--- "Bob Runyan" <runrob@...> wrote:
> f/7.5 120mm ED EON Refractor...
> f/5 80mm ED Refractor
> ... should do the color with the ED80

absolutely!

The 120mm scope will produce superior resolution and superior object S/N so it
is the clear choice for Lum.

The 80mm is faster, which is useful for taking sky limited filtered exps.

The key to LRGB is that all the heavy lifting should be done by the Lum. The RGB
component is mere pretty-pic coloration that need not be hi-res nor does it need
especially high S/N because that data can be smoothed.

Stan

Larry,  I never really tried a calibration folder for Maxim but wanted to use
CCDSoft as my primary imaging software as my PMX/TheSkyX used it.  Maxim would
ask for the 'scope to be covered to take a Dark frame but CCDSoft didn't hence
my perceived need for a shutter.  It could be of course that I didn't study the
problem long enough and there may be a way of setting up a Dark library for
CCDSoft as well.  Nikos, I used the beautifully sensitive Lodestar for quite a
while with both imaging packages but preferred Maxim for the above reason. 
Until I upgraded to the Bisque equipment.
Charles

--- In ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com, "Larry Phillips" <llp41astro@...> wrote:
>
>
> "Using Maxim or CCDSoft for guiding now demands a shutter on the guide
camera".
>
> Not true for Maxim.  You can create a calibration folder ahead of time and use
it to subtract a dark for the guider.
>
> Larry
>
> --- In ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com, "chasfranks71" <cfranks@> wrote:
> >
> > I have both the Lodestar and the ST-i guide cameras.  The Lodestar is more
sensitive and, although it doesn't have a shutter (for Dark frames), I had great
success using it with PHD.  I've now upgraded to a Paramount MX mount and CCD
Commander for automated sessions and PHD is not supported.  Using Maxim or
CCDSoft for guiding now demands a shutter on the guide camera hence the ST-i. 
Not quite as sensitive as the Lodestar but, so far, I haven't had any problems
with it.
> > Charles
> >
> > --- In ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com, "NIKOS" <np252003@> wrote:
> > >
> > > I will use Officina stellare RC 400 (16'')and for OAG probably the monster
MOAG or similar....
> > >
> > > --- In ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com, Ken Harrison <kenm.harrison@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > The Starlight Lodestar guide camera works very well. Good sensitivity.
> > > > Which scope and OAG are you using?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On 16 April 2012 07:00, NIKOS <np252003@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > **
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Hello guys.
> > > > > I am planning to change a bit my set up and instead of using internal
> > > > > Autoguider chip of my St10xe I would like to add an off axis guider
and a
> > > > > new small autoguiding camera.
> > > > > I am thinking of the new Sbig's St-i Autoguider because is really
light.
> > > > > Have anyone tried this one?
> > > > > Or have you something other to suggest?
> > > > >
> > > > > Regards
> > > > > Nikos Paschalis
> > > > > www.nunki.gr
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > "Astronomical Spectroscopy - The Final Frontier" - to boldly go where
few
> > > > amateurs have gone before....
> > > >
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/astronomical_spectroscopy/?yguid=322612425
> > > > "Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs" - Springer
> > > > "Grating Spectroscopes - How to use them" - Springer
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > > >
> > >
> >
>

Thanks for your insight Stan:  It's good to know that my assumptions are on
the same page as your thinking.

Bob R.

-----Original Message-----
From: ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Stan
Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2012 8:31 AM
To: ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ccd-newastro] Re: Dual Scope Imaging

--- "Bob Runyan" <runrob@...> wrote:
> f/7.5 120mm ED EON Refractor...
> f/5 80mm ED Refractor
> ... should do the color with the ED80

absolutely!

The 120mm scope will produce superior resolution and superior object S/N so
it is the clear choice for Lum.

The 80mm is faster, which is useful for taking sky limited filtered exps.

The key to LRGB is that all the heavy lifting should be done by the Lum. The
RGB component is mere pretty-pic coloration that need not be hi-res nor does
it need especially high S/N because that data can be smoothed.

Stan



------------------------------------

I've been dispensing advice on equipment, imaging, and processing for a long
time now. It just occurred to me that my advice has always amounted to the
following. It sounds like a joke, I know, but it's really both accurate and
serious -- and it works surprisingly well.

Ron's #1 Rule:

"Act like an engineer, think like a statistician, and spend money like a fool."

