Canon 135 f/2 (stopped down to 2.8) lens attached to SX Trius 694 + Baader 7nm Ha filter piggybacked to main scope on a CEM60 was used to capture eleven subframes at 300 seconds each. Stacked in Deepskystacker and processed in StarTools and Photoshop CS2

Taken 07/01/22

Composite image.

Milky Way is a result of 90 stacked subframes (Pixinsight)

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Photographed at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

(285 km by road north of Toronto)

between 00.14 and 00.34 EDT

* Altitude of centre of frame at time of exposures: ~68°

* Temperature 2° C.

* Total exposure time: 10 minutes

* 660 mm focal length telescope

___________________________________________

Description:

Eight open star clusters are shown in this image of a star-rich region of the constellation Cassiopeia.

Our Milky Way galaxy contains some 1,100 open clusters of stars, which are loosely bound together gravitationally. Because of this loose nature, these cluster drift apart over time until they are unrecognizable as star clusters . Most of them are therefore only a few dozens of millions of years old.

An exception is the faint reddish cluster IC 166 in the extreme upper left of this image. It is estimated to be about a billion years old, and is still recognizable as a cluster because it is located outside any of the heavily populated arms of the milky Way. Thus the gravitational effect of other stars is minimal, and the cluster has survived for a long time.

For a version of this photo WITH LABELS and more information about the clusters in this image, click on your screen to the RIGHT of the photo, or click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/52399315319

___________________________________________

Technical information:

Nikon D810a camera body on Tele Vue 127is (127 mm - 5" - diameter) apochromatic refracting telescope, mounted on Astrophysics 1100GTO equatorial mount

Ten stacked subframes; each frame:

ISO 5000; 1 minute exposure at f/8

(with LENR - long exposure noise reduction)

Subframes stacked in RegiStar;

Processed in Photoshop CS6 (levels, colour saturation)

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Dwarf III

449 15-second subframes

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Photographed 4.5 km north of (13 km by road from) Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Ayers Rock), Northern Territory, Australia, between 23.30 and 23.49 CAST (Central Australia Standard Time)

* Observing site: Long. 131.07° E. | Lat. 25.22° S. | Elev. 501 m

* Altitude of centre of frame at time of exposures: ~76°

* Total exposure time: 12 minutes

* 50 mm focal length lens

___________________________________________

Description:

Part of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, runs from the constellation Aquila (The Eagle) at the left side to Sagittarius (the Archer) at right.

Dozens of star clusters, glowing clouds of pink-red ionized hydrogen gas, and foreground dark nebulae are strewn across this area of the sky. The centre of the Milky Way lies out of view to the right side.

The 12th brightest star of in the sky, Altair, is near the left edge of the frame, below centre.

All of what is shown in this image can also be seen from the northern hemisphere, but I wanted to photograph it from south of the equator as well, from which it can be viewed almost straight overhead.

For a version of this photo WITH LABELS, click on your screen to the RIGHT of the photo, or click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/49278477912

Here is a photo of the gear that used for astrophotography on this trip:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/49017804808

__________________________________________

Technical information:

Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART Lens on Nikon D810a camera body, mounted on an iOptron CEM40 equatorial mount with a Kirk Enterprises ball head

Twelve stacked subframes - each frame:

ISO 2500; 1 minute exposure at f/4, 50 mm focal length, unguided (with LENR - long exposure noise reduction)

Subframes stacked in RegiStar;

Processed in Photoshop CS6 (brightness, contrast, levels, colour balance)

****************************************************************************

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Photographed from mid-town Toronto, Canada, at 21.36 EDT (Moon altitude: 35° | Sun 35° below the horizon)

* Temperature 10° C.

When I made the subframes that have been assembled for this image, the Moon was still 39 hours (a little more than a day and a half) from reaching its full phase. As a result, you can see the terminator (the dividing line between the sunlit and dark portions of the lunar disk) along the left edge, with craters and mountains in sharp profile from the low angle of the Sun.

Last night the Moon appeared distinctly yellowish in colour, probably caused by dust particles in the atmosphere. I have tried to neutralize the yellow during processing of the image, but the slight yellow cast is still evident.

______________________________________________

Nikon D850 camera body on Explore Scientific 152 mm (6") apochromatic refracting telescope, mounted on Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 SynScan mount.

Best ten of ten sixteen identical stacked frames; each frame:

* 1253 mm focal length

* ISO 100, 1/200 sec. exposure, f/8

Stacked in Registax

Processed in Photoshop CS6

(brightness, contrast, colour desaturation, colour balance)

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Brush under magnifier. Subframing

1994 Vauxhall Calibra turbo 4x4.

Last MoT test expired on 8th January 2022 (SORN).

