Astro Anarchy

Monday, December 12, 2011

November Challenge winner, IC 405

This mapped color image of IC 405 & 410 was a monthly challenge winner in CCD imaging and processing forum at Cloudynights.com

Original blog post, with technical details, can be found here:

http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2011/11/ic405-410.html

Friday, December 9, 2011

Cygnus mosaic, 18-panels and 22 x 14 degrees of sky

Finally finalized, with a lots of work... uh

NOTE! A large image, ~1200x2000 pixels and ~3Mb

Image is in mapped colors, from the emission of ionized elements,

R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.

The "noise" in background is not a noise but countless number of stars!

Even larger, 3500 x 2200 pixels and ~10Mb, image can be seen from HERE.

(Original resolution is about 15.000 x 10.000 pixels.)

Some technical information about the image:

Original size for the 18 panels mosaic ~15.000 x10.000 pixels
Resolution 5,5 arch seconds / pixel
Image center, RA 20h 27s, Dec 43d 30m 45s
Area of this image is about 22 x14 degrees of sky.
Full Moon has an angular diameter of 0,5 degrees, it fits to the area of this image about 1230 times!

A cropped images, to show the resolution

(Image size is reduced)

A detail from the North America and Pelican Nebulae area.
More closeups in this blog post:
http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cygnus-project-grande-finale.html

A closeup from the "Cirrus" area of the large panorama.

Image in visual spectrum

Image is in Natural color palette from the emission of ionized elements,

R=Hydrogen + Sulfur, G=Oxygen and B=Oxygen + Hydrogen. this palette is very close to a visual spectrum. NOTE! A large image, ~1920x1200 pixels and ~3Mb

A Gray scale image of Hydrogen alpha emission

can be seen HERE (Note, about 7,3 meg)

Orientation in the sky

overlay with a star map

Constellation Cygnus

This is a third expansion for this mosaic

I started the Cygnus mosaic project by shooting a three panel mosaic from the "Cirrus area"

Blog post can be seen here: http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cirrus-of-cygnus-project-finalized.html

Three panel mosaic of Cirrus of Cygnus.

The second phase was an eight panel mosaic. The blog post can be seen from here:

http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cygnus-project-grande-finale.html

An eight panel mosaic.

All mosaics, made so far from the Cygnus constellation.

An experimental starless image to show the actual nebula

(NEW) An experimental 3D-study about this area

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

3D-NOTE!

You'll need Red/Cyan Eyeglasses to be able to see images as 3D.If you have a Red and Blue filters, you can use them! Red goes to Left eye.

Click an image for a 1900 x 1200 pixels version!

Other 3D-studies and viewing methods in my portfolio:

http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/f359296072

Technical details for the 18 panel mosaic

Panels shot for this mosaic.

I have used a very fast camera optics, Canon EF 200mm f1.8, full open to collect all the data in this mosaic. Due that, total exposure time is relatively short, ~22h, there are some very dim formations clearly visible.

Processing work flow:

Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.

Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.

Levels, curves and mosaic combine in PS CS3.

Optics, Canon EF 200mm camera lens at f1.8

Camera, QHY9

Image Scale, ~5,5 arcseconds/pixel

Guiding, Meade LX200 GPS 12" and a Lodestar guider

Filters used, Baader 7nm H-alpha, S-II & O-III

Here are all technical data for the H-alpha emission line:

http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cygnus-mosaic-is-getting-large-18.html

I had ready made eight panel mosaic with all three emission line, H-a, S-II and O-III I managed to collect very little new color data but I had some earlier images from this area. I used all of them to finalize this color composition. Gaps between the color data are filled with an averaged colors from surrounding color data.

Here are links to older images used for the missing color data

North America and the Pelican Nebulae:

http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2011/11/ngc-7000-north-america-pelican-nebulae.html

Lower parts of previous image:

http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2011/10/dark-dust-in-cygnus-project-finalized.html

Sharpless 119, Sh2-119:

http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2011/10/sharpless-119-sh2-119.html

The Tulip nebula, a wide field image:
http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2011/01/tulip-nebula-sh2-101-wide-field-closeup.html

The Crescent Nebula, a wide field image:

http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2011/01/ngc-6888-crescent-nebula-wide-field.html