Pickering's Triangle

[Larry 1969]

Hello everyone!
I was able to spend a few evenings (with questionable seeing) on Pickering's Triangle. I've always wanted to take a crack at it. I had pretty high hopes, but this image fell a little short. I suppose I could capture more if I were to use a filter, but I've never had any luck with them. This was taken under a bortle 5 sky with no filters and an Altair 26C OSC camera.

I've been struggling with the trial of Pixinsight so this image was stacked with APP, stretched with StarTools and I used Bill's star reduction in Pixinsight.

Acquisition details:
148 x 180 sec exposures (7.4 hours) @ -10C
50 flats
50 dark flats
Telescope: 8" Orion astrograph
Mount: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro
Imaging camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 26C
Filter: None
Guide camera : SBIG ST-I with lens kit
Bortle sky scale: 5
Capture software: APT (Astro Photography Tool)
Processing software: Astro Pixel Processor, StarTools, Pixinsight and Topaz DeNoise AI

Thanks for looking!

Larry

[Juno16]

Nice image Larry!

Glad that you finally got a chance to image part of the “loop”. It’s a beautiful target for sure.
I’m curious how your stacked file looks in PI with a simple Screen Transfer Function (STF). Unlinked.

I’m not sure how much longer you have with the trial, but have you had success stretching in PI? There are several easy ways. One of the easiest is the Soft Stretch in the Easy Processing Suite. Once you get the hang of the Histogram Transformation Process, you will likevthe control that it gives you.

I really don’t mean to push PI, but for me, I kept going back to ST until I made myself spend the time to develop a crude workflow in PI.
Of course, the weather where I live really keeps me inside a lot (been since May on this stretch), so I don’t get as much practice on new data as I would like.

Keep at it Larry! Just remember that even if you aren’t completely satisfied with an image, you always have the data to take a crack at another day!

In the meantime, enjoy your wonderful image!

[messier 111]

very nice take , thx .

[bobharmony]

That is some very nice filamentary detail, Larry. The Cygnus SNR is such a fascinating object in all of its parts!

Bob

[MariusD69]

Very nice! Well done!

[Larry 1969]

Nice image Larry!

Glad that you finally got a chance to image part of the “loop”. It’s a beautiful target for sure.
I’m curious how your stacked file looks in PI with a simple Screen Transfer Function (STF). Unlinked.

I’m not sure how much longer you have with the trial, but have you had success stretching in PI? There are several easy ways. One of the easiest is the Soft Stretch in the Easy Processing Suite. Once you get the hang of the Histogram Transformation Process, you will likevthe control that it gives you.

I really don’t mean to push PI, but for me, I kept going back to ST until I made myself spend the time to develop a crude workflow in PI.
Of course, the weather where I live really keeps me inside a lot (been since May on this stretch), so I don’t get as much practice on new data as I would like.

Keep at it Larry! Just remember that even if you aren’t completely satisfied with an image, you always have the data to take a crack at another day!

In the meantime, enjoy your wonderful image!

Thanks Jim!
I have to take PI in baby steps. I find it so counterintuitive it actually makes me angry... StarTools was so nice and easy. It had modules like "Contrast", "Sharp" and "Color" where you would adjust contrast, sharpness and color... None of this nonsense like "Morphological Transformation" where you adjust God knows what... I seriously can't believe this is the standard!

I'd like to find an icon list that would take me from an already stacked image (from APP) through some basic stretching and color adjustments.
I have several videos to watch this weekend as well.

Larry

[Ylem]

That's Awesome Larry!

[Greenman]

Thanks Jim!
I have to take PI in baby steps. I find it so counterintuitive it actually makes me angry... StarTools was so nice and easy. It had modules like "Contrast", "Sharp" and "Color" where you would adjust contrast, sharpness and color... None of this nonsense like "Morphological Transformation" where you adjust God knows what... I seriously can't believe this is the standard!

I'd like to find an icon list that would take me from an already stacked image (from APP) through some basic stretching and color adjustments.
I have several videos to watch this weekend as well.

Larry

Stick with it Larry, my response to PI mirrors yours, considering the cost, the interface and myriad processing options are almost enough to put off any new user. More than annoying, the power lays well hidden, but given time you will find a basic workflow for most images. I came from Star Tools as well, and the learning curve shift is nearly vertical.

Nice work on the triangle.

[BABOafrica]

I am always fascinated by that filamentary structure as it shows up in the Veil Nebula. Nice capture.

BABO

[Juno16]

Nice image Larry!

Glad that you finally got a chance to image part of the “loop”. It’s a beautiful target for sure.
I’m curious how your stacked file looks in PI with a simple Screen Transfer Function (STF). Unlinked.

