Our Beautiful Universe - Photos and Videos

[collinsmark]

This was supposed to be my first attempt with the narrowband 6nm clip in oxygen filter. I was under the impression it would block all light pollution and moonlight. So I attempted to image NGC 7822 which is quite a large angular size nebula with the 300mm/4.5 + 6nm oxygen narrowband filter, 4x10 minute subs at 1600 iso. It should fill a large portion of the center of the full frame image.

It isn't really a good time of year to capture NGC 7822 since it starts out quite low near the northwestern horizon at sunset, and then just gets worse from there. You should have better luck for this target when it's closer to the zenith (i.e., higher in the sky). For example, in September it will pretty high in the sky around midnight, giving you many hours before and after for good imaging.

It also looks like you have some glare to contend with from that streetlight. Still, that might be manageable for targets higher in the sky. [Edit: you might consider setting up behind a barrier for the streetlamp right next to your house.]

And, all else being the same, you should have more luck pulling out nebulosity with Sii and Hα than with Oiii, at least for NGC 7822 (and well, most other emission nebula, for that matter -- Oiii is usually always the problematic one).

One website that's a godsend for finding good targets for the particular time of year is Telescopius (https://telescopius.com/) Not only does it provide local weather forecasts (if your region of the world supports it), but also has a wonderful tool for recommending targets based on preferred type and sky-location of target based on the time of the year. It's my new first stop place to go for choosing targets. With an account you can save your favorite targets to a list (to access later in the year) for easy access when choosing targets for the night.

 

[Devin-M]

Suppose I drove to a Bortle 2, would the moon be an issue for collecting Oiii data? Does it emit similar broadband light pollution to LEDs?

 

[collinsmark]

Suppose I drove to a Bortle 2, would the moon be an issue for collecting Oiii data? Does it emit similar broadband light pollution to LEDs?

The Moon's spectrum is pretty flat. So if the Moon is close to your target, then yes, It can be an issue (but less-so than if you weren't shooting narrowband).

Again though, I think the biggest problem with your recent NGC 7822 adventure was you were using a target too close to the horizon. You lose a lot of signal when shooting through all that extra atmosphere.

Of the three narrowband filters, Oiii is the most susceptible to light pollution, whether that be from moonlight or LEDs. Oiii also typically has the lowest signal strength of the three for most nebula* (there are exceptions such as planetary nebulae and supernovae remnants).

Don't give up on imaging in the city, even with a bit of moonlight, with your narrowband filters. You may have success yet. Just try to choose targets higher in the sky (less atmosphere corresponds to more signal). A little moonlight isn't a big deal as long as the moon is not right next to your target. If you have the choice, pick your Oiii exposures to coincide with times that have the least amount of moonlight. You can combat glare (from streetlamps) by blocking the light with a bedsheet or anything you have laying around.

*[Edit: On second thought, this really depends on the target. Often Sii has the lowest signal strength. Still, Oiii is more susceptible to light pollution.]

 

[Keith_McClary]

I tried Skygems. This is 10 minutes with their 20" scope in Namibia. Tarantula Nebula.

Cost €1.86 (with the EarlyAdopter 50% off).
It took 2 weeks, probably because I ordered just before new moon.
This is a "preview", the full data will come later.
I bought more time than I intended, so I have €4.14 left. Anything you would like to image? They have a scope in Spain for the N hemisphere.

Edit: There is a choice of filters: luminance, R, G, B, Ha7, OIII, SII. This was luminance.
Here is a multi-color with longer exposures by Eduardo.

 

[chemisttree]

I tried Skygems. This is 10 minutes with their 20" scope in Namibia. Tarantula Nebula.
Cost €1.86 (with the EarlyAdopter 50% off).
It took 2 weeks, probably because I ordered just before new moon.
This is a "preview", the full data will come later.
I bought more time than I intended, so I have €4.14 left. Anything you would like to image? They have a scope in Spain for the N hemisphere.

I’ve always liked M104.

This is cheap!

 

[Keith_McClary]

I’ve always liked M104.

This is cheap!

M104 is too far away ! (They show this when you make the request.)

 

[bruha]

Hello, this is Rigel by SV Ebony eyepiece camera, standard and low exposition.
I have just problem with this camera, that images are too grainy ( as low resolutions but it is set to cca 1200x1900 pix.) as seen on low exp. image.
Can I ask about this Skygem prices?
Thank you and lot of succes

 

[Devin-M]

Hello, this is Rigel by SV Ebony eyepiece camera, standard and low exposition.
I have just problem with this camera, that images are too grainy ( as low resolutions but it is set to cca 1200x1900 pix.) as seen on low exp. image.