It failed a test on 9th May 2022 -

Offside front outer drive shaft joint constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (6.1.7 (g) (ii)) - Major

Offside rear coil spring fractured or broken broken (5.3.1 (b) (i)) - Major

Nearside front suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength subframe (5.3.6 (a) (i)) - Major

Emissions not tested do to fuel leak (8.2.2.2 (e)) - Major

Fuel system component leaking pipe (6.1.3 (b) (i)) - Major

Photo with kind permission of [https://www.flickr.com/photos/34679063@N04].

Architecture. The person in right bottom is hanging for cleaning glass

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Photographed at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

(285 km by road north of Toronto)

between 03.36 and 03.58 EDT

* Altitude of M17 at time of exposures: 28°

* Temperature 2° C.

* Total exposure time: 11 minutes

* 1253 mm focal length telescope

___________________________________________

Description:

The distinctively shaped M17 is a gas cloud of red ionized hydrogen on the northern border of the constellation Sagittarius.

From Wikipedia:

"The Omega Nebula ... is an H II region in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745. Charles Messier catalogued it in 1764.

The open cluster NGC 6618 lies embedded in the nebulosity and causes the gases of the nebula to shine due to radiation from these hot, young stars; however, the actual number of stars in the nebula is much higher - up to 800 ... plus over a thousand stars in formation on its outer regions. It is also one of the youngest clusters known, with an age of just 1 million years.."

For a version of this photo WITH LABELS, click on your screen to the RIGHT of the photo, or click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/55290632880

__________________________________________

Nikon D810a camera body on Explore Scientific 152 mm (6") apochromatic refracting telescope, mounted on Astrophysics 1100GTO equatorial mount

Eleven stacked subframes; each frame:

ISO 6400; 1 minute exposure at f/8

(with LENR - long exposure noise reduction)

Subframes stacked in RegiStar;

Processed in Photoshop CS6 (brightness, contrast, levels)

******************************************************************************

My latest attempt at this fantastic object, this time a wider field captured with a Canon 400mm f5.6L lens on a QHY168C cooled CMOS camera. 283 x 180s subframes integrated in PixInsight.

Observed from Prachinburi, Thailand.

Eagle Nebula (M16), Swan Nebula (M17), star cluster M18, Sagitarius star cloud and a lot of other structures. For me a surprising new view of Eagle Nebula: a face in a fascinating expression (left side). Mosaic captured last night (2015-08-16) in Tenerife, 1200 m altitude, 2 x 20 x 150 sec subframes, Sony A7s (CentralDs modded and cooled, ISO 4000, IDAS-V4 filter), RASA 11" F2.2, ASA DDM85 unguided, processed in PixInsight, PtGui and PS CC.

1965 Jaguar S-type 3.8.

Last taxed in July 2021.

Anglia Car Auctions, King's Lynn -

"V5 Present

MoT Exempt

Chassis number: 1B54494DN

"Finished in Old English white with red leather interior. This desirable 3.8 litre example, with working overdrive, has benefitted from works including the front brakes, master cylinder and handbrake overhaul, engine service, re‑sealing of the steering box and carburettor overhaul. In addition, the rear subframe has been out when new bushes were fitted, both fuel tanks have been removed and overhauled, painted and weather proofed. The interior has previously been subject to a re‑trim and the walnut veneer dash and door cappings remain in very good condition. Comes with a current V5 and Jaguar Heritage certificate. The mileage is recorded at 49,931 and the car registers six owners."

Sold for £11,880 (including premium) on an estimate of £12,000 to £14,000.

#Subframing

Cumulative 3 hour exposure of the Veil Nebula. Subframes were 5 minutes. Taken with Nikon D810a and a Televue NP101.

This is the Sunflower Galaxy in Canes Venatici, nicely high in our skies at the moment and living up to its nickname.

This image is a stack of 31x5minute luminance subframes with added red, green and blue data taking the total image time to just short of four hours over two recent nights.

Taken through my 130mm triplet APO refractor with an Atik 460EX mono CCD.

