Sunday, March 9, 2014

Here's my first effort using Lights, Darks, Flats, and Bias frames.   Taken on 2/24/2014.   Scope:  Tak 102 w/.8x Televue Reducer/Flattener.   Mount:  Orion Sirius.   Camera:  Modded Canon T3i.   Exposures: Best 37 out of 48 five minute exposures at 1600 ISO.   Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker.   Processed Photoshop CS5.   The TIF file produced by DSS was very red and I had to use Camera Raw in Photoshop via the Bridge.


There was something really goofy about the dark files.   There's an odd gradient in the left side of the image.   I was also surprised at the overall noise in the image.   There's also a fair bit of clipping around the edges of the galaxies.    I'll address the excess noise and clipping when I have some time.  

Oh yeah, the subject?   The Leo Trio.   Made up of M65 (upper center), M66 (right), and NGC 3628 (lower left).   



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2 comments:

  1. Charles Nathaniel ErwinMarch 9, 2014 at 3:15 AM

    The shot is pretty impressive; especially NGC 3628. I hope you are keeping a catalog of your shots. I'd be interested in seeing the progression from un-mod shot, through dark removal through PS. 4 hours of shooting. Manual trigger or set automatically to capture?

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  2. Literature and Movie BlogMarch 9, 2014 at 8:09 PM

    So, my next entry is dedicated as a partial answer to your question/request. As far as capturing images, I highly recommend a program called BackyardEOS. They should rename the program to: "Save your back and knees" BackyardEOS. Remember all that contorting to focus and see the image on the little LCD screen on the back of the camera? :)

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