Location: Victoria, BC, Canada

I have photographed the Orion Nebula several times in the past, but this is my first attempt using my modified Canon XTi dSLR. The difference is astounding, which I suppose should be expected, given the Orion Nebula is the brightest emission nebula in the northern sky.

There is still some noise in this resultant image, mainly caused by my imaging session being cut short by cloud cover. In particular, the Trapezium in M42 is blown out, since I didn't have time to take images properly exposed for this bright part of the object. This is my best image of the Orion Nebula region to date.

Location: Observatory Hill, Lat: N48-31 Long: W123-25 Elev: 78m

Producing a good image of this bright cluster & nebula has proven elusive for me.  Over the last several years I have devoted numerous photo sessions to this cluster only to be disappointed with the results once I returned home and processed the images.  This time was different.  I’m very happy with the resulting nebulosity, detail, and composition.

Image Processing: ImagesPlus 3 Beta 9: 60 raw images converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark, flat & bias frames. Aligned using correlate, translate & rotate, stacked using Sigma Average, aggressive Digital Development (BP 350), converted to 48 bit TIFF. Neat Image: default noise reduction applied. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, cropped, moderate increase to saturation, subtle midtone stretch, and saved as 24 bit jpg.

Location: Observatory Hill, Lat: N48-31 Long: W123-25 Elev: 78m

This is my best image of the Ring Nebula to date.  Shooting at ISO3200 with the new Canon 30D I'm also improving my image rejection rate, since with this run I accepted 21/50 images. This is probably due to only exposing for 30 seconds, but perhaps the LX200R tracking is also improving as the drives wear in a bit.  I'm still not using PEC, although the scope is capable of it.

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: 21 raw images converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark, flat & bias frames. Aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Adaptive Addition 2.8, moderate Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF.  Corel PhotoPaint: 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, cropped, and saved as 24 bit jpg.

2006.07.26 1135pm PDT
Location: Cattle Point, Lat: N48-26-19 Long: W123-17-36 Elev: 7m

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: 6/33 images (July 26th) and 11/41 images (Aug 31) raw format converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark, flat & bias frames. Aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Adaptive Addition, moderate Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF. Neat Image: default noise reduction  Corel PhotoPaint: 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, cropped, and saved as 24 bit jpg.

Location: Observatory Hill, Lat: N48-31 Long: W123-25 Elev: 78m

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: 25 raw format images converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark frame & flat frame. Aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Adaptive Addition 2.8, moderate Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, cropped, and saved as 24 bit jpg.

Location: Cattle Point, Lat: N48-26-19 Long: W123-17-36 Elev: 7m

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: the original 18 raw format images converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark frame & flat frame, and graded - all 18 passed. Aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Adaptive Addition, moderate Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF. Neat Image defaults used. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, midtone stretch, resized and saved as 24 bit RGB jpg.

This image of NGC6960, the Western Veil Nebula (aka the Witch's Broom Nebula) is also taken from Cattle Point last night . This is my first image of the Veil Nebula, since previous telescope platforms did not permit me to expose for long enough to see such a faint image. Now with the combination of the Canon 30D operating at ISO 3200 and the LX-200R autoguiding, it is possible to gather significantly more photons.

As you will see, this image passes the limits of the Alt-Az mount, since obvious field rotation is visible due to the 2 minute exposure times. Nonetheless, the image represents a good start to photographing more faint objects. I could mount the LX-200R on my wedge, and eliminate the field rotation problem...something to work on in the future!

1200x565 image (130k jpg)

1600x753 image (199k jpg)

Location: Cattle Point, Lat: N48-26-19 Long: W123-17-36 Elev: 7m

The attached image is a stack of 30 images exposed for 2 minutes at ISO 3200, taken over two nights. This is the deepest image of Andromeda I've managed to acquire to date, mainly due to using guiding (for the first time).

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: the original 34 raw format images converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark frame & flat frame, and graded - 30 passed. Aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Averaging, moderate Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF. Neat Image defaults used. Corel PhotoPaint: colour temperature warmed by 2,000°K, 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, and saved as 24 bit jpg.