Peter

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for December 24, 2013;

This image of SH 2-308 was taken in my backyard inTehachapi, Ca., during a cold snap (13 degrees). Details: Televue NP127is at f4.1; Atik 383L+ at -18 deg C; Orion EQ-G mount;TS OAG; Astrodon 3nm filters: Ha(G)(15x20min),SII(R)(3x20min),OIII(B)(18x20min). Because this 'dolphin' or 'gourd' is so strong in OIII, I mixed approximately 15% OIII into the red channel along with 85% SII. To obtain the final colors, I tweaked the color bandwidths and hues of this image using PSE9 [replace color] in an attempt to achieve a pleasing look. I also used AIPWIN to apply Sigmoid Brightness Scaling on each subframe before stacking.

It really took a while before this model was done. Actually I wanted to present it at LEGO World 2013 but didn't manage to get it ready. It was shown at LEGO World 2014 in Copenhagen but afterwards I still had to do some minor changes.

Anyhow; the model. In July 2011 I was visiting the UK for my job and I had the opportunity to do some sightseeing. Just before heading for the UK I saw a couple of pictures of NYR's immaculate Kenworth K100E Aerodyne in "B.J. & the Bear: outfit. A couple of months before they imported one for the States and converted it into a heavy recovery vehicle by fitting a Century Rotator 1140. I took a lot of pictures at their yard (and of course I was very please it was there!). Back home I started to find more details about the K100 and Century Rotator and start building a chassis and cab.

I didn't use chrome before and had to start a collection of chrome pieces. I discovered it's rather expensive and I was hesitating whether I should continue the project or not. Mid 2011 I still had the old Scania 141 with Holmes and when I removed the cab of that one and placed the K100 cab onto the chassis I thought it might be better to start with a smaller truck with some chrome parts. And that's how I start building the K100 with Holmes twin boom; www.flickr.com/photos/51102529@N07/sets/72157631712541786/

But I had to continue with the NYR truck. The other K100 did turn out very well and the Aerodyne would be even better (red, white and black are always good to combine). So I continued early 2013. In a meanwhile Brickonwheels started to build his Pete 379 with Century Rotator 1075; www.flickr.com/photos/bricksonwheels/sets/721576345065103...

From a truck photographer I received some very useful pictures of the century rotator, even a few production pictures. He I really could see all details which enabled me to build quite an exact replica. At a heavy recovery show in Belgium in June 2013 I had a closer look to a few examples of Century Rotators which where there.

The model has a full detailed chassis with drive shafts, air suspension, axle stabilizers, etc. etc. When I was building the chassis I recon it would become long, very long. Without the body should say there wouldn't come an end to the chassis … Nice challenge to get it straight without bending. The cab is tilted with an accurate Cummins 6 cylinder in line engine underneath. This one has some chrome touches. The cab interior differs a bit from the old K100; this one is from a later generation, on of the last produced in 2003.

The body work I had to align with the cab (especially with the striping). As I wouldn't change anything to the design of it (it was perfect) I had to modify the body work quite some times. I think I rebuilt it seven of eight times. The body work consist of one center part at the front and two mirrored sections on each side. These are merged to the chassis with traverse beams. On the truck chassis there's a heavy subframe for the crane. I used a classic turn table to attach the crane base. The crane base also was quite a challenge to build; I wanted to have the shapes correctly. While there aren't any blueprints available of the rotator I really had to study all pictures I took. When building the crane I discovered the truck chassis was a bit too short; I disassembled the chassis and stretched it with three studs. It really was a lot of work but otherwise it wouldn't be right.

The boom has three stages and I chose to use panels, brackets and tiles to make these section. In reality there's a little space between the boom and crane base. The outer section is just less than six studs wide, the middle section four studs and inner section a little more than three studs. I was quite expensive to collect all these pieces but I thought it would fit better.

The truck has three winches; two on top of the crane base and one in the body work.

I spent a lot of time on detailing, like the fuel tanks, air compressor, light bar, support legs, storage cabinets etc. etc.

It's my largest solo vehicle so far, apart from the huge Liebherr cranes I built many years ago. In a time span of two and a half years I spent many hours on it. Mostly it really was fun and exciting to build but sometimes quite frustrating. Patience is the magic word!

The Seestar S50 started this image at 10:00PM to 3:50 AM. During this time 976 ten-seconds subframes were taken. Of those 865 passed muster. The images were pieced together as a mosaic. Image right annotates some points of interest.

LdN refers to Lynds Catalog of Dark Nebulae. What is a dark nebula? (Wikipedia: A dark nebula or absorption nebula is a type of interstellar cloud, particularly molecular clouds, that is so dense that it obscures the visible wavelengths of light from objects behind it, such as background stars and emission or reflection nebulae. The extinction of the light is caused by interstellar dust grains in the coldest, densest parts of molecular clouds.)

also known as NGC 4736, Crocodile Eye Galaxy, or Croc's Eye Galaxy.

