What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

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What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#1

Post by Juno16 »


Hi Everyone!

I started out in AP about a year and a half ago. Just about every image that I produced was amazing to me and my best so far. I received a bunch of encouragement from both members of this forum and the old AF forum.

My progression has been slow and economical. Yeah, economical and AP don’t quite mix, but not only do I not have a load of cash to spend on equipment, I’ve learned through the years that I can’t make an intelligent choice on AP equipment (or anything for that matter) unless I learn a good bit about it and why it will work better for me.

I didn’t start this hobby to be a “stellar” astrophotographer at all. I just want to see what I can do with a basic setup and the usual types of AP challenges. The challenges for me being aptitude, experience, equipment, budget, and Bortle 7 skies.
Challenges that can easily be overcome if my expectations are kept in check.

My best image (to me) is my last image (imaging that!). It is the Whirlpool Galaxy (Messier 51). I have imaged it several times since I started. Well, actually three times.

The first time was with my Nikon D3300 (unmodified) using Digicamcontrol software. No dithering, about a couple of hours integration.
M51 80 percent stacked First Pass Binned 50  color3.jpg
The second attempt was last month. I collected about 2 ½ hours with my Nikon D5300 (Ha mod) using APT. The third time was last week and I added the data together with the data from April.
M51 4-12-20 5 repaired stars with PE and sharpening - FINAL.jpg
The second image was a step up from the first which is all that I can hope for. There was still a bit more noise that I didn’t care for.

The third image (last week) which is a combination of data from the last two sessions, had a total integration of 5.9 hours (89 lights X 240 sec x iso 400).
30D7C587-8251-4118-86E5-D6E897F7DE0B.jpeg
It is really exciting to see improvements. I just wish that I could get good results with less integration time!!!

Besides integration time, I still have challenges imaging M51 due to its smallish size in my fov. Also, I am still not using a field flattener, so I have to do some work on the stars in post-processing. I need to work on my stars in general too. I have some issues there. Maybe a dedicated astro cam in the future?

So much to learn (so much to buy) and so far to go!

Well, this is my story. What is your best image and why?
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#2

Post by Mac »


You're making great progress Jim. We're in roughly the same boat but different seas. :D

The image I like best is this one below. Shooting this nebula was one of my first goals after imaging M42 Orion. My processing isn't the best but it's my favorite.
HH.jpg
Steve

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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#3

Post by Juno16 »


Thanks for responding Steve. Yes, this is a very rewarding hobby at any level.

Actually, I attached the wrong third image in the post. I fixed it.

Gotta love the Horsehead and Flame! That was one of the first targets that I imaged after the dslr Ha mod. Boy, what a difference!

That would make a magnificent image to frame and hang on the wall! I would do the same with mine, but I have yet to figure out how to get an astro image printed that looks good.

Thanks!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
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Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, Orion SSAG, IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#4

Post by bladekeeper »


Deep sky or lunar?

I've always liked my Cygnus Wall image the best.

Image20190828 21_37_53 NGC 7000 Cygnus Wall by Bryan Gabbard, on Flickr

And for lunar, this one...

Image20191118 SV102T 00_41_59_g4_ap78_stitch V3 by Bryan Gabbard, on Flickr

I freakin' hate astrophotography. I'd almost rather put my tongue on a table saw blade. :lol:
Bryan
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#5

Post by Juno16 »


bladekeeper wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 12:37 am Deep sky or lunar?

I've always liked my Cygnus Wall image the best.

Image20190828 21_37_53 NGC 7000 Cygnus Wall by Bryan Gabbard, on Flickr

And for lunar, this one...

Image20191118 SV102T 00_41_59_g4_ap78_stitch V3 by Bryan Gabbard, on Flickr

I freakin' hate astrophotography. I'd almost rather put my tongue on a table saw blade. :lol:

Stunning Cygnus Wall! I remember when you first posted it. Beautiful work Bryan.

Of course your most friendly foe, ‘Ol hateful. If you can’t beat it, master it!

AP is kind of love-hate. Love wins out though!

Thanks Bryan!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#6

Post by mbocca »


This is a great thread. I took this image at a dark sky site a couple of nights after the Great American Eclipse in 2017. My friend and I drove from PA to NE to view the event and stayed for a week to do Astrophotography.

I had this printed 11x17 on Aluminum and it came out very nice. It seems like a great way to print this type of image. It is on a floating frame and the total cost was around $60, so it is very much inline with a print, matting, and a frame.

