Yet another version of M31

I'm trying various techniques of sharpening without blowing the stars out too much, and also subtle colouring/noise reduction.

Here's the method in Photoshop:-
1) Duplicate the layer
2) Select - Colour Range - Click on a bright star
The higher the slider, the more stars, usually set around 20
3) Expand - Select - Modify - Expand, say 4 pixels
4) Feather - Select - Modify - Feather, 2/3 expansion value - 3 pixels
5) Curves - as in the chart below:-

6) Saturate - Adjust Hue/Sat to around 60%
7) Filter - Other, min - radius 1
8) Edit - Fade min 50%
9) Deselect... all done.

I also used this method in processing M13, it can produce nice globular stars.

M31 Central Core

A comparison of my earlier C9.25 shot of the central core and my latest image shot with the APO.

M31 with some more data from 27th Sept

I went again last night with Ray's APO and collected another hours worth of data.
The seeing was good like the night before, but the transparency was the same as well, not very good. So you need lots of short exposure shots to keep the light pollution at bay.
Another larger version using different settings in Deepskystacker and CS3.

M31 - 26th Sept 2008

Ray's APO with my Canon EOS 400D. 86 exposures of 60 sec (unguided). @ 800 & 1600 ISO. Flats, darks and bias. Processed in Deepskystacker and CS3.

Larger version here:- M31
Here's another version processed slightly different:-

Bingo!

Here's part of a single RAW frame, with an aircraft going straight through the middle!!!

Ray's APO

M31 rough, work in progress - 26th Sept 2008

Here's a very rough "work in progress" image. Using about 33% of the images captured so far. No flats, darks or bias. From Ray's APO.
... stay tuned.

Test shot with Ray's APO

Setting up my mate Ray's APO this evening. Here's a test shot of a parachutist (he was moving quite fast as well).
Fingers crossed, M31 tonight... hope the fog holds off.

Drygalski 20th Sept 2008

Lacus Mortis 19th Sept 2008

Cauchy - 18th Sept 2008

Hyginus Rille 20th Sept 2008

Alphonsus and Arzachel 20th Sept 2008

Quite a high Sun angle, so the rilles in Alphonsus and Arzachel are not as prominent.
The small craters in the blackened patches of Alphonsus really stood out when I was capturing the video.

Pitatus, Hesiodus A and Rupes Recta mosaic.

haha... I've just realised that these are related.

Rupes Recta 20th Sept 2008

Pitatus & Hesiodus A - 20th Sept 2008

4 image mosaic.

Aristoteles & Eudoxus 20th Sept 2008

4 image mosaic, best 350/1200 frames, 12 point Map in Registax.
Post processing and photo-stitching in CS3.
The image size was also reduced by 10%.
C9.25, 3 x TV Barlow, Red filter, DMK21AF04AS.

Moretus - work in progress from the 20th Sept.

6 image mosaic, just a quick single point MAP.

Moon 17th Sept 2008 - work in progress

A small section of a work in progress from 17th...

Tycho & Hadley Rille 20th Sept 2008

Janssen area - 17th Sept 2008

9 image mosaic of the area around Janssen crater. Using C9.25, 2.5x Powermate, DMK21AF04AS. Processed in Registax, best 300 frames, 9 MAP and finished in CS3.

First Picture of Likely Planet around Sun-like Star

Wow! astronomers have unveiled what is likely the first picture of a planet around a normal star similar to the Sun, using the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii

The planet has a mass of about eight times that of Jupiter.


Credit

The paper.

Hubble Finds a Mystery Object

I've only just spotted this on the Sky & Telescope site:-
Here is the paper.

OT: haha... Gordon Freeman Spotted in CERN Test Chamber

OMG this could be the end! ;-)

OT:Large Hadron Collider... rap!

... we're all doomed! ;-)

Clear Sky Clock.

Found this great CSC for the UK today, thanks to Tonk: 7Timer!

hehe... it's really confusing for me when I see CSC written down, I work for CSC. :-)

RGB images in PS

I found this interesting article today from the Planetary society, showing how to align RGB images in CS3.
Although you could use the auto-align layers function as well, seems to do a pretty good job.

Here is the finished example of Rhea:-