Monday, October 24, 2011
Image processing test with Sharpless 119
I made a test, how image resolution gets effected by a stacking algorithm. When images are registered, they are moved and rotated by a fraction of the pixel accuracy. Depending on used algorithm, there will be some level of blurring in a final stacked image. In this test, CCDStack software is used to calibrate, register and stack the raw-images. Two similar processing are made from the same material, one with normal workflow and the second with images scaled up 200%.
10 x 1200s H-alpha with a QHY9 camera and the Tokina AT-X 300mm camera lens at f2.8.
"Mitchell" algorithm is used for up scaling all of the 200% sized frames.
An animation from a single, cropped and 400% up scaled, 1200s H-alpha exposure.
One image is registered and second not. HWFM in none registered image is 1,6 and in registered 2,4.
Method of register is most commonly used Bicubic B-spline.
One image is registered and second not. HWFM in none registered image is 1,6 and in registered 2,4.
Method of register is most commonly used Bicubic B-spline.
Down side of up scaling images to 200% large, is the needed amount of computer power and memory! Images will be four times large in file size. In this case a single frame, saved as a 16bit TIFF, will be about 130 MB.
CCDStack will use much more memory per image since images are internally processed as a 32bit floating point image space. All post processing in PhotoShop is done to a 200% sized version.
I have reprocessed Sh2-119 images with a new method, original versions can be found here: http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2011/10/sharpless-119-sh2-119.html
Sharpless 119
In constellation Cygnus, Ra 21h 18m Dec +44 00'
Image is in Natural color palette from the emission of ionized elements,
R=Hydrogen + Sulfur, G=Oxygen and B=Oxygen + Hydrogen.
HST-palette from an emission of ionized elements, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
Technical details:
Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 33 iterations.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
Optics, Tokina AT-X 300mm camera lens at f2.8
Camera, QHY9
Guiding, Meade LX200 GPS 12" and a Lodestar guider
Guiding, Meade LX200 GPS 12" and a Lodestar guider
Image Scale, 3,5 arcseconds/pixel
Exposures H-alpha 10x1200s, binned 1x1O-III 3x1200s, binned 3x3
S-II 3x1200s, binned 2x2
Total exposure time ~5h
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
IC 1396 as a Stereo Pair 3D
Parallel vision 3D
Cross vision 3D
Other 3D-formats:
Original 2D:
IC 1396 as an anaglyph Red/Cyan 3D
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.
Other 3D-formats:
Original 2D:
NOTE! This is a personal vision about forms and shapes, based on some known facts and an artistic impression.
Dark dust in Cygnus as a stereo pair 3D
Other 3D-formats:
Original 2D:
Dark dust in Cygnus as an anaglyph Red/Cyan 3D
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.
If you have a Red and Blue filters, you can use them! Red goes to Left eye.
Other 3D-formats:
Original 2D:
Monday, October 17, 2011
IC 1396, the home of the "Elephant's trunk Nebula"
IC 1396
In constellation Cepheus
HST-palette, from the emission of ionized elements,
R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
At the same night, 16. October, I shot my previous target, I had some time left before dawn.
I shot few frames, 6x1200s, of H-alpha for IC 1396. Last time I shot this target, I was using a HY8 single shot color astronomical camera. As it's a color camera, bayer matrix cuts down the effective resolution about 1/4 of the native resolution of CCD. I wanted to test, how visible this difference is.
Older image of IC 1396 can be seen HERE. The difference in resolution is impressive, stars are much tighter now. i did use O-III and S-II channels from this older image to build color compositions. (Resolution of those channels doesn't have any effect to my final image, since I'm using my "Tone Mapping" technique.
IC 1396 spans hundreds of light years at distance of about 3000 light years in constellation Cepheus. The famous formation of glowing gases, the "Elephant's Trunk Nebula" can be seen at six a clock position.
This is an active star formation region and it has several massive young stars inside of it, coursing the ionization of elements in this emission nebula.
I have made a study about the apparent size in a sky:
R=Hydrogen + Sulfur, G=Oxygen and B=Oxygen + Hydrogen.
Older, longer focal length, closeup image of the "Elephant's trunk Nebula"
http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2011/01/elephants-trunk-nebula-inside-ic-1396.html
Technical details:
Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
Optics, Tokina AT-X 300mm camera lens at f2.8
Camera, QHY9 , a cooled astronomical camera
Guiding, Meade LX200 GPS and the Lodestar guider
Image Scale, ~3,5 arcseconds/pixel
Exposures H-alpha 6x1200s, binned 1x1
(S-II and O-III are borrowed from an older image)
O-III 8x1200s, binned 2x2, QHY8
S-II 3x1200s, binned 2x2, QHY8
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Dark dust in Cygnus, project finalized
This beautiful area is just bellow the North America and Pelican Nebulae. The bright area at upper middle Right, is known as IC 5068.
I selected this as a target, since there is a beautiful dark dust line blocking light at front of the ionization zone and the area is not too commonly imaged. You can see the image in just Ha-light and an image about the relative location in my previous blog post.
Area of interest, just bellow NGC7000, can be seen in this image as a gray scale rectangle.
