Triangulum Galaxy

[StarzSkies]

So I was able to get out last night before fog rolled in.
Imaged using:
WO Spacecat 51(first light)/ASI2600MC Pro/UV IR cut filter/ZWO AM3
Gain 110 / Exposure 3 minutes / 51 frames.
Guiding ASI662MC/Svbony 50mm guide scope
Running 2 instances Sharpcap (works great and had to pause for new GoTo due to meridian change, dropped a frame when resuming but after that continued on. Awesome software Robin!!!!!)
Edit using Siril, Graxpert scripts via Siril, Gimp, Affinity
I think the colors might be a little much but looking at other examples, to me it looks good. Any comments appreciated.
Happy New Year to all on the forum.
Be safe and enjoy.
Frank

[StarzSkies]

I spent some time working on my image. Posting an updated picture. Edited with same software. Siril, GraXpert, Gimp, Affinity. Won’t have a clear sky for almost 2 weeks. When things clear, I’ll do another session hopefully getting 4 or 5 hours imaging time.
Happy New Year!

[admin]

Hi,

quite a change for the new processing - apart from the different interpretation of the colours it looks like the stars have been reduced somewhat, and I think that helps.

Good luck with the weather, hope you can grab some more data!

cheers,

Robin

[StarzSkies]

Thanks Robin
After looking at some prior forum posts of M33, I think my first image is more likely the colors I should try for. I did reduce the stars to give more attention to the galaxy.
Bad weather coming for a while, so I’ll work on that until I get back out.
Having fun and learning much.
Frank

[oopfan]

Hi Frank,

Just saw your post. You wrote this:

WO Spacecat 51(first light)/ASI2600MC Pro/UV IR cut filter/ZWO AM3
Gain 110 / Exposure 3 minutes / 51 frames.

Hoping that I am reading that correctly, but 3 minutes exposure suggests that you have very dark skies. Is that correct? Was the Total Integration Time 153 minutes?

M33 is a notoriously difficult target. Something easier would be M42.

Just for comparison, I have a 50mm f/5 scope with an ASI462MC. With Bortle 5 skies (suburban) my minimum exposure is 10 seconds. You shouldn't have to expose for 3 minutes, even if you have the darkest of dark skies.

Brian

[StarzSkies]

Hi Brian.
Yes. I was doing 3 minute exposures. Being new to this, only a couple months into it, I used those settings based on some post suggestions. According to a light pollution app, my bortle scale is around 7.5 but I think my sky is darker.
When the weather clears I’m going to try for more time and see what I come up with. That’s maybe next Tuesday, same settings. After that I’ll consider less exposure per your suggestion and see what I get.
Thanks for the feedback.
Frank

[oopfan]

Hi Frank,

That explains why the stars are so large and colorless. Exposure depends on a number of factors: your sky brightness and whether you use a CMOS or CCD camera. CCD cameras require longer exposures than CMOS since CCD's have more electronic noise. it also depends on the filter you use. The type of filter you used lets in the maximum amount of light, but there is something called a narrowband filter that lets in very little. So if you were getting advice from someone who has a CCD using a narrowband filter, then that explains why they said 3 minutes. Also, my advice is resist looking at someone else's images and using their settings since there are so many factors. Sharpcap does have a tool that measures your sky brightness and recommends a minimum exposure. It's not a sin to go over that minimum within reason, but you've exceeded it too far. The good news is if you can tell me your sky brightness (Bortle scale) then I can get you a good estimate of exposure. Do you live in the U.S. or Britain?

Just a bit of advice, it's more important to tackle the exposure problem first. If you're old enough like me you remember using film in a camera that didn't have automatic exposure control. Back then it was common to get your prints back from the developer that were clearly over-exposed: features whited-out from a harsh sun, for example. This is the exact situation you are in by continuing to use 3-minute exposures. Capturing more data isn't going to help. Fix the exposure first, choose an easier target, and then you can work on seeing the effects of capturing more data. The great news is that you got the mechanics right. You found the desired target and your guiding was excellent.

Brian

[StarzSkies]

Hi Brian
Thanks for all the great information.
I live in northern CA, US.
Shorter exposures wherever possible would be a great time improvement overall when possible.
As for the color of stars, that’s probably due to my editing as well. Initially there were a lot of red and blue stars but I thought it was a result of too much saturation.
With the weather, maybe I’ll re-edit and not pull the colors out like I did.
Regarding Orion (M42), that was my next target. It is rising and getting into a perfect position for me in my yard.
Not sure if you saw but I have another post (Andromeda) which was my first go at imaging, check it out.
Historically, I was never really interested in photography until I entered this hobby, so I’m learning from all angles.
Having a great time!
Frank

[oopfan]

Hi Frank,

That's great! You'll be happy with M42.

I recommend using astrospheric.com to find your Bortle class. I have my site bookmarked here:
https://www.astrospheric.com/?Latitude= ... c=Forecast

Click on the Layers button and select Light Pollution. Then pan the map over to California, or you can enter your Longitude and Latitude. The important part is to place the aperture directly over your house or close enough to it. Read off your Bortle class and reply to this post so I can run an exposure calculation for you.

Brian

[oopfan]

Hi Frank,

Now that you say Northern CA, I think I see another problem with your M33. From the news I've read, CA has been going through an extended period of rain and fog. DO NOT attempt astrophotography in less than ideal conditions, especially faint objects like M33. You will be disappointed. Also beware of the Moon!

Brian