Solar Practice 1

I decided to do some solar imaging again.  I briefly did some years ago but did not stick with it.  This is my first solar image in over three years.  I consider it a success since it is the sun and it is better than I ever did before.

Date: 6-13-20
Telescope: Coronado PST
Camera: ZWO ASI174 MM (uncooled)
Mount: Orion Sirius
Barlow: Orion Shorty 2x
Capture Software: Sharpcap
Frames: 500, best 50%
Processing: Autostakkert 2.6.8, PixInsight, Photoshop

I am glad I processed this as I almost did not because I thought it was way out of focus.  The processing method was a combination of stuff I learned from Marty Wise (Wise Imaging) and Chuck Ayoub (Chuck's Astrophotography), thanks to both.  I only did very simple things while processing and certainly need more practice.  There was even a solar flare but I did not see it while I was capturing it.  I brought it into the surface image even though it is not great.

So I got this image but sent back the ZWO174 Kit (it came with a filter wheel and filters) as I was not totally happy with it for a couple of reasons:  1) Must use a Barlow for focus, 2) Larger Pixel size - less resolution.  I am exchanging it for an ASI178 which has a smaller pixel size - more resolution (but possibly more noise).  Another advantage is I won't need a barlow for focusing so it is a better fit for the PST and it is cheaper.  The next plan is turning my Orion ED80 that is collecting dust into a solar scope, I can use the savings from returning camera kit to get the bartender from Deep Space Nine!

Process 2020

This is a quick guide that I currently use to process my astrophotography images.  The is a lot of other stuff I do and I may deviate from this from time to time.  Processing is like baking, there is a general recipe but there is also a lot of a 'pinch here' a 'dash there' which means there is a lot of variation in my processing.  Also, I just started using StarNet, the star removal software, which could  be used prior to combining NB images or after.

This current process is modified from a process that Gary Imm from Imm Astrophotography uses.  In addition, the section on deconvolution was from Visibledark Astro Video.  StarNet was first introduced to me from Chuck Ayoub of Chuck's Astrophotography.  Lastly, I am using a new method for combining RGB stars into starless NB images developed by Trevor Jones from Astrobackyard. 


Modified from Gary Imm
All subs (in PixInsight):
1. Use Blink, along with HFR from step 1, to eliminate bad images
2. Use Batch Preprocessing, with Cosmetic Correction, to develop LRGB masters
3. Use Dynamic Crop to frame object (apply to all 4 masters)
4. Apply APE/DBE to correct for gradients as necessary on each master
RGB:
5. Use ChannelCombination to combine R/G/B subs to obtain RGB
6. Apply Background Neutralization and RGBWorkingSpace to RGB (sometimes)
7. Apply TGV to RGB (noise reduction) see TGV Detail
8. Apply MLT to RGB (noise reduction)
9. Stretch RGB using Histogram Transformation (HT) to obtain RGBS
Lum:
10. Copy Lum and apply HT to create Lum-L (stretched Lum) see Deconvolution Detail
11. Apply StarMask to Lum-L to create Star Mask
12. Apply PSF to Lum to create PSF image
13. Using StarMask and PSF, apply Deconvolution to Lum (sharpening)
14. Apply TGV to Lum (noise reduction) see TGV Detail
15. Apply MMT to Lum (noise reduction)
16. Stretch Lum (HT) to obtain Lums
17. Apply HDR to Lums (range compression)
LRGB:
18. Match RGBS Luminosity with Lums using LinearFit (I currently adjust by sight)
19. Use LRGB Combination to combine RGBS and Lums to create LRGBS
20. Apply ACDNR to LRGBS (noise reduction)
21. Apply SCNR to LRGBS
22. Save as LRGBS TIF file for final touches in Photoshop, Lightroom, PI
(noise reduction, clarity, contrast, saturation, overall brightness)


TGV - Detail
1. extract L from the linear unprocessed RGB to create RGB_L
2. Then stretch RGB_L, copy it
3. then apply CurvesTransformation with the RGB/K settings at
- 0, 0.2 and 1, 0.5 to create a low contrast mask.
4. Apply this mask to the RGB and invert it.
5. Then apply TGV with these settings
- Strength of 5, Edge Protection of 0.000008, and Smoothness of 2. Use 500 iterations.
6. Preview and play with Edge Protection a bit for the optimal setting for a given image.
7. You want to be able to see the noise reduced slightly but not too much
- I never change the Strength, Smoothness, or Iterations values.
8. Make sure you check Local Support and use the RGB_L as the Support Image.



