SH2-162 and 157 - bubbles and claws (Tom Gray)

SH2-162 and 157 - bubbles and claws

Revision title: 77x180s (231m) Data

It may be wedding season, but I haven't been living it up on champagne and lobster! This a slightly longer integration with my new Baader UHC-L/L-Booster filter of the region around the bubble and lobster claw nebulae in Cassiopeia. I've posted two versions and some diagnostic frames using Han Klein's excellent CCD inspector. Overall, I'm pleased with the result for a short integration with a fairly bright waning moon close by.

Data were collected using my now trusty portable rig - an Altair 183C OSC and 80mm refractor, with repurposed SCT 0.63 reducer giving a focal length of 395mm. This rides on a Star Adventurer tracker mount, controlled by a RPi4 single board computer, running Stellarmate OS. Guiding in RA is achieved with a Meade DSI II camera and RVO 30mm 120mm focal length mini guidescope - an altogether inexpensive setup. Data were calibrated and stacked in ASTAP, processed in Siril, with background extraction, Starnet removal, Astrosharp-ening of resulting starless image, recomposition with RGB stars, and final noise reduction.

Rev A - original process using photometric colour calibration; Revision C - a snapshot of a bluer process achieved by background colour calibration; Rev D - annotated version; Rev E - tilt vector diagram using CCD inspector; Rev F - abberation in different field quadrants using CCD inspector. Finally, Rev G is processed using 77x180s (90%) frames for total integration of just under 4 hours.

C

Title: Reprocessed to show off the blues (OIII)

Description: Reprocessed with basic colour calibration which helps accentuate the OIII in this beautiful nebula. The mouseover shows the annotated version

Uploaded: ...

D

Title: Annotated version

Uploaded: ...

E

Title: Tilt inspector

Description: Using CCD inspector in Han Klein's excellent ASTAP stacking and astrometry software

Uploaded: ...

F

Title: Abberations

Description: A useful tool to show aberrations in different field quadrants. Thre appears to be some on the left side, especially lower left - this may be partly due to tilt? Using CCD inspector in Han Klein's excellent ASTAP stacking and astrometry software

Uploaded: ...

G

Title: 77x180s (231m) Data

Description: Comprising 90% of data collected. This dataset certainly has more depth, and I quite like the result of simple photometric colour calibration, showing off the pinkish hydrogen emissions very clearly. OIII data appears as a pale colour. High haze resulted in poorer guiding, and a little more cropping was required. I'd value your thoughts on this versus the original revision.

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Altair Astro 183 M/C Hypercams
UK Astro-Imaging
Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer

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Status	Advanced success
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	8245201
PixInsight job	Z9B8DV11QZHKQWJZ6G24MJL77TXL9CTB
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	TASK_LOG

RA (center)	23h17m53s.21
RA (top/left)	23h12m24s.20
RA (top/right)	23h13m20s.48
RA (bottom/right)	23h23m04s.60
RA (bottom/left)	23h22m42s.81

Dec (center)	+60°47′25″.8
Dec (top/left)	+61°40′50″.3
Dec (top/right)	+59°50′05″.5
Dec (bottom/right)	+59°53′11″.4
Dec (bottom/left)	+61°44′08″.3

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