Location: Cattle Point, Lat: N48-26-19 Long: W123-17-36 Elev: 7m

This photo of Dumbell Nebula is a stack of only 6 images out of 30, however increasing my exposure time from 45 seconds to 60 seconds and increasing ISO from 1600 to 3200 gave me a bit more signal to work with than my previous photo despite only using 6 images.

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: 33 raw format images converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark frame & flat frame, and graded - 6 passed. Aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Adaptive Addition 2.5, moderate Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, cropped, and saved as 24 bit jpg.

Location: Observatory Hill, Lat: N48-31 Long: W123-25 Elev: 78m

This is the deepest image of Andromeda I've managed to acquire to date. The dark lanes are easily visible

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: the original 30 raw format images converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark frame & flat frame, and graded - 20 passed. Aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Adaptive Addition 2.5, moderate Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, and saved as 24 bit jpg.

This is a new and interesting object for me. In addition to the large galaxy NGC7331 which dominates this image, several satellite galaxies are also visible: NGC7335, NGC7336, NGC7337 and NGC7340. There was not much to see visually, but this group photographs quite well.
 

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: the original 50 raw format images converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark frame & flat frame, and graded - 29 passed. Aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Adaptive Addition 2.5, moderate Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, and saved as 24 bit jpg.

Location: Observatory Hill, Lat: N48-31 Long: W123-25 Elev: 78m

I'm very pleased with this image, my first try at imaging this object.  There is a signifcant amount of detail, colour and dark lanes visible in this irregular galaxy.

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: the original 44 raw format images converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark frame & flat frame, and graded - 37 passed. Aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Adaptive Addition 3.5, aggressive Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, cropped and saved as 24 bit jpg.

Location: Observatory Hill, Lat: N48-31 Long: W123-25 Elev: 78m

I'm not quite as pleased with this image as the M82 image above, but it is still a good first effort. This pair of galaxies occupy the same part of the sky, and as can been seen in the photo below, a widefield image of the two results in a beautiful and interesting perspective on this area of the night sky.

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: the original 45 raw format images converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark frame & flat frame, and graded - 37 passed. Aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Adaptive Addition 3.5, very aggressive Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, cropped and saved as 24 bit jpg.

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: the original 30 raw format images converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark frame & flat frame, and graded - 17 passed. Aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Adaptive Addition 2.5, moderate Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, and saved as 24 bit jpg.

Location: Cattle Point, Lat: N48-26-19 Long: W123-17-36 Elev: 7m

This beautiful widefield image covers a 6° field of view, with M81 and M82 framed by the stars in the surrounding sky. I piggybacked my Canon 30D with 400mm telephoto lens on my LX-90 telescope and used the scope's tracking.

Location: Cattle Point, Lat: N48-26-19 Long: W123-17-36 Elev: 7m

This is my second experiment with shooting at ISO 3200 for this image, and again, after my first attempt with the Trifid Nebula, it appears that image noise is not noticable, despite pushing the 30D' sensor to its limit.

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: 27 of the original 30 raw format images converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark frame & flat frame, graded, aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Adaptive Addition 3.0, aggressive Digital Development, midtone red emphasized (1.3 vs 0.8 for the other colours), converted to 48 bit TIFF.
Corel PhotoPaint: 48 bit to 24 bit RGB conversion, moderate saturation, mid-tone enhancement, and saved as 24 bit jpg.

Location: Cattle Point, Lat: N48-26-19 Long: W123-17-36 Elev: 7m

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: 7 raw format images converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark frame & flat frame, aligned using shift, rotate & scale, stacked using Adaptive Addition 2.5, moderate Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF.
Corel PhotoPaint: 48 bit to 24 bit RGB conversion, size reduced by 50% and saved as 24 bit jpg.

Location: Cattle Point, Lat: N48-26-19 Long: W123-17-36 Elev: 7m

I experimented with shooting at ISO 3200 for this image, and I'm quite pleased with the result. After applying dark & flat frames, the image noise was not noticable, despite pushing the 30D' sensor to its limit.