From Visibledark Astro Video -
Deconvolution Detail (Luminosity or NB Channels)
3-things: 1) Decon Mask, 2) Local Deringing Support Mask - LDSM, 3) PSF Image
Decon Mask - clipped mask (black)
1. HST tool to make nonlinear - Decon Lum
2. Stretch and clip Decon Lum
3. Rename identifier to Lum_Decon_Mask
LDSM
4. Starmask of linear image - default settings - Rename LDSM
5. Scale increase
6. Truncation - 0.25
Point Spread Function Mask
7. Scripts
8. Render
9. PSF
Deconvolution
10. PSF select
11. Add Lum_Decon_Mask
12. Richard-Lucy algorithm, Iterations 50-80
13. Deringing
14. Local Support - Starmask/LDSM
15. Preview
16. Global Dark from 1.000 to 0.200

A Flying Bat (Sh2-129) with a Squid (Ou4) Inside?

I have been wanting to try this deep sky object for two years. It is quite interesting to have two objects for the prices of one. In reality I only have a portion of Sh2-129, the Flying Bat Nebula, which is a huge region of hydrogen gas represented by the red color captured with the Hydrogen gas filter (Ha). Located in Cepheus approximately 2,300 light-years away, Sh2-129 is a faint emission nebula and has been known about since at least the 1950's as a neighbor to IC 1396, the Elephant Trunk Nebula. I must admit, even after looking at widefield images of the Sh2-129, I see no resemblance to a Flying Bat. The Squid on the other hand does resemble a squid with its tentacles wrapped up. The Squid Nebula (Ou4) is a relatively new discovery from 2011 by French astro-imager Nicolas Outters. It consists of doubly ionized oxygen which gives it the green-blue color in contrast to the hydrogen. It may seem odd that this was not found until 2011 but there is a really good reason, it is really dim. I was taking 5-minute subs and while there was some nebulosity in the Ha region, there was nothing in OIII, not even a hint. If you are the type that likes to complete an object in one night, then this would not be a good choice.

Originally the Ou4 was thought to be a Planetary Nebula unrelated to Sh2-129, however, recent studies suggest it is within Sh2-129 and is bipolar outflow from a triple star system. The bright blue star in the center is believed to be the source.

I wanted to get at least 15-hours and was able to get this done quicker than I anticipated due to unexpected clear weather. It worked out really well as we had a succession of clear nights when I was painting my garage floor anyway so conveniently left everything set up and just put a cover over it. This was one of the hardest things I have processed due the conflicting things going on. The Ha data was really strong and came out very well with hardly any processing. Not surprisingly, the OIII was very difficult to bring out and a lot of time was spent on it. StarNet was used to make separate starless Ha and OIII images which were combined to make a starless HOO image. The last part of the process was merging the RGB stars with the HOO starless image. This turned out be more difficult as the method I normally use for combining RGB stars with narrowband images didn't work well with the starless image so I used alternative method in PS described by Trevor Jones.

https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
http://youtube.com/c/AstroQuest1

Sh2-129 - Flying Bat Nebula and Ou4 - Squid Nebula 

Home Monroe, CT
Date: 6-6-20, 6-7-20, 6-8-20, 6-9-20, 6-12-20, 6-13-20, 6-14-20, 6-15-20, 6-16-20
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805
f/7
Focal Reducer: AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, OIII, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 150 x 300s, OIII 165 x 300s, R 45 x 60s, G 29 x 60s, B 29 x 60s
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 11 C
Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop.

LDN183 - Molecular Clouds in Serpens

This deep sky object (DSO) is cataloged as LDN 183 after Lynds catalog of Dark Nebula and is located in the contrellation Serpens.  There are very few images of this on Astrobin or any where else and I suspect because of its proximity to much more popular objects around the Antares/Rho Ophiuchi region.  For example, this happens to be about 10-15 degrees higher than the Blue Horsehead Nebula.  Trees block my view of this region so I went after LDN 183 which is that much higher.  Fortunately I love imaging dark dusty regions in space even though they are tough to process and this was no exception.  Trying to determine which colors to enhance in order to give the optimal contrast without increasing the noise is one of the toughest and most time consuming parts.  

