Elephant Trunk from CSP

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AndyG
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Elephant Trunk from CSP

Unread post by AndyG »

Here is an monochrome H-alpha image of IC1396, the Elephant Trunk in Cepheus. I collected most of the subs on Friday night at the Connecticut Star Party, and I combined these with more subs I took back here at home. I also collected S-II and O-III subs, but I'm still working on putting those together with the Ha for a color image.

I'm really happy with how my gear worked at CSP. I was able to set everything up at the start of the night, do a quick polar drift alignment as it was getting dark, start everything off, and close the laptop. All the software performed flawlessly, including syncing the mount with a plate solve, centering the target automatically, re-centering it after the automated meridian flip in the middle of the night, adjusting focus as the temperature changed, keeping auto-guiding on track throughout everything, and finally parking the scope before sunrise. I have been putting a lot of work into getting everything automated, and it was really nice to see the work pay off.

The image acquisition details are here, and you can click on the image below for the full resolution version.

Image
Andy
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Apollo XX
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Re: Elephant Trunk from CSP

Unread post by Apollo XX »

Andy, that is incredible! I love how the monochrome gives me such a sense of the density of the gas in the area.

Mike M.
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NGC7000
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Re: Elephant Trunk from CSP

Unread post by NGC7000 »

Whoa!!!! That is incredible, Andy. Can't wait to the SII and OIII added. I can't believe all the detail. It's all sharp and subtle at the same time. Beautiful!

Tom
Tom H
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DonB
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Re: Elephant Trunk from CSP

Unread post by DonB »

Whow !! Another home run, very nice ! :P :P :P
Don
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WCGucfa
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Re: Elephant Trunk from CSP

Unread post by WCGucfa »

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

Wow, Andy!! The dew WAS heavy that night!
Would you like to borrow my trusty Sony?

Bill G.
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Pete
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Re: Elephant Trunk from CSP

Unread post by Pete »

Awesome!
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Paul D
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Re: Elephant Trunk from CSP

Unread post by Paul D »

That detail is as good as any Hubble picture I have seen of this region. That is a stunning image.
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NGC7000
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Re: Elephant Trunk from CSP

Unread post by NGC7000 »

You may have some insight here, Paul....I think it entirely possible that Andy has developed software to move him outside the atmosphere. :P

Tom
Tom H
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Bruce D
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Re: Elephant Trunk from CSP

Unread post by Bruce D »

Andy that rocks! Great image 8)
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bluemax
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Re: Elephant Trunk from CSP

Unread post by bluemax »

Wow! Very nice image. I hope I'm not stealing your thunder on this next thing Andy, but, on top of this great work on IC1396 from CSP (and home) are you going to share with the group what you and Dan found at CSP? You know, that object waaaaaayyyyy out there?
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