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Sunday, February 28, 2010

IC 443 as a 3D-stereo, New version

Parallel vision

Cross Vision


NOTE! This is a personal vision about forms and shapes, based on some known facts and artistic impression. Viewing instructions can be found from a Right hand side menu.

I redid this 3D-visualization of the IC 443, now the volume and the spherical nature of this supernova remnant is more visible.

Original Image with details can be found HERE
Much more stereo images can be found HERE


An anaglyph Red/Cyan version.

You'll need Red/Cyan Eyeglasses to be able to see images right. Note, if you have a Red and Green filters, you can use them! Red goes to Left eye.

IC 443 as an animated stereo pair

In this blog, there is lots of experimental material. To see my actual astroimages, please, see my Portfolio: http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/


Animations are made by creating artificial parallax to an image. Then two images are animated together by using conversion web service, Start3D.

There can be some artifacts in images, due the experimental nature of this work! The volumetric models are based on some known facts and an artistic impression.

Please, let the images load for few seconds to see them animated!

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Rosette Nebula closeup as an animated stereo pair

In this blog, there is lots of experimental material. To see my actual astroimages, please, see my Portfolio: http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/

Animations are made by creating artificial parallax to an image. Then two images are animated together by using conversion web service, Start3D.
There can be some artifacts in images, due the experimental nature of this work! The volumetric models are based on some known facts and an artistic impression.

Please, let the images load for few seconds to see them animated!
 

Original 2D-image HERE
Other 3D-formats HERE



Rosette Nebula closeup as a Stereo Pair

Parallel Vision

Cross Vision

NOTE! This is a personal vision about forms and shapes, based on some known facts and artistic impression. Viewing instructions can be found from a Right hand side menu.

Original Image with details can be found HERE
Much more stereo images can be found HERE


An anaglyph Red/Cyan version.

You'll need Red/Cyan Eyeglasses to be able to see images right. Note, if you have a Red and Green filters, you can use them! Red goes to Left eye.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Rosette Nebula closeup




Rosette Nebula & a star cluster NGC 2239


Nebula in HST-palette, Red=S-II, Green=H-a and Blue=O-III



Nebula in natural color. Narrowband channels are mixed to match visible spectrum. Red=80% H-alpha+20% S-II, Green=O-III and Blue=80% O-III+20% H-alpha to compensate otherwise missing H-beta.


Last two nights I used for the Rosette nebula, weather gets cloudy after the midnight at both evenings.
I was positively surprised about the image quality since Rosette Nebula doesn't raise very high up here North, the maximum elevation is about 30 degrees, seeing and transparency were both lousy too.

Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack.
Deconvolution with a CCDSharp, 30 iterations.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.

Telescope, Meade LX200 GPS 12" @ f5
Camera, QHY9
Guiding, SXV-AO @ 9Hz
Image Scale, 0,75 arcseconds/pixel

Exposures
H-alpha 13x1200s, binned 1x1
Note.
Other channels are from a wide field image from 2009:
The original image can be found HERE

O-III 3x5min and S-II 3x5min with a Canon FD 200mm f1.8 @ f1.8

Wide field image of the Rosette Nebula in HST-palette



Thursday, February 25, 2010

Planetary Nebula, PK 164+31.1, finalized




Jones-Emberson 1



Nebula in natural color. Narrowband channels are mixed to match visible spectrum. Red=80% H-alpha+20% S-II, Green=O-III and Blue=80% O-III+20% H-alpha to compensate otherwise missing H-beta.


I reprocessed all the data for this, beautifu, largish and very dim, planetary nebula.PK 164+31.1, sometimes known as a "Jones-Emberson 1" has an angular diameter of 6', 67" x 6', 67" and it locates in constellation Lynx. Distance from my home town Oulu, Finland, is about 1600 light years.
The tiny Blue central star is a white dwarf, the intense ultraviolet light emitted by this star makes elements in a ring glow. Ionized Hydrogen emits red light and the ionized Oxygen blue one. 
 
Why the name "PK 164+31.1"?
PK comes from the names of Czechoslovakian astronomers Perek and Kouhutec. 1967 they created an extensive catalog of all of the known planetary nebulae in  1964. The number indicates the position in the sky. The alternative name "Jones-Emberson 1" is after its discoveres.
 
Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack.
Deconvolution with a CCDSharp, 30 iterations.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.

