DSI Images - AstroAdventures

NGC 6543. Cat's Eye Nebula in Draco. Imaged from Bradworthy, Devon.
Intes MN71 - 18cm Maksutov-Newtonian. Original Meade DSI camera.
EQ6 Pro SynScan mount with webcam autoguider. 19th October 2007
This image is 15 x 1 minute exposures, and 10 x 1 minute dark frames. Frames were saved as 16bit FIT and then stacked, averaged and dark frame subtracted in Astroart. Final processing was carried out in Photoshop CS with the aid of 'fitsplug'.
The image was taken at the prime focus of our Intes with the addition of a 3x barlow.

Stephan's Quintet in Pegasus. Imaged from Bradworthy, Devon.
Intes MN71 - 18cm Maksutov-Newtonian. Original Meade DSI camera.
EQ6 Pro SynScan mount with webcam autoguider. 19th October 2007
This image is 10 x 2minute exposures, and 8 x 2 minute dark frames. Frames were saved as 16bit FIT and then stacked, averaged and dark frame subtracted in Astroart. Final processing was carried out in Photoshop CS with the aid of 'fitsplug'. This well known group of galaxies ranges in magnitude from 12.6 to 13.5. The image was taken at the prime focus of our Intes.

M27. Dumbell Nebula in Vulpecula. Imaged from Bradworthy, Devon.
Intes MN71 - 18cm Maksutov-Newtonian. Original Meade DSI camera.
EQ6 Pro SynScan mount with webcam autoguider. 19th October 2007
This image is 15 x 1 minute exposures, and 10 x 1 minute dark frames. Frames were saved as 16bit FIT and then stacked, averaged and dark frame subtracted in Astroart. Final processing was carried out in Photoshop CS with the aid of 'fitsplug'.
The image was taken at the prime focus of our Intes.

NGC 6826. Blinking Planetary in Cygnus. Imaged from Bradworthy, Devon.
Intes MN71 - 18cm Maksutov-Newtonian. Original Meade DSI camera.
EQ6 Pro SynScan mount with webcam autoguider. 19th October 2007
This image is 10 x 2 minute exposures, and 8 x 2 minute dark frames. Frames were saved as 16bit FIT and then stacked, averaged and dark frame subtracted in Astroart. Final processing was carried out in Photoshop CS with the aid of 'fitsplug'.
The image was taken at the prime focus of our Intes with the addition of a 3x barlow.

M57 in Lyra. Imaged from Bradworthy, Devon.
Intes MN71 - 18cm Maksutov-Newtonian. Original Meade DSI camera.
EQ6 Pro SynScan mount with webcam autoguider. 26th May 2007
A 70% moon was in the sky when this image was started and toward the end of the exposure sequence the sky was becoming noticeably blue with the onset of dawn.The image is 19 x 1 minute exposures, dark frames subtracted on the fly by the envisage software. Frames were saved as 16bit FIT and then opened and processed in Photoshop CS with the aid of 'fitsplug'. The image was taken at the prime focus of our Intes with the addition of a 2x barlow.

M51 in Canes Venatici. Imaged from Bradworthy, Devon.
Intes MN71 - 18cm Maksutov-Newtonian. Original Meade DSI camera.
EQ6 Pro SynScan mount. 14th January 2007
This was the first real outing for our webcam autoguide system. This images was a sequence of 50, 21 second exposures combined and dark frame subtracted 'on the fly' by the DSI software. The 'tracking' facility within the DSI software was not used. The format used was 16bit FITS which makes stretching the tonal range much easier. The DSI was at the prime focus of our 7" Intes, the focal length of which is 1060mm at f6. Final image processsing was done in Photoshop CS.

NGC7331. (revisited) Imaged from Bradworthy, Devon.
Intes MN71 - 18cm Maksutov-Newtonian. Original Meade DSI camera.
EQ6 Pro SynScan mount. 16th September 2006
Imaged from our new dome this image is a combination of 50 x 15second exposures. The images were combined and dark frame subtracted 'on the fly' by the DSI software. The DSI was at the prime focus of our 7" Intes, the focal length of which is 1060mm at f6. Final image processsing, which was very intensive, was done in Photoshop. Note the smaller and fainter galaxies in the same field.

M94 in Canes Venatici. Imaged from Bradworthy, Devon.
Intes MN71 - 18cm Maksutov-Newtonian. Original Meade DSI camera.
EQ6 Pro SynScan mount. 22nd April 2006
A combination of 40 x 30 second exposures. The images were combined and dark frame subtracted 'on the fly' by the DSI software. The sky was a little misty and dewing was something of a problem as this image was being taken. The DSI was at the prime focus of our 7" Intes, the focal length of which is 1060mm at f6. Final image processsing was done in Photoshop.

M63- The Sunflower. Canes Venatici. Imaged from Bradworthy, Devon.
Intes MN71 - 18cm Maksutov-Newtonian. Original Meade DSI camera.
EQ6 Pro SynScan mount. 22nd April 2006
A combination of 40 x 30 second exposures. The images were combined and dark frame subtracted 'on the fly' by the DSI software. The sky was a little misty and dewing was something of a problem as this image was being taken. The DSI was at the prime focus of our 7" Intes, the focal length of which is 1060mm at f6. Final image processsing was done in Photoshop.

M101, NGC2903, NGC4565 and M51. Imaged from Bradworthy, Devon.
Intes MN61 - 15cm Maksutov-Newtonian. Original Meade DSI camera.
EQ6 Pro SynScan mount. 20th February 2006
This image is a composite of 4 different Galaxys. Each was a combination of 50 x 21 seconds exposure. The Meade DSI software has accumulated and tracked each of the 50 frames into one synthetic 17 minute exposure. This is done 'on the fly' and the result is one frame that has been further improved in Photoshop. The images are all shown at the same scale and were taken at the prime focus of our 15cm Intes. The focal length is 900mm.
These were imaged whilst helping one of our guests, Terry, come to terms with his DSI camera.

M27 - The Dumbell nebula. Imaged from Bradworthy, Devon.
Intes MN61 - 15cm Maksutov-Newtonian. Original Meade DSI camera.
EQ6 Pro SynScan mount.
This image of the planetary nebula M27, in the constellation of Vulpecula, is a combination of 40 frames, each of 15 seconds exposure. The Meade DSI software has accumulated and tracked all the frames into one synthetic 10 minute exposure. This is done 'on the fly' and the result is one frame that has been further improved in Photoshop.

M82. Imaged from Bradworthy, Devon.
Intes MN61 - 15cm Maksutov-Newtonian. Original Meade DSI camera.
EQ6 Pro SynScan mount.
This is an image of the very active galaxy M82, in the constellation of Ursa Major. It is a combination of 40 frames, each of 15 seconds exposure which have been accumulated and tracked into one synthetic 10 minute exposure. This is done 'on the fly' and the result is one frame that has been further improved in Photoshop.

The centre of M42. Imaged from Bradworthy, Devon.
25cm Newtonian. Meade DSI camera. EQ6 Pro SynScan mount.
M42 is an awesome object at whatever scale it is viewed. Here we have concentrated on the centre portion which contains the group of stars known as the Trapezium. The difficulty is in recording fainter detail without burning out the bright centre, a feat achieved here. There is plenty of subtle detail and colour in this image which consists of 100 seperate 15 second exposures, taking about 25 minutes to complete.