Dwarf 3

80 45-second subframes (one hour total exposure)

The planetary nebula NGC2818, another southern target in the Pyxis constellation. This is an Ha L O3 RGB exposure for about 8.5 hrs; Scope GSO RC 30cms, camera Sbig STF8300/AO-8 operating at -35°C. 12 min subframes, from my backyard observatory at La Colonia, Illapel, Chile. This planetary nebula (PLN) doesn't belong to the open cluster (NGC 2818A), but have near the same distance to us.

La nebulosa planetaria denominada NGC2818 en la sureña constelación de Pyxis. No pertenece al cúmulo abierto (NGC 2818 A), sino que está por coincidencia a una distancia y línea de visión similares. Exposición con filtros Ha-L-O3 y RGB, subframes de 12 minutos, telescopio GSO RC de 30cms, cámara Sbig STF8300/AO-8 operando a -35°C, desde mi observatorio casero en La Colonia, Illapel, Chile.

Figures walk through an arched frame, the glass doubling the movement. Reflections and strong diagonals pull the eye toward the light beyond. The scene holds close and quiet, a candid crossing turned formal by line and shadow.

This is a slightly different view of the Crab nebula. It is normally a narrowband target and scrubs up well in H Alpha. This mage is simply a colour image taken with a luminance/IR cut filter, giving a more natural view of the nebula. It is 20 individual subframes of 480 seconds each taken over two separate nights' observing in September and October.

Peter

1988 Austin Metro Vanden Plas 5-door.

Last MoT test expired in December 2007 (SORN).

It failed a test in November 2007 -

Nearside inner rear seat belt anchorage prescribed area is excessively corroded (5.2.6)

Offside inner rear seat belt anchorage prescribed area is excessively corroded (5.2.6)

Offside inner rear subframe mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.a.3)

Nearside inner rear subframe mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.a.3)

Offside inner rear subframe mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.a.3)

and again in June 2020 -

Nearside rear suspension pipe damaged or deteriorated and function is seriously affected excessively corroded (5.3.5 (b) (ii)) - Dangerous

Offside rear suspension pipe damaged or deteriorated and function is seriously affected excessively corroded (5.3.5 (b) (ii)) - Dangerous

All direction indicators not working (4.4.1 (a) (ii)) - Major

Fluid leak harmful to the environment or a risk to other road users coolant leaking excessively (8.4.1 (a) (i)) - Major

Horn not working (7.7 (a) (ii)) - Major

Windscreen washer not working (3.5 (a)) - Major

Offside rear subframe mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.3.6 (a) (i)) - Major

Nearside rear outer seat belt anchorage prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced (7.1.1 (a) (i)) - Major

Offside rear outer seat belt anchorage prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced (7.1.1 (a) (i)) - Major

Service brake efficiency below requirements (1.2.2 (a) (i)) - Major

Using my 150 ED apo triplet and 1000D with UHC filter I captured 4 subframes at 25 minutes apiece,stacked in Deepskystacker and processed in Photoshop,colour balanced to bring out the Hubble palette.

EQ 6 powered using EQMOD and autoguided using 60mm Tasco refractor,SX Lodestar and PHD2.

Image taken early hours of 27/12/16

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Photographed at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, between 22.17 and 22.30 EDT

(285 km by road north of Toronto)

* Temperature 12° C.

* Total exposure time: 6 minutes.

___________________________________________

Description:

One of the brightest sections in our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is in the small constellation Scutum (the Shield), which appears in the southern sky half way from the horizon to the zenith as seen from southern Canada and the northern United States.

In this area appear many foreground cold, dark nebulae, which obscure the light of the stars beyond. These dark regions were photographed and catalogued by the great American astronomer E. E. Barnard (1857 - 1923) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Emerson_Barnard), and bear the designation "B", numbered from 1 to 370.

Below centre in this view is a favourite target of amateur astronomers with modest telescopes: M11, the "Wild Duck Cluster". This is a rich open cluster of stars that looks like a duck in flight. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Duck_Cluster for more information about M11.

