M42 with Canon 10D

I tested out my new scope, the Tak CN212 newt/cassegrain convertible
last night to see of it can handle the wide frame of the 10D...I did
get some coma in the corners, but it wasn't too bad...To be able to
image at f3.9 (Newtonian focus with coma corrector)is a great luxury!

I took almost 100 minutes using various ISO's in 5 minute
exposures. I used the LPS filter as well.

Anyway, here's my result (see full details here:

http://www.ricksastro.com/Gallery/htm/10D_M42.htm
)
Comments/suggestions welcomed!

Rick Krejci

Attached Image:

Rick,

This is a excellent shot of M42, very nicely processed and great tracking. What is the weight of the Tak CN212?

Well be expecting some great work in the near future with you're new set up!

Again, excellent work.

Mark

Rick,

Could I see a full rez image?

Mark

Wow!

I had a CN212 at one time - cassegrain config was very nice planetary scope - but never good results in the newtonian config. Did you crop the image very much?

Alan

Rick, except for the intense colors this is how M42 looked to me through a friends 16 under very dark skies recently.
I took the liberty to adjust the colors to show what we saw.
Absolutely stunning photo btw!

Walt

Attached Image:

Rick,

Very nice shot. I'm impressed with what these CMOS-based digital cameras can do. One comment would be that the color seems a bit off. It's weak in the red; if you look at a calibrated shot taken with band-pass filters you will see what I mean. I know that the CMOS sensors are weak in red sensitiviy and the Bayesian algorithms they use will compensate. Looks like it compensates with extra blue.

Regardless, your shot is superb with excellent composition, guiding and processing.

Jeff

James,

It is a prime focus image.

The camera itself does noise reduction, but it's not a dark subtraction since it doesn't add any time to the shot.

I didn't do any dark subtraction. I use the clone tool to remove the 15-20 hot pixel streaks after combining.

Rick Krejci

Simply beautiful Rick.

Derrick.

Hi Rick,
Superb image. I don't want to cause a lot of trouble but can you go through the steps you went through to make this image? Did you just attach the camera and set the time exposure? Multiple images combined in what? and How? Anything would be of interest. thanks! and, once again, superb image! Congratulations!

Jim Phillips