Probably the easiest way to get into astrophotography would be to start with Astro-Landscapes where you capture the ground and sky in one shot. This can be done with a tripod, cheap DSLR and ordinary lens. Once you get comfortable with focusing, exposure settings etc, then you can start adding to the challenge with longer lenses, equatorial mounts, filters, stacking, darks and flats, etc.

single 14mm lens, f/2.8 15sec 5000iso full frame dslr processed through adobe lightroom, bortle 2:

 

[Klystron]

Probably the easiest way to get into astrophotography would be to start with Astro-Landscapes where you capture the ground and sky in one shot. This can be done with a tripod, cheap DSLR and ordinary lens. Once you get comfortable with focusing, exposure settings etc, then you can start adding to the challenge with longer lenses, equatorial mounts, filters, stacking, darks and flats, etc.

single 14mm lens, f/2.8 15sec 5000iso full frame dslr processed through adobe lightroom, bortle 2:

View attachment 280250

Apologies for Art intruding into a science thread, but I have painted many similar landscapes. Capturing the diffused light in the sky brought down to Earth in the lower right third of the composition, is magnificent. Is that a reflection from a waterfall? Or artificial lights such as at Yosemite?

The sparse natural almost top heavy trees provide foreground for the meandering fog, enhanced by the right-leaning foliage at lower left. One can not separate photographic lens artefact from windblown lean.

 

[Devin-M]

Capturing the diffused light in the sky brought down to Earth in the lower right third of the composition, is magnificent. Is that a reflection from a waterfall? Or artificial lights such as at Yosemite?

The glow on the horizon is the town of Redding, California about 40 miles to the South, which peaks at a bortle 6 (viewed from bortle 2). The roadway at the lower right side of the picture is Interstate 5 near the town of Sims, California.

 

[Keith_McClary]

This is a "preview", the full data will come later.

Here is the full data. It was a 33MB ".fts" file, which I converted to a 24MB ".png" 4096x4096 (using "FIJI", don't reallyknow what I'm doing).

It looks different from the "preview" maybe I converted it badly.

 

[Keith_McClary]

Can I ask about this Skygem prices?

https://www.skygems-observatories.com/#price
You can register an account for free and go to "Create Imaging Request" to see the prices for each scope. It will tell you that you need to buy more points. 1 point ~ €1.

 

[Devin-M]

I simulated a quick binary solar mass black hole flyby of the Earth (gif animation slowed down to about 1/300th normal speed) and in the simulation it heated the Earth's surface to about 25000 degrees in a few seconds. Not sure whether it really could heat the surface this quickly without tidally ripping apart, but it's an interesting scenario to consider, none the less.

 

[Keith_McClary]

I’ve always liked M104.

Which filter(s)?:
luminance, R, G, B, Ha7, OIII, SII
I could do one moonless or two with the moon discount.

 

[DennisN]

single 14mm lens, f/2.8 15sec 5000iso full frame dslr processed through adobe lightroom, bortle 2:

That is a beautiful photo!

 

[bruha]

Thank you for skygem info- I will try it. Concerning my question.. yes this country photo is really amazing, but I use primary telescope for imaging , [not have good equipment for imaging just by camera]. I mean if somebody by chance have experience with this Ebony eyepiece camera .
Thanks

 

[Devin-M]

For astrophotography you’ll want a camera that produces 14bit to 16bit raw files at high resolution (16MP to 64MP) to obtain the needed dynamic range for histogram stretching and resolution required when shooting small angular size, faint objects like nebulas and galaxies. In my opinion l, the easiest way to learn about the camera side of astrophotography is with a DSLR or mirrorless camera from Nikon or Canon (Sony has known issues with astrophotography- noise reduction applied to RAW files which is referred to as the “Star Eater” problem). The reason these cameras make it easier to learn is they have screens and buttons so you can try different settings using just the camera itself. You can think of your telescope as just another lens that you attach to the DSLR or mirrorless camera body. If you want to begin at a more advanced level you might want a cooled monochrome dedicated astro camera such as the ZWO ASI 1600mm Pro, but these require a laptop connected to the camera to change settings and view the results, and a filter wheel since they shoot in monochrome (this makes your system much less portable which can be a problem if you have light pollution to contend with). You might ultimately get better results with one of these dedicated astro cameras but the learning curve will be very steep. If you instead go the DSLR route, you can attach it to your telescope but you can also attach it to other lenses to use for Astro-Landscapes, etc.

https://www.nikonimgsupport.com/eu/...configured=1&lang=en_GB&sfdcIFrameOrigin=null

“When evaluating the effect and comparing between 12-bit and 14-bit, the area that will show the most significant improvement between the two options is in the shadow detail. 14-bit will give you four times the information overall, but the shadow areas which receive much less exposure generally than mid-tones or highlights will have far greater detail.”

