December 2012 Contest Images

[Javio]

The December edition of the 2012 PixInsight Monthly Astrophotography Contest is open. Check the contest rules and send your images until December 20th. Please use this post ONLY to submit your images.

Good luck!

[Josh Lake]

The Dust Surrounding M45

Taken: 12/03/12
35 x 240s Luminance
7 x 180s RGB
Tak FSQ-106 + SBIG STL-11000
Northeast Connecticut

Normal processing steps, used the DBE mapping trick with dusty image from APOD. Concentrated on surrounding dust using RangeSelection and repeated, subtle Histogram Transformations.

[Jan]

Lbn 468, Ldn 1148, 1155, 1158, Rno 124 Cep., Hubble Variable Nebula

GSO TS 200/4
ASA 0,73x
584 mm/ 2.9
Canon 450D, Astrodon Inside
Mount Gemini G53F
Date 17.05.2012
Totl of 40 x 5 minutes at ISO800
Processing: Calibration and stack DSS, general image processing Pixinsight, final steps PS
Image taken on a dark site in southern France. 

I had to calibrate and stack via DSS, because of the limited performance of my computer. In Pixinsight, I have mainly Histogram transformations, backround neutralization, gradient removal with Automatic backround extractor, star masking and subsequesnt star color enhancement, channel extraction and combination with "I"channel as "L" for colour noise reduction, dark structure enhancement tool.

This was actually my first image processed with Pixinsight. I have a lot of to learn regarding the image acquisition and processing, but I have to say, that for me it is amazing, how dramatically this software improved my results.

[jeffweiss9]

M51  HaLRGB 11.1 hours

Scope used and reducer: APM LZOS 130/780 f/6 LW CNC II (W.O. 110/132 FLT FF)
Mount Used: Takahashi EM-200 Temma2
Camera Used: SBIG ST-2000XM Astrodon Gen 2 LRGB, Orion UWB Ha
Exposure: L: 33x8min (4.4hr), RGB:16x4min 2x2binned (3.2hrs), Ha: 26x8min (3.5hrs)
Location: Mercey Hot Springs, Montebello and Henry Coe St. Park, CA

Capture: CCDSoft v5
Processed entirely in PixInsight 1.7
Image at:
http://www.astrophotogallery.org/november-2012-hard-galaxy/p10669-m51.html

-Jeff

[jtalbot]

NGC 1333 LRGB+Ha
10" f5 astrograph @ f3.79
MI 250 in Home Observatory
Suburban sky
QSI 583 and Astrodon filters
19.78 hrs exposure time

All processing done with PixInsight 1.7
Calibrated, aligned, stacked
Wavelets, SGBNR, ACDNR to reduce noise
Ha added to R(100%) B (20%) G(10%) using Vicent Peris method
Luminance combined with HARGB hybrid
Background enhance script
Color saturation

[Ignacio]

Dark Tower, a cometary globule in Scorpius

IMAGING DATA
Optical train: AP130 EDF GT + AP flattener
Mount: Losmandy G11
Guiding: B&L 80/800 SCT guidescope + Lifecam Cinema + PHD
Camera: Canon 1000D (modded and peltier cooled)
Frames: 28 lights, 5 min. ea. @iso1600, calibrated with 200 bias, 30 darks/flats
Processing: Pixinsight 1.7 + slight touches in Photoshop and Canon DPP
Date: 2012-07-21
Place: San Antonio de Areco, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Seeing & transparency: average/varying (rural skies with passing high clouds)

Regards,
Ignacio

[Howard]

[Scheduled for the January 2013 Edition. Javio]