Astronomy photographs

[Recty]

Well... I havent posted here in years.

I got out of photography for a while but recently jumped head first into astrophotograhy... it took a couple weeks after receiving my scope to get clean skies at night, but finally I did. These were my first attempts. I'm pretty pleased with them, all things considered. I definitely learned a lot and will be able to improve for next time. For instance, I dont believe dithering worked at all, so the background of my images were much noisier than I anticipated.

Now all I have to do is wait for the clouds to go away so I can try again...

Here is Andromeda Galaxy, Messier 31 -


This is the Triangulum Galaxy, Messier 33 -


This is Pleiades, Messier 45, also commonly known as Seven Sisters... There is some reflection nebula around the stars and also lots of interstellar dust, I have two images of it, one which doesnt try to negate the dust at all and one which does.





Anyway, just thought I'd share. Glad my account still existed

 

[Reef Bass]

Hey man! Good to hear from you! Glad you're still taking pics. Keep 'em coming.

 

[Bogue Chitto]

Nice pics.

 

[snorvich]

Well, I enjoyed your pictures. Can you elaborate on:

+what scope
+what camera
+what software for integration

Thanks and good job so far. Lucky you are not fighting light pollution where you are.

 

[Misled]

Great to see you!!! Really nice pics!!! And what Steve said.

 

[snorvich]

By the way, I am asking because we have an observatory (really) with two takahashi scopes (TOA 150 and TSA 120) on an astrophysics mount (1600). So far we are only doing visual astronomy but the bug may bite us.

 

[Recty]

Hey man! Good to hear from you! Glad you're still taking pics. Keep 'em coming.

I'm glad you havent changed your avatar since I left a year or two or whatever it was ago I recognized that before your user name clicked.

Nice pics.

Thank you.

Well, I enjoyed your pictures. Can you elaborate on:

+what scope
+what camera
+what software for integration

Thanks and good job so far. Lucky you are not fighting light pollution where you are.

I do have a small amount of light pollution, but nothing near what people in large cities do. Anchorage which I live right outside of is a town of almost exactly 300,000 people, so it isnt HUGE but they do put off a lot of light. Couple that with snow which reflects all the light back up really well and it can be pretty bright at night. Thankfully, in post processing there are some techniques to remove light pollution. I might end up going with narrowband filters if it gets too bad, I'd like to try that anyway.

And thanks

Great to see you!!! Really nice pics!!! And what Steve said.

Hi, I do remember you! You used to post lots of nice pictures, always enjoyed them. Birds, if I remember right?

Glad you liked my astrophotographs, I hope to be able to get more and they will be better this next attempt, I think I learned a lot my first time out. I'm actually pretty happy my photos even turned out as well as they did, if you read the astronomy forums, most people's first photographs are gray smudges with more smaller gray smudges surrounding the big gray smudge I started out well ahead of the curve though since I used to do so much photography, I didnt have to learn that aspect of it hardly at all.

By the way, I am asking because we have an observatory (really) with two takahashi scopes (TOA 150 and TSA 120) on an astrophysics mount (1600). So far we are only doing visual astronomy but the bug may bite us.

I actually saw your username on the astronomy forums I frequent, I figured it was the same snorvich as I used to see post here Glad that was confirmed.

So my setup is...

Telescope - Explore Scientific 102mm triplet, carbon fiber version.
Mount - Advanced VX from Celestron
Camera - Canon 70D, unmodified for now but eventually I'll get filters removed
Guide scope - Orion Magnificent Mini Autoguider. It's a 50mm guide scope.

I've got a finder scope and some very nice eyepieces. All things considered, I would have saved the $600 I spent on eyepieces and just bought one, I have only used eyepieces once, otherwise I just leave my camera attached. If I go through a long spell of nice clear nights, then I might want the eyepieces for just some casual observing but right now with clear skies being about 2-3 weeks apart, I only take pictures since I have very few hours available for photon capturing!

 

[andrewkw]

Recty great pics for a beginner it took me years to get to that level!

By the way, I am asking because we have an observatory (really) with two takahashi scopes (TOA 150 and TSA 120) on an astrophysics mount (1600). So far we are only doing visual astronomy but the bug may bite us.

I have an observatory as well. Although I don't get as much use out of it lately as besides terrible weather once they replaced the street lights around me with high intensity led's most remaining stars vanished from sight. If not for temp I could probably run my fuge on the spillage of the street lights.

Considering you have one of the best mounts designed for astrophography it would be a real shame if you never realized at least a fraction of your mounts potential.

Who knew reefers were into astronomy too? Astrophotography are reef keeping are my 2 favorite things. The problem is they somewhat cancel each other out. For now I live in the light polluted suburbs. Reef shops are plenty but dark skies are far. I am hoping later this year to move out to the country and dark skies are what is really attracting me (besides affordable housing).

I primarily do planetary imaging, but also do long exposure imaging. I just have a celestron CGE and an 11" scope for planetary and a few smaller ones for long exposure imaging..

The funny thing is I got into astronomy because one night at a reef shop someone had a scope out and I saw Jupiter and the great red spot and was completely hooked.

 

[DamonG]

Wow.. You all make my little moon pictures look like nothing.. And you'd be suprised what we reefers are into..

 

[snorvich]

Excellent planetary shots. When I equipped the observatory, it was with the idea of possible photography, but my wife (bless her heart) is so much into visual, I just have not had a chance to go in that direction. The mount is fabulous, no doubt about it.

We do not have street lights, fortunately.

 

[Recty]

Very nice. I have done no planetary imaging whatsoever and to be honest have no intention or interest in doing it. I do like looking at them, but what draws me is the deep space objects

Tonight is supposed to be relatively clear, I'm hoping to make my second night out be tonight!

My first night I split my pictures evenly between three subjects, all 10 shots each of 300 second exposures. Tonight, I want to just pick one target and get 30-40 shots of it, really get the signal to noise ratio down and try to come out of it with a great picture. Havent quite picked a target yet!