Western Veil

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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#7

Post by Juno16 »


mbocca wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 1:14 am This is a great thread. I took this image at a dark sky site a couple of nights after the Great American Eclipse in 2017. My friend and I drove from PA to NE to view the event and stayed for a week to do Astrophotography.

I had this printed 11x17 on Aluminum and it came out very nice. It seems like a great way to print this type of image. It is on a floating frame and the total cost was around $60, so it is very much inline with a print, matting, and a frame.

Western Veil

Mike
WitchBroomNebula_ISO800_600Sec_Final.jpg
Really nice image Mike!

I haven’t tried this target since the “unguided” days. Need to give it a shot soon.

Thanks a bunch for the print info!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, Orion SSAG, IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#8

Post by JayTee »


I like these, one from the planetary side and the other from the widefield side and the last from the DSO side.
Image
Image
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#9

Post by Juno16 »


I Ike them too!

Three great images in different AP disciplines. Excellent!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
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Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, Orion SSAG, IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#10

Post by bobharmony »


Great thread, Jim! And some very nice improvements on your M51 over time.

I'd have to go with the M42 image I did earlier this year. It combined a lot of the techniques I have been working on for the past few years, and was my first attempt at an HDR object where I blended multiple exposure lengths to get at the faint details without blowing out the core.
M42 DSS 7-20-60-180 standard ST PS STCG STRG w mask.jpg
It is also a favorite from a sentimental standpoint. M42 was one of the first (I think only the Pleiades was before it, but on the same night) DSOs I found as a kid with my department store 60mm refractor. It was also on the cover of George Abell's original edition of "Exploration of the Universe". I got a copy of the book when I was 12 from a friend who had taken a survey course on Astronomy in college. I read that thing cover to cover a lot of times, it was my introduction to Astronomy and Astrophysics. I swore that one day I would take my own image of M42. 50+ years later here it is.

Oh yeah, I have a 12x18 print of this one hanging on the wall of my office! Also self done with a Canon Pixma Pro on very glossy paper.

Bob
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#11

Post by Graeme1858 »


It's about a year and a half for me too. Plus a bit longer floundering about holding cameras over eyepieces! And as you say the best image is the last one you captured. My last one is M57 and a bit of a favourite as it's one of the first I captured with the DSLR actually mounted on the OTA. I was quite chuffed with myself then, even though it was a rubbish image! And I'm even more chuffed with my 2020 version.


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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#12

Post by Juno16 »


bobharmony wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 2:34 am Great thread, Jim! And some very nice improvements on your M51 over time.

I'd have to go with the M42 image I did earlier this year. It combined a lot of the techniques I have been working on for the past few years, and was my first attempt at an HDR object where I blended multiple exposure lengths to get at the faint details without blowing out the core.

M42 DSS 7-20-60-180 standard ST PS STCG STRG w mask.jpg

It is also a favorite from a sentimental standpoint. M42 was one of the first (I think only the Pleiades was before it, but on the same night) DSOs I found as a kid with my department store 60mm refractor. It was also on the cover of George Abell's original edition of "Exploration of the Universe". I got a copy of the book when I was 12 from a friend who had taken a survey course on Astronomy in college. I read that thing cover to cover a lot of times, it was my introduction to Astronomy and Astrophysics. I swore that one day I would take my own image of M42. 50+ years later here it is.

Oh yeah, I have a 12x18 print of this one hanging on the wall of my office! Also self done with a Canon Pixma Pro on very glossy paper.

Bob

Really beautiful Orion Nebula Bob! One of your first with APT, right?

The slight green hue that you brought out really attributes to its appeal!

Your history with this target is special. Lots of warm feelings there. You finally captured it in all of its beauty!

I have only images of this target before I started autoguiding. I really need to give it a good go next time it comes around. The complexity of imagingM42 is challenging and alluring.

I know that you have told me about that printer before, but I didn’t realize it could print 12x18. Wow, awesome!

Beautiful job Bob!

Graeme1858 wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 6:08 am It's about a year and a half for me too. Plus a bit longer floundering about holding cameras over eyepieces! And as you say the best image is the last one you captured. My last one is M57 and a bit of a favourite as it's one of the first I captured with the DSLR actually mounted on the OTA. I was quite chuffed with myself then, even though it was a rubbish image! And I'm even more chuffed with my 2020 version.


Image


Regards

Graeme

Pumped up! Yes!

As well you should be. You’ve captured a fine “Ring” there!

I’ve thought about imaging the Ring, but it is really tiny in my fov. You can only crop so much without trashing the quality somewhat. Different target are more forgiving and maybe this is one of them. Don’t know ‘till I try!