For a wider angle view of the entire constellation and the surrounding area, click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/28583103700

For a version of this photo WITH labels, click on the RIGHT side of your screen, or click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/31295105435

___________________________________________

Technical information:

Nikon D810a camera body on Teleview 101is apochromatic refracting telescope, mounted on Astrophysics 1100GTO equatorial mount with a Kirk Enterprises ball head

Six stacked frames; each frame:

540 mm focal length

ISO 4000; 1 minute exposure at f/5.4; unguided

(with LENR - long exposure noise reduction)

Subframes registered in RegiStar;

Stacked and processed in Photoshop CS6 (levels, brightness, contrast, colour balance)

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1997 Jaguar XK8 4 Litre auto.

Previously registered J20 AKS, JR 7237, J853 GGP, VOT 92 and P804 UAV.

Last MoT test expired in November 2015 (SORN).

It failed a test that month -

Nearside rear subframe mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded outer sill area (2.4.a.3)

Offside rear subframe mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded outer sill area (2.4.a.3)

Nearside brake pipe excessively corroded front to rear (3.6.b.2c)

150 ED Apo triplet f7 and Atik 314L with motorised filterwheel.

8 subframes at 7 minutes apiece captured in Ha and again in OIII,stacked in Deepskystacker and colour comined (Ha,OIII,OIII) in Maxim DL4,finished in Photoshop. Image taken early hours of 1/12/16

This isn't deja vue with my last posting. That was Phase 1, this is the completion of Phase 2 in building my Rosette image this time round. The previous posting was a stack of 15 seven-minute subframes in H Alpha. This image is a stack of 36 seven-minute subframes in H Alpha and marks the completion of this narrowband capture that will form one element (albeit the most important) of the final image in due course.

Main differences with the previous image are more detail in the fainter features and a more subtle difference between the light and dark areas.

Peter

Equipment used: Atik 460EX mono CCD, 0.75 reducer, 130mm triplet APO, autoguided with a Lodestar CCD and telescope on an EQ8 mount.

1997 Citroen XM TurboD VSX auto estate.

Last SORN declaration expired in December 2018 and last MoT test expired in April 2015.

It failed a test in May 2015 (when it had covered 218,806 miles) -

Nearside windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

Offside windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

Battery insecure (1.9.1)

Nearside front subframe mounting prescribed area is severely distorted (2.4.a.3)

Offside front subframe mounting prescribed area is severely distorted (2.4.a.3)

Nearside rear suspension component mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.a.3)

Offside rear suspension component mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.a.3)

Nearside rear fluid suspension unit interconnecting pipe corroded and seriously weakened (2.4.d.3)

Front fluid suspension leaking (2.4.d.2)

Nearside front anti-roll bar linkage has excessive play in a ball joint (2.4.g.2)

Nearside track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.2.b.1f)

Nearside rear tyre has a lump, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure (4.1.d.1b)

Parking brake is not capable of being maintained in operation by direct mechanical action only (3.1.2)

Seestar S50 | 352 ten-second subframes.

My new winter project. A 1979 Mini 850. Its had rebuilt subframes and a reconditioned engine so drives really nice. I'm intending on a full respray fairly soon but still deciding on a colour!

1996 Rover 114 SLi 5-door.

Supplied by Seletar Garage of Mundford (Rover).

Last MoT test expired in July 2016.

It failed a test in September 2016 -

Offside rear subframe mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded sill (2.4.a.3)

Nearside rear subframe mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded sill (2.4.a.3)

Nearside windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (8.2.2)

I check my subframes before I do any post-processing. You never know what you might find, right?

Last night I captured the trails of a number of satellites. They are easy to explain (thank you, Elon, for ruining so many astrophotographs) But the three parallel bright lines are a complete mystery. Three somethings were moving slowly near M106 (faintly visible in the center), but not as slowly as the satellites. I also think there are vapor trails.

I can't figure out what they are.

No tail yet.

Seestar S50.

8 ten-second subframes

A quick image of Messier 27, before exam season begins. Taken during nautical twilight since it doesn't properly get dark here in the UK now until August.

Details:

Skywatcher 200PDS

Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro

Canon EOS 700D

59 x 30s ISO800 subframes, stacked in Deep Sky Stacker and processed in IRIS and GIMP.

Small bridge over Ava da Tuors in Bergün.

A man moves through the frame, held by shadows and distance. Layers of dark and light give the scene its quiet structure. The subject sits centered, with just enough space around him.

Used my 6" f7 apo triplet and DSLR with UHC filter to capture 5 subframes at 15 minutes each. Stacked and darkframe (7) calibrated in Deepskystacker and processed in Photoshop.

