M31 Andromeda Galaxy
Presenting an M31 Andromeda Galaxy “beginner equipment” side-project. I wanted to capture a deep space object with what is representative of relatively “beginner” equipment and modest exposure times as a sort of “you don’t need to spend heaps of money to make a good image” demonstration. And Andromeda seems like the perfect target for this sort of thing. Something I can share when people argue a basic camera can’t make a nice image, or get caught up feeling as though spending thousands of dollars is the right solution to solve frustrations they are encountering learning this challenging hobby.
As Ed Ting quipped (paraphrased), “You end up spending a lot of money to find out you didn’t need to spend a lot of money.”
Or maybe it’s mainly a “for better or for worse” reminder that experience, process, and (especially) post-processing knowledge and software are valuable parts of the formula. Expensive equipment does not offer an escape from this. Not to say the right sort of equipment (e.g. an interchangeable lens camera with a decent sensor and a tracking mount) doesn’t play a vital role in what is possible.
Hopefully this is helpful.
And in the spirit of this goal, I also spent some time documenting, in detail, the post-processing steps and thought process behind the edits involved. For this I used PixInsight and Adobe Photoshop.
Full Post-Processing Notes
Olympus E-M1 Mk.II M43 Camera
Olympus 40-150 f/2.8 Pro (150mm)
iOptron SkyGuider Pro
Vello Intervalometer
ASIAir Pro, ZWO 30mm Guide Scope, 2x ASI120MM (one as a dummy camera)
Lights RGB 100x90s ƒ/2.8 ISO1000
Calibrated with Darks, Flats, Flat Darks
Antelope Island, Utah, USA (Bortle 4)
Lights Hα 24x300s ISO3200
RedCat 51 & Astronomik 12nm Hα
I wanted to show that a color, stock sensor doesn’t mean Hydrogen-alpha can’t be accented. But had to use the RedCat 51 for this as, unlike a basic Canon DSLR, I don’t have a good means of using a Hydrogen-alpha filter with this Olympus.
M31 Andromeda Galaxy
Presenting an M31 Andromeda Galaxy “beginner equipment” side-project. I wanted to capture a deep space object with what is representative of relatively “beginner” equipment and modest exposure times as a sort of “you don’t need to spend heaps of money to make a good image” demonstration. And Andromeda seems like the perfect target for this sort of thing. Something I can share when people argue a basic camera can’t make a nice image, or get caught up feeling as though spending thousands of dollars is the right solution to solve frustrations they are encountering learning this challenging hobby.
As Ed Ting quipped (paraphrased), “You end up spending a lot of money to find out you didn’t need to spend a lot of money.”
Or maybe it’s mainly a “for better or for worse” reminder that experience, process, and (especially) post-processing knowledge and software are valuable parts of the formula. Expensive equipment does not offer an escape from this. Not to say the right sort of equipment (e.g. an interchangeable lens camera with a decent sensor and a tracking mount) doesn’t play a vital role in what is possible.
Hopefully this is helpful.
And in the spirit of this goal, I also spent some time documenting, in detail, the post-processing steps and thought process behind the edits involved. For this I used PixInsight and Adobe Photoshop.
Full Post-Processing Notes
Olympus E-M1 Mk.II M43 Camera
Olympus 40-150 f/2.8 Pro (150mm)
iOptron SkyGuider Pro
Vello Intervalometer
ASIAir Pro, ZWO 30mm Guide Scope, 2x ASI120MM (one as a dummy camera)
Lights RGB 100x90s ƒ/2.8 ISO1000
Calibrated with Darks, Flats, Flat Darks
Antelope Island, Utah, USA (Bortle 4)
Lights Hα 24x300s ISO3200
RedCat 51 & Astronomik 12nm Hα
I wanted to show that a color, stock sensor doesn’t mean Hydrogen-alpha can’t be accented. But had to use the RedCat 51 for this as, unlike a basic Canon DSLR, I don’t have a good means of using a Hydrogen-alpha filter with this Olympus.