Really nice Graeme!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
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Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, Orion SSAG, IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#13

Post by Thefatkitty »


Hmmmm..... not much to choose from here :D For deep sky, all I really have is M42. I did this back in Jan. 5th of 2019. I used my 'Towatron' 60mm at f/7, it has a Towa achro objective. I threw that with my Canon T3 (1100D) onto my CG4, and manually tracked it using the "keep the star in the finderscope's crosshair" method. I ended up with 2 at 16 secs exp, 1 at 12, 3 at 10 and 3 at 8 secs. Not sure how that worked; it was well below freezing and I was shivering.... Stacked all 9 is DSS which I had never used and ended up with this:
M42.jpg

Gotta love them achro-purple stars ;)

I also have more pictures of the Moon than any one person needs, but my favorite shot is this single frame. I took this Aug. 8th, 2019 with my C80-HD and T3. I was out getting set to take some Moon shots, when I noticed an airliner lumbering in from the south, coming over lake Ontario. The Moon was in the west, and after a few seconds I realized the plane was probably going to go right by the Moon from my view.
It was like skeet-shooting in slow motion; I had about 20 seconds to get ready :lol:
Sure enough it passed right by, and I got this shot out of it. Taken at ISO 800 and 1/320 sec exp.
Moon_Airplane.png

I also have a lot of conjunction (Moon, planets & bright stars) shots, but my favorite is this of the Moon and Venus, taken Nov. 28th, 2019 at 5:00PM with my 60mm 'Towatron' and T3 (ISO 800 and 1/500th sec):
Moon_Venus_2019-11-28_500PM.png

That's really it for me. Fun thread Jim; always interesting to see what people post!

All the best,
Mark

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Oh yeah, and Solar Cycle 25 :D
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#14

Post by Star Dad »


Mine is the Flaming Bush Nebula taken in 2017. It was a jaw dropper when the color first came out. I've recently started taking even better photos, so I'm revisiting some old objects in the hope of improving results. https://mcleanresearch.com/astronomy/ga ... binned.png
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#15

Post by Juno16 »


Thefatkitty wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 3:58 pm Hmmmm..... not much to choose from here :D For deep sky, all I really have is M42. I did this back in Jan. 5th of 2019. I used my 'Towatron' 60mm at f/7, it has a Towa achro objective. I threw that with my Canon T3 (1100D) onto my CG4, and manually tracked it using the "keep the star in the finderscope's crosshair" method. I ended up with 2 at 16 secs exp, 1 at 12, 3 at 10 and 3 at 8 secs. Not sure how that worked; it was well below freezing and I was shivering.... Stacked all 9 is DSS which I had never used and ended up with this:

M42.jpg


Gotta love them achro-purple stars ;)

I also have more pictures of the Moon than any one person needs, but my favorite shot is this single frame. I took this Aug. 8th, 2019 with my C80-HD and T3. I was out getting set to take some Moon shots, when I noticed an airliner lumbering in from the south, coming over lake Ontario. The Moon was in the west, and after a few seconds I realized the plane was probably going to go right by the Moon from my view.
It was like skeet-shooting in slow motion; I had about 20 seconds to get ready :lol:
Sure enough it passed right by, and I got this shot out of it. Taken at ISO 800 and 1/320 sec exp.

Moon_Airplane.png


I also have a lot of conjunction (Moon, planets & bright stars) shots, but my favorite is this of the Moon and Venus, taken Nov. 28th, 2019 at 5:00PM with my 60mm 'Towatron' and T3 (ISO 800 and 1/500th sec):

Moon_Venus_2019-11-28_500PM.png


That's really it for me. Fun thread Jim; always interesting to see what people post!

All the best,

Really nice shots Mark!

I know that the moon is one of your favorite targets. Did you replace the T3 yet?

Yeah, this is fun to see what people post. There is a bunch of heart and soul behind each image!
Star Dad wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 4:37 pm Mine is the Flaming Bush Nebula taken in 2017. It was a jaw dropper when the color first came out. I've recently started taking even better photos, so I'm revisiting some old objects in the hope of improving results. https://mcleanresearch.com/astronomy/ga ... binned.png
Nice one StarDad! The Flame does have some amazing color!

Thanks for sharing your work on this thread.
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, Orion SSAG, IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
Dog and best bud: Jack
Sky: Bortle 6-7
My Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Juno16/
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sdbodin United States of America
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#16

Post by sdbodin »


Reason for liking this one the best? I don't know, maybe mono makes it more 'artistic'' whatever that means. Probably shouldn't consult me on art, I spent my time on lower campus in science department.
orion_250f45Ha.jpg
BTW, it is Orion sans stars in Ha.