There no telescope so small, or so large, that it will not yield to that
approach.

Ron Wodaski

Maybe it's just my day to be looser than usual; maybe it's fate. But how about
the strange coincidence of running into this interesting metaphor for common
issues involved with CCD sensors today?

http://www.petapixel.com/2012/04/17/advanced-camera-sensor-technologies-explaine\
d-with-beer/

Ron Wodaski



On Apr 18, 2012, at 4:24 PM, Ron Wodaski wrote:

> I've been dispensing advice on equipment, imaging, and processing for a long
time now. It just occurred to me that my advice has always amounted to the
following. It sounds like a joke, I know, but it's really both accurate and
serious -- and it works surprisingly well.
>
> Ron's #1 Rule:
>
> "Act like an engineer, think like a statistician, and spend money like a
fool."
>
> There no telescope so small, or so large, that it will not yield to that
approach.
>
> Ron Wodaski
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
>
>
>

That theory scales to my experience quite well...

30% engineer + 30% statistician + 40% fool = 100% poorly processed images
taken with mediocre equipment that is working less than optimally...:)


On Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 9:24 AM, Ron Wodaski <yahoo@...> wrote:

> I've been dispensing advice on equipment, imaging, and processing for a
> long time now. It just occurred to me that my advice has always amounted to
> the following. It sounds like a joke, I know, but it's really both accurate
> and serious -- and it works surprisingly well.
>
> Ron's #1 Rule:
>
> "Act like an engineer, think like a statistician, and spend money like a
> fool."
>
> There no telescope so small, or so large, that it will not yield to that
> approach.
>
> Ron Wodaski
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>


--
Regards,

Eddie Trimarchi
~~~~~~~~~~~
http://astroshed.com


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

So what do you adjust - more engineering time, more statistically-correct
thinking, or more money?

Ron Wodaski



On Apr 18, 2012, at 4:35 PM, Eddie Trimarchi wrote:

> That theory scales to my experience quite well...
>
> 30% engineer + 30% statistician + 40% fool = 100% poorly processed images
> taken with mediocre equipment that is working less than optimally...:)
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 9:24 AM, Ron Wodaski <yahoo@...> wrote:
>
>> I've been dispensing advice on equipment, imaging, and processing for a
>> long time now. It just occurred to me that my advice has always amounted to
>> the following. It sounds like a joke, I know, but it's really both accurate
>> and serious -- and it works surprisingly well.
>>
>> Ron's #1 Rule:
>>
>> "Act like an engineer, think like a statistician, and spend money like a
>> fool."
>>
>> There no telescope so small, or so large, that it will not yield to that
>> approach.
>>
>> Ron Wodaski
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Eddie Trimarchi
> ~~~~~~~~~~~
> http://astroshed.com
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
>
>
>

Hmm...Increasing money implies increased foolishness.. And determining
which of the other two needs work implies actually using them in principle,
so it seems self-fulfilling....

On Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 9:45 AM, Ron Wodaski <yahoo@...> wrote:

> So what do you adjust - more engineering time, more statistically-correct
> thinking, or more money?
>
> Ron Wodaski
>
>
>
> On Apr 18, 2012, at 4:35 PM, Eddie Trimarchi wrote:
>
> > That theory scales to my experience quite well...
> >
> > 30% engineer + 30% statistician + 40% fool = 100% poorly processed images
> > taken with mediocre equipment that is working less than optimally...:)
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 9:24 AM, Ron Wodaski <yahoo@...> wrote:
> >
> >> I've been dispensing advice on equipment, imaging, and processing for a
> >> long time now. It just occurred to me that my advice has always
> amounted to
> >> the following. It sounds like a joke, I know, but it's really both
> accurate
> >> and serious -- and it works surprisingly well.
> >>
> >> Ron's #1 Rule:
> >>
> >> "Act like an engineer, think like a statistician, and spend money like a
> >> fool."
> >>
> >> There no telescope so small, or so large, that it will not yield to that
> >> approach.
> >>
> >> Ron Wodaski
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Regards,
> >
> > Eddie Trimarchi
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~
> > http://astroshed.com
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>


--
Regards,

Eddie Trimarchi
~~~~~~~~~~~
http://astroshed.com


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I've mastered the third point, I;'ve got that going for me. :)

