M52 & Bubble Nebula

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Hankmeister3
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M52 & Bubble Nebula

#1

Post by Hankmeister3 »


Snared on 10/28/19. It was a nice enough near midnight sky. Bortle 3 to 4, good transparency, slightly above average seeing conditions for central Illinois, Pickering 5+ if memory serves me correctly.

I only took five frames that night of M52 & Bubble Nebula and this is the best single-frame of the bunch. I believe I captured another seven or eight DSOs that night to varying degrees of success.

Orion 6-inch f/4 fast Newtonian astrograph
Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro (PPEC + Sidereal rate)
Canon EOS 77D DSLR unmodified
150 seconds, ISO1600
single-frame
no filters
10/28/2019

Post-production software - Arcsoft PhotoStudio 6.0
Attachments
Bubble Nebula & M52 - Orion 6-inch f4 - Layered.jpg
Telescopes: Meade LX90 10-inch f/10 UHC Coma-free SCT; Explore Scientific 127mm f/7.5 APO ED triplet refractor; Explore Scientific 102mm f/7 APO ED triplet refractor; Explore Scientific 80mm f/6 APO ED triplet refractor; Skywatcher 72mm f/6 ED Schott doublet refractor; Meade 70mm f/5 APO quadruplet astrograph refractor; Skywatcher Quattro 8-inch f/4 Newtonian astrograph; Orion 6-inch f/4 Newtonian astrograph; Skywatcher SkyMax 180mm f/15 Maksutov; iOptron 150mm f/12 Maksutov; Orion f/9 Ritchey-Chretien RC astrograph
Eyepieces: Set of 7 Baader Hyperion eyepieces, 3 Meade 5000 glass handgrenades; 1970s era Japanese manufactured Meade 12.5mm Orthoscopic, and too many other eclectic eyepieces to list
Mounts: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro mount; Orion Atlas EQ-G mount
Post-production Software: Not good enough … oh, okay ... Canon's proprietary CanoScan ArcSoft 9000F photoshop suite
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Juno16 United States of America
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Re: M52 & Bubble Nebula

#2

Post by Juno16 »


Great single shot Henry!

Man, you are the master at these single frame images. You caught a good chunk of the bubble. Excellent work!

Jim
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: M52 & Bubble Nebula

#3

Post by Mac »


Very nice Henry.

Something is a bit off being dubbed ' The one-shot Master' but it certainly applies here.
Steve

Scopes : Explore Scientific ED102 Triplet APO - Radian Raptor Triplet APO - Orion 50mm
Mount : AVX EQ | Software : KStars - EKOS - Stellar OS | Cameras : ZWO ASI533MC ASI1600MM ASI120MM-mini
CPU : Mac Studio, iMac - Kstars-Ekos on Raspberry Rpi4/RPi5 | Misc : Thousand Oaks dew controller - DewNot straps - Optolong L-enhance - ZWO EAF
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Re: M52 & Bubble Nebula

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Post by Hankmeister3 »


Thanks, Jim. Your compliments have always been greatly appreciated … and encouraging.

For the moment I'm quite content with devoting myself to single-frame imaging because of the extra challenges. My only regret at the moment is that it appears really cold weather has now set in much earlier than it did last year thus depriving me of opportunities to possibly grab better DSO images of classic late Fall and early Winter DSOs. I think I might have to plan some far southwestern sky safaris where night time temperatures aren't much below 40 degrees. I'm really quite thin on really choice frames like the Horsehead/Flame, M42, M45 (when it's near zenith), Rosette/NGC2244, and many other DSOs I've been interested in nabbing thinking I can essentially double the quality of my images to date. Of course I'd want to shoot from much darker, transparent, nicer skies, too.
Telescopes: Meade LX90 10-inch f/10 UHC Coma-free SCT; Explore Scientific 127mm f/7.5 APO ED triplet refractor; Explore Scientific 102mm f/7 APO ED triplet refractor; Explore Scientific 80mm f/6 APO ED triplet refractor; Skywatcher 72mm f/6 ED Schott doublet refractor; Meade 70mm f/5 APO quadruplet astrograph refractor; Skywatcher Quattro 8-inch f/4 Newtonian astrograph; Orion 6-inch f/4 Newtonian astrograph; Skywatcher SkyMax 180mm f/15 Maksutov; iOptron 150mm f/12 Maksutov; Orion f/9 Ritchey-Chretien RC astrograph
Eyepieces: Set of 7 Baader Hyperion eyepieces, 3 Meade 5000 glass handgrenades; 1970s era Japanese manufactured Meade 12.5mm Orthoscopic, and too many other eclectic eyepieces to list
Mounts: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro mount; Orion Atlas EQ-G mount
Post-production Software: Not good enough … oh, okay ... Canon's proprietary CanoScan ArcSoft 9000F photoshop suite
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Re: M52 & Bubble Nebula