^You probably wouldn’t be able to notice the difference between 12bit (4096 levels per RGB color channel), 14bit (16384 levels per RGB color channel) or 16bit (65536 levels per RGB color channel) until after you stack multiple long exposure (2-5 minute) images and then stretch the histogram of the resulting 16bit tif file to reveal nebulosity and other faint details. Essentially, higher bit depth of a RAW file means more information about the brightness of faint objects is captured in the dark areas of the image which can be revealed in your final 8bit (256 levels per RGB color channel) JPG image that you will eventually see on your screen or print at the photo lab.

 

[Devin-M]

The optical setup in this video is considered fairly cutting edge right now with an extremely impressive f/2 focal ratio:

 

[bruha]

Hi, and thank you very much for information, so I understandt, that res. 1900 x 1200 is not sufficient (but this SV bony camera is presented as for telesc. eyepiece using.) So I will se how it works with for ex. planet imaging , but must wait for summer..

Lot of succes..

 

[Devin-M]

My main concern using that camera would be whether or not it can save images as RAW files.

As an example, I took a stacked 16-bit TIF image of the Horsehead nebula that I did previously from 60x 14-bit Raw Files (600mm, f/9, 1600iso, 2 min, full frame dslr), scaled down to 1920x1280px:

Next I histogram stretched the above TIF 16 bit image in Adobe Lightroom to reveal the nebulosity, which was then converted to JPG:

But for comparison, before histogram stretching the following image, I converted it from a 16-bit TIF to an 8-bit JPG, and then I applied the same transformation settings that were used with the previous image:

^It can be seen that the above image is noisier and has a lot more compression artifacts.

The results would be even poorer if the source images saved by the camera initially had been 8-bit JPGs rather than 14-bit RAW files, so this doesn't even truly demonstrate the full loss in quality that results from shooting in JPG mode rather than RAW, it only shows the loss in quality from converting to JPG during a single step of the editing process.

 

[Devin-M]

Just for fun, before doing any processing at all, I converted my 60x 14-bit RAW 7360x4912 files to 1920x1280 8-bit JPG files before stacking them, then I saved the resulting stacked image as an 8-bit JPG, then I histogram stretched that 8-bit JPG using the same settings as the previous images, and I got this:

Compare that with the earlier image I obtained by using 14-bit RAW files, converted to 16-bit TIFs before stacking, and then histogram stretching the 16-bit tif before converting to a JPG as the final step:

The only difference between these two images is the first one used a lossy 8-bit color space during processing and the other used a lossless 14-bit and 16 bit color space during capture & processing (same images and processing steps, but different bit depths & file formats-- jpg vs raw & tif).

 

[DennisN]

My new Sony A6000 has delivered its first objective (sharp photos of the Moon),
which actually turned out even better than I had expected.
Yesterday evening I was sitting with a big smile in front of the computer...

And it was a great benefit to be able to control the camera remotely with my smartphone.
I used an Android app called qDslrDashboard where I could set up number of photos to take,
and also set delay between photos. Then when I clicked "Start", the app just started sending shutter commands via WiFi to the Sony A6000.

And in the app on my smartphone I could also see a live view of what the camera was seeing.
My poor LG G4 phone has now been demoted from main camera to a mere camera controller.
21st century hi-tech, yeah!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Object: The Moon, 27 March 2021
Gear: Sony A6000 with an Optomax 300mm f/5.6 telephoto lens (set to aperture f/5.6)
Photo settings: ISO: 400, Shutter speed: 1/1000 s
Photos taken: 130 (25% of the best photos were selected by AutoStakkert and stacked)
Note: The photos were actually not taken as RAW, I had to use JPGs, since I haven't yet figured out how to set qDslrDashboard to command Sony A6000 to take RAW photos.

Software used:

Sony A6000 remotely controlled with qDslrDashboard
-> PIPP (Planetary Imaging Preprocessor)
-> Autostakkert (stacking software)
-> Photoshop
-> Flickr
-> Physics Forums

(Hmm, I used only one camera but had to use four photo softwares.
Does that mean that 20% of the time is spent taking the photos and
the other 80% processing the photos? It sure seems so. )

Final photo after stacking:

Another version with heavily increased contrast:
(so I could see how much detail there actually was in the photo)

The gear: (no, it's not an anti-aircraft gun )

 

[Devin-M]

Very nice work!

