Charlie Hein
Postmaster
Reged: 11/02/03
Posts: 6579
Loc: 26.06.08N, +80.23.08W
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Welcome to the September 2007 Cloudy Nights Imaging/Sketching Contest poll!
Each month the best images selected from the individual Cloudy Nights Imaging and Sketching forums will be presented for the userbase to vote on. The monthly winner receives the coveted Cloudy Nights t-shirt! At the conclusion of the poll, the entry with the highest total will be the winner of the contest..
Please choose your favorite out of all the images. This poll will remain open through October 15th at midnight EST.
Here are the entries for September!
Beginning Imaging's Finalist - Zyxlor:
Detail in IC 1805.
Taken with Tak TSA102 and SBIG ST-10. Guided with Celestron ED80 and DSI Pro II.
9, 10 minute subs through an Ha filter aquired with MaximDL.
Color added to monochrome in PSCS3 then monochrome added back in as luminence.
Film Astrophotography's Finalist - AstroBobo:
Pleiades and California Nebula - medium format Pentax 6x7, 150mm Pentax Takumar lens @ f/5.6, 20 minutes on Kodak E200. Taken from Petrova Gora, Croatia - the mist came at the end of the exposure and produced nice halos around brighter stars.
DSLR & Digital Camera Astro Imaging & Processing's Finalist - Mike B.:
Click the image for a 2307x1438 enlargement (647K) or click here to see the mosaic at full size (4614x2875, 2119KB.)
Andromeda Galaxy 3-Panel Mosaic
Name: Mike Broussard
Location: Maurice, LA
Dates: Sept 11th, 15th & 22nd, 2007
Telescope: Meade 8" f/4 Schmidt-Newtonian w/MPCC
Camera: Hutech Modified Canon 350XT w/IDAS-LPS Front Filter
Mount: Atlas EQ-G w/EQMOD and EQMOSAIC
Guiding: 102mm F/5 Achro, 2x Barlow, DSI Pro, PHD Guiding
Exposure: 42x180 sec core, 54x180 sec left side, 37x180 sec right side @ ISO 1600
Processing: IRIS, Registar, PS, Gradient XTerminator, Neat Image & Noel Carboni's Astronomy Tools
CCD Imaging & Processing's Finalist - EricCCD:
IC 1396:
Takahashi FSQ-106 @ f/5
Takahashi EM200 Temma 2 Mount
SBIG STL 6303 Class 1 camera
Astrodon Narrow-band Filters
Software:
Maxim DL
CCD Autopilot
Photoshop CS
SII: 10 hours (20 x 30)
H-alpha: 7 hours (14 x 30)
OIII: 9.5 hours (19 x 30)
Solar System Imaging's Finalist - rumples riot:
Jupiter,
taken from Blackwood, South Australia,
Scope: Peltier cooled C14
Mount: CGE
Camera: Skynyx 2-0
Barlow: TV 2x barlow.
Astronmiks RGB filters
3 September 2007 at 1005UT
35 seconds per channel
500 odd frames per channel in final stack.
Sketching Forum's Finalist - Myles:
Pencil on sketch paper at the eyepiece, pastel on black sketch paper indoors, Adobe Photo Elements 5 for the digital mod.
Good Luck to all our finalists!
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Beginning Imaging's Finalist - Zyxlor:
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Film Astrophotography's Finalist - AstroBobo:
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DSLR & Digital Camera Astro Imaging & Processing's Finalist - Mike B.:
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CCD Imaging & Processing's Finalist - EricCCD:
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Solar System Imaging's Finalist - rumples riot:
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Sketching Forum's Finalist - Myles:
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Weston CSC:
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Ben Ritchie
Lost in Space
Reged: 01/31/05
Posts: 4339
Loc: Bosham, UK
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Fantastic selection as usual, very hard to pick one to vote for.
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Astro-Physics 130EDT StarFire, 80ED (x2), 305mm f/5 dob, VLT
Astro-Physics 1200GTO, evolved HEQ5/pro
Coronado SM60/BF10, 3-6 Nagler zoom, 8 & 13 Ethos, 28UWAN
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Starman1
Vendor - Scope City
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 10960
Loc: Los Angeles
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Zyxlor's image is from a beginner?  Mama mia!
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Don Pensack
12.5" Truss Dob, 5" Maksutov
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member, TeleVue junkie
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Dick Lipke
super member
Reged: 02/20/07
Posts: 115
Loc: Marine City,Mich.
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The number one should not be allowed these contestes.Since chooseing only one winner is mathematically impossible.
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LX90 8",Cornado Max 40,Miyauchi 20x100 Bino's,and way to many eyepieces and filters,
Thousand Oaks 8" Ha filter
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Mike B
Starstruck
Reged: 04/06/05
Posts: 4460
Loc: shake, rattle, & roll, CA
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This poll's "choosing" thing is ALWAYS a difficult task... this time around its gone from nearly ridiculous to entirely "sublime"! Just some incredible results!
Bravo to all 
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Just for giggles- Next time when the money comes out the ATM, scream "I Won!, I Won!"
* * 15" F4.55 Starsplitter Dob * *
 Pacheco State Park
 Fremont Peak
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Monte Stark
super member
Reged: 10/14/06
Posts: 165
Loc: Brenda, AZ
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I voted. But that does not mean that I really think any one of them is "better" than the other. I just picked the one that I feel might do the best job of holding someone's attention that is not yet into the hobby. GREAT job by all!