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Post by MariusD69 »


Great shot! Well done, Henry!
Marius
Mount: iOpton Cem60, HEQ5-for spare
Scopes: newt SW 150/750PDS, dobson SW 150/1200; SW 114/500; TS Photoline 80mm f/6 Triplet APO; SW ST80
Cameras: ASI294MC Pro; ASI1600MM Pro; Atik 314L+mono; Canon 1100D; QHY5III-178m; QHY5L-II-m ; ASI224; Altair GPCAM 290M, GPCAM290C
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Re: M52 & Bubble Nebula

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Post by Ken_nneth »


Cool image, nicely done. Still can't understand how you can get these images with single shot.
Clear Skies
[media][/size][/media]Kenneth
https://www.astrobin.com/users/Ken_nneth/

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bobharmony
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Re: M52 & Bubble Nebula

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Post by bobharmony »


I will join the chorus of those who are amazed at how much you can get from a single image. This one is special!

Bob
Hardware: Celestron C6-N w/ Advanced GTmount, Baader MK iii CC, Orion ST-80, Canon 60D (unmodded), Nikon D5300 (modded), Orion SSAG
Software: BYE, APT, PHD2, DSS, PhotoShop CC 2020, StarTools, Cartes du Ciel, AstroTortilla

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Re: M52 & Bubble Nebula

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Post by Hankmeister3 »


Thanks Steve and Marius. I appreciate your compliments.

Actually before I started posting here, I thought every astro-photographer was capturing single-frames and post-processing them with the amount of detail and color that I've been able to do. I assumed stacking was taking multiple "nice", heavily pre-processed photos and creating an even better "synthesized" digital image from those donor images. That's what I thought the Spring of this year. In fact, that's how I approach stacking now - pre-processing donor images, stack, and then apply some more post-production tweaks.

I hadn't realized one could take raw or virgin images and then let stacking software "collate" the best data point in each formerly unprocessed image to the point it actually creates a data-ladened image with minimal "grain" and all the color and luminance (gain) levels necessary for a final, high-quality stacked image.

I know a lot of you use imaging software and techniques I've never hear of before and still only partly understand. I admit to be utterly wowed by those astro-images assembled in such a highly-technical way but I'm not as mentally sharp as I used to be because I don't think I could possibly create a digital imaging regimen myself to manipulate such images in the manner that you guys have. In other words, it's all a bit too complicated for me and you know what they say about teaching old dogs new tricks. Heh!
Telescopes: Meade LX90 10-inch f/10 UHC Coma-free SCT; Explore Scientific 127mm f/7.5 APO ED triplet refractor; Explore Scientific 102mm f/7 APO ED triplet refractor; Explore Scientific 80mm f/6 APO ED triplet refractor; Skywatcher 72mm f/6 ED Schott doublet refractor; Meade 70mm f/5 APO quadruplet astrograph refractor; Skywatcher Quattro 8-inch f/4 Newtonian astrograph; Orion 6-inch f/4 Newtonian astrograph; Skywatcher SkyMax 180mm f/15 Maksutov; iOptron 150mm f/12 Maksutov; Orion f/9 Ritchey-Chretien RC astrograph
Eyepieces: Set of 7 Baader Hyperion eyepieces, 3 Meade 5000 glass handgrenades; 1970s era Japanese manufactured Meade 12.5mm Orthoscopic, and too many other eclectic eyepieces to list
Mounts: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro mount; Orion Atlas EQ-G mount
Post-production Software: Not good enough … oh, okay ... Canon's proprietary CanoScan ArcSoft 9000F photoshop suite
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Benjamin Australia
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Re: M52 & Bubble Nebula

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Post by Benjamin »


Great shot! Reminds me a bit of the visual experience, although I can see neither of these from my location in the Southern Hemisphere :-( I know a few people who do film exposures (i.e. not digital and not digitally processed) and they rely on good single exposures. Probably even more complicated though than stacking and processing :-)
Scopes:Skywatcher f5 12" Dob, f4 8” Quattro, Esprit 100
Mounts:Skywatcher EQ6-R (EQMod)
Cameras:ZWO ASI2600MM-Pro, Astronomik 2” filters
Apps:PHD2, Sequence Generator Pro, PixInsight
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Re: M52 & Bubble Nebula

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Post by Hankmeister3 »


Thanks Bob and Kenneth. You guys are much too kind.