Telescope, Meade LX200 GPS 12" @ f5
Camera, QHY9
Guiding, SXV-AO @ 9Hz
Image Scale, 1,5 arcseconds/pixel

Exposures
H-alpha 32x1200s, binned 2x2 and 7x1200s, binned 3x3 = 13h
O-III 2x600s, binned 4x4 and 1x1200s, binned 4x4
S-II 3x600s, binned 4x4 and 1x1200s, binned 4x4

PK 164+31.1 as an animated 3D

In this blog, there is lots of experimental material. To see my actual astroimages, please, see my Portfolio: http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/

Animations are made by creating artificial parallax to an image. Then two images are animated together by using conversion web service, Start3D. There can be some artifacts in images, due the experimental nature of this work! The volumetric models are based on some known facts and an artistic impression.
Please, let the images load for few seconds to see them animated!
Original Image with details can be found HERE



Wednesday, February 24, 2010

IC 443 finalized


A cosmic A-Bomb

I named this image of IC 443 to a "Cosmic A-Bomb" since it looks like a gigant explosion. In fact, it is a remnant of a gigant nuclear explosion, Supernova.


Nebula in natural color. Narrowband channels are mixed to match visible spectrum. Red=80% H-alpha+20% S-II, Green=O-III and Blue=80% O-III+20% H-alpha to compensate otherwise missing H-beta.


Nebula in HST-palette, Red=S-II, Green=H-a and Blue=O-III

Generally this was on of the moust difficult object to shot in longer focal lenght. Surface brightness is very low and there is extremely faint nebulosity around a main object. I wanted to show it and a detailed filaments of the supernova remnant main body. The actual remnant is much large, than my limited field of view can show.
 
An older wide field image of the IC 443 from a Spring season 2009.
Exposures:
-H-alpha 8x1200s binned 1x1
-S-II 4x600s binned 2x2
-O-III 5x600s binned 2x2
Optics: Tokina 300mm TX f2.8 @ f2.8
Camera: QHY9 @ -50 C
Guiding: Lx200 GPS 12" + LQHY5 and PHD-Guiding

I think, this was as hard object as a Sh2-240 (Simeis 147), Supernova remnant in Taurus. I shot it in last Spring season;  http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2009/01/sh2-240-more-lights.html

I found out, that color, in my older wide field image, is very usable for this new closeup version! There is not much details in very dim O-III and S-II channels- I use a method of mine, Tone Mapping, to make a color composition from images with a very different scale. It works just fine!


H-alpha channel after a Eleven hours of exposures.

Technical details:

Telescope, Meade LX200 GPS 12" @ f5
Camera, QHY9
Guiding, SXV-AO @ 7Hz
Image Scale, 0,75 arcseconds/pixel
-
Exposures:
H-alpha 18x1200s, binned 1x1 + 14 x 1200s, binned 2x2, Flats. Bias and Darks
Total exposuretime for H-alpha is about eleven hours.
 
Note, colors in this image are shot with a different optical configuration, back in Spring 2009, details are in a text above.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

IC 443, a prewiev version in HST-palette


IC 443, HST-palette

I have shot this target with much wider field last year;
http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2009/02/ic443-in-hst-palette.html I took colors from this image and use them with my new H-alpha channel to build a kind of prewiev version of narrowband color image.

When weather allows, I'll shoot better color channels with a native focal lenght.

IC 443, as a Stereo Pair

Parallel Vision

Cross Vision

NOTE! This is a personal vision about forms and shapes, based on some known facts and artistic impression. Viewing instructions can be found from a Right hand side menu.

Original Image with details can be found HERE
Much more stereo images can be found HERE

An anaglyph Red/Cyan version.
You'll need Red/Cyan Eyeglasses to be able to see images right. Note, if you have a Red and Green filters, you can use them! Red goes to Left eye.


Monday, February 22, 2010

Planetary Nebula, PK 164+31.1, more lights


Nebula in HST-palette, Red=S-II, Green=H-a and Blue=O-III

Nebula in natural color. Narrowband channels are mixed to match visible spectrum. Red=80% H-alpha+20% S-II, Green=O-III and Blue=80% O-III+20% H-alpha to compensate otherwise missing H-beta.

At the same time as I was imaging IC 443 in prevoius post, I shot more lights for this dim planetary in Constellation Lynx, since IC 433 was too low after midnight.

