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Posts Made By: Ron Wodaski

June 10, 2003 03:19 AM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

M16 LRGB

Posted By Ron Wodaski
Put together a test image with a single set of LRGB images of M15 - 5-minute L, and 6:10:12 minute RGB.

C14 with ST-10XME binned 2x2.

Ron Wodaski

June 21, 2003 01:38 AM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

M10 LRGB

Posted By Ron Wodaski
I was testing guiding tonight, and took a little time out to capture M10, a globular cluster. Luminance images are 45-seconds each, color images are 1:2:2 RGB (4 sets). I took 6 luminance images.

This shows just the core of M10; the globular is actually larger than what is shown here.

Taken with C14 and ST-10XME unbinned and unguided. This is imaged at 0.35 arcseconds/pixel, and reduced to 80% of original size. Cropped to make it a smaller download.

Ron Wodaski

June 24, 2003 02:39 AM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

M27 LRGB

Posted By Ron Wodaski
I conducted a test session tonight to show someone how Browser Astronomy works to control my remote setup, and we wound up wtih some decent data on M27. It was a quick exposure just to demonstrate how the software controls the hardware, but the images turned out OK. The exposures are short, three at 2 minutes and a single RGB set of 3:5:6 minutes.

Minimal processing in Photoshop, no sharpening just a little noise cleanup (Gaussian blur) in the dim areas.

Taken with C14 and ST-1001E on Paramount ME.

Ron Wodaski

June 24, 2003 03:18 AM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

M16 again

Posted By Ron Wodaski
Here's another image taken during the demonstration tonight. M16, with three two-minute luminance and RGB of 1:2:2, with two reds, two greens, and three blues. Not much exposure, but it still turned out pretty well.

Ron Wodaski

June 24, 2003 12:03 PM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

Semi-First light: 20" Ritchey-Chretien (M57)

Posted By Ron Wodaski
This is one of the first images taken with the 20" RC at New Mexico Skies. We have been working on various upgrades and changes to the scope, so first light has been hugely delays. Just learning to collimate an RC is a multi-week process. If you think it's annoying to collimate an SCT, try an RC if you ever get the chance. A very sensitive beast....but the optics are outstanding.

We are still tweaking collimation, and finding the best focus is still not quite there (I have a few bugs in the focus control software I wrote). Still, this images shows the potential of the RC for detail. Even with not quite optimal collimation or focus, and in average seeing conditions, it's quite nice. May have sharpened it a bit too much....

A single 10-minute luminance image with the RCOS 20" RC, ST-10XME, on Paramount ME. Guided with an AO-7. FWHM of original image was around 2.7". Once we really nail collimation focus, I expect FWHM to go down below 2". Then we will have true first light!

Ron Wodaski

June 26, 2003 04:00 AM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

Pelican close-up

Posted By Ron Wodaski
I had a half-hour of imaging time left after one of my customers finished up tonight. I took two 15-minute unbinned red images of the neck area of the Pelican. This is way underexposed - this area wants a really long exposure time! - but it's still an interesting area, so I thought I'd post this image anyway.

Taken with the ST-1001E and C14. Reduced to 80% of full size to help mask the noisness due to the short exposure time.

Ron Wodaski

July 1, 2003 07:04 PM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

M20 - Trifid Nebula in color

Posted By Ron Wodaski
I am always torn on how to process images of this nebula. On the one hand, it's a bright and glorious splash of contrasting colors, and I want to make the image as bright and bold as possible.

On the other hand, there is plenty of subtle brightness variation here as well, and processing that brings out the subtle features brings back fond memories of the Trifid at the eyepiece in various scopes (sans color, of course).

Peter Chance used the C14/Paramount ME/ST-1001E at New Mexico Skies to take a full-color image of M20 last night, and this is my processing of Peter's very nicely done images.

I will post both versions, and hope you enjoy each for what it has to offer. This version is my own sentimental favorite. Both versions include 14 five-minute luminance images and three sets of RGB exposures (3:5:6 minutes).

Ron Wodaski

July 2, 2003 03:02 AM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

Eagle Nebula/Pillars of Creation in Ha

Posted By Ron Wodaski
Bright nebulae are a lot of fun to image in Hydrogen Alpha. YOu can get lots of details in a reasonable amount of imaging time. This M16 image is a median combine of eight 5-minute images. I used Lucy Richardson in CCDSoft to tighten up stars and details. C14, ST-1001E, Paramount ME. Enlarged to 120% to show more detail.

Ron Wodaski

July 9, 2003 08:09 PM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

Omega Centauri via remote telescope in Chile

Posted By Ron Wodaski
I am working today helping with some hardware/software remodeling going on with a C14 in Las Campanas, Chile. I took this 15-second (yup, that's all) exposure of Omega Centauri's core at one point just to test if the collimation was OK. I think it's OK.

Ron W

July 14, 2003 04:07 PM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

Omega Centauri from Chile telescope

Posted By Ron Wodaski
I did some more testing with the C14 in Chile, and took a series of 10 images of Omega Centauri which I combined and then sharpened with Lucy Richardson deconvolution in CCDSoft (settings: 1.0, 32, 6). This is the result. Individual exposures were 60 seconds.

Remote centering was active for this test, so the image is much better centered than my original post (which was also just a single image).

At this point, remote operation with Browser Astronomy from Software Bisque is working extremely well - the scope can be pointed, centered, and used for imaging anywhere in the world from a browser.

I did a demonstration (using one of these images) while I was speaking at the Astronomical League convention in Nashville on Friday night - using a wireless network card to connect to the internet via the hotel's servers. The ultimate in remote luxury - imaging from a laptop with wireless from a quarter of a world away....

The camera is an AP7 with a reducer to bring the system to about f/7. I would really like to see this setup with a larger format camera!!!

Ron Wodaski

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