 

[Keith_McClary]

Which filter(s)?:
luminance, R, G, B, Ha7, OIII, SII
I could do one moonless or two with the moon discount.

I ordered M104, luminance, moonless.

I don't understand how the "preview" of Tarantula looked so different from the full data. Will see how M104 looks.

 

[Devin-M]

Here is the full data. It was a 33MB ".fts" file, which I converted to a 24MB ".png" 4096x4096 (using "FIJI", don't reallyknow what I'm doing).

It looks different from the "preview" maybe I converted it badly.

I don't understand how the "preview" of Tarantula looked so different from the full data. Will see how M104 looks.

Did you stretch the histogram? If you upload the .fts file here I can try stretching it for you...

https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=kZBryWXZO0JlBNTX4aRwNgADmL9gJptPpJhk

 

[Devin-M]

I don't understand how the "preview" of Tarantula looked so different from the full data. Will see how M104 looks.

I think I got pretty good results from histogram stretching your .fts file...

before:

after:

100% crop:

Converted .fts to 16 bit .tif file at:
https://convertio.co/image-converter/

Adobe Lightroom Settings

Basic Settings

Exposure +4.55
Contrast +100
Highlights -66
Shadows -40
Whites -100
Blacks -43
Clarity +87
Dehaze +49

Tone Curve Settings

Highlights -22
Lights -25
Darks +40
Shadows -100

Export Settings

16 bit tif 4096x4096
8 bit jpg 4096x4096
8 bit jpg 1920x1920

Download Stretched 4096x4096 16-bit .tif or 8-bit .jpg:

https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=kZBryWXZO0JlBNTX4aRwNgADmL9gJptPpJhk

 

[Andy Resnick]

Hoping for a clear night tonight- been working on two objects, the Rosette nebula @ 400/2.8, DX frame, now up to 5.7 hours @ ISO 320:

and M51 @ 800/5.6, here's 3 hours @ ISO 1000, 200% zoom and crop

 

[Devin-M]

I’m waiting til thursday to start shooting again when the moon will be down for a solid 3 hours at the start of astro-dark so it will be worth driving 30 miles to a bortle 2... I’m hoping to capture an hour of Oiii, an hour of Ha and an hour of RGB of a certain target but I’m probably being optimistic...

 

[bruha]

Hello, moon by these SV Ebony cam (nowadays is full moon, so no good condition ).

 

[Devin-M]

after:

^apparently I'd need around a 2000mm focal length lens to capture this on my full frame dslr which is a roughly 1 degree by 0.66 degree field of view...

 

[Murilo T]

The most inspiring video that touches my hearth every time that I see:

 

[Andy Resnick]

From last night- a trio of galaxies in Leo (400/2.8, 6hrs), a near 100% crop:

And the Sunflower galaxy (M63), 800/5.6, 0.75 hours; 100% crop:

 

[Devin-M]

Very nice Sunflower detail!

 

[DennisN]

At you who are more experienced than me:

Yesterday when I was trying to photograph the Moon again, I did a quick and dirty shot of stars approximately just to the right of Ursa Major. This kind of light streak, which I have sometimes seen in photos by others, are they satellites? Or could they also be airplanes?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two more Moon photos:

Sony A6000 + Optomax 300mm f/5.6 tele lens set at f/8
ISO 800, 1/2000s shutter speed, stack of 200 photos (25% of the best stacked by AutoStakkert)

The same photo with more contrast:

The gear in action:
(obviously not a particularly good location with respect to surrounding lights , but it was another test run)

 

[Devin-M]

Satellite

 

[Devin-M]

I’m curious whether your Sony camera has the “star eater issue”.

Ive heard it basically consists of noise reduction being applied to the raw files when the exposure is longer than about 4 seconds.

In theory, if you did 2 tests shots... one at 2 seconds and one at 5 seconds, you’d see less stars in the 5 second exposure in the Raw file on account of the star eater noise reduction, if you’re having that issue...

 

[DennisN]

I’m curious whether your Sony camera has the “star eater issue”.

Ive heard it basically consists of noise reduction being applied to the raw files when the exposure is longer than about 4 seconds.

In theory, if you did 2 tests shots... one at 2 seconds and one at 5 seconds, you’d see less stars in the 5 second exposure in the Raw file on account of the star eater noise reduction, if you’re having that issue...