Due the low brightness this objet is not commonly imaged, even though it has a largish angular diameter to a planetary nebula. (6'.67" x 6'.67")

Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack.
Deconvolution with a CCDSharp, 30 iterations.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3. -

Telescope, Meade LX200 GPS 12" @ f5
Camera, QHY9
Guiding, SXV-AO @ 9Hz
Image Scale, 1,5 arcseconds/pixel
-
Exposures
H-alpha 32x1200s, binned 2x2 and 7x1200s, binned 3x3 = 13h
O-III 2x600s, binned 4x4 and 1x1200s, binned 4x4
S-II 3x600s, binned 4x4 and 1x1200s, binned 4x4




PK 164+31.1 as a Stereo Pair

Parallel Vision

Cross Vision

NOTE! This is a personal vision about forms and shapes, based on some known facts and artistic impression. Viewing instructions can be found from a Right hand side menu.
-
Original Image with details can be found HERE
Much more stereo images can be found HERE

Viewing Instructions

An anaglyph Red/Cyan version.

You'll need Red/Cyan Eyeglasses to be able to see images right. Note, if you have a Red and Green filters, you can use them! Red goes to Left eye.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

IC 443, project continues

H-alpha channel


H-alpha channel in false color ( It emits Red light at wavelength of 656,28 nm.)

This winter has been very cloudy, up here 65N. Those few clear nights has been very cold, temperatur has dopped to -30 celsius at many nights. I have used every oportunity to shoot various target, even though extereme low temperature does no good to my equipment nor me.

Now I have collected as much H-a light to this Supernova remnant as I could. I have had, ones again, many problems with my scope and other eguipments doe the weather and other various reasons.
In previous post, there is this target with less than two hours of exposure time, now I have shot much more exposures to have higher S/N. This will need even more time, but this season is not long enough for that and I'll like to shoot O-III and S-II channels too to make a narrowband color composition out of them.

Here is a wider field IC 443, from February 2009, imaged with a Tokina AT-X 300mm camera optics:
Technical details;

Telescope, Meade LX200 GPS 12" @ f5
Camera, QHY9
Guiding, SXV-AO @ 7Hz
Image Scale, 0,75 arcseconds/pixel
-
Exposures:
H-alpha 18x1200s, binned 1x1 + 14 x 1200s, binned 2x2, Flats. Bias and Darks
Total exposuretime for H-alpha is about eleven hours.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Starting a new project, IC 443

A cosmic A-bomb

Last night I started a new imaging project with the IC 443, supernova remnant in Gemini.
Not a very promicing start though, I got less than two hours of usable data after spending whole night shooting it. There was lots of thin upper clouds and they ruined majority of my frames. I'll shoot more H-a, maybe 6-7 hours, Sulfur and Oxygen as well.

I will test a new imaging system with this objet, I call it "VARE" Variable Resolution imaging. The idea is shoot part of the data binned 1x1, like an example here, and rest of it binned down to 2x2 - 4x4.
By that way, I can use high S/N details from a 1x1 binned image and low S/N areas from other bin modes.
Using binning is basicly same as use of the faster optical configuration, I have much greater sensitivity at cost of resolution. For example if I bin camera down 3x3, I have allmoust nine times more sensitivity!
I will write a tutorial about VARE-method, after I have tested it.

Telescope, Meade LX200 GPS 12" @ f5
Camera, QHY9
Guiding, SXV-AO @ 7Hz
Image Scale, 0,75 arcseconds/pixel
-
Exposures:
H-alpha 5x1200s, binned 1x1, Flats. Bias and Darks

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Planetary Nebula in Constellation Lynx


Nebula in a HST-palette (Hubble Space Telescope)
Red=S-II, Green=H-alpha and Blue=O-III


Nebula in natural colors from same material as a HST-image. Narrowband channels are mixed to match visible spectrum. Red=80% H-alpha+20% S-II, Green=O-III and Blue=80% O-III+20% H-alpha to compensate otherwise missing H-beta.

Finally, after a long period of bad weather, I was able to shoot more H-a, O-III and S-II channels.
Seeing was not too bad but the transparency was very poor. This is an object with a very low surface brightness and bad transparency eated out some signal.

Due the low brightness this objet is not commonly imaged, even though it has a largish angular diameter to a planetary nebula. (6'.67" x 6'.67")

Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack.
Deconvolution with a CCDSharp, 30 iterations.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
-
Telescope, Meade LX200 GPS 12" @ f5
Camera, QHY9
Guiding, SXV-AO @ 9Hz
Image Scale, 1,5 arcseconds/pixel
-
Exposures:
H-alpha 14x1200s, binned 2x2 and 7x1200s, binned 3x3 
O-III 2x600s, binned 4x4 and 1x1200s, binned 4x4
S-II 3x600s, binned 4x4 and 1x1200s, binned 4x4

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

An Universe Today article, Stereo "Soul"

An Article by Tammy Plotner.
At this time Universe today published an article based on my volumized closeup visualization of a "Soul nebula".
Klick HERE, to see an articel in Universe Today.

