April 2012 Contest Images

[Javio]

The April edition of the 2012 PixInsight Monthly Astrophotography Contest is open. Send your images until April 20th. Please use this post ONLY to submit your images.

Good luck!

[ajbarr]

This M45 was done in the Florida Everglades west of Fort Lauderdale.

Image Date:      January 2012
Location:      Fort Lauderdale, FL and Howard Campbell State Park
Mount:      Takahashi EM 400 Temma 2
Camera:      Starlight Xpress H16
Telescope:      Takahashi FSQ 106 at prime focus
Exposure:      LRGB, about 4 hours at 600 seconds each. RGB binned at 2

[url]http://www.flickr.com/photos/49526053@N04/7045049855/lightbox//url]

[MikeWiles]

Objects: M65, M66, NGC 3628
Date(s): Feb 25, 2012 & Mar 15, 2012 & Mar 16, 2012
Location: Saguaro Astronomy Club's "Antennas" Site - Western Arizona. 90 miles from Phoenix.
Telescope: Explore Scientific ES127CF Refractor - 127mm f/7.5 Triplet & Hotech SCA Field Flattener
Mount: Hypertuned Celestron CGE Mount
Camera: QHY8PRO One Shot Color CCD - 6.3 Megapixel APS-C sensor
Guiding: QHY5 & 9x50 finder via PHD
Exposure: 10.5 hours - 42 x 15 minutes
Capture: Maxim DL 5.18
Calibration & Processing: PixInsight 1.7

Regular Link:  http://astrobin.com/full/8556/?mod=none
 

[wvandenberghe]

Hello

M106 Galaxy
Location : Hertsberge Belgium.
Sky quality : 20.1 mag/arcsec^2
Telescope :  14.5 inch f/9 Ritchey-Chretien
Mount : Paramount ME
CCD : Sbig STL-11000M
Filters : Baader L,R,G,B
Exposure time : Luminance 540 min binned 1x1  Red,Green, Blue 120 min each binned 2x2

PIXINSIGHT 1.7 PROCESSING :

ImageCalibration
Defectmap
StarAlignment
Luminance image integration with LinearFit Clipping :
-dynamic crop,
-DBE
-Deconvolution with DynamicPSF
-MultiscaleMedianTransform MMT noise reduction image
-MMT Sharpening
-Histogram stretched
-Star size reduction : Morphological transformation
-HST adjust the final blackpoint

RGB processing
- Dynamic crop on each R,G,B,
- DBE on each R,G,B
- R, G , B combine channels
- Color calibration
- MMT noise reduction
- Histogram stretch
-Color Boost : luminance mask +curvestransformation on saturation
-SCNR green with maximum neutral setting

LRGB combine
-Dynamic registration of RGB to Lum
-LinearFit Lum  to RGB extracted Lum
-Lum combine to RGB , transfer function Saturation default
-HDRMultiscaleTransform
HDRMT 8 layers   Median Transform on, Lightness mask + Luminance checked , inverted starmask on luminance
-final Histogram Stretch
-ACDNR noise reduction

link : http://www.vstobservatory.net/gallery/galaxy/M106.htm


Hope you like it and clear skies to everyone.

Wolfgang

[melvov]

M100 in Coma

Frames: 79x300"  (55 x5 L, 8x5 RGB each )


Imaging telescopes or lenses: GSO RC10

Imaging cameras: Atik 383L+ mono

Mounts: Celestron CGEM DX

Guiding cameras: Lacerta MGen

Software: Artemis,  Pixinsight

Filters: Baader L 2"

Accessories: Atik EFW2

http://astrob.in/8264/?r=1385

[Alejandro Tombolini]

Hi,

Object: GUM 15
Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi - Filter Type I
Telescope: William Optics 132 FLT - Focal length 925 mm - f/7
Number of images: 21 x 20 minutes
ISO 800.
Total time: 7:00 hs.
Program: PixInsight.
Comment: Guided with Orion 100 and SSAG from Trenel, La Pampa - Argentina.

I have uploaded the integration: http://endor.uv.es//data/public/193a1d58a36841663280ad7f78760239.php?lang=en

and process used: http://endor.uv.es//data/public/2a669f3ea73ed45c7174b45c8a5e6e5c.php?lang=en

Summary

Calibration and elimination of lines with Fourier
Integration
CBR
BN
CC
DBE
Deconvolution
HT
ACDNR
SCNR
Saturation
Curves
MMT
Morphological Selection
CT
Enhancement of nebulae (Separating stars)
Enhancement of nebulae (Carlos' Method)
LHE

Large image: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aRs1eqZMx8Y/T4mwKGsgZBI/AAAAAAAAAN0/TERcOrKcvIo/s1600/ProximaSur+Gum15+1600x1059.jpg
 
Saludos.

[Oleg Bryzgalov]

The Whale and the Hockey Stick (mosaic)

Galaxies NGC4631 and NGC4645 in Canes Venatici.
This mosaic picture was photographed during March, 24 and April, 10-12, 2011 in Khlepcha observatory, Ukraine.
Equipment: reflector S&D 254 mm. f/4.7
Mount WhiteSwan-180, camera QSI-583wsg, Tevevue Paracorr-2. Off-axis guidecamera Orion SSAG.
LRGB filter set Baader Planetarium.
NGC4631:  L=18*300 sec. bin.1,  RGB: 8*300-450 sec. bin2. FWHM (L channel) 2,71? — 3.39?
NGC4645:  L=22*450 sec. bin.1,  RGB: 10*450-600 sec. bin2.  FWHM (L channel) 2,17? — 2.66?
Processed Pixinsight 1.7 and Photoshop CS5.

More information about  processing.
The image in each picture in each filter:
Routine procedures (calibrate, cosmetic correction, star alignment, Image Integration)

Each picture L channel:
Dynamic crop
DBE
MaskedStretch
HistogramTransformation
HDRMT with star mask

Each picture RGB:
RGB combine
BackgroundNeutralisation
ColorCalibration
HistogramTransformation
CurvesTransformation - star color boost with mask
LRGB combine

StarAlignment (mosaic mode + generate mask)
PixelMath (equalization of background)

Further processed in Photoshop:
finally applied levels and curves

Link to fullsize image: http://olegbr.astroclub.kiev.ua/files/astrofoto/NGC4656/NGC4656_NGC4631_mosaic_Oleg_Bryzgalov.jpg