M81 & M82

User images created with StarTools.
gboulton
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 12:40 am

M81 & M82

Post by gboulton »

Image
  • 2013-02-06 ~ 0100-0400 UTC
  • Red Zone just outside Nashville, TN
  • Orion ED80T-CF on a Celestron CG-5, Guided by an Orion 50mm w/ SSAG and PHD
  • Canon EOS 450D (IR modified) controled by BackyardEOS
  • 21 x 360" @ ISO 400 (Stacked 18)
  • 5 x Darks, Flats, Bias
  • Post in StarTools, final touchup in PS CS2
Finally had a chance to get "significant" data with the new ED80T...I'm incredibly pleased.

StarTools just gets more and more fun to use, too, as I learn more about how it thinks...and as I hand it better data to chew on as well.
-- Gordon

Image

My Astrobin
gboulton
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 12:40 am

Re: M81 & M82

Post by gboulton »

Slightly cleaner version. Didn't see some of the noise until i looked at it on another display.
Image
-- Gordon

Image

My Astrobin
Gasman
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2013 12:05 pm

Re: M81 & M82

Post by Gasman »

Some crisp clean images there Gordon. Can make out some nice dust lanes in M81. I'm just finding my way around Star tools:-)
Best
Steve
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 3367
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 10:51 pm
Location: Melbourne
Contact:

Re: M81 & M82

Post by admin »

Wow. :shock: Just... wow... You're getting to grips with the new scope fast. Everything is just right!
Ivo Jager
StarTools creator and astronomy enthusiast
gboulton
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 12:40 am

Re: M81 & M82

Post by gboulton »

Thanks, Steve and Ivo! :)

Still not entirely pleased with the blue...or lack of it. I keep thinking the dust lanes and arms of M81 are to purple...but I don't seem to quite be able to get St to cooperate. I've tried masking them off and adjusting color, but can't really get it not to look..."blocky". Adjusting color across the image takes the reds out of M82's star formation bulge. :(

I'm really quite pleased with the data the scope captured, and I feel like i've pulled a very large chunk of that data out of the LP and noise...but I'm just not quite there on the colors yet.
-- Gordon

Image

My Astrobin
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 3367
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 10:51 pm
Location: Melbourne
Contact:

Re: M81 & M82

Post by admin »

Did you process colors and luminance separately?
Ivo Jager
StarTools creator and astronomy enthusiast
gboulton
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 12:40 am

Re: M81 & M82

Post by gboulton »

I did not...don't know how to. *heh*

Off to look for a tutorial! :thumbsup:
-- Gordon

Image

My Astrobin
gboulton
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 12:40 am

Re: M81 & M82

Post by gboulton »

Well, I don't seem to be having much luck.

How do I extract the LRGB data from the original TIF? oir do i do that from the CR2s before stacking?? Or do I somehow split everything in ST? :confusion-shrug:
-- Gordon

Image

My Astrobin
gboulton
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 12:40 am

Re: M81 & M82

Post by gboulton »

Hrmm...

Well, further research suggests I use Photoshop to extract RGB, and then perhaps I can use one of the methods here to create a synthetic luminance channel...and then use the appropriate ST tutorial for processing LRGB.

I'll give it a shot this afternoon/evening, see what I can destroy! :lol:
-- Gordon

Image

My Astrobin
gboulton
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 12:40 am

Re: M81 & M82

Post by gboulton »

Decided to get a little less crazy with the noise reduction, and leave some more noise behind in favor of keeping more data.

Then did some color balancing in PS after finishing the processing in ST.
Image
Still not quite where I want it to be...but definitely superior to the first one, I think.
-- Gordon

Image

My Astrobin
Post Reply