I’m not sure how much longer you have with the trial, but have you had success stretching in PI? There are several easy ways. One of the easiest is the Soft Stretch in the Easy Processing Suite. Once you get the hang of the Histogram Transformation Process, you will likevthe control that it gives you.

I really don’t mean to push PI, but for me, I kept going back to ST until I made myself spend the time to develop a crude workflow in PI.
Of course, the weather where I live really keeps me inside a lot (been since May on this stretch), so I don’t get as much practice on new data as I would like.

Keep at it Larry! Just remember that even if you aren’t completely satisfied with an image, you always have the data to take a crack at another day!

In the meantime, enjoy your wonderful image!

Thanks Jim!
I have to take PI in baby steps. I find it so counterintuitive it actually makes me angry... StarTools was so nice and easy. It had modules like "Contrast", "Sharp" and "Color" where you would adjust contrast, sharpness and color... None of this nonsense like "Morphological Transformation" where you adjust God knows what... I seriously can't believe this is the standard!

I'd like to find an icon list that would take me from an already stacked image (from APP) through some basic stretching and color adjustments.
I have several videos to watch this weekend as well.

Larry

Hi Larry.
I completely understand!
Pixinsight can be very frustrating.

I still get frustrated, because I know that a certain process can produce a result that I cannot figure out!

Sooner or later in my learning curve, I reached a “happy place” where I could reproduce results and actually produce decent results.

Naturally, there are a lot of personal preferences involved.
If you are happy with the way your processing has been going, heck why change?

I had several processing issues when I was using the “other” software.

I never could resolve the issues even with their very attentive software support. The issues were:

1. Unsatisfactory stretching. Either too much or too little. I never could get it just right to my liking.
2. Poor star quality. My stars were usually very splotchy and ill-defined. Ugly!
3. Uneven background. I never could get a handle on cleaning up the background.

Seemed as though the reasons for my issues (mainly the stars) were always related to poor optics which I really didn’t buy.

I have had much, much better success with all three of these issues in PI. Of course sometimes things work out great and other times are more challenging, but I usually end up with something I’m happy with.

Unfortunately, there are not many easy “one button”’processes in PI.
But, there are lots of amazing individuals that write awesome and easy to use scripts and processes and put them up for all to use. Sure, some you can buy, but for the most part, these folks just are using their talents to help others out (like Bill’ Star Reduction).


Bottom line is if you satisfied with your results, stick with what you are comfortable with.

[Larry 1969]

Hi Larry.
I completely understand!
Pixinsight can be very frustrating.

I still get frustrated, because I know that a certain process can produce a result that I cannot figure out!

Sooner or later in my learning curve, I reached a “happy place” where I could reproduce results and actually produce decent results.

Naturally, there are a lot of personal preferences involved.
If you are happy with the way your processing has been going, heck why change?

I had several processing issues when I was using the “other” software.

I never could resolve the issues even with their very attentive software support. The issues were:

1. Unsatisfactory stretching. Either too much or too little. I never could get it just right to my liking.
2. Poor star quality. My stars were usually very splotchy and ill-defined. Ugly!
3. Uneven background. I never could get a handle on cleaning up the background.

Seemed as though the reasons for my issues (mainly the stars) were always related to poor optics which I really didn’t buy.

I have had much, much better success with all three of these issues in PI. Of course sometimes things work out great and other times are more challenging, but I usually end up with something I’m happy with.

Unfortunately, there are not many easy “one button”’processes in PI.
But, there are lots of amazing individuals that write awesome and easy to use scripts and processes and put them up for all to use. Sure, some you can buy, but for the most part, these folks just are using their talents to help others out (like Bill’ Star Reduction).


Bottom line is if you satisfied with your results, stick with what you are comfortable with.

Thanks for the input Jim!
I suppose I'm dabbling in PI because I'm NOT that happy with my images. I mainly suffer with poor background correction and I'm sure the answer lies buried in StarTools' "Wipe" module. It will remain there forever too since I can't seem to get any straight answers about it...

I just purchased Visible Dark's 2021 PI tutorial and plan to get started with it this weekend. I also managed to install the EZ Processing Suite. Between the two of those, I think I may have a fighting chance at learning a bit of this software!

Larry

[Juno16]

Hi Larry.
I completely understand!
Pixinsight can be very frustrating.

I still get frustrated, because I know that a certain process can produce a result that I cannot figure out!

Sooner or later in my learning curve, I reached a “happy place” where I could reproduce results and actually produce decent results.

Naturally, there are a lot of personal preferences involved.
If you are happy with the way your processing has been going, heck why change?

I had several processing issues when I was using the “other” software.

I never could resolve the issues even with their very attentive software support. The issues were:

1. Unsatisfactory stretching. Either too much or too little. I never could get it just right to my liking.
2. Poor star quality. My stars were usually very splotchy and ill-defined. Ugly!
3. Uneven background. I never could get a handle on cleaning up the background.

