M31 - Unexpected Imaging Session

[paulgrover68]

M31 has been a bit of dodgy subject for me this year.  Admittedly my 200PDS has way too much focal length for it. The 72 EDF fits it very well. Last night I picked it as "let's chance it target". There was 90% Moon lurking around close by and I was pretty impressed how my IDAS LPS P2 handled it  My main aim was to test my new saucy filter drawer, so to get an image to process was a bonus.

From a moonlight perspective, I would not normally have gone out... but the LPS filter does have some dark magic going on. My subs were definitely more grey than usual, but there was only a mild gradient. 

So this is my best M31 capture of the year... but I just can't seem to pull out the colour or detail I want.  I don't think I'm far off.  The Moon without doubt played a role in contrast flattening and detail killing

I used 71 x 180 second subs (no starlinks crossed my path either!).  Be really grateful for any tips for Andromeda as I feel I'm getting close, but it just need that extra bit of something.

[MarkAR]

That's pretty good with such a bright moon last night.

[Dmack1]

Posted by: @paulgrover68

M31 has been a bit of dodgy subject for me this year.  Admittedly my 200PDS has way too much focal length for it. The 72 EDF fits it very well. Last night I picked it as "let's chance it target". There was 90% Moon lurking around close by and I was pretty impressed how my IDAS LPS P2 handled it  My main aim was to test my new saucy filter drawer, so to get an image to process was a bonus.

From a moonlight perspective, I would not normally have gone out... but the LPS filter does have some dark magic going on. My subs were definitely more grey than usual, but there was only a mild gradient. 

So this is my best M31 capture of the year... but I just can't seem to pull out the colour or detail I want.  I don't think I'm far off.  The Moon without doubt played a role in contrast flattening and detail killing

I used 71 x 180 second subs (no starlinks crossed my path either!).  Be really grateful for any tips for Andromeda as I feel I'm getting close, but it just need that extra bit of something.

 

Thats nice - I suspect there is more detail that could be pulled out but i dont know about the colour with the LPS filter. What software are you using for processing?

 

[Gina]

Very nice ? 

[paulgrover68]

Thanks - software is pretty standard DSS then Photoshop (gradientXterminator and starshrink are the only special bits). It's level-curves-curves-levels & repeat. I've started adding hue and saturation layer in there too.

I'm capturing a bit more tonight before the rock of annoyance gets too high.

The bright Moon did have a certain charm and made breaking the kit down quite pleasant. 

[AstronomyUkraine]

Posted by: @paulgrover68

So this is my best M31 capture of the year... but I just can't seem to pull out the colour or detail I want.

The image is looking great. You have plenty of detail in the galaxy, and a hint of blue in the outer reaches of it. More frames would obviously help with the detail side of it. You could also mask off the core of the galaxy, to see if you can stretch a bit more detail out of it, and boost the colour, without blowing the core.

[paulgrover68]

I did wonder about masking the core off. I'll try that when I incorporate tonight's data.

[Dmack1]

You might want to get some shorter exposures, maybe 90 or even 60 seconds that you can combine with the longer ones to bring out the core.

I also think the dust lanes would respond well to a selective high pass routine to give them a bit more contrast and structure.

 

Good luck

 

 

 

[paulgrover68]

@dmack1.  I have a clear sky tonight so once I've finished the Soul Nebula I'll swap filters (courtesy of new saucy filter drawer) and try some.