Image taken early hours 6/11/16

This is a small part of the Rho Ophiuci complex, a nice zone of the sky toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Within the image you could see dark nebula, dust clouds, star-forming regions and part of the reflection nebula IC 4603 (blue, to the left). Nefertiti's head or a dark angel, whatever you think of the silouette, has also interesting views rotating the image. TEC 140 refractor scope, camera Sbig STF8300-AO/8, 7.5 hours in LRGB exposure, 12 min subframes, from my backyard obs at La Colonia, Illapel, Chile.

Esta imagen es una pequeña parte del complejo nebular cercano a la estrella Rho Ophiuci,hacia el centro de nuestra galaxia la Vía Láctea. En ella se pueden ver nebulosas oscuras, nubes de polvo interestelar, regiones de formación estelar, y parte de la nebulosa de reflección azul IC 4603 a la izquierda. La cabeza de Nefertiti, o un ángel negro, o lo que Ud. vea en la silueta, ofrece también vistas interesantes al rotar la imagen. Telescopio refractor TEC 140, cámara Sbig STF8300-AO/8, 7.5 horas acumuladas en LRGB, subframes de 12 minutos, desde mi observatorio casero en La Colonia, Illapel, Chile. Saludos y comentarios bienvenidos...

Poor - not poor

Scope: WO Zenith Star 81mm f/6.9 with WO 6AIII Flattener/Focal Reducer x0.8

OSC Camera: ZWO ASI 2600 MC Pro at 100 Gain and 50 Offset

Mount: iOptron GEM28-EC

Guider: ZWO Off-Axis Guider

Guide Camera: ZWO ASI 174mm mini

Light Pollution Filter: Chroma LoGlow Broadband

Date: 14, 18 February 2023

Location: Washington D.C.

Exposure: 81x300s subs (= 6.75 hours)

Software: Pixinsight

Processing Steps:

Preprocessing: FITS data > Image Calibration > Cosmetic Correction > Subframe Selector > Debayer > Select Reference Star and Star Align > Image Integration.

Linear Postprocessing: Dynamic Crop > Dynamic Background Extractor (subtraction to remove light pollution gradients and division for flat field corrections) > Background Neutralization > Color Calibration > Blur Xterminator > Noise Xterminator.

Nonlinear Postprocessing: Histogram Transformation > Star Xterminator to decompose into Starless and Stars Only images.

Starless image > Histogram Transformation > Noise Xterminator > Local Histogram Equalization.

Apply a First Curves Transformation as appropriate to boost the blue signal from the galaxy's arms. Apply an RGB Split. After adjusting the weights for the individual RGB components (noting that the R serves as both the L channel and the red channel when using an OSC camera), apply LRGB Combination to get a blue boosted image.

Apply a Second Curves Transformation as appropriate to boost the red signal from the galaxy's core. Apply an RGB Split. After adjusting the weights for the individual RGB components (noting that the R serves as both the L channel and the red channel when using an OSC camera), apply LRGB Combination to get a red boosted image.

Use Pixel Math to combine 0.5 x red boosted image + 0.5 x blue boosted image to get a Composite image.

Use Pixel math again to combine 0.75 x Composite image + 0.25 x an HDR Multiscale Transform-modified Composite image to get a New Composite image.

Process the New Composite image with Curves Transformation using color masks.

Apply Histogram Transformation and Local Histogram Equalization to get a Final Starless image.

Use Pixel Math to rejoin the Final Starless image with the Stars Only image (modified by a Morphological Transformation if needed) to get a rejoined image.

Rejoined image > Topaz Labs > DeNoise AI > Gigapixel AI.

Use Pixel Math to combine 0.25 x non-AI Composite + 0.75 x Gigapixel AI = Final Result.

...

"Caldwell 38 is nicknamed the Needle galaxy, because in most telescopes it looks as thin and sharp as a pin. It is a spiral galaxy, but because it is seen almost perfectly edge-on, its spiral structure is concealed." science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night...

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I've seen the "Heart of the Heart" a million times so I figured I'd join the crowd. Actually this was a test- I've never tried to bin subframes in any setting other than 2x2. This was shot at 4x4.

Since I was able to image 3 times this week(a 1st in almost 2 years) I chose something familiar for my "binning" test, IC 1805, the Heart Nebula in the constellation of Cassiopeia.

Shot on 9/25 & 9/26/14 with a Celestron 11" EdgeHD @ F/7 and a QHY23M

RGB-10 subs each color filter/ 2 minutes each, 1hour total,4x4 binning

Ha,OIII,SII-10 subs each filter/5 minutes each,2.5 hours total, 4x4 binning