Steve
Scopes; Meade 16 LX200, AT80LE, plus bunch just sitting around gathering dust
Cameras; Atik 460ex mono, Zwo ASI1600MC-cool, QHY5L-II color and mono
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KathyNS Canada
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#17

Post by KathyNS »


My best astrophoto is my M13 from two years ago. I got lucky with seeing and transparency conditions, and my guiding was near-perfect. I spent a lot of time processing it, and I had the good sense to know when to stop. I was tweaking the contrast to bring out the centre of the cluster, and all of a sudden, it "popped". I hit "Save", and that was a wrap.

I won a bunch of contests with it, and it was requested for a calendar (RASC 2020, I am Miss March) and for a book (can't say what or whose yet).
M13-s1-p1-1000px.jpg
Astrobin version (full size available): Image
Image
DSO AP: Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP: Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O) Astrobin
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Juno16 United States of America
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#18

Post by Juno16 »


sdbodin wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 6:48 pm Reason for liking this one the best? I don't know, maybe mono makes it more 'artistic'' whatever that means. Probably shouldn't consult me on art, I spent my time on lower campus in science department.

orion_250f45Ha.jpg

BTW, it is Orion sans stars in Ha.

Steve

Really a cool and beautiful mono image Steve!

I really like the "mood" it sets. The Ha is really intense! Even makes the image better to me knowing what it is.

KathyNS wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 7:15 pm My best astrophoto is my M13 from two years ago. I got lucky with seeing and transparency conditions, and my guiding was near-perfect. I spent a lot of time processing it, and I had the good sense to know when to stop. I was tweaking the contrast to bring out the centre of the cluster, and all of a sudden, it "popped". I hit "Save", and that was a wrap.

I won a bunch of contests with it, and it was requested for a calendar (RASC 2020, I am Miss March) and for a book (can't say what or whose yet).
M13-s1-p1-1000px.jpg
Astrobin version (full size available): Image

This is as good as it gets Kathy! One of those perfect sessions. I remember when you posted it two years ago. Dang, it has been that long?

No wonder that you won many contests with this M13. Awesome!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, Orion SSAG, IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
Dog and best bud: Jack
Sky: Bortle 6-7
My Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Juno16/
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starfield United States of America
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#19

Post by starfield »


My pick would be this shot of the Pleiades. I snapped it after last Christmas on a perfect winter night. After about 6 months it was the first shot where I felt I took advantage of post-processing and was able to tease out some real faint detail and dust. It ended up earning me my first APOD on this forum.

I also like this one because I was visiting my son when I took this and we were able to spends some quality time together under the stars. It's fun to pass on the hobby to the next generation.

I've been at this for a year and a half and it is fun to look back and see progress.
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m45_120G_120S_58fPNG.PNG
Scopes: Esprit 100, 12.5" Telekit Dob
Camera: 294 MC Pro, 224 mc, 2600mm
Guiding: ZWO 290 mini on 120mm guide scope
Mounts: EQ6R-Pro, EQ Platform.
Filters: Optolong L-Pro & L-Enhance, Chroma 36mm LRGB, 5nm HA, 3nm OIII, 3nm SII.
Software: SharpCap, SGP, StarTools 1.7, Photoshop, Pixinsight
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Astro Photos:https://www.astrobin.com/users/starfield/
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Juno16 United States of America
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Re: What Is Your Best Astrophoto (So Far) And Why?

#20

Post by Juno16 »


starfield wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 11:30 pm My pick would be this shot of the Pleiades. I snapped it after last Christmas on a perfect winter night. After about 6 months it was the first shot where I felt I took advantage of post-processing and was able to tease out some real faint detail and dust. It ended up earning me my first APOD on this forum.

I also like this one because I was visiting my son when I took this and we were able to spends some quality time together under the stars. It's fun to pass on the hobby to the next generation.

I've been at this for a year and a half and it is fun to look back and see progress.

That is a great M45 Starfield!

Sounds like a very memorable night. Glad that you got to spend some good time with your son.

You have been at this for about as long as I have. I hope to get a dedicated Astro cam like the 294 some day. The dslr does well, but the lowers noise and temperature control is definitely my desire.

Real nice job pulling out the dusty areas on the outskirts of the reflection nebulosity!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, Orion SSAG, IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
Dog and best bud: Jack
Sky: Bortle 6-7
My Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Juno16/
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