--- In ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com, Ron Wodaski <yahoo@...> wrote:
>
> I've been dispensing advice on equipment, imaging, and processing for a long
time now. It just occurred to me that my advice has always amounted to the
following. It sounds like a joke, I know, but it's really both accurate and
serious -- and it works surprisingly well.
>
> Ron's #1 Rule:
>
> "Act like an engineer, think like a statistician, and spend money like a
fool."
>
> There no telescope so small, or so large, that it will not yield to that
approach.
>
> Ron Wodaski
>

After thinking about the question of which to adjust and not being able to
conclude on the appropriate answer I turn to my go to thinking man, Albert. What
would he do, I ask myself. Then of course it comes to me, I need to put 200%
into it.

Mark Eburne

--- In ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com, Eddie Trimarchi <eddiet@...> wrote:
>
> Hmm...Increasing money implies increased foolishness.. And determining
> which of the other two needs work implies actually using them in principle,
> so it seems self-fulfilling....
>
> On Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 9:45 AM, Ron Wodaski <yahoo@...> wrote:
>
> > So what do you adjust - more engineering time, more statistically-correct
> > thinking, or more money?
> >
> > Ron Wodaski
> >
> >
> >
> > On Apr 18, 2012, at 4:35 PM, Eddie Trimarchi wrote:
> >
> > > That theory scales to my experience quite well...
> > >
> > > 30% engineer + 30% statistician + 40% fool = 100% poorly processed images
> > > taken with mediocre equipment that is working less than optimally...:)
> > >
> > >
> > > On Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 9:24 AM, Ron Wodaski <yahoo@...> wrote:
> > >
> > >> I've been dispensing advice on equipment, imaging, and processing for a
> > >> long time now. It just occurred to me that my advice has always
> > amounted to
> > >> the following. It sounds like a joke, I know, but it's really both
> > accurate
> > >> and serious -- and it works surprisingly well.
> > >>
> > >> Ron's #1 Rule:
> > >>
> > >> "Act like an engineer, think like a statistician, and spend money like a
> > >> fool."
> > >>
> > >> There no telescope so small, or so large, that it will not yield to that
> > >> approach.
> > >>
> > >> Ron Wodaski
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> ------------------------------------
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Regards,
> > >
> > > Eddie Trimarchi
> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~
> > > http://astroshed.com
> > >
> > >
> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Eddie Trimarchi
> ~~~~~~~~~~~
> http://astroshed.com
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Haha. Yes.

And if we could somehow manage 100% for all three properties, we'd probably
all have our own orbiting observatories. Well...I would....

Eddie Trimarchi
http://astroshed.com



On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 3:53 AM, eburnemark <meburne@...> wrote:

> After thinking about the question of which to adjust and not being able to
> conclude on the appropriate answer I turn to my go to thinking man, Albert.
> What would he do, I ask myself. Then of course it comes to me, I need to
> put 200% into it.
>
> Mark Eburne
>
> --- In ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com, Eddie Trimarchi <eddiet@...> wrote:
> >
> > Hmm...Increasing money implies increased foolishness.. And determining
> > which of the other two needs work implies actually using them in
> principle,
> > so it seems self-fulfilling....
> >
> > On Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 9:45 AM, Ron Wodaski <yahoo@...> wrote:
> >
> > > So what do you adjust - more engineering time, more
> statistically-correct
> > > thinking, or more money?
> > >
> > > Ron Wodaski
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Apr 18, 2012, at 4:35 PM, Eddie Trimarchi wrote:
> > >
> > > > That theory scales to my experience quite well...
> > > >
> > > > 30% engineer + 30% statistician + 40% fool = 100% poorly processed
> images
> > > > taken with mediocre equipment that is working less than
> optimally...:)
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 9:24 AM, Ron Wodaski <yahoo@...> wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> I've been dispensing advice on equipment, imaging, and processing
> for a
> > > >> long time now. It just occurred to me that my advice has always
> > > amounted to
> > > >> the following. It sounds like a joke, I know, but it's really both
> > > accurate
> > > >> and serious -- and it works surprisingly well.
> > > >>
> > > >> Ron's #1 Rule:
> > > >>
> > > >> "Act like an engineer, think like a statistician, and spend money
> like a
> > > >> fool."
> > > >>
> > > >> There no telescope so small, or so large, that it will not yield to
> that
> > > >> approach.
> > > >>
> > > >> Ron Wodaski
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >> ------------------------------------
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Regards,
> > > >
> > > > Eddie Trimarchi
> > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~
> > > > http://astroshed.com
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Regards,
> >
> > Eddie Trimarchi
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~
> > http://astroshed.com
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>


