R.G.B. Season

     Sorry it's been a while since I've posted any images but I have plenty today.  I spent most of my time imaging the planets.  Capturing them in RGB  had a bit of a learning curve, in capturing techniques and processing.  Basically 3 times the work.  There are plenty of great tutorials on line to help as well as great free software.  I used many programs, Firecapture for Image capture and filter control, PIPP for image stabilization,  Autostakkert for Video stacking, RegiStax 6 for Wavelet sharpening, and Photoshop CC 2020 for final processing.  All images where captured using a ZWOASI290mmc camera on a Tele Vue NP101 telescope.  For the planets I used an Antaries 3x barlow.

 Mars

 

Jupiter

Saturn

Lunar

Ha Solar Lunt LS60THa

White Light Solar

Deep Sky

 

My New Toy

     Early this summer I was out imaging with my usual setup, Canon T3i on a Tele Vue NP101.  When my first image appeared on my monitor of M8, and M20 I was uninspired.  It was a great image of one of my favorite objects, but it looked the same as last year and the year before.  I gathered about 20 frames and the next day I processed them into a nice Image.  Over the past 7 years my imaging and processing skills have greatly improved to the point I can easily get good results.  Don't get me wrong there is always room for improvement, I just think I was getting board with wide field imaging.  I decided to change tactics and go after smaller objects like galaxies and planetary nebula.  Looking online I came across an interesting and discounted and discontinued camera.  This ZWO ASI290MM Cooled camera seem to fit the bill, a small monochrome CCD sensor with small pixels, and cooled. Once you decide to get a Monochrome camera your gonna need to spend more money on filters, and a filter wheel.  I chose the ZWO motorized 5 position filter wheel, and found used LRGB, and SHO filters on Canadian Astro Buy Sell. That saved me quite a bit.

ZWOASI290MM Cool

Front, showing the sensor

LRGB Filters

ZWO Filter Wheel with SHO Filters

All assembled and attached to the Scope

prove

     Since it is a monochrome camera, filters are required to produce a colour image.  A regular colour image uses LRGB filters. L= luminance, R=Red, G=Green, B=Blue.  To produce a colour image, multiple exposures threw each filter is required then combined in processing. These below images where produced using separate LRGB frames processed in Photoshop CC 2020. They are my first attempts and there is plenty of room for imment.  Better images to follow.

Galaxy NGC891

The Helix nevbula

     Using another set of filters, more dramatic results can be Produced.  SHO, also known as the Hubble Palate. SII=Sulphure, Ha=Hydrogen, and OIII=Oxygen.  Capturing the images is done using the same technique but, the final processing is a bit different.  You combine the colours differently. The SII becomes Red, Ha becomes Green, and the OIII becomes Blue.  These Images below are done in this method. Again they are a work in progress.

M16 The Eagle Nebula

The Bubble Nebula

      The image of the M1 (The Crab Nebula) was also processed using SHO frames. The images below show the 3 seperate SHO pictures converted to RGB images. Then the final image combined to Full SHO colour.

Red = SI

Green = Ha

Blue = OIII

The Crab Nebula in Full Colour.

     Some objects only mostly produce Ha, Deep Red so they look best as Black and White, otherwise known as Monochrome images.  Below are a few examples.

he HorseHead Nebula

From the 2020 RASC Calendar.  (Top) Elephant Trunk, (B Left) M16, (B Right) Bubble Nebula.

The Moon's Terminator

     The Moon's Terminator is the line between day and night.  In this region, because of the sharp shadows,  you can see clearly how deep, and how high the moons creators are.   

      This image was captured during the moons first quarter.  I used a Celestron Neximage5 camera mounted on a Tele Vue NP101.  The camera resolution was at 1920x1080 @ 1/240 sec. and I captured a 4000 frame uncompressed AVI of each half.  Each half was stacked separately using RegiStax 6.1. only 10% of the frames where used. After using wavelets to enhance detail, the 2 images where combined into a mosaic then processed into the final image using Photoshop.    

The end of 2018

     Well it"s hard to believe 2018 is coming to an end.  The past few months haven't been favorable for astrophotography at all.  Its been cloudy and rainy.  I missed all the fall targets I was hoping to capture. Maybe next year.   

     In October I did manage a pair of objects new to me, the Fireworks Galaxy along with an open cluster NGC6939.  I was quite happy with my results.  It was published in our clubs 2019 calendar. 

 This image was captured with my Tele Vue NP101 and a Ha modified Canon T3i.  The processing this time was done a bit different.  The 20 frames where converted from the CR2 RAW file to a TIFF using Canon's Digital Photo Pro 4 software. Than stacking the TIFF files using DSS (Deep Sky Stacker) Using DPP4 seems to reduce background noise in the image.  The stacked image was then processed in Photoshop CC.

     In early December we had a few clear nights where I was able to capture Comet 46P Wirtanen. It is a fast moving that passed close to earth in mid December with a brightness of magnitude peaking at +3.8.  

  With the Comet traveling at a fast speed, and direction compared to the stars, a faster shutter speed is required to keep both from streaking. This is a single 90 second exposure @ 3200iso. The Comet has a blue green colour from gasses and ice being expelled from its surface by the heat of the suns warm solar winds. Unfortunately they weren't strong enough  to create a visible tale. 

     With the Telescope tracking the Comet instead of the stars, I captured 3, 300sec. exposures.  Stacking the images the stars become streaks.  This makes it easy to see how fast the Comet 

moved in 15 min.  

     When the skies clear and the brightness of the moon fades, I hope to capture images of the Comet heading away from us.