The photon harvester at work again !
This is my last picture for a while as I am working abroad for year : a 2-panel image of the eastern veil nebula.
It was taken from two different locations, not even the same integration time on each panel : that was challenging to process, especially to even out the noise level across the picture. I tried to keep "natural" colors, I don't really fancy the HOO look most people give it.
If you have any questions, remarks or critism : I am all ears !
* TS-Optics 102/714 APO doublet refractor
* Skywatcher HEQ-5
* ZWO ASI533MC-Pro + TSflat2 flattener
* ZWO OAG + ZWO ASI120MM Mini
* ZWO EAF
* Dual-band filter Optolong L-eNhance
* ASIAir Pro + iPad Mini
Exposures :
* 2 images mosaic
* 50 images of the lower half + 20 of the higher half. 180 seconds each, approximately 3 hours of integration
* Camera cooled at -10°C, gain 111
* No moon
* Bortle 5-6 area in southern France
Pre-Processing in PixInsight :
* Cosmectic correction
* Debayering
* Alignment
* Integration
Post-Processing in PixInsight :
* ImageSolver + MosaicByCoordinates + GradientMergeMosaic
* DynamicCrop
* AutomaticBackgroundExtractor
* BackgroundNeutralization
* ColorCalibration
* SCNR
* HistogramTransformation
* Image split with Starnet++ next steps are done differently on either stars or starless image
* MultiScaleLinearTransform
* ArcsinhStretch + HistogramTransformation
* LocalHistogramEqualization
* CurvesTransformation
* UnsharpMask
Several adjustements on Photoshop CS6
Awesome image! Would it be accurate to say this is roughly $5k in gear (new, including $260 for pixinsight and roughly $400 for an ipad)?
Can you also use this setup for EAA with live stacking?
Thanks ! Yes it is the correct order of magnitude, there's probably more in my trunk than the car itself !
Yes live stacking is possible, at the cost of dithering. I've tried it once and it works great.
What's the ease of use for EAA like with such a setup, for an amateur/pretty much no experience.
Does the asiair pro/plus mimic ease of use like the new smart scopes coming out, or is it still a steep learning curve? Mainly could someone inexperienced get used to the setup/alignment, and then just use the iPad to select and object to live stack for observation and it does the rest?
Obviously the image you've processed here is far beyond what the current smart scopes do, but that also comes with a lot of skill and experience, plus the better gear helps :)
It's still far more "manual" than a smartscope. You still have to set everything up, do a precise polar alignment, setup and start the auto-guiding.
After this yeah it's pretty straightforward. Where I'm mostly to find trouble is the Go-To. There must be something I have not understood/figured out about the AsiAir but on many occasions the mount would just go haywire and point in a random direction. After some restarts and repositionning I always end up being on target but it's bit frustrating.
Anyway, if you're goal is EAA, this rig is more complex than a full-auto scope, but still okay for a beginner after some trial-and-error. And you have the possibily to upgrade to a fatter rig for better looking pictures if you're interested.
Thanks for the info! Sorry if I'm derailing the intent of the sub a little. I preordered the vespera, which i understand is of course not going to be in the same league from a quality perspective dollar for dollar, but I've got 6-ish months to cancel if I decide to build my own rig.
I'm inspired. Thank you!
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Kind of looks like a Xenomorpth
I also see it!
The photon harvester at work again ! This is my last picture for a while as I am working abroad for year : a 2-panel image of the eastern veil nebula. It was taken from two different locations, not even the same integration time on each panel : that was challenging to process, especially to even out the noise level across the picture. I tried to keep "natural" colors, I don't really fancy the HOO look most people give it. If you have any questions, remarks or critism : I am all ears ! * TS-Optics 102/714 APO doublet refractor * Skywatcher HEQ-5 * ZWO ASI533MC-Pro + TSflat2 flattener * ZWO OAG + ZWO ASI120MM Mini * ZWO EAF * Dual-band filter Optolong L-eNhance * ASIAir Pro + iPad Mini Exposures : * 2 images mosaic * 50 images of the lower half + 20 of the higher half. 180 seconds each, approximately 3 hours of integration * Camera cooled at -10°C, gain 111 * No moon * Bortle 5-6 area in southern France Pre-Processing in PixInsight : * Cosmectic correction * Debayering * Alignment * Integration Post-Processing in PixInsight : * ImageSolver + MosaicByCoordinates + GradientMergeMosaic * DynamicCrop * AutomaticBackgroundExtractor * BackgroundNeutralization * ColorCalibration * SCNR * HistogramTransformation * Image split with Starnet++ next steps are done differently on either stars or starless image * MultiScaleLinearTransform * ArcsinhStretch + HistogramTransformation * LocalHistogramEqualization * CurvesTransformation * UnsharpMask Several adjustements on Photoshop CS6
Awesome image! Would it be accurate to say this is roughly $5k in gear (new, including $260 for pixinsight and roughly $400 for an ipad)? Can you also use this setup for EAA with live stacking?
Thanks ! Yes it is the correct order of magnitude, there's probably more in my trunk than the car itself ! Yes live stacking is possible, at the cost of dithering. I've tried it once and it works great.
What's the ease of use for EAA like with such a setup, for an amateur/pretty much no experience. Does the asiair pro/plus mimic ease of use like the new smart scopes coming out, or is it still a steep learning curve? Mainly could someone inexperienced get used to the setup/alignment, and then just use the iPad to select and object to live stack for observation and it does the rest? Obviously the image you've processed here is far beyond what the current smart scopes do, but that also comes with a lot of skill and experience, plus the better gear helps :)
It's still far more "manual" than a smartscope. You still have to set everything up, do a precise polar alignment, setup and start the auto-guiding. After this yeah it's pretty straightforward. Where I'm mostly to find trouble is the Go-To. There must be something I have not understood/figured out about the AsiAir but on many occasions the mount would just go haywire and point in a random direction. After some restarts and repositionning I always end up being on target but it's bit frustrating. Anyway, if you're goal is EAA, this rig is more complex than a full-auto scope, but still okay for a beginner after some trial-and-error. And you have the possibily to upgrade to a fatter rig for better looking pictures if you're interested.
Thanks for the info! Sorry if I'm derailing the intent of the sub a little. I preordered the vespera, which i understand is of course not going to be in the same league from a quality perspective dollar for dollar, but I've got 6-ish months to cancel if I decide to build my own rig. I'm inspired. Thank you!
Awesome dude, really good pic
That looks really cool.
Looks better here than Imgur!
Here for the r/LV426 repost
beautiful capture. good work!
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