Well, we finally got some clear skies over the past week, and I have been able to get out and observe. The conditions have been great, with a little wind that has added to the chill factor during these so-called winter months (temps have been a lot higher than normal this year). It had been a while since I have actually imaged, so I got out under the stars a couple of times and revisited some old friends.
Below are a couple of shots of the Sword of Orion region, with different processing workflows applied to each. I'm not sure which one I like better, and wish I could blend the two from a color perspective. My new Orion field flattener made a huge difference, though - nice round stars to the edge of the field.
- Imaging Scope: Astrotelescopes 80mm ED Refractor
- Imaging Camera: Nikon D7000
- Guide Scope: William Optics 66mm Petzval Refractor
- Guide Camera: Orion Starshoot Auto Guider
- Mount: Celestron CGEM
- Orion Field Flattener
- 10*5 minute lights
- 10*1 minute lights
- 10*5 minute darks
- 40 bias frames
- Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker
- Processed in GIMP
Below is the M47 cluster in Canis Major. I would like for my cluster images to have more "punch" - they lack impact somehow. Pretty sure its an exposure issue.
Image Details:
- Imaging Scope: Astrotelescopes 80mm ED Refractor
- Imaging Camera: Nikon D7000
- Guide Scope: William Optics 66mm Petzval Refractor
- Guide Camera: Orion Starshoot Auto Guider
- Mount: Celestron CGEM
- Orion Field Flattener
- 10*1 minute lights
- 10*5 minute darks
- 40 bias frames
- Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker
- Processed in GIMP
4 comments:
Recently, I had the honor of working collaboratively with the astrophysics lab at Case Western Reserve University in taking a series of deep space images. The field had been having difficulty in filtering out the static found prevalent thus far. The resultant photos which interpret what telescopes were seeing, seem to be causing quite a stir in both the fine art and astronomy circles.
Please refer to my LinkedIn profile, for further biographical data. -Marc Breed, Fine Artist
Excellent photos of the Orion Nebula Phil, keep up the great work!
Hey Phil,
Beautiful pictures and beautiful blog. :) If you need more "punch" use the "punch" filter. xD (Explanation: If I take photos with my mobile you can use several filters, one of them is named "punch".) Anyway, I've added your blog to my fav list. From the Orion pictures I like the first one better, it looks more natural.
Greetings, Laika
Trevor - thanks!!! Your work is also very good. I'll add it a link on my list here. Cheers!
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