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: the original 30 raw format images  converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark frame & flat frame, graded, aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Adaptive Addition 2.5, aggressive Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF. NeatImage used to reduce noise (defaults). Corel PhotoPaint: 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, moderate saturation, contrast, mid-tone enhancement, and saved as 24 bit jpg.

Location: Cattle Point, Lat: N48-26-19 Long: W123-17-36 Elev: 7m

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: 10 of the original 30 raw format images  converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark, flat & bias frames, aligned using shift/rotate/scale, stacked using Adaptive Addition 2.7, aggressive Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF. NeatImage used to reduce noise (defaults). Corel PhotoPaint: 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, moderate saturation, mid-tone enhancement, and saved as 24 bit jpg.

Location: Observatory Hill, Lat: N48-31 Long: W123-25 Elev: 78m

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: 14 of the original 30 raw format images  converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark frame, graded, aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Adaptive Addition 2.5, aggressive Digital Development, converted to 48 bit TIFF. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 to 24 bit TIFF conversion, moderate saturation, contrast, mid-tone enhancement, and saved as 24 bit jpg.

Location: Cattle Point, Lat: N48-26-19 Long: W123-17-36 Elev: 7m

The last time I imaged this nebula was in 2004 (see below), and at the time I thought mounting the LX-90 on a wedge and lengthening exposures would yield better results.  I have since learned that more shorter exposures using a higher ISO is preferable.  Moving from the Canon 300D to the 30D dSLR has allowed me to increase the ISO and with the help of dark frames, actually achieve lower noise and gather more photons for a much-improved image this time.

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: the original 30 jpg format images  converted to lossless FITS format,  calibrated using dark frames, graded, aligned using shift & rotate, stacked using Adaptive Addition 2.4, moderate Digital Development, star size reduced by 0.9, 2x2 bin image size reduction, converted to 8 bit TIFF. Corel PhotoPaint: 8 bit TIFF annotated and saved as jpg.

Location: Observatory Hill, Lat: N48-31 Long: W123-25 Elev: 78m

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: the best original 5 Canon raw format images selected and converted to 48 bit TIFF image,  shifted, stacked & rotated using Adaptive Addition, aggressive Digital Development. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 bit resulting image converted to 24 bit image; resized & cropped original 3072x2048 image to 1375x826 image size.

Location: Cattle Point Lat: N 48-26 Long: W123-18 Elev: 7m

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: the best original 16 Canon raw format images selected and converted to 48 bit TIFF image,  shifted & stacked using Median Combine, moderate Digital Development. Neat Image: moderate reduction of noise. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 bit image converted to 24 bit image; resized & cropped to 1200x775 image size.

Location: Astronomy Cafe, Bruno Quennville's place. Lat: N 48-29 Long: W123-18 Elev: 37m

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: the best original 7 Canon raw format images selected and converted to 48 bit TIFF image,  shifted & stacked using Adaptive Addition (4 lighter), aggressive Digital Development. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 bit image converted to 24 bit image; 3072x2048 image size cropped to 770x625.

Location: Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Victoria, BC Lat: N 48-31 Long: W123-25 Elev: 78m

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: original 8 Canon raw format images converted to 48 bit TIFF image,  shifted, rotated & scaled, stacked using Adaptive Addition (4 lighter), aggressive Digital Development. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 bit image converted to 24 bit image; 3072x2048 image size cropped to 772x625. NeatImage: moderate noise reduction applied.

Location: Victoria Fish & Game, Malahat, BC Lat: N 48-31 Long: W123-34 Elev: 345m

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: original 8 Canon raw format images converted to 48 bit TIFF image,  shifted, rotated & scaled, stacked using Adaptive Addition (4 lighter), aggressive Digital Development. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 bit image converted to 24 bit image; 3072x2048 image size cropped to 800x556. NeatImage: moderate noise reduction applied.

