AndrewSingleton
Triangulum Galaxy
A member of our own local group of galaxies, it is the 2nd closest major spiral galaxy to ourselves and the 3rd largest in our local group behind Andromeda and the Milky Way. It maybe gravitationally bound to Andromeda although the 2 galaxies do not seem in orbit. Eventually the 3 local galaxies could collide with the most likely outcome being the Triangulum orbiting as an outer galaxy to the merged Milky Way and Andromeda galaxy before merging properly much further down the line.
There are several star forming areas of Hydrogen within the galaxy including the core. Unlike the Milky Way and Andromeda there is not thought to be black hole at the centre although this is uncertain.
Under perfect skies with no light pollution, it can be made out with the naked eye.
R: - 261 x 30s (2 hours 10.5 mins)
G: - 187 x 30s (1 hour 33.5 mins)
B:- 520 * 30s (4 hour 20 mins)
Total Integration = 8 hours 4 minutes. Uneven in terms of colour integration time but had some initial issues with blue that needed ironing out with more integration. I will add Ha in the future and perhaps more green. Red is the best of all 3 so unlikely to add to this.
Flats taken with a PURElite CFPL22 Ultra-Thin LED Light Box. Used library darks and dark flats.
Telescope: - Skywatcher 130PDS Newtonian. Flocked with the shiny parts painted matt black. Additional camping mat protection from dew. Focuser upgraded with a ZWO EAF (Electronic Auto Focuser)
Camera : - ZWO ASI294MM with a ZWO 1.25” Electronic Filter Wheel
Filters:- IDAS D2 Light Pollution Suppression Filter, Baader Mark-III MPCC Coma Corrector and Baader R,G and B.
Mount: - Skywatcher EQ6R.
Guiding: Skywatcher EvoGuide 50ED & ZWO ASI120MM-Mini.
Controlled by an ASIAir.
Processing Software: Stacked and post processed in PixsInsight with minor adjustments in Photoshop Lightroom 4 at the end.
Moon: Purposefully chose moonless nights.
Light Pollution and Location: - Bortle 7/8 in Davyhulme, Manchester. Different websites tell me different things about this. It all depends on the time of night and which way I am pointing.
Weather: - The November nights were clear with low pressure. The second of which was very wet from all the dew which I think caused problems with my blue subs. The night in December was after a Storm, I had to wait for the wind to calm before getting any subs, it was so dry as the dew couldn’t settle in the wind.
Notes: The main thing with this project is its my first full go at PixsInsight coupled with my first real go using RGB filters on my mono camera. It has been a big learning curve and I have spent more time processing it as I have integration. I have used YouTube videos, the book ‘Inside PixsInsight’ and had help from fellow astrophotographers to help with workflows, encouraging me to use StarNet and just seeing the ‘art of the possible’.
Trying to get rid of the light pollution traces has been an extremely difficult job for me and hope that I have not overcorrected it. I want to re-do this target in the future in a much less light polluted area.
I have ordered some neutral density filter paper for my flat panel as it’s just too bright. The subs are 0.01s long which is apparently far too short.
Triangulum Galaxy
A member of our own local group of galaxies, it is the 2nd closest major spiral galaxy to ourselves and the 3rd largest in our local group behind Andromeda and the Milky Way. It maybe gravitationally bound to Andromeda although the 2 galaxies do not seem in orbit. Eventually the 3 local galaxies could collide with the most likely outcome being the Triangulum orbiting as an outer galaxy to the merged Milky Way and Andromeda galaxy before merging properly much further down the line.
There are several star forming areas of Hydrogen within the galaxy including the core. Unlike the Milky Way and Andromeda there is not thought to be black hole at the centre although this is uncertain.
Under perfect skies with no light pollution, it can be made out with the naked eye.
R: - 261 x 30s (2 hours 10.5 mins)
G: - 187 x 30s (1 hour 33.5 mins)
B:- 520 * 30s (4 hour 20 mins)
Total Integration = 8 hours 4 minutes. Uneven in terms of colour integration time but had some initial issues with blue that needed ironing out with more integration. I will add Ha in the future and perhaps more green. Red is the best of all 3 so unlikely to add to this.
Flats taken with a PURElite CFPL22 Ultra-Thin LED Light Box. Used library darks and dark flats.
Telescope: - Skywatcher 130PDS Newtonian. Flocked with the shiny parts painted matt black. Additional camping mat protection from dew. Focuser upgraded with a ZWO EAF (Electronic Auto Focuser)
Camera : - ZWO ASI294MM with a ZWO 1.25” Electronic Filter Wheel
Filters:- IDAS D2 Light Pollution Suppression Filter, Baader Mark-III MPCC Coma Corrector and Baader R,G and B.
Mount: - Skywatcher EQ6R.
Guiding: Skywatcher EvoGuide 50ED & ZWO ASI120MM-Mini.
Controlled by an ASIAir.
Processing Software: Stacked and post processed in PixsInsight with minor adjustments in Photoshop Lightroom 4 at the end.
Moon: Purposefully chose moonless nights.
Light Pollution and Location: - Bortle 7/8 in Davyhulme, Manchester. Different websites tell me different things about this. It all depends on the time of night and which way I am pointing.
Weather: - The November nights were clear with low pressure. The second of which was very wet from all the dew which I think caused problems with my blue subs. The night in December was after a Storm, I had to wait for the wind to calm before getting any subs, it was so dry as the dew couldn’t settle in the wind.
Notes: The main thing with this project is its my first full go at PixsInsight coupled with my first real go using RGB filters on my mono camera. It has been a big learning curve and I have spent more time processing it as I have integration. I have used YouTube videos, the book ‘Inside PixsInsight’ and had help from fellow astrophotographers to help with workflows, encouraging me to use StarNet and just seeing the ‘art of the possible’.
Trying to get rid of the light pollution traces has been an extremely difficult job for me and hope that I have not overcorrected it. I want to re-do this target in the future in a much less light polluted area.
I have ordered some neutral density filter paper for my flat panel as it’s just too bright. The subs are 0.01s long which is apparently far too short.