--
Regards,

Eddie Trimarchi
~~~~~~~~~~~
http://astroshed.com


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi,



I know this one has been done to death and it is kind of late in the season,
but I decided to redo my M42 a couple of months ago and just got around to
processing it. If you can stand to look at yet another M42 image, comments
and suggestions are welcomed.



http://www.azstarman.net/M42.htm



Bernard









[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi, I am new here, and new to the world of Astroimaging. I have a 4" ED Vixen
refractor, which sits on my Vixen SXD Mount. The time has come and I am ready to
buy my first CCD camera, but are so confused with all the choices out there.
Someone suggested a one shot color, as I live in a very light polluted
Connecticut town. I want a camera that would transition me into Astroimaging
from my DSLR, but also good enough that I can grow with. In other words I do not
want be sorry in two years that I did not buy the next level system. So many
manufactures, so many choices?? Thank to all for any help in advance.
Ed

vard10 wrote:
> [...]  I am ready to buy my first CCD camera, but are so confused
> with all the choices out there. Someone suggested a one shot color,
> as I live in a very light polluted Connecticut town. I want a camera
> that would transition me into Astroimaging from my DSLR, but also
> good enough that I can grow with.

My first suggestion is to search the message archives for "one shot
color" or "OSC" and see the pros and cons people have written over the
past few months. There was a discussion here recently about just this topic.

My opinion is that a monochrome CCD camera is the way to go, especially
with light pollution issues. You can add a filter wheel later for RGB
and, if the light pollution proves to be horrible, you can install
narrowband filters, especially H-a, to cut through it.

HTH.

--
Mike

Mike Dodd
http://astronomy.mdodd.com
Louisa County, Virginia USA  N37.58.23  W77.56.24

--- Mike Dodd <mike@...> wrote:
> monochrome CCD camera is the way to go, especially
> with light pollution issues.

Absolutely.

The origin of the seemingly wide-spread and mistaken notion (myth) that OSC/DSLR
is better for light polution is puzzling.  Maybe it is a defeatist and lazy
attitude - "my sky is so poor why should I bother with filters and separate
exps, and besides mono-color sounds so complicated and I only want to produce
standard color images...".  Or maybe it is because many OSC/DSLR shots are taken
from less-than-pristine sites and so they must be better. ???

Stan

Hello All,

I'm contemplating building an observatory this year and have a couple of
questions
for those with experience with an observatory

1. What is the lowest angle to the horizon that you feel is suitable for for
astrophotography? I have trees and outbuildings to contend with and if most
folks stop tracking objects that are 30 degrees (or whatever angle) above the
horizon, that would help as to where to locate the observatory.

2. Tonight I walked out in the yard to the area that I'm thinking of putting the
observatory and found out that being more in the open I would be exposed to head
lights from cars that come around a S turn about a quarter a mile away. The cars
then pass about 200' away and they all have the brights on. The question is... I
assume that a dome would do better as far as protecting me from car headlights
verses a roll off, but I'd like to know what experiences others have had?

Thanks in advance!

Larry

1. That's up to you. Sometimes you are willing to go very low to get a special
object in the south, so it's nice to have a low southern horizon if you can
manage it. I've imaged down to 7 degrees toward the south at a very dark sight
with excellent seeing. But it's tough to do high-quality work that low with a
larger scope; that was with a Tak FSQ. But this is totally dependent on your
personal tolerance the focal length of your setup.

2. You need to block those headlights. But even if you block them from directly
going into the scope, the light will scatter as it passed your optical path. You
may find yourself imaging away from that direction if it's too bright even when
blocked with a screen. (I've seen folks use PVC tubing and heavy black cloth to
make a screen for blocking light; you can take it down in the daytime to avoid
neighbors who might object to a permanent one.) A dome would, as you suggest, be
a better solution than anything else I can think of.

Ron Wodaski



On Apr 20, 2012, at 9:42 PM, lgroom@... wrote:

> Hello All,
>
> I'm contemplating building an observatory this year and have a couple of
questions
> for those with experience with an observatory
>
> 1. What is the lowest angle to the horizon that you feel is suitable for for
astrophotography? I have trees and outbuildings to contend with and if most
