Stargazing Meade DSI Pro II: First LRGB Photo of Whirlpool Galaxy

[russ_watters]

I recently bought Meade's new DSI Pro II, which is a black and white camera of higher resolution and sensitivity than my last camera. Below is my first lrgb photo with it. It is a lot of work to take many separate exposures and then combine them, but the results are good. I'm really limited by my equipment here - with my telescope's tracking bug, I can only keep about 1/3 of photos of 30 seconds exposure, and I can't do any longer. So this photo is heavily processed, which is why the contrast is pretty low. I'm really itching for a new scope, and it'll probably happen before the end of the summer.

Anyway, this photo is M-51, the Whirlpool Galaxy, a relatively nearby neighbor. For the luminance data, I set up my scope on my deck and went to bed! I love my new house...

 

[Moonbear]

ISo this photo is heavily processed, which is why the contrast is pretty low.

Is that what gives it that grainy look?

Sounds like you're enjoying your new house and living where it's dark at night. I always enjoy the updates...love the pictures. Sure you don't want to drive several hours out of your way to show me some of these views in person?

 

[russ_watters]

Is that what gives it that grainy look?

Yes. It is tough to amplify the signal without amplifying the noise. To give an idea of how little good data was in the origionals, attached is an unprocessed luminance (b/w) frame.

Sounds like you're enjoying your new house and living where it's dark at night. I always enjoy the updates...love the pictures. Sure you don't want to drive several hours out of your way to show me some of these views in person?

Yeah, like my house and deck. We'll see about the drive - I may be buying a new telescope this summer.

 

[Moonbear]

Yes. It is tough to amplify the signal without amplifying the noise. To give an idea of how little good data was in the origionals, attached is an unprocessed luminance (b/w) frame.

Wow, that starts out pretty dim. Now I can see why you lose quality in order to enhance the brightness.

Yeah, like my house and deck. We'll see about the drive - I may be buying a new telescope this summer.

Hee, you're always so cryptic. Does that mean after buying a new telescope, you won't be able to afford a trip anywhere, or that once you have a new telescope, you'll have more incentive to show it off?

The weather around here has been atrocious lately for even just plain old stargazing without a telescope though...for my first few days back last week, it was disgustingly hot and hazy, and then changed to dreary, cloudy and rainy for a week. It's definitely dark enough, but you can't see anything through the cloud cover. This is not normal spring weather.