Megrez

William Optics Megrez 102 S.V., 102mm Aperture - 714mm focal length - f/7 ratio, Imager One.

With hand polished FK-61 ED doublet lens an Apochromatic refractor. Individually tested by William Yang in a pearl white color and a William Optics Crayford focuser.

Imaging season will begin...

NGC 1499 - California Nebula

The California Nebula is an emission, Hα, nebula located 1000 light years from Earth in the constellation Perseus. This name was given because of the resemblance to the United States state of California.

I wanted to test the performance of my camera with an emission nebula. The California was chosen because it's big and was high in the sky. From the results of this project it can be concluded that i really need to modify my camera.

120 seconds is the maximum exposure time i can have with only a polar and 3 star alignment and without guiding. Even with guiding and without a light pollution suppression filter (LPS) will be difficult to increase exposure time.

Image Data:  NGC 1499 California Nebula

Lens/Scope: Sky-Watcher 80mm

Focal Length: 400mm

F/Stop: f/5

Exposure: Stack of 116 120-second exposures (3:52 hours total exposure)

Mount: Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro SynScan GoTo (CdC & EQMOD Control)

Guiding: None

Camera: Unmodified Canon 500D (Digital Rebel T1i)

Mode: Raw

ISO: 800

White Balance: Custom, set on sky background

In-Camera Noise Reduction: Off

Filter: None

Date: November 06, 2010

Start Time: 00:20

Location: Beja, Portugal

Calibration: 60 Darks. 60 Flats. 60 Dark Flats.

Processing: Calibrated, aligned and stacked in DSS. Levels, curves, brightness and contrast enhancement, cropped, resampled in Photoshop. GradientXTerminator. Carboni Tools.

M52 & NGC 7635

It was halloween weekend with a national holiday on the first of November. Three nights for astrophotography on the horizon and i was eager to test all those technics i learned.

Couldn't be more disapointed because clouds, rain and wind where calling the shots around here. For professional reasons i can't image during the week, so i'm at the mercy of weather conditions on weekends.

To my surprise the sky's cleared on the last night and it was photon happy hour. I set course to the Messier  52 star cluster and Bubble nebula in the Cassiopeia constellation. The Bubble is an emission nebula, a Hα region, wich an unmodified DSLR has difficulties capturing due to the stock UV/IF filter.  I'm planning to do a Hα project just to see how far my unmodified camera can go.

For this picture i could go so far as 3 hour total exposure before clouds filled the sky once again.

Image Data: Messier 52 Open Star Cluster & NGC 7635 Bubble Nebula

Lens/Scope: Sky-Watcher 80mm

Focal Length: 400mm

F/Stop: f/5

Exposure: Stack of 90 120-second exposures (3 hour total exposure)

Mount: Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro SynScan GoTo (CdC & EQMOD Control)

Guiding: None

Camera: Unmodified Canon 500D (Digital Rebel T1i)

Mode: Raw

ISO: 800

White Balance: Custom, set on sky background

In-Camera Noise Reduction: Off

Filter: None

Date: November 01, 2010

Start Time: 00:30

Location: Beja, Portugal

Calibration: 50 Darks. 50 Flats. 50 Dark Flats.

Processing: Calibrated, aligned and stacked in DSS. Levels, curves, cropped, resampled in Photoshop. GradientXTerminator. Carboni Tools.

M31 - Andromeda Galaxy

This is my first AF project with good results. Minimal mount alignment and calibration capable of 60 second exposures. It was not a good night for AF, bad seeing (humidity), moon glow (waxing gibbous) and the ever present light pollution.

The equipment still has limitations resulting in: chromatic aberration, gradients, vignetting, curved focal plane just to say a few.

Processing needs a lot of work, im just at the start of the learning curve and with so much to learn. I just can't get the color in this photo right...

Special thanks to all the good people from APAA and Galactica forums who showed a lot of pacience and gave precious help to a noob like me.

 

 

 

 

Image Data: Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31), Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy M32, Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy M110

Lens/Scope: Sky-Watcher 80mm

Focal Length: 400mm

F/Stop: f/5

Exposure: Stack of 120 60-second exposures (2 hour total exposure)

Mount: Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro SynScan GoTo (EQMOD Control)

Guiding: None

Camera: Unmodified Canon 500D (Digital Rebel T1i)

Mode: Raw

ISO: 800

White Balance: Custom, set on sky background

In-Camera Noise Reduction: Off

Filter: None

Date: October 16, 2010

Start Time: 21:40

Location: Beja, Portugal

Calibration: 120 Darks. 50 Flats. 50 Dark Flats.

