I was looking at some unprocessed data recently (Oct 5, 2014) and found this set of 40 sub-images taken at ISO 6400. It was a batch of 60 second subs, so only 40 minutes worth of integration. It came out surprisingly well for just 40 minutes. I’ll have to try some more with that setting and see if I can get some dimmer nebulae.
This was just me playing around with something while waiting for Comet ISON to rise high enough to begin imaging. It is only 24 minutes of integration and it really needs ten times that much. Another project for another day, I guess. Or, I’ll just keep plugging away at it before shooting the comets and I might get enough data to make this project worth my time.
This is a busy area in the Auriga constellation. M38 is an open cluster at the top of the frame. Beneath that is NGC 1907, another open cluster. To the right side is a faint nebula listed as LBN794 in Cartes du Ciel. At the bottom of the frame another patch of nebula known as IC 417/LBN804.
Edit: I managed to add 40×30 sec @ ISO 6400 sub-images to this and the above image has been updated. Below is the original details and image:
Here’s the obligatory M45 image for the month of October, 2013. I shot this while waiting for other objects to get into position.
Here is the October 2013 version of this photogenic area of the sky. I used a high ISO and lots of sub-images. Noise was low, which was good. Color was more difficult to deal with than a lower ISO stack normally is.
This was taken with my TV 85 and a modified Canon T3. It is only 26×180 sec sub-images @ ISO 1600. I was just testing the scope, mount and computer to make sure it all still worked, since the last time I used it was last April.
I shot some sub-images with my modified Canon T3 of the Running Man the other night and added that to the Orion Nebula test image I took recently and made a composite mosaic image of the two. I also shot some short subs (9) of the Orion Nebula core and made a HDR image from them and then composited that in to replace the burnt out core that I had previously.
So, the breakdown is 36×180 sec @ ISO 3200 for the bottom half, 30×180 sec @ ISO 400 for the Running Man and 9 sub-images from 5 to 30 seconds @ ISO 1600 merged into a HDR image in IRIS and then divided into 3 layers of various opacity settings and masking to blend in for the core area.
The ISO 3200 images had 2 LP filters – a Deep Sky filter and an IDAS-LPS. The ISO 400 images and the core images were only shot with an IDAS-LPS. A GSO 8″ F/4 Newtonian with a GSO 2″ Coma Corrector was the imaging scope.
This is a supernova remnant in Cygnus. I took this with a GSO 8″ Newtonian that I was testing. I used ISO 3200 Speed on a Canon T3 DSLR camera that has been modified for astrophotography.
I was testing the usability of an 8″ F/4 Newtonian with a 3-vane spider. There’s some issues with it, but it takes reasonably good images.
The Seagull Nebula done as a mosaic of 2 separate panes and combined together. My trusty Televue TV-85 refractor was used for this one.