Last year I thought most amateur astrophotographers were engaged in single-frame capture with just a handful engaging in the far more sophisticated stacking and major post-production regimen. I really didn't do much investigation into state-of-the-art amateur astrophotography before picking up the hobby of astronomy again because I thought the only significant difference in the current practice of astro-imaging was the use of DSLR and dedicated astro-cameras instead of film-based cameras which I had been using back in the early 1980s. I guess my ignorance was due to too long of a haitus from the hobby until I purchased my first SCT and Quattro 8 f/4 fast Newtonian as well as the Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro mount back in April of 2018 after having my interest in general telescopic astronomy rekindled by DonQuixote the Winter of 2017.
Telescopes: Meade LX90 10-inch f/10 UHC Coma-free SCT; Explore Scientific 127mm f/7.5 APO ED triplet refractor; Explore Scientific 102mm f/7 APO ED triplet refractor; Explore Scientific 80mm f/6 APO ED triplet refractor; Skywatcher 72mm f/6 ED Schott doublet refractor; Meade 70mm f/5 APO quadruplet astrograph refractor; Skywatcher Quattro 8-inch f/4 Newtonian astrograph; Orion 6-inch f/4 Newtonian astrograph; Skywatcher SkyMax 180mm f/15 Maksutov; iOptron 150mm f/12 Maksutov; Orion f/9 Ritchey-Chretien RC astrograph
Eyepieces: Set of 7 Baader Hyperion eyepieces, 3 Meade 5000 glass handgrenades; 1970s era Japanese manufactured Meade 12.5mm Orthoscopic, and too many other eclectic eyepieces to list
Mounts: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro mount; Orion Atlas EQ-G mount
Post-production Software: Not good enough … oh, okay ... Canon's proprietary CanoScan ArcSoft 9000F photoshop suite
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Re: M52 & Bubble Nebula

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Post by Hankmeister3 »


Thanks, Benjamin. Yeah, doing film-based astrophotography is pretty cool at one level, but I could never go back to it because of the sheer amount of time it would take to get a useable image with film stock. And then there's the lack of digital post-production aspect, too. I can still remember what it took in a dark-room using the Ektacolor print process and trying to properly color balance the image using the dichroic enlarger head to get a decent neutral black background without wiping out what little image one was able to get after 20 to 30 minutes (sometimes an hour!) of hand-guiding ("riding the buttons") the drive mechanism to cancel out the periodic error during that whole time. I believe there were rudimentary "auto-guiding" mechanisms which were available in the late 1970s and early 80s but they were relatively expensive for a young man who just got married in 1978.

Nope, as "old school" as I am I'll never go back to film astrophotography but my hat/shoes/gloves off to any brave soul willing to go down that road and really make it work. Obviously it did work in the paleolithic period of astrophotography, but the exposure times were simply grueling using early tech mounts which weren't near as accurate or convenient as what we have today. Maybe that's the difference. I haven't investigated modern film-based astrophotographic niche, but maybe there's some newish film stock that cuts exposure times significantly, addresses the reciprocity failure issues and have a wider dynamic range and latitude than the Kodak Ektacolor 400 film I used to use.
Telescopes: Meade LX90 10-inch f/10 UHC Coma-free SCT; Explore Scientific 127mm f/7.5 APO ED triplet refractor; Explore Scientific 102mm f/7 APO ED triplet refractor; Explore Scientific 80mm f/6 APO ED triplet refractor; Skywatcher 72mm f/6 ED Schott doublet refractor; Meade 70mm f/5 APO quadruplet astrograph refractor; Skywatcher Quattro 8-inch f/4 Newtonian astrograph; Orion 6-inch f/4 Newtonian astrograph; Skywatcher SkyMax 180mm f/15 Maksutov; iOptron 150mm f/12 Maksutov; Orion f/9 Ritchey-Chretien RC astrograph
Eyepieces: Set of 7 Baader Hyperion eyepieces, 3 Meade 5000 glass handgrenades; 1970s era Japanese manufactured Meade 12.5mm Orthoscopic, and too many other eclectic eyepieces to list
Mounts: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro mount; Orion Atlas EQ-G mount
Post-production Software: Not good enough … oh, okay ... Canon's proprietary CanoScan ArcSoft 9000F photoshop suite
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