Location: Victoria Fish & Game, Malahat, BC Lat: N 48-31 Long: W123-34 Elev: 345m

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: original 7 Canon raw format images converted to 48 bit TIFF image,  shifted, rotated & scaled, stacked using Adaptive Addition (4 lighter), aggressive Digital Development. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 bit image converted to 24 bit image; 3072x2048 image size cropped to 750x713. NeatImage: moderate noise reduction applied.

Location: Victoria Fish & Game, Malahat, BC Lat: N 48-31 Long: W123-34 Elev: 345m

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: original 8 Canon raw format images converted to 48 bit TIFF image,  shifted, rotated & scaled, stacked using Adaptive Addition (4 lighter), aggressive Digital Development. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 bit image converted to 24 bit image; 3072x2048 image size cropped to 762x600. NeatImage: moderate noise reduction applied.

Location: Astronomy Cafe, Bruno Quennville's place. Lat: N 48-29 Long: W123-18 Elev: 37m

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: original  11 Canon raw format images converted to 48 bit TIFF image,  shifted & rotated, 11 images stacked using Adaptive Addition (lighter), moderate Digital Development, contrast stretch, and 10 iterations of Richardson Lucy. Corel PhotoPaint: 48 bit image converted to 24 bit image; 3072x2048 image size cropped to 1693x1305 image size cropped to 736x593 for website display.

M13 would show more stars clustered if longer exposures and polar alignment were used, however this is my best image of M13 to date.

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: original  12 Canon raw format images converted to 24 bit TIFF image,  3072x2048 image size cropped to 1693x1305, shifted, rotated, scaled, 12 images stacked using Adaptive Addition moderate Digital Development & contrast stretch. Corel PhotoPaint: 1693x1305 image size cropped to 800x587 for website display.

Location:
The countryside near Warkworth, New Zealand.
Lat: 36° 24' S
Long: 174° 40' E

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: original  Canon raw format converted to 24 bit TIFF image,  moderate Digital Development. Corel PhotoPaint: Two images rotated and mosaicked together, 4208x3086 image size reduced to 800x587, contrast stretch to enhance nebulosity and darken background, saturation increased to emphasize the colours.

This is a single image. Normally a series of images would be taken and digitally stacked, but cloud cover interrupted my work.

Image Processing: ImagesPlus: original 3072x2048 image 3x3 binned to 1024x682 size,  moderate Digital Development. Corel PhotoPaint: image cropped to 936x681, levels adjusted to enhance nebulosity around the stars.

This was the first time I used my new Stiletto Focuser. This Ronchi screen focuser ensures a sharp focus is achieved when using SLR or CCD cameras. I think this photo is the sharpest starfield I have imaged to date.

Image Processing:
Corel PhotoPaint: original 3072x2048 image cropped & reduced to 800x533 size,  levels adjusted to enhance nebulosity around the stars.

My first try at using ImagesPlus - using dark frames to calibrate the images, and stacking images to improve the signal to noise ratio.  This image shows an obvious improvement over my previous M42 images (below).  There is some obvious structure in the Trapezium's nebulosity.

Image Processing: 11x30 sec, avg dark frame calibration stacked (adaptive add), originals 2272x1704 jpg

Both clusters are in the field of view this time, and my focus skills are improving!

Image Processing: retouched, cropped image of original 2272x1704 jpg

Image Processing: retouched, cropped image of original 2272x1704 jpg

Location: Sandy Barta's place, Astronomy Cafe

Image Processing: retouched, cropped image of original 2272x1704 jpg

Location: Sandy Barta's place, Astronomy Cafe

Image Processing: retouched, cropped image of original 2272x1704 jpg

Location: Summit, Victoria

Image Processing: un-retouched, cropped image of original 2272x1704 jpg. Resized for web page display.

Location: Summit, Victoria

Image Processing: un-retouched, cropped image of original 2272x1704 jpg. Resized for web page display.

Image Processing: un-retouched, cropped image of original 2272x1704 jpg. Resized for web page display.

Image Processing: un-retouched, cropped image of original 2272x1704 jpg. Resized for web page display.