folks stop tracking objects that are 30 degrees (or whatever angle) above the
horizon, that would help as to where to locate the observatory.
>
> 2. Tonight I walked out in the yard to the area that I'm thinking of putting
the observatory and found out that being more in the open I would be exposed to
head lights from cars that come around a S turn about a quarter a mile away. The
cars then pass about 200' away and they all have the brights on. The question
is... I assume that a dome would do better as far as protecting me from car
headlights verses a roll off, but I'd like to know what experiences others have
had?
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Larry
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
>
>
>

Ed,

Mike Siniscalchi wrote an excellent article doing a head-to-head comparison of
one-shot color and mono/filtered versions of the same sensor.  The article
compares the 2mp KAI-2020 sensor but the issues and results are the same when
comparing any Bayer array sensor to a mono sensor.

http://www.helixgate.net/Xm-XCM-1A.html

I think the article will answer many of your questions.

The 8.3mp KAF-8300 has become the dominant sensor in the astro market for
moderately priced cooled CCD cameras and will work well with your Vixen
refractor.

Fiat lux,
Kevin Nelson
www.QSImaging.com

--- In ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com, "vard10" <eweigen@...> wrote:
>
> Hi, I am new here, and new to the world of Astroimaging. I have a 4" ED Vixen
refractor, which sits on my Vixen SXD Mount. The time has come and I am ready to
buy my first CCD camera, but are so confused with all the choices out there.
Someone suggested a one shot color, as I live in a very light polluted
Connecticut town. I want a camera that would transition me into Astroimaging
from my DSLR, but also good enough that I can grow with. In other words I do not
want be sorry in two years that I did not buy the next level system. So many
manufactures, so many choices?? Thank to all for any help in advance.
> Ed
>

For years I've used Eddie Trimarchi's great fitsplug routine to transfer my 32
bit IEEE format fit files from MaxIm to Photoshop's 16 bit format (CS3). Now
I've moved on to the 64 bit version of Photoshop (CS5). I upgraded to the latest
version of fitsplug to get 64 bit capability. The new version brings the data in
with Photoshop's 32 bit format. This, by itself is ok. I used to have to apply a
series of curves/levels to convert a largely black astro image to something
usefull. Apparently Photoshop does something similar automatically with 32 bit
images since now I get largely processed image to start with. However, there
isn't much I can do beyond this without converting the data into a 16 bit
format. When I try to convert to a 16 bit format I get the HDR Toning screen.
With some images I can find a combination of settings that work ok and then I
can continue processing in the 16 bit format. However, this HDR Toning screen
totally destroys other images and a I can't find any setting that prevents this
destruction.

I get a similar destruction if I try to apply 2 iterations of HDR Toning to an
image, so perhaps I'm getting a "free" HDR Toning when I first bring in the 32
bit image and another when I convert to a 16 bit format.

From my discussion's with Eddie, it seems that most people using 64 bit
Photoshop with his plugin convert the data to 16 bit format and then continue
normal processing. But, I'm at a loss as to how to do it. How do I convert to 16
bit format without destroying my images?

Hi all,

A new image taken early February with my 12" Riccardi Honders. The target was
IC405 also known as the Flaming Star nebula. The color combine is a Hubble SHO
palette.

http://www.astrosurf.com/jousset/forums/ic405_rha_120206_800px.jpg

Riccardi Honders 12" astrograph
AP 1200 GTO mount
SBIG STL6303E
Ha : 28x15min
OIII and SII : 16x15min

A full version is available on my web site.

Clear skies,

Marc
http://www/.astrosurf.com/jousset

Nice detail Marc!
Ron
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: marcjousset
   To: ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2012 3:35 PM
   Subject: [ccd-newastro] IC405, the Flaming star nebula



   Hi all,

   A new image taken early February with my 12" Riccardi Honders. The target was
IC405 also known as the Flaming Star nebula. The color combine is a Hubble SHO
palette.

   http://www.astrosurf.com/jousset/forums/ic405_rha_120206_800px.jpg

   Riccardi Honders 12" astrograph
   AP 1200 GTO mount
   SBIG STL6303E
   Ha : 28x15min
   OIII and SII : 16x15min

   A full version is available on my web site.

   Clear skies,

   Marc
   http://www/.astrosurf.com/jousset





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Excellent Marc. It looks like you are looking at it from a spaceship.



Bernard





From: ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of marcjousset
Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2012 3:36 PM
To: ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ccd-newastro] IC405, the Flaming star nebula





Hi all,

A new image taken early February with my 12" Riccardi Honders. The target
was IC405 also known as the Flaming Star nebula. The color combine is a
Hubble SHO palette.

http://www.astrosurf.com/jousset/forums/ic405_rha_120206_800px.jpg

Riccardi Honders 12" astrograph
AP 1200 GTO mount
SBIG STL6303E
Ha : 28x15min
OIII and SII : 16x15min

A full version is available on my web site.

Clear skies,

Marc
http://www/.astrosurf.com/jousset





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Mike's article is very good. I would note that the star halos he got in the mono
version may be a result of the type of filters he was using (Cust. Sci.). When I
switched to AstroDon's it reduced or eliminated that issue.
Mark

--- In ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com, "astroimagek" <knelson@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> Ed,
>
> Mike Siniscalchi wrote an excellent article doing a head-to-head comparison of
one-shot color and mono/filtered versions of the same sensor.  The article
compares the 2mp KAI-2020 sensor but the issues and results are the same when
comparing any Bayer array sensor to a mono sensor.
>
> http://www.helixgate.net/Xm-XCM-1A.html
>
> I think the article will answer many of your questions.
>
> The 8.3mp KAF-8300 has become the dominant sensor in the astro market for
moderately priced cooled CCD cameras and will work well with your Vixen
refractor.
>
> Fiat lux,
> Kevin Nelson
> www.QSImaging.com
>
> --- In ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com, "vard10" <eweigen@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi, I am new here, and new to the world of Astroimaging. I have a 4" ED
Vixen refractor, which sits on my Vixen SXD Mount. The time has come and I am
ready to buy my first CCD camera, but are so confused with all the choices out
there. Someone suggested a one shot color, as I live in a very light polluted
Connecticut town. I want a camera that would transition me into Astroimaging
from my DSLR, but also good enough that I can grow with. In other words I do not
want be sorry in two years that I did not buy the next level system. So many
manufactures, so many choices?? Thank to all for any help in advance.
> > Ed
> >
>

Thanks Ron !

marc

--- In ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com, "Ron Brant" <brant.r.d@...> wrote:
>
> Nice detail Marc!
> Ron
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: marcjousset
>   To: ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com
>   Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2012 3:35 PM
>   Subject: [ccd-newastro] IC405, the Flaming star nebula
>
>
>
>   Hi all,
>
>   A new image taken early February with my 12" Riccardi Honders. The target
was IC405 also known as the Flaming Star nebula. The color combine is a Hubble
SHO palette.
>
>   http://www.astrosurf.com/jousset/forums/ic405_rha_120206_800px.jpg
>
>   Riccardi Honders 12" astrograph
>   AP 1200 GTO mount
>   SBIG STL6303E
>   Ha : 28x15min
>   OIII and SII : 16x15min
>
>   A full version is available on my web site.
>
>   Clear skies,
>
>   Marc
>   http://www/.astrosurf.com/jousset
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Direct from the Enterprise...

Thanks,

marc

--- In ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com, "Bernard Miller" <bgmiller011@...> wrote:
>
> Excellent Marc. It looks like you are looking at it from a spaceship.
>
>
>
> Bernard
>
>
>
>
>
> From: ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of marcjousset
> Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2012 3:36 PM
> To: ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [ccd-newastro] IC405, the Flaming star nebula
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi all,
>
> A new image taken early February with my 12" Riccardi Honders. The target
> was IC405 also known as the Flaming Star nebula. The color combine is a
> Hubble SHO palette.
>
> http://www.astrosurf.com/jousset/forums/ic405_rha_120206_800px.jpg
>
> Riccardi Honders 12" astrograph
> AP 1200 GTO mount
> SBIG STL6303E
> Ha : 28x15min
> OIII and SII : 16x15min
>
> A full version is available on my web site.
>
> Clear skies,
>
> Marc
> http://www/.astrosurf.com/jousset
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Thanks Kevin, and everyone else who responded to my question.It is a great deal
of help to me to hear everyone's advice.
That is a very cool in depth article, which I am going to spend more time
reading today now that its raining like crazy in the Northeast.
Also, I will go back and search the older posts here, another great idea. I will
digest what i can from these, but I have to say from the little I have read,