Processing: Calibrated, aligned and stacked in DSS. Levels, curves, brightness and contrast enhancement, cropped, resampled in Photoshop. GradientXTerminator. Carboni Tools.

Training Scope

The time came for my old Trust to rest. It simply has tremendous limitations for astrophotography (AF).
While searching, and saving some money, for my first true imager i needed something that could be used to capture those space fotons.
I choose the fast and inexpensive, budget hurt free, Sky-Watcher 80mm f/5. It's not an imager but it will have to do for now.

Let's see what can be done with it...

Seven Sisters

I took the mount for a test drive and it was a challenging first time. After several try's i was able to do a rough polar and 3-star alignment. Far from perfect the mount was pointing close to the chosen objects, so why not some photos?

I was not prepared to do exposures, the plan was to test the mount. It was impossible to resist and the camera was out in a flash. Unfortunately i was low on battery and could only capture a couple of photons.

The target was the beautiful M45 - Pleiades Star Cluster. I plan to revisit this part of the sky to do a project with better equipment, more exposure time and better processing.

Image Data: Pleiades Open Star Cluster (Messier 45)

Lens/Scope: Canon 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 EF-S Zoom IS Lens

Focal Length: 55mm

F/Stop: f/6.3

Exposure: Stack of fourteen 90-second exposures (21 minute total exposure)

Mount: Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro SynScan GoTo (EQMOD Control)

Guiding: None

Camera: Unmodified Canon 500D (Digital Rebel T1i)

Mode: Raw

ISO: 800

White Balance: Custom, set on sky background

In-Camera Noise Reduction: Off

Filter: None

Date: October 03, 2010

Location: Beja, Portugal

Calibration: Dark frames were subtracted from each individual light frame to remove the thermal signal. Fourteen Dark Frames.

Processing: Calibrated, aligned and stacked in DSS. Levels, curves, brightness and contrast enhancement, noise reduction, cropped, resampled in Photoshop. Carboni Tools.

The Mount

It finally arrived, a brand new computerized german equatorial mount: Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro SynScan GoTo.

With this marvelous piece of equipment i hope to greatly improve my astrophotos.

Stacking and Calibration

Image stacking and calibration is used in digital astrophotography in order to enhance data in photos.

To put it simply these methods are used to improve the SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio), reduce long exposure and ISO noise in images taken with DSLR's.

The example shown here is not breathtaking but was obtained using these methods. This Andromeda Galaxy (M31) image lacks exposure time but that can not be increased using only a fixed tripod without showing star trails.

Image Data: Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31)

Lens/Scope: Canon 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 EF-S Zoom IS Lens

Focal Length: 53mm

F/Stop: f/6.3

Exposure: Stack of ten 15-second exposures (150 second total exposure)

Mount: Fixed Tripod

Guiding: None

Camera: Unmodified Canon 500D (Digital Rebel T1i)

Mode: Raw

ISO: 1600

White Balance: Custom, set on sky background

In-Camera Noise Reduction: Off

Filter: None

Date: September 12, 2010

Location: Beja, Portugal

Calibration: Dark frames were subtracted from each individual light frame to remove the thermal signal.

Processing: Calibrated, aligned and stacked in DSS. Levels, curves, brightness and contrast enhancement, noise reduction, cropped, resampled in Photoshop. Carboni Tools.

Afocal Moon

It can be called the "hand afocal" method. Holding the camera with both hands and closing it to a 25mm eyepiece (EP) that was mounted on the telescope.

Image Data: Moon (Waning Gibbous)

Lens/Scope: Canon 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 EF-S Zoom IS Lens / Trust 60mm Refractor with 25mm EP

Focal Length: 18 mm / 900 mm

F/Stop: f/4 / f/15

Exposure: One 1/500 second exposure

Mount: Fixed Tripod

Guiding: None

Camera: Unmodified Canon 500D (Digital Rebel T1i)

Mode: Raw

ISO: 800

White Balance: None

In-Camera Noise Reduction: Off

Filter: None

Date: August 29, 2010

Location: Beja, Portugal

Calibration: None

Processing: Resampled.