I will test it and return . But I want to choose at least a little bit better location than where I'm at, which is in the middle of the city at Bortle 9. I cry when I see the light pollution.

 

[Keith_McClary]

These light streaks

I had to turn out the lights and display it on a dark background to find 1 streak!
https://www.physicsforums.com/attachments/51082586493_9153f279cf_c-jpg.280656/

 

[Andy Resnick]

At you who are more experienced than me:

This kind of light streak, which I have sometimes seen in photos by others, are they satellites? Or could they also be airplanes?

View attachment 280656

On my monitor, I can't see what you are referring to- I see isolated stars scattered in the frame, but no lines. Help?

 

[DennisN]

On my monitor, I can't see what you are referring to- I see isolated stars scattered in the frame, but no lines. Help?

I regretfully did some editing of the photo which made the light streak extremely dark (sorry!), but here are two more versions:

1. A crop of the original photo:

2. A version with heavily increased exposure:

 

[Andy Resnick]

I regretfully did some editing of the photo which made the light streak extremely dark (sorry!), but here are two more versions:

1. A crop of the original photo:

View attachment 280684

2. A version with heavily increased exposure:

View attachment 280685

Ah- thanks!

Yeah, that's either a satellite or a high-altitude plane. Here, transcontinental/transoceanic flights are high enough that I can't distinguish those from satellites. There's a least one app that can display live flight tracking information, just point your phone to the thing and all the flight info will be displayed (exempting military flights):
https://www.flightradar24.com/apps

 

[Devin-M]

1. A crop of the original photo:

I figured out where you were aiming... If you have a time stamp for the photo, you can enter your location and rewind time in the Stellarium app and you might be able to figure out what satellite it is. Or let me know what city date and time and I can try and figure it out for you.

Center (RA, Dec):	(187.564, 57.388)
Center (RA, hms):	12h 30m 15.340s
Center (Dec, dms):	+57° 23' 16.006"
Size:	3.7 x 2.66 deg

 

[Tom.G]

Airplane navigation (clearance) lights blink on and off.

Airplanes typically show as dotted lines if the field of view is large enough with an exposure time is a second or so.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[bruha]

Hello, first time I catch orion trapezium by this SV Ebony eyepiece Camera. (nowadays its not easy beacouse
short period between Orion appearing (dusk) and Moon appearing- so hope next will be better,

 

[DennisN]

Yeah, that's either a satellite or a high-altitude plane.

Thank you!

I figured out where you were aiming... If you have a time stamp for the photo, you can enter your location and rewind time in the Stellarium app and you might be able to figure out what satellite it is.

I will give it a try.

Hello, first time I catch orion trapezium

I've found that the first time you take a photo of something you haven't done before is a special moment. And very exciting.

 

[Devin-M]

The gear in action:
(obviously not a particularly good location with respect to surrounding lights , but it was another test run)

Hopefully you won’t have the same experience I had where your neighbor comes out holding a flashlight asking if you’re taking pictures through windows!

 

[DennisN]

Hopefully you won’t have the same experience I had where your neighbor comes out holding a flashlight asking if you’re taking pictures through windows!

It's funny you should say that. Recently there has been reports of uninvited guests in the neighborhood, so there has been a guard patrolling the houses now and then. And when I was trying out the camera at the Moon a couple of days ago for the first time, a guard came out in the courtyard and asked me if I lived here, and where I lived and so on.

I convinced him pretty quickly I was a resident, and told him I was trying to photograph the Moon, and was currently waiting for the clouds to pass. He looked at the sky and said "it looks like you have to wait for a long time" and I laughed and said "no worries, I have already taken a bunch of photos", and then he wished me good luck.

 

[collinsmark]

Video uploaded to YouTube on 2021-04-01 (Icarus: Daytime, deep space filter)

Spoiler

Pay attention to that date again if you're still confused.

 

[jedishrfu]

The most inspiring video that touches my hearth every time that I see:

I liked the video. It was very touching and while not fully relevant to this thread, I felt it should remain as an inspiration to our next generation of dreamers.

Thank you @Murilo T for sharing it with us.

 

[Devin-M]

Sort of a preview... I managed to get about 8x 10 minute shots through the hydrogen alpha dslr clip in filter of the Spaghetti Nebula (Simeis 147) tonight, which is a supernova remnant that spans about 3 degrees across the sky at about 3000 light years distance, roughly 150-200 light years in diameter... this is one of the unstacked, uncropped, histogram stretched subs (300mm f/4.5 1600iso 10 minute full frame dslr).

I also mamaged to get around 60x 1 minute RGB shots of the same target which I will composite later.