that I am definitely leaning towards monchrome. I will give color a fair shake,
as I really think it might be advantageous for me being such a newbie at this. I
will be attending the NEAIC, and then NEAF this week. I hope to make a decision,
and maybe even come home with a new CCD camera! Thanks again everyone, I'll post
soon with my conclusions.

Ed
--- In ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com, "astroimagek" <knelson@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> Ed,
>
> Mike Siniscalchi wrote an excellent article doing a head-to-head comparison of
one-shot color and mono/filtered versions of the same sensor.  The article
compares the 2mp KAI-2020 sensor but the issues and results are the same when
comparing any Bayer array sensor to a mono sensor.
>
> http://www.helixgate.net/Xm-XCM-1A.html
>
> I think the article will answer many of your questions.
>
> The 8.3mp KAF-8300 has become the dominant sensor in the astro market for
moderately priced cooled CCD cameras and will work well with your Vixen
refractor.
>
> Fiat lux,
> Kevin Nelson
> www.QSImaging.com
>
> --- In ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com, "vard10" <eweigen@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi, I am new here, and new to the world of Astroimaging. I have a 4" ED
Vixen refractor, which sits on my Vixen SXD Mount. The time has come and I am
ready to buy my first CCD camera, but are so confused with all the choices out
there. Someone suggested a one shot color, as I live in a very light polluted
Connecticut town. I want a camera that would transition me into Astroimaging
from my DSLR, but also good enough that I can grow with. In other words I do not
want be sorry in two years that I did not buy the next level system. So many
manufactures, so many choices?? Thank to all for any help in advance.
> > Ed
> >
>

Hello,
Neighbor's backyards are pretty much all the same, we share alot of things in
common. Pools, kids toys, dogs, cats, lawns, srubs and trees. Here we peek over
the celestial fence into the backyard of our galatic neighbor Messier 33. And
just like our Milkyway backyard, M33 is loaded with stars and gas and dust.

This is data from last fall in late October, taken over several nights from the
backyard observatory.

http://skyimager.webs.com/thelatestimages.htm

Thanks for looking,
Bob Birket

Hi,



This is an interesting galaxy group. The main galaxy in the center is NGC
4725. You can also see NGC 4712 to the right and NGC 4747 in the upper left.
There are also dozens of other small fuzzies throughout the image. I
struggled a little with gradients on this one, but I think I tamed them as
best I can. I also may have slightly overdone the sharpening, but I wanted
to bring out the faint detail in the orange part of the core. I have
included the full frame and cropped versions. Comments and suggestions
welcomed.



http://www.azstarman.net/NGC4725.htm



http://www.azstarman.net/NGC4725_CROP.htm



Bernard









[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Bernard Miller wrote:
> included the full frame and cropped versions. Comments and suggestions
> welcomed.
>
> http://www.azstarman.net/NGC4725.htm

Nice shot, Bernard. I have some comments.

I looked at the image in Photoshop, and the dark zone has a dead area to
the left of the histogram knee. I raised the black point 12 ticks, and
the background became darker and more pleasing (to my eye).

Also, I noticed that the white point is quite a distance from the right
of the histogram. Not wanting to blow-out stars, I generally don't mess
with the white point, but in your image I lowered it 50 ticks, which
increased the overall contrast.

This also brightened the galaxy centers, so I reduced color saturation
by 30 ticks.

You might not like the results from these last two steps, but I suggest
at least raising the black point. I think that dramatically improves
your already fine image.

--
Mike

Mike Dodd
http://astronomy.mdodd.com
Louisa County, Virginia USA  N37.58.23  W77.56.24

Well done Bob! Star colors are great!
Ron
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: skyimager
   To: ccd-newastro@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2012 7:40 PM
   Subject: [ccd-newastro] In our neighbor's backyard..Messier 33



   Hello,
   Neighbor's backyards are pretty much all the same, we share alot of things in
common. Pools, kids toys, dogs, cats, lawns, srubs and trees. Here we peek over
the celestial fence into the backyard of our galatic neighbor Messier 33. And
just like our Milkyway backyard, M33 is loaded with stars and gas and dust.

   This is data from last fall in late October, taken over several nights from
the backyard observatory.

   http://skyimager.webs.com/thelatestimages.htm

   Thanks for looking,
   Bob Birket





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]