That Pacman again

[bluemax]

I know we've all seen the Pacman NGC281 many times but, I just can't help showing one more version. 240 subs at 2 minutes each with a few darks in the processing, 80mm Stellarvue, Atik 428EX, 480 F/L Celestron AVX mount, manual focus. Needs better processing but, will get to that later.

Actually, this posting is more of an acknowledgement of the capabilities of Sequence Generator Pro which I have finally got going at a comfortable level. This capture software is both easy and hard. At first, using basic settings, one can get going with controlling the camera and guider on your laptop resulting in pretty impressive images without straining the cerebral cortex too much. In my case, it took a while to get a handle on some of the other nuances such as plate solving.
Once you get to this point in the learning curve, all heck breaks loose! You only have to spend 30-45 minutes out in the cold (no observatory here, just a pier in the yard) setting everything going. Then it's time for bed! Get up next morning and voila! SGP managed the light frames, guiding, and meridian flip. I did, however, get up last night at 11:45 pm just to watch the marvelous meridian flip occur as SGP stopped the guider (PHD of course...thanks Andy G.!) flipped the scope, reacquired and plate solved the object, and started the guider and light frame capture again. Amazing to me!! SGP is $150 with $60 annual fee. Not bad for the convenience of setting up all your targets with plate solving, etc.in the comfort of your home space and saving them for when you get outside.

[NGC7000]

Beautiful image, Frank. Great to see you are back out there. This is really impressive, as is SGP. Looking forward to you putting out more images.

Tom

[menardre]

Frank

Outstanding job of one of my favorite objects. Really good detail, nice sharp stars, looks like guiding is right-on. Well done.
Looks like you really have mastered the complex roles of autoguiding, platesolving, meridian flip, etc.

I did the same as you a few nights ago. I got up specifically to watch how SGP handles the meridian flip. Amazing isn't it, once you have everything configured properly.

Keep up the great work.

Roger

[bluemax]

Thanks Tom & Roger!
I, for one, have found astro-imaging to be one of the most frustrating yet, rewarding aspects of astronomy.
Actually, with simple inexpensive equipment, one can enter this arena and have fun too.
Here's how it sometimes starts. "Gee, I think I can take neat pictures of the moon with my cell phone" Actually, one can start there and have fun with the hobby. Of course, now you decide you need a dedicated astro camera....then a mount...then software...then...well, you know the drill.

[Chuck]

Great job Frank, really nice detail. Looks like you have SGPro working well. Have a question about using manual focus. Did you only focus once at the beginning of the sequence or sporadically check on it. Thanks for sharing and look forward to your future images.

[bluemax]

Chuck, Thanks for the nice comments!
I focus once at the beginning and that's it. I trust the scope will not behave too badly during the temp changes at night as it is a pretty good brand, Stellarvue. I plan to get auto focussing at some point and SGP can deal with that as well.

[Chuck]

Frank, with an image session of 8 or so hours, without needing to focus, is pretty remarkable. Once you go auto focus, you'll probably be able to space it out fairly long between focus routines with that setup.

--- Chuck

[bluemax]

Yes Chuck, I am hoping the auto focus will make for better results someday.
I am posting a revised version of the Pacman that I had time to re-visit. Images Plus has a lot of functions to enhance and I am slowly learning what all those sliders do. I just wish there were better instructions and tutorials however.

[Chuck]

Good improvement Frank with tighter stars and more detail in the nebula.