· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User You are not logged in. [Login] Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Astrophotography and Sketching >> DSLR & Digital Camera Astro Imaging & Processing Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 Takashi sage Reged: 11/22/05 Loc: Stockholm, Sweden Please help with processing       #5721659 - 03/09/13 05:43 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   A couple of days ago I was out with my friend, this night we captured the andromeda galaxy and the horsehead. We were using a Equinox 80mm APO, unmodified Canon 600D and with a CLS clip-on filter. Everything was guided with a Meade LX200GPS 12" with f3.3 reducer/GPUSB/Meade dsi Pro. For M31, the total image time was 51 min (30X60s + 43X30s) For Horsehead, the total image time was 39 min (39X60s). All ISO1600. Darks were taken and everything was combined using DSS. The result: The problem now is: why are the images so lousy? First of all, the stars in the corner are not sharp at all. Im using a field flattener for the megrez 88, which apparently is not working well with this equinox. Guess I'll have to try another field flattener for that. Second... 51 minutes for Andromeda... I had higher expectations of what it would look like than the above. Following all sorts of tutorials on the net, I can't manage to get any good images from my processing. I've uploaded the original stacks (each and one about 100mb in size) in my skydrive: https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=1d5d82ae8c259486&id=1D5D82AE8C259486%21287... Anyone here that can give me any good tips? About a month earlier I took an image of M31 which was only 12 minute total which is looking way better than the one above (51 minutes)!!! What am I doing wrong? http://nineplanets.se/imageViewer.asp?ID=62 Maybe someone here might try to process the raw stacks above (from the skydrive folder)? Post Extras:       jambroseus sage Reged: 04/05/07 Loc: Mount Laurel, New Jersey Re: Please help with processing [Re: Takashi]       #5721784 - 03/09/13 08:43 AM Attachment (20 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I think the elongated stars at lower left are the result of the camera not being square to the optic axis. Check to see if it is loose in the focuser or the camera weight may be bending the focuser a bit. As for image density, I think you just need longer subs to really catch the fainter edges. I did some processing on your image (neutralized background and digital development in ImagesPlus) and got this... You need longer exposures... John Post Extras:       stelios_STI member Reged: 04/23/12 Loc: Greece Re: Please help with processing [Re: jambroseus]       #5722474 - 03/09/13 03:11 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   well i think you need more exposures and more time. now with the CLS is necessary. don't go over iso800 is very noisy also try to stack without the dark frames. maybe the darks are failed Post Extras:       Aboy sage Reged: 07/17/12 Loc: Thousand Oaks, CA Re: Please help with processing [Re: jambroseus]       #5723385 - 03/10/13 05:14 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   can you update the Tiff Files in another site? I can try to help you.. but I can Download the files Post Extras:       Takashi sage Reged: 11/22/05 Loc: Stockholm, Sweden Re: Please help with processing [Re: Aboy]       #5723898 - 03/10/13 01:18 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi! Is there any reason you can't access the TIFF-files from my skydrive? It should be no problems? I dont know any other place that allows uploads of >100mb size images. Post Extras:       fco_star Pooh-Bah Reged: 12/13/10 Loc: Texas, Midland Re: Please help with processing [Re: Takashi]       #5724145 - 03/10/13 03:44 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I have seen those before and I remember I blame it on my darks Try to process it with out darks and see what you get.. what DSS version are you using to process? Post Extras:       RedLionNJ professor emeritus Reged: 12/29/09 Loc: Red Lion, NJ, USA Re: Please help with processing [Re: fco_star]       #5724526 - 03/10/13 07:09 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   60 seconds with a CLS on an 80mm isn't going to get you deep enough for these targets. I'd be trying 240 seconds or even longer - try to get the sub-exposure histogram up to around 2/3 at least. The vertical streaks are likely due to mismatched darks. Make sure you have at least ten darks, taken at around the same sensor temperature as the lights. Flats (and flat darks) as part of the calibration process will also let you stretch the resulting data more with less side-effects. And as John says, above, it looks like the sensor (or some optical component) is tilted with respect to the image plane. Stars near the top left look fine, while those on the bottom right are far from it. Post Extras:       Takashi sage Reged: 11/22/05 Loc: Stockholm, Sweden Re: Please help with processing [Re: RedLionNJ]       #5725969 - 03/11/13 02:22 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thank you all very much for the answers. What do you mean when you say "historgram up to around 2/3 at least"? This mismatched darks may be correct, as I took all the darks just before finishing the night (but then I took about 30 minutes worth of darks). Maybe I should take darks more often than that. I didnt note how the temperature varied during the night, but will try to do so next time. Post Extras:       fco_star Pooh-Bah Reged: 12/13/10 Loc: Texas, Midland Re: Please help with processing [Re: Takashi]       #5726425 - 03/11/13 05:39 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   What I do is take some darks at the beginning, some in the middle and some at the end, this works for me. Some others create a darks temperature library to use the same darks in the future just matching the temperature. About the histogram, 2/3 or 25% to the left is like a rule of tomb, I have learn that sometimes this will change for a little bit depending of what is your target , a faint object or a bright galaxy, I'm not an expert but this is what works for me. Post Extras:       scopemankit sage Reged: 01/27/09 Loc: south africa Re: Please help with processing [Re: Takashi]       #5735563 - 03/16/13 06:04 AM Attachment (6 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I use the Gimp. The Andromeda image seems noisier than the HH. Here is the HH with only a "Curves" adjustment - nothing else. The image has promise. Post Extras:       Pages: 1 Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 4 registered and 13 anonymous users are browsing this forum. 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