Orion Nebula pics. First attempt.

ftumch

I bloody love this, would love to get into this in a big way but cost and knowhow say no.

fastonebaz

The shots are amazing. But it just makes my brain ache thinking how tiny they look yet how massive they really are and how many stars there are and how big the universe is.  My head hurts! 

chotu495

Great pics 

breakstuff

Thanks guys. Much appreciated.

ThePrettyDamned

@breakstuff nice one, that's pretty impressive! 

breakstuff

ThePrettyDamned said:

@breakstuff nice one, that's pretty impressive! 

Thank you.

Majorscale

While 99% of the tech talk in this thread makes absolutely no sense to me, I truly love the photos. 

Chuffola

Me too. I've always loved Astronomy and would love to get into Astrophotography but the light pollution around me makes it fairly pointless - and I don't have the gear.

Those pics are fantastic and would love to see more as you get them - keep posting in this thread!

Cheers

Dodge

I'm very much an amateur astrophotographer - here's my attempt at M31 from last year.  I needed more data really, I pushed it too much, hence the noise.

Chuffola

Stunning 

breakstuff

That's stunning @Dodge. Can't wait to get M31 come round so I can have a go. I've got a real problem keeping the noise under wraps too. The post processing is definitely an art form in itself. In some respects collecting the data is the easy part.

Dodge

breakstuff said:

That's stunning @Dodge. Can't wait to get M31 come round so I can have a go. I've got a real problem keeping the noise under wraps too. The post processing is definitely an art form in itself. In some respects collecting the data is the easy part.

Thanks.

Agreed regarding the ptocessing being an art form.  I had three attempts at processing that, and they were all vastly different even using the same process.  Definitely more practise required on that front!

I do find it a bit of a faff getting set up though - my mount is an AZEQ6 which is heavy, plus a couple of scopes (100ED and a TS65Q). guided by a QHY5II  I've recently ditched my mono Atik 383L with filters for a OSC ZWO 533MC which I'm much happier with.  Less time getting set up, more time actually collecting data.

breakstuff

That's some serious kit @Dodge. What I like about mine is it's pretty much grab and go (so long as everything works ok). The downside is that with it being an Az mount I'm pretty much limited to thirty second exposures. At some point I might look at going over to the dark side and going EQ with an HEQ5. It's a big financial outlay though.

Dodge

breakstuff said:

That's some serious kit @Dodge. What I like about mine is it's pretty much grab and go (so long as everything works ok). The downside is that with it being an Az mount I'm pretty much limited to thirty second exposures. At some point I might look at going over to the dark side and going EQ with an HEQ5. It's a big financial outlay though.

All the gear, no idea!  :-)

It's all been second hand bar the cameras and the TS65Q - I've got a lot more cash tied up in guitars and amps.  EQ moutns are a hame changer for obvious reasons, but then you'll need to think about guiding etc.

I often think about buying a Star Adventurer and using my DSLR for something more portable - but it'll get used just as infrequently I think.

Axe_meister

breakstuff said:

That's some serious kit @Dodge. What I like about mine is it's pretty much grab and go (so long as everything works ok). The downside is that with it being an Az mount I'm pretty much limited to thirty second exposures. At some point I might look at going over to the dark side and going EQ with an HEQ5. It's a big financial outlay though.

Have you researched getting an EQ wedge for the AZ mount?

breakstuff

Axe_meister said:

breakstuff said:

That's some serious kit @Dodge. What I like about mine is it's pretty much grab and go (so long as everything works ok). The downside is that with it being an Az mount I'm pretty much limited to thirty second exposures. At some point I might look at going over to the dark side and going EQ with an HEQ5. It's a big financial outlay though.

Have you researched getting an EQ wedge for the AZ mount?

I had thought about it @Axe_meister but I'd rather get something a bit more future proof in case I decide to get a bigger scope. I'll be looking at an 80mm rather than my current 72, and the weight of the former is considerably more, way too much for the AzGti I've got now.

Axe_meister

breakstuff said:

Axe_meister said:

breakstuff said:

That's some serious kit @Dodge. What I like about mine is it's pretty much grab and go (so long as everything works ok). The downside is that with it being an Az mount I'm pretty much limited to thirty second exposures. At some point I might look at going over to the dark side and going EQ with an HEQ5. It's a big financial outlay though.

Have you researched getting an EQ wedge for the AZ mount?

I had thought about it @Axe_meister but I'd rather get something a bit more future proof in case I decide to get a bigger scope. I'll be looking at an 80mm rather than my current 72, and the weight of the former is considerably more, way too much for the AzGti I've got now.

Ahh. I'm actually considering the Az-Gti. I'm looking for an ultra portable setup I can lug up to the top of a Dartmoor Tor with a tent and a bottle of wine. Currently considering the William Optics Red Cat as a scope. Currently pondering if I should get a second hand Canon 5d mk II and have it Modded or get my current 50D modded can get a modern new low end Canon for my snaps/general photography

breakstuff

Axe_meister said:

breakstuff said:

Axe_meister said:

breakstuff said:

That's some serious kit @Dodge. What I like about mine is it's pretty much grab and go (so long as everything works ok). The downside is that with it being an Az mount I'm pretty much limited to thirty second exposures. At some point I might look at going over to the dark side and going EQ with an HEQ5. It's a big financial outlay though.

Have you researched getting an EQ wedge for the AZ mount?

I had thought about it @Axe_meister but I'd rather get something a bit more future proof in case I decide to get a bigger scope. I'll be looking at an 80mm rather than my current 72, and the weight of the former is considerably more, way too much for the AzGti I've got now.

Ahh. I'm actually considering the Az-Gti. I'm looking for an ultra portable setup I can lug up to the top of a Dartmoor Tor with a tent and a bottle of wine. Currently considering the William Optics Red Cat as a scope. Currently pondering if I should get a second hand Canon 5d mk II and have it Modded or get my current 50D modded can get a modern new low end Canon for my snaps/general photography

I'm currently using a second hand unmodded Canon 450dD, actually bought from someone on this very forum. It's all I need for now, though I have thought about upgrading to a newer model just to get a flip screen which would help with the unusual shapes you find yourself in whilst trying to look at the screen. It doesn't do my dodgy back and neck a whole lot of good.

The Redcat is highly regarded I think.

Axe_meister

The minefield which most websites don't really summarize are the all the different adapters that are potentially needed for a given Scope, e.g. Field Flatteners, Barlow lens adapters, Filter holders, etc, etc.
I've yet to find a guide that demystifies that side of things, they always focus on the sexy things like scopes, Mounts and guiding

Axe_meister

Just a thought. When all this Covid shit is behind us a campfire/drink/acoustic guitar/astrophotography gettogether could be cool as it will not require much organization, just. Park here, Walk here have a beer