This is the last image with the Hotech Field Flattener for a while since I will be moving on to bigger objects rather the small galaxies.  I was a little worried at first about purchasing this FF but have been really impressed with it as it exceeded my expectations.  I have since replaced it with the AT Field Flattener/Focal Reducer combo - this object would have been better suited with the AT FF/FR combo.

The Luminosity and red channel data was really good, however, the green and blue channel data was collected when the moon was out and on its way to becoming more of a nuisance for a while.  Luckily the most important data for dark nebula is Luminosity.  If I had to wait for the "right conditions" conditions to image living in Southern Connecticut I would be lucky to do one image a year.  Anyway, I was delighted to image this dusty gaseous region.  The main portion of the nebula is more on the left side of the image towards the bright blue star.  Most of the stars appear red-orange due to the molecular cloud.  

https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/

http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
http://youtube.com/c/AstroQuest1 

LDN183 - Molecular Clouds in Serpens 
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 5-20-20, 5-21-20, 5-23-20, 5-26-20, 5-31-20
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805
f/7
Focal Reducer: HoTech Self-Guiding Field Flattener for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: L 218 x 90s, R 67 x 90s, G 49 x 90s, B 49 x 90s
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 11 C
Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop.

Orion - SkyWatcher Mount Extension Modification

Introduction

Mount extensions are a great idea for visual astronomy and astrophotography.  They raise the height of refractor telescopes which can be quite helpful when viewing objects directly overhead so you .  For astrophotography they can avoid severe damage as they prevent cameras from hitting the tripod legs while imaging.  This actually happened to me when my DSLR caught the leg during an imaging session, fortunately no permanent damage was done to the camera or mount.  Most mounts can continue to guide well past the meridian if let them as was my case but under certain orientations the camera can hit a leg before reaching the meridian.  Extensions raise the mount head so the telescope has much more room to move freely.

So what do these Orion and Sky-Watcher mount extensions look like and what are their specifications?

Figure 1 and Figure 2 are the ones I am discussing have an outer diameter of 4 inches (10.2 cm) and an inner diameter 3.7 inches (9.40 cm).  Figure 3 shows a new design which is used for the Sirius Pro Mount.  I am only showing this extension as an FYI!

Figure 1 - Orion SkyView Pro Extension
This extension can be used with the Orion SkyView, Sirius, Atlas, Atlas Pro, older HEQ5 and EQ6 mounts.
- $99.00 and provides a 16 inch (36.6 cm) rise.

Figure 2 - Orion Atlas Extension / Sky-Watcher Extension
This extension can also be used with the Orion SkyView, Sirius, Atlas, Atlas Pro, older HEQ5 and EQ6 mounts.
- $99.00 (Orion)/$80.00 (Sky-Watcher) and provides a 8.4 inch (23.3 cm) rise.

 

Figure 3 - Orion Sirius Pro Extension (New Design)
As far as I know this extension can only be used with the Orion Sirius Pro
- $99.00 and provides a 6.3 inch (16 cm) rise.

Problem

The problem with using the extensions is when that there is no way to adjust the mount head once it is attached (Figure 4).  You have to attach the mount to an adapter with a compression screw and tighten it but not too tight and then attach it to the extension (Figure 5).  If you tighten to much, the azimuth screws won't move, too loose and it wobbles.  On more than one occasion I had everything all set, polar aligned the scope, did a star alignment, and then discovered that the screw came loose.  The only way to fix it is take everything apart including removing three tiny adapter plate screws.  

Figure 4 - Mount, Extension, and Tripod

 

Figure 5 - Extension and Adapter

Modification
The fix to this problem was relatively simple after I saw examples from other brands as well as a Sky-Watcher image of telescope rig (Figure 6) with an extension that I cannot find for sale anywhere.  Figure 6 shows an image with an extension that has two access holes so you can adjust the adapter plate screw if it needs adjusting after everything is set up. 

Figure 6 - Sky-Watcher Setup with the Extension (could not find for sale!)