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Monte Stark
Caldwell, ID
8" LX90 LNT, LPI, DSI Pro, OM-1
Boise, ID
Brenda, AZ
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Leigh
member
Reged: 10/01/07
Posts: 49
Loc: Cranleigh, UK
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These are just incredible.. stunning images..
Cudos!
Leigh
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Meade LX90GPS 8"
DSI II Pro
DIY 12" Truss Dob (In the planning stage)
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Daniel8802
sage
Reged: 04/11/07
Posts: 293
Loc: Sewell, NJ, USA
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Great job to everyone that has submitted an image!! They are fantastic! 
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- Orion SkyQuest XT8
- Rigel Astronomy (Updated: 6/25/08)
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guydickinson
journeyman
Reged: 02/17/06
Posts: 5
Loc: Dorset. UK.
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All fantastic - impossible choice again!.
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aarons
member
Reged: 08/30/07
Posts: 51
Loc: Wet Coast, Canada
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All excellent - I wonder how many hours of effort are represented by these six? Bravo to all.
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8" f6 Skywatcher Dob
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Chris A
member
Reged: 02/03/07
Posts: 11
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All are excellent images and the dedication is outstanding. Great work to all of you!
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Sam Sayers
member
Reged: 05/28/07
Posts: 21
Loc: Just beyond Saturn
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Every one of those photos is unbelievable. They are the best finialists I've seen. Congrats to each of you.
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Sam
"Midnight", my Celestron CPC-800 with piggybacked Celestron 80ED
Celestron NexImage
Oberwerk 20x80mm Deluxe II binocular
Celestron OptiView 10x50mm LPR binocular
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David W
super member
Reged: 06/13/07
Posts: 108
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I agree with Sam. These are some of the best finalists I've seen since joining CN. Amazing, truly amazing. They are inspiration and an aspiration for those of us, like myself, who hope to delve into astrophotography one day.
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Barska 30x80 binoculars, and ... ok, nothing else (yet)
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charles genovese
member
Reged: 02/04/06
Posts: 40
Loc: Madisonville Louisiana
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EricCCD
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Asbytec
sage
Reged: 08/08/07
Posts: 216
Loc: La Union, PI
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Okay, here goes...
First of all, I agree totally...this is the closest call I have seen. It's almost to the point of abstaining, for me. If we had images like this 2 decades ago, we wouldn't need the Hubble...(joking, but half serious.)
But, if I had to chose one...there must be something that makes one just a little better than the others. So, what is it? Technique? Processing? Equipment? Contrast? Star images? Composition?
The first image is simply stunning work for a beginner, stunning period. It's in my top choices for those reasons and the fact that not many folks attempt that object, not that I am aware of, anyway.
The image of the Pleiades has an interesting composition. Normally, you will see photos framing the Peiades or the California Nebula alone. This is the first photo I have seen them together. I like the mix of color.
Andromeda shows tremendous detail, as does IC1396. I do not understand the colors in IC1396, red on one side, blue on the other. But, the detail and choice of subject matter gives it high marks.
Jupiter is simply stunning...and is in my short list, too. The sketch of the sun is interesting for what it is, but just lacks the "stun" appeal of photos. I feel it is fine as a sketch, but has met it's match against the photos in this competition.
So, <drum roll please...while I make up my mind>...I will have to go with...hmmmm...(one last look)...the Pleaides for it's composition and range of color. Now, off to vote to see if others agree.
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11" Celestron SCT
La Union, Philippines
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lagwagon555
journeyman
Reged: 04/05/07
Posts: 9
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Eric CCD... thats just breathtaking.
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droid
rocketman
Reged: 08/29/04
Posts: 3121
Loc: ohio
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I voted for the sketching forum sub.I need to say I wish I could vote for all of them.I really couldnt choose out right, they were that good.I finally decided to vote based upon my perceived ideas of what was entailed to do the images.
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andy
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lunar-tic
member
Reged: 06/28/07
Posts: 32
Loc: Louisiana
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It is so unfair to select one as the best. I went with my Luddite tendency and chose one that used film though I also wanted to choose the sketches. I wish I had the patience to set photos up and sketch under the hot Sun!
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iblis
admirer of the sky
Reged: 07/12/06
Posts: 2243
Loc: Germany
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the IC1396 is great 
I have instant added it for my collection of pictures
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Grüße von Iblis
The Universe is not only queerer than we imagine; it is queerer than we CAN imagine.
(Haldane)
and here I observe that universe
The sky is my heaven !**********  ********
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mark47
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/21/07
Posts: 620
Loc: Scotland
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Quote:
Eric CCD... thats just breathtaking.
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Celestron C6-NGT.
Equinox 80mmED on a Porta Mount.
William optics 2" Dielectric Diagonal.
Baader Hyperion 24,13 & 8mm EPs
Celestron 1.25" EP Kit.
Antares 25,15,10mm Plossl.
Orion 12.5mm Illuminated Reticule Plossl.
Baader Neodymium, OIII, UHC-S Filters.
Antares ALP Filter.
Canon EOS 350D.
Dark Skies Everyone.
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