R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
An experimental starless image to show the nebula better.
Technical problems are still driving me nuts... I had to operate nearly everything manually, since my TCF-s focuser and the filter wheel are out of order. Focusing at f2.8 is not an easy task, the critical focus zone is just about 15/1000mm. I had to refocus between the frames, since temperature dropped during the night and I didn't have my temp. compensating focuser operational.
Technical details:
Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 33 iterations,
added in about 50% weight.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
Optics, Tokina AT-X 300mm camera lens at f2.8
Camera, QHY9 , a cooled astronomical camera
Guiding, Meade LX200 GPS and the Lodestar guider
Image Scale, ~3,5 arcseconds/pixel
Exposures H-alpha 19x1200s, binned 1x1
O-III 8x1200s, binned 2x2
S-II 6x1200s, binned 2x2
Total exposure time ~12h
Friday, October 14, 2011
Dark dust of Cygnus in H-alpha light, a new project
I will shoot other two emission lines as soon as the weather permits.
This area is just below the "North America and Pelican Nebulae". The bright area at upper middle Right, is known as IC 5068. I selected this as a target, since there is a beautiful dark dust line blocking light at front of the ionization zone.
Area of interest can be seen in this image as a gray scale rectangle.
This has been a very frustrating Autumn...
First my observatory PC died. After installing a new computer and all the software, my camera stopped to work. (I'm shooting now with an older model, fixed by soldering and duct tape)
Two days ago, the filter wheel started to act like a lottery machine, now I have to rotate it manually.
Top of that, last night my trusted temperature compensating focuser, TCF-s, refused to work at all.
After five hours of trying to fix it, I did focus manually as well as I could. (At f2.8, the critical focus zone is 17 microns... that's 17/1000mm) Lots of work is done and money spend, just for couple of images. Sometimes I feel, best solution is quit and sell my gears, who ever going to buy this expensive pile of junk. Maybe I feel better tomorrow, after some sleep...
Technical details:
Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 33 iterations,
added at 50% weight in final image.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
Optics, Tokina AT-X 300mm camera lens at f2.8
Camera, QHY9
Guiding, Lodestar and Meade LX200 GPS 12"
Image Scale, 3,5 arcseconds/pixel
Exposures H-alpha 19x1200s, binned 1x1
Total exposure time so far 6h 20min.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Astro anarchy gets published
My image of the "Wizard Nebula", NGC 7380, get published in the Discovery Magazine.
In October 2011 issue, there is an article about multiverse, and they did use my image with it. Images can be found from a table of content , page 2, and in the story, page 31.
This is the used image. Original blog post, with a technical details, can be found HERE.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
An image, just for a fun...
This is a computer generated image, I don't have a wall full of my images.
I used older frames and wallpaper since some of my images loos like old oil paintings.
Ps.
Photographic prints from my images can be bought from my portfolio:
Just click an image and there will be a list of sizes and prices at Right, like bellow.
A4 print, 15€
A3 print, 21€
20" x 16", 31€ (50 x 41 cm)
30" x 20", 49,95€ (76 x 50 cm)
Many other sizes and shapes are available too.
NOTE. Prints are real photographs in Fujicolor paper.
If you don't like to buy online, just leave me a message at my e-mail:
astroanarchy@gmail.com and I will take care of rest.
sama suomeksi
Valokuvavedoksia kuvistani voi ostaa portfoliostani:
Klikkaa kuvaa niin sen oikealle puolelle avautuu koko ja hintalista, kuten alla.
A4 print, 15€
A3 print, 21€
20" x 16", 31€ (50 x 41 cm)
30" x 20", 49,95€ (76 x 50 cm)
Monia muita kokoja ja muotoja on myös saatavilla.
HUOM. Kuvat ovat oikeita valokuvia Fujicolor valokuvapaperille.
Jos et halua käyttää verkkokauppaa, niin jätä minulle viesti osoitteeseen:
astroanarchy@gmail.com , niin hoidan tilauksen puolestasi.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Series of panoramas
Images in this post are trying to show, how they looks, if hanging on the wall
I made a small series of panoramas for a printing purposes for a customer. They turned to be so nice looking, that I publish them here too.
Some of the images are meant to be printed as two framed copy, like a sample above, and then placed side by side.
Some of the printed images will be huge, about 200cm x 80cm / copy! Final two frames panoramic pair will be over four meters wide... luckily there are enough resolution for that , with most of my images.
For an example, a price for a high quality framed canvas will be about 300-350€ / one square meter, 100 x 100 cm. ( = ~3.3 x3.3 feet) There are many other framing and media options.
Few sample images on a wall
Click for large images
Click for large images
Bubble Nebula
California Nebula
Butterfly and Crescent Nebulae
Sharpless 119
Sombrero Glaxy, M104
Ps.
I will open up soon a collection of framed samples, in my portfolio. It will make easier to see, how my images might look on the wall.
Any of images in my portfolio, can be ordered as a print, practically in any size.
Imagination is only limit with printing and framing options.
Portfolio: http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/p1072219942
Ps.2
BTW. No matter, where you live, since I'm able to use a nearest printing service to your location, to minimize delivery and customs costs.
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