The original image with details:
http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/p1072219942/h12739e52#h12739e52

A 3D-animation for those, who has difficulties to see Stereo image pairs:
http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-3d-animations-from-deep-space.html

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Astro photographing in Finland

This it is...
Lots of snow and clouds in winter 2010.

I bet, if I'll start to shoot snow and clouds, we dont see them anymore.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

3D-models from 2D-astro images, more testing

In this blog, there is lots of experimental material. To see my actual astroimages, please, see my Portfolio: http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/

Links to the original images are with animated models, there is links to other 3D-formats as well.
Animations are made by creating artificial parallax to an image. Then two images are animated together by using a very clever webservice. There can be some artifacts in images, due the experimental nature of this work! The volumetric models are based on some known facts and an artistic impression.

Please, let the images load for few seconds to see them animated!


Flaming Star nebula and IC 410
Original 2D-image HERE
Other 3D-formats HERE






Cone Nebula area
Original 2D-image HERE
Other 3D-formats HERE






Rosette Nebula area
Original 2D-image HERE
Other 3D-formats HERE






Butterfly Nebula
Original 2D-image HERE
Other 3D-formats HERE






Tulip Nebula wide field 
Original 2D-image HERE
Other 3D-formats HERE






NGC 1499, the California Nebula
Original 2D-image HERE
Other 3D-formats HERE

This has been a very poor winter for astro imaging, playing with old data is one way to try avoid frustration.
We have just two and half months imaging season left up here in 65N. After that no astronomical darkness here until late in the next Autumn : (

Monday, February 8, 2010

"Astrokuvausta Suomesta" (in finnish)

Olen aloittanut kuvieni ja niihin liittyvien artikkeleiden julkaisemisen Tiede-lehden keskustelupalstalla.
Löydät julkaisuni ja muuta aiheeseen liittyvää täältä:
http://www.tiede.fi/keskustelut/tahtitiede-ja-avaruus-f6/astrokuvausta-suomesta-t43923.html

Kommentit, ideat ja kritiikki ovat tervetulleita. Jätä kommenttisi tänne, tai keskustelupalstalle.

(Sorry, this post here and the link is in finnish this time.)

Monday, February 1, 2010

Content of this Blog


Note, please.

In This Blog, there is lots of experimental material.
To see the actual astro images, please, select a Cathegory, like Nebulae,  from a Right hand side menu!
Or You can go to  my image portfolio; http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/ ,  thank you.

Huomautus. (Finnish)

Tässä Blogissa on runsaasti kokeilevaa materiaalia.
Nähdäksesi astrokuviani, ole hyvä ja valitse oikeanpuoleisesta valikosta esim. "Nebula" ryhmä. (Kaasusumut)
Tai voit vierailla kuvaportfoliossani; http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/ , kiitos.

North Anmerica & Pelican Nebula as an animated 3D.


Please, let the image load for few seconds to see it animated!





One more, 3D-transform from a both halves of the stereo pair, the North America and the Pelican nebula. Stars are removed to better show my vision of a possible 3D-structure.

Original post, 2D-images and details, from this target can be seen HERE.
Other 3D-formats, like anaglyph 3D, Paralle and Cross vison stereo pairs, can be seen HERE.

NOTE! This is a personal vision about forms and shapes, based on some known facts and artistic impression.

The "Cat's Eye" nebula as an animated 3D

Please, let the image load for few seconds to see it animated!


I made an animated 3D-presentation from the Cat's Eye nebula too.
Since threre was difficulties with a star field around it, I removed all other stars but the central star of the nebula. The spherical nature of this planetary nebula can be now seen without eye tricks, like in a stereo pair.

Original post, 2D-images and details, from this target can be seen HERE.
Other 3D-formats, like anaglyph 3D, Paralle and Cross vison stereo pairs, can be seen HERE.

NOTE! This is a personal vision about forms and shapes, based on some known facts and artistic impression.

Bubble nebula 3D-animation

Bubble nebula in HST-palette Original post, 2D-images and details, from this target can be seen HERE. Other 3D-formats, like anaglyph 3D, Paralle and Cross vison stereo pairs, can be seen HERE.
Sorry, there is some artifacts in image, mainly stars. This is an experimental technique yet.