Image Data: Moon (Waning Gibbous)

Lens/Scope: Canon 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 EF-S Zoom IS Lens / Trust 60mm Refractor with 25mm EP

Focal Length: 46 mm / 900 mm

F/Stop: f/6.3 / f/15

Exposure: One 1/60 second exposure

Mount: Fixed Tripod

Guiding: None

Camera: Unmodified Canon 500D (Digital Rebel T1i)

Mode: Raw

ISO: 800

White Balance: None

In-Camera Noise Reduction: Off

Filter: None

Date: August 29, 2010

Location: Beja, Portugal

Calibration: None

Processing: Resampled.

Processing

Processing is a key feature in digital astrophotography. Basically each pixel in a photo file has a corresponding code number that represents color and it's this data that is filtered and /or enhanced. Astrophotographers use many different programs and applications to enhance their photos, but many may ask if what we see in this photos is real.

Jerry Lodriguss, an experienced astrophotographer, has a great article about this subject here.

Since i'm not doing science what i want to acomplish is that my photos be the more pleasant as possible, just like if we where right there journeying in a spaceship.

I have to say that my processing experience is almost zero and im still in the long learning road.

Image Data: Ursa Major

Lens/Scope: Canon 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 EF-S Zoom IS Lens

Focal Length: 18mm

F/Stop: f/3.5

Exposure: One 3-second exposure

Mount: Fixed Tripod

Guiding: None

Camera: Unmodified Canon 500D (Digital Rebel T1i)

Mode: Raw

ISO: 800

White Balance: None

In-Camera Noise Reduction: Off

Filter: None

Date: July 31, 2010

Location: Beja, Portugal

Calibration: None

Processing: Color ajusted, contrast increased, noise reduction, resampled in Digital Photo Professional

And after doing a little simple processing in the photo from the last post, the one filled with light pollution:

 

Image Data: Deneb - Vega - Altair

Lens/Scope: Canon 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 EF-S Zoom IS Lens

Focal Length: 18mm

F/Stop: f/3.5

Exposure: One 15-second exposure

Mount: Fixed Tripod

Guiding: None

Camera: Unmodified Canon 500D (Digital Rebel T1i)

Mode: Raw

ISO: 400

White Balance: None

In-Camera Noise Reduction: Off

Filter: None

Date: August 01, 2010

Location: Beja, Portugal

Calibration: None

Processing: Color ajusted, brightness and contrast enhancement, noise reduction, resampled, sharpened in Photoshop.

Light Pollution

So i had this great camera on my hands, zero experience in astrophotography and still missing lots of equipment.

But i wanted to capture all that beauty in the sky, so i took the camera out and started shooting...

That night i met one of the nuisances of astrophotography: Light Pollution.

I found out that my observation site is on a orange zone leaving my photos with an unpleasant brownish background...

Image Data: Deneb - Vega - Altair

Lens/Scope: Canon 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 EF-S Zoom IS Lens

Focal Length: 18mm

F/Stop: f/3.5

Exposure: One 15-second exposure

Mount: Fixed Tripod

Guiding: None

Camera: Unmodified Canon 500D (Digital Rebel T1i)

Mode: Raw

ISO: 400

White Balance: None

In-Camera Noise Reduction: Off

Filter: None

Date: August 01, 2010

Location: Beja, Portugal

Calibration: None

Processing: Resampled

The invention of DSLR

While doing my first moon observation through a telescope in many years, this friend of mine presented me with a wonderfull piece of technology he had, a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) camera.

I knew of the existence of this cameras, but never ever had tried one with a telescope. Afocal astrophotography of the moon was very easy and from that moment on i knew the road i was walking.

It was decided and there was no turning back, i wanted to be in the midst of the stars.

Another small step was taken and i bought a Canon EOS 500D.

Phoenix

After several years in drydock, and almost decommissioned, a friend of mine asked me to bring my old spaceship to active duty, a new mission was on the making.

My soon to be retired refractor was refueled and ready to takeoff. The Astronomy spark was burning once again.

The phoenix is reborn.

Camera And Tripod

Hale Bopp and a long hiatus...

Everyone was missing Comet Hyakutake when Comet Hale Bopp smiles to the photo.
Another film foto with the details forgotten.

With the Hale Bopp departure came a 13 years hiatus of astrophotography. It was not cheap and i lacked equipment.

Big Bang...

My first Wide Field and Deep Space Object (DSO) photo. Orion constellation and Messier 42.
Taken somewhere in 1997, a film photo. The details about this piece of magic where lost in time...

This was my Big Bang, the beginning of my amateur Astronomy and Astrophotography...