I took my Orion Atlas Extension and using a drill and jig saw with a metal blade, cut out two holes into the extension.  Figure 7 and Figure 8 show the extension with the holes.  I tried to match the size and spacing to what the picture shows. The first hole was larger and oval shaped similar to what was shown in Figure 6 while the second hole was more rounded.  Both of these holes were on one side of the mount as that was how the machined Sky-Watcher Extension was produced. 

Figure 7 - Extension after the holes are cut out

 

Figure 8 - Extension after a fresh coat of paint

I did not need to put in a larger hole because I was able to loosen and tighten the screw with what was done so far.  Figure 9 shows the the extension connected and doing its job.  I am happy with the outcome though it does not look as good as the Sky-Watcher Extension.  Of course I will have to keep an eye on the extension to ensure there is no bending or buckling.

Figure 9 - Extension Complete

 

Of course if it does fail I will report it. 

The Moon (2020-5-31)

I am not much of a Moon guy but I wanted to get some practice taking a video and stacking it.  This is my first image of the moon with my ZWO ASI1600 MM and since it is a monochrome camera, separate videos of each color (LRGB) were collected.  Also, I got some practice using Sharpcap (imaging) and Autostakkert2 (stacking) as well and found both programs very easy to use even for newbie like me.

The LRGB videos were made up of 500 frames each and collected with Sharpcap.  Next, they were stacked using Autostakkert2, I have used Registax in the past but forgot how to used it but saw many people were use Autostakkert2 so I figured I would give it a try.  I really liked how it automatically produces two versions, one standard and one that has been sharpened.  It also gave a drizzle option which I tried but my 12 GB of ram apparently was not enough.  Lastly, the RGB channels were merged in Photoshop and the Luminosity was added as a final layer.

I posted three images, the first is just after making the LRGB image, the second is making it neutral color, and the final is my feeble attempt mineralize it a bit.

https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
http://youtube.com/c/AstroQuest1

Waxing Moon (72.4%)
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 5-31-20
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805
f/7
Focal Reducer: HoTech Self-Guiding Field Flattener for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: L 500 x 23fps, R 500 x 23fps, G 500 x 23fps, B 500 x 23fps
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 11 C
Processing: Sharpcap, Autostakkert2, Photoshop.

NGC 7000 - North America Nebula (Equipment Test)

So this is the North America Nebula (NGC 7000) and the Pelican Nebula (IC 5070).  Both area emission Nebula residing in gassy and dusty region in the constellation Cygnus.  I decided to image this 5 minutes before starting as this was mainly an equipment test.  This is just a 1-hr image with my modified Canon T3i (600D).  If I planned to image this I would have captured Ha and combined it with the color data. All did here was bunch of messing around in PixInsight and Photoshop.   

If you have been following some of my recent posts or Youtube channel you will see unsuccessful attempts at the dark and dusty region around Polaris my Canon 200 mm lens. So what did I test here?  The lens was piggybacked on my Orion ED80 Telescope which was mounted onto my Atlas Pro mount.  In addition, I used a new after market ring bracket for the camera lens so the whole camera setup is balanced better than it was when it was mounted on the camera.

I have successfully used this lens with the modified camera on the iOptron SkyGuider Pro but for the Polaris region you need to to have really accurate tracking as well as autoguiding.  I thought I was good to go however, my previous attempts were without autoguiding.  At first I used the SkyGuider Pro but there was drift.  I then used the piggyback setup with the the Atlas pro but Televue bracket came loose and it still looks like there was drift.  I tried a third time with camera directly attached to the Atlas and still some drift.  I did some research and discovered that imaging around the poles is actually quite difficult and you do indeed need to guide.  

This setup with the new bring bracket worked really well.  This 1-hour 60-second exposure image of the North America Nebula was success.  Although I was not guiding the stars were nice and round, much better than I achieved before with this lens and there was no drift.  I was not guiding using this setup as I need a few more items to get it working but the setup as is works.

https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
http://youtube.com/c/AstroQuest1

North American Nebula (NGC 7000) and Pelican Nebula (IC 5070)
Location: Home Monroe, CT
Date: 5-31-20
Camera: Canon T3i/600D modified
Lens: Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM
Focal Length: 200mm
f/3.5
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter: None
Autoguiding: none
Exposure: 61 x 60s
ISO: 1600
Processing: DSS, PixInsight, Photoshop, Lightroom