Seemed as though the reasons for my issues (mainly the stars) were always related to poor optics which I really didn’t buy.

I have had much, much better success with all three of these issues in PI. Of course sometimes things work out great and other times are more challenging, but I usually end up with something I’m happy with.

Unfortunately, there are not many easy “one button”’processes in PI.
But, there are lots of amazing individuals that write awesome and easy to use scripts and processes and put them up for all to use. Sure, some you can buy, but for the most part, these folks just are using their talents to help others out (like Bill’ Star Reduction).


Bottom line is if you satisfied with your results, stick with what you are comfortable with.

Thanks for the input Jim!
I suppose I'm dabbling in PI because I'm NOT that happy with my images. I mainly suffer with poor background correction and I'm sure the answer lies buried in StarTools' "Wipe" module. It will remain there forever too since I can't seem to get any straight answers about it...

I just purchased Visible Dark's 2021 PI tutorial and plan to get started with it this weekend. I also managed to install the EZ Processing Suite. Between the two of those, I think I may have a fighting chance at learning a bit of this software!

Larry

Good to hear that you purchased Shawn's tutorial. I watch his channel (another learning tool in the toolbox).
I did a lot of "free" learnings on Youtube that helped a lot. I eventually purchased Adam Block's Fundamental series and not only did it kind of tie all of the pieces together, Adam also showed me lots of really amazing features about PI that I never learned elsewhere.

I never could get the hang of dynamic background extraction (DBE). Everyone raved about its merits and I could not get it to work well for me. In one of Adam's tutorials, I saw the settings that he used and I now use them exclusively. It truly is a amazing process! If you are interested, let me know.

If Shawn's tutorial clicks with you and you can start getting into PI more, I am sure that you will start to solve the issues that you haven't been able to solve before in the other software. Takes some time, but it is very rewarding and productive. Sometimes the hardest processes turn out to be the most productive because I learned something really amazing.

One thing that I have had to realize is that AP is very subjective. Everyone has their personal tastes and prefer a certain "look". Tastes vary quite a bit even between experienced imagers. Some folks like images that are "in your face" as far as bold, bright, and colorful. Some folks prefer a soft, delicate touch.
I've learned that the best image is the one that makes me feel good.

Best of success in your learnings and let us know how it goes!

[STEVE333]

Nice capture and image Larry.

I've been following your discussions with Jim with interest. I now use PixInsight exclusively from stacking to finished image. However, at the beginning all the process names were so confusing. I agree it would have been much friendlier if the had just named HistogramTransformation as STRETCH. Who cares about the actual mathematical description?? However, once I learned what each crazy-named proicess did it started to make more sense.

I started by going to Harrys Astroshed where there are free video tutorials for PI. Each tutorial discussed a single process and showed how to use it. The tutorials are short (usually only 5 - 10 minutes) and easy to understand. He has them arranged in the same order that you would use them when processing an image. He even has a set of process icons that you can download that put the processing steps in order. I highly recommend his videos.

LINK TO HARRY'S ASTROSHED
http://harrysastroshed.com/Pixinsighthome.html

Best of luck on whatever path you choose.

Steve

[Larry 1969]

Nice capture and image Larry.

I've been following your discussions with Jim with interest. I now use PixInsight exclusively from stacking to finished image. However, at the beginning all the process names were so confusing. I agree it would have been much friendlier if the had just named HistogramTransformation as STRETCH. Who cares about the actual mathematical description?? However, once I learned what each crazy-named proicess did it started to make more sense.

I started by going to Harrys Astroshed where there are free video tutorials for PI. Each tutorial discussed a single process and showed how to use it. The tutorials are short (usually only 5 - 10 minutes) and easy to understand. He has them arranged in the same order that you would use them when processing an image. He even has a set of process icons that you can download that put the processing steps in order. I highly recommend his videos.

LINK TO HARRY'S ASTROSHED
http://harrysastroshed.com/Pixinsighthome.html

Best of luck on whatever path you choose.

Steve

Thanks Steve!
Once I've processed some of my data with what I've learned with Shawn's methods, I will certainly look into Harry's.
Thanks for the link!

Larry

[STEVE333]

Thanks Steve!
Once I've processed some of my data with what I've learned with Shawn's methods, I will certainly look into Harry's.
Thanks for the link!

Larry

Your welcome Larry. I was using DSS to stack my images when I started using PI. I stayed with DSS for about a year before finally doing stacking in PI.

Just FYI,

Steve

[Larry 1969]

Your welcome Larry. I was using DSS to stack my images when I started using PI. I stayed with DSS for about a year before finally doing stacking in PI.

Just FYI,

Steve

I plan to continue to stack with APP for now. I find it more user friendly and I like the result. A year from now? Who knows?

Larry