceros. This target covers a large area of sky and so capturing it with an 80mm 400mm FL scope was somewhat challenging. Initially I shot several panes of Ha data extending over a large part of this object in order to pick out part of the objects large circular shape which I also annotated. I then added SII and OIII data on the core area of the object to make a 3 colour SHO composition comprising 4 mosaic panels of 2 hours each giving a total exposure time of 8 hours. Imaged with an ASI 533MM Pro camera and a Sky-Watcher 80 Esprit fitted with a field flattener.

M78: 

A 2.2 hour LRGB integration of this reflection nebula in Orion that is illuminated by two 10th magnitude stars. Imaged with an ASI 533MM Pro camera and a Sky-Watcher 80 Esprit fitted with a field flattener.

Chris Bowden

posted by astroimager  # 5:00 PM 0 Comments

My Image of M78 taken with my 80 APO Refactor Sky Watcher  telescope and my 1300D DSLR Canon camera mounted on my EQ5 GOTO Mount. Settings were 50s 800ISO. 160 images, 40 flat frames and 30 dark frames were capture, stacked in DSS and processed in Siril and Star net ++ and then finished of in Gimp 2.10. I used an intervalometer to control the camera and a Bahtinov  mask to  focus on a bright star.

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M78

Chris Playle

posted by astroimager  # 2:48 PM 0 Comments

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M53 and NGC5053:

30 min RGB and 40 minute LRGB rendition of this pair of globular cluster in Coma Berenices that are just 1 degree apart and fitting nicely in the frame of my ASI533MM Pro camera using a Sky-Watcher 80 Esprit triplet refractor. Integration and processing done in Pixinsight. Wide field and annotated images are LRGB with the cropped images being RGB.

M53

Chris Bowden

posted by astroimager  # 2:43 PM 0 Comments

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The Pinwheel galaxy (M101):

A 30 minute RGB rendition of this popular face on spiral galaxy in Ursa Major, some 21 million light years away. A companion dwarf galaxy NGC5474 can also be seen at the top of the frame. Imaged with an ASI533MM Pro camera using a Sky-Watcher 80 Esprit triplet refractor. Integration and processing done in Pixinsight. An additional 10 minutes of luminance data was also taken which was combined with the |RGB data used for the annotated image.

The Little Pinwheel galaxy (NGC 3184): 

A 2.3 hour LRGB/Ha composition of the Little Pinwheel Galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major some 40 million light-years away. Imaged with an ASI533MM Pro camera using a Sky-Watcher 80 Esprit triplet refractor. Integration and processing done in Pixinsight.

Chris Bowdsen

posted by astroimager  # 2:36 PM 0 Comments

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The Markarian Chain group of galaxies: 

A 1.75hrs RGB/Ha integration of an area of the Markarian Chain group of galaxies featuring the prominent pair known as the "Eyes" galaxies. This area of sky in the constellation of Virgo is rich with galaxies of all shapes and sizes as the annotated images show and lie around 60 million light years away. Imaged with an ASI533MM Pro camera using a Sky-Watcher 80 Esprit triplet refractor. Integration and processing done in Pixinsight.

 The Leo Triplet of galaxies:

A 2.5hr LRGB/Ha integration of the Leo Triplet of galaxies (M65/M66 and NGC3628) lying some 35 million light years away . Imaged with an ASI533MM Pro camera using a Sky-Watcher 80 Esprit triplet refractor. Integration and processing done in Pixinsight.

Chris Bowden

posted by astroimager  # 2:29 PM 0 Comments

24 x 5 minute exposures of Thor's Helmet nebula, captured with AstroDMx Capture through a William Optics 81 mm ED APO refractor with an Altair Hypercam 533C 14 bit OSC CMOS camera with an Altair quadband filter. Stretched with unlinked channels and linked channels.

The data were debayered, calibrated, stacked and SpectroPhotometric Color Corrected and stars removed in PixInsight; post processed in the Gimp 2.10, Background extraction, initial denoising and stretching in GraXpert and SetiAstro's Cosmic Clarity for sharpening and final denoising.

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AstroDMx Capture capturing RAW data

Thor's Helmet

Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin

posted by astroimager  # 2:13 PM 0 Comments

29 x 5 minute exposures of the Seagull nebula, captured with AstroDMx Capture through a William Optics 81 mm ED APO refractor with an Altair Hypercam 533C 14 bit OSC CMOS camera with an Altair quadband filter. Stretched with unlinked channels and linked channels.

The data were debayered, calibrated, stacked and SpectroPhotometric Color Corrected and stars removed in PixInsight plus Hubble palette from OSC image; post processed in the Gimp 2.10, Background extraction, initial denoising and stretching in GraXpert and SetiAstro's Cosmic Clarity for sharpening and final denoising.

Click on an image to get a closer view

AstroDMx Capture capturing RAW data

The Seagull nebula

SHO rendering

Linked channels

Unlinked channels

Blend of linked and unlinked channels

Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin

posted by astroimager  # 6:23 PM 0 Comments

33 x 5 minute exposures of the Satellite cluster and the Rosette nebula, captured with AstroDMx Capture through a William Optics 81 mm ED APO refractor with an Altair Hypercam 533C 14 bit OSC CMOS camera with an Altair quadband filter. Stretched with unlinked channels, linked channels.

The data were debayered, calibrated, stacked and SpectroPhotometric Color Corrected and stars removed in PixInsight; post processed in the Gimp 2.10, Background extraction, initial denoising and stretching in GraXpert and SetiAstro's Cosmic Clarity for sharpening and final denoising.

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AstroDMx Capture capturing RAW data

Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin

posted by astroimager  # 5:56 PM 0 Comments

24 x 5 minute exposures of the Christmas tree cluster, Foxfur and Cone nebulae region captured with AstroDMx Capture through a William Optics 81 mm ED APO refractor with an Altair Hypercam 533C 14 bit OSC CMOS camera with an Altair quadband filter. Stretched with unlinked channels, linked channels.

The data were debayered, calibrated, stacked and SpectroPhotometric Color Corrected and stars removed in PixInsight; post processed in the Gimp 2.10, Background extraction, initial denoising and stretching in GraXpert and SetiAstro's Cosmic Clarity for sharpening and final denoising.

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AstroDMx Capture capturing the RAW data

Stretched with linked channels

posted by astroimager  # 5:19 PM 0 Comments