Author Topic: STF8300M First light LRGB Updated (Read 986 times)

Ben · « **on:** March 25, 2012, 06:20:50 PM »

Hi All,

Finally I did my first light

M51 First and NGC9603 second. I will take the color tonight so this is just Luminance.

Both images are 18x600 sec taken from Kissimmee Prairie state park in Florida, with the new STF8300M and AT8IN.

Ben

El Paso Eric · « **Reply #1 on:** March 25, 2012, 06:22:46 PM »

Congratulations Ben

Great first light images.

Ben · « **Reply #2 on:** March 25, 2012, 06:26:47 PM »

Thanks Eric

Jason C · « **Reply #3 on:** March 25, 2012, 06:31:05 PM »

Awesome Ben, Congrats!! Two galaxies that I have to pay a visit, with the SCT once the obs is ready!

MikeM · « **Reply #4 on:** March 25, 2012, 07:41:15 PM »

Two very nice images Ben, congrats on a very fine first and second light.

schmeah · « **Reply #5 on:** March 25, 2012, 07:46:10 PM »

Nice job! Great camera / scope combo. Are you binning with those small pixels on that 8" ?
Derek

Craig & Tammy · « **Reply #6 on:** March 25, 2012, 07:55:57 PM »

Congrats Ben! A couple of fine first lights! Looking forward to the color.

jambroseus · « **Reply #7 on:** March 25, 2012, 08:45:49 PM »

Congrats Ben! They look great! Best of luck with your new camera.

John

BillA. · « **Reply #8 on:** March 26, 2012, 08:22:18 AM »

Congrats to you!! Nice first light!!
Bill

Ben · « **Reply #9 on:** March 26, 2012, 10:47:00 AM »

Thank you guys

Ben

DavidT · « **Reply #10 on:** March 26, 2012, 11:15:44 PM »

Very nice first light with the SBIG. You really have a handle on the AT8IN. Can't wait for the LRBG.
On another note. What do you think of the AT6RC. I have an Orion EON 80MM refractor I'm thinking of selling to get a
Starozona SCT .75 reducer/corrector that cost's $400. There is an AT6RC on astromart for $400, any suggestions?
Dave Thackeray

Les (t_total123) · « **Reply #11 on:** March 27, 2012, 10:33:27 AM »

Excellent First light Hopefully the weather will help you grab more

Les

Ben · « **Reply #12 on:** March 27, 2012, 01:16:16 PM »

Hi, I was able to capture the RGB for M51

10x300sec each channel.

I don't like how the stars looks and they don't look like that if I go to each separate channel, is only after I combine in RGB. Any recommendation as always is very welcome.

I used Maxim DL to align and convert To RGB.

Thanks for looking

Ben

Jason C · « **Reply #13 on:** March 27, 2012, 05:10:49 PM »

Color looks ok Ben. How did you combine the data, did you use the combine color, our did you do color stack?

Ben · « **Reply #14 on:** March 27, 2012, 05:18:41 PM »

Jason, I used the color combine option.

Ben

Jason C · « **Reply #15 on:** March 27, 2012, 05:44:05 PM »

try running it back through, using color combine use the "lrgb" selection. In the color conversion space dropdown select rgb. Check the allow resize, and bgd auto equalize if they are not already. Direct each channel's dropdown to it's corresponding file. You can try reducing the lum weight by 10% from 100. Before you hit ok and combine them, hit the align button. Set the dropdown at the top to "auto star matching". Then hit the little arrow button for options half way down, and check "bicubic resample". Then hit OK. After that is done you can hit OK on the combine color window to then combine them. See if that helps with fixing the color registration issue in the stars. If not go through it again and instead of selecting "auto star matching" select "manual two star" and use the controls to select your two reference stars, try and select fairly small not too bright stars in opposite areas of the frame, select their centers for star one and two, and hit ok, see what happens........

Ben · « **Reply #16 on:** March 27, 2012, 11:13:18 PM »

Jason, thanks for the quick tutorial, I did exactly as you recommend but doing 2 star alignment since the auto star match fails. I think the stars are good now and Galaxy looks better? Again thanks for your help.

Ben

Jason C · « **Reply #17 on:** March 28, 2012, 06:13:50 AM »

looks much better! Nice job. In both I see what looks like some leftover gradient, and a hot spot, just above and left of 51. But as you mention from your LP'd backyard! NP, re the tutorial, glad to help. Most of the time the auto star match works, but sometimes it is a tad finicky.

Ben · « **Reply #18 on:** March 28, 2012, 10:15:38 AM »

Jason, I just inspect each stack and the hot spot above 51 appear just in the Lum stack the RGB is without that. I also inspect each Lum frames and they are clean with out that, so I suspect that something happened in the calibration process.

Thanks again,

Ben

Ben · « **Reply #19 on:** March 30, 2012, 09:25:15 AM »

I think I found the problem with the dark spot in my image of M51, I just see the same in an image of M3 I'm processing. I think that the imaging chip is getting frozen, you guys think that is a defect from the camera? I never had that issue with my QHY8. How can I resolve the problem?

Thanks for any advice,

Ben

I just email Sbig to report the problem let's see what they say

El Paso Eric · « **Reply #20 on:** March 30, 2012, 10:12:06 AM »

I don't see the dark spot on my monitor. But do you store the camera with desiccant? Also, you might want to get desiccant caps for the scope. It may just be condensing moisture inside the scope, that appears with cooled.

Starhopper · « **Reply #21 on:** March 30, 2012, 12:06:44 PM »

Very nice! colorful, and clear..great job. Camera looks like a winner already.

MikeM · « **Reply #22 on:** March 30, 2012, 01:14:43 PM »

I have yet to see the dark spot so will look when I get home on my good monitor. Having said that I shouldn't think a camera as new as your would have this issue. Now the early versions of the ST-8300's did have a frosting issue but SBIG remedied that quite a while ago.

Author Topic: STF8300M First light LRGB *Updated* (Read 986 times)

Author Topic: STF8300M First light LRGB Updated (Read 986 times)