The Eastern Veil

June 4 2016

The Eastern Veil

   Nikon D5300A, Skywatcher ED80  + IDAS-LPS D1 + 0.85x Focal Reducer/Corrector Skywatcher EQ-3 Synscan, guided, ISO 400  4 mins x 44

Caldwell 33 or simply know as The Eastern Veil is a supernova remnant in the Cygnus Constellation. It is part of a much larger nebula known as the Cygnus loop. This  is a fairly large nebula  but with very low surface brightness.  I used my modified D5300 for this target, and  not surprisingly it performed very well on recording the H-Alpha of the nebula but then again, this is supposed to be an Oxygen III rich nebula which means there should be more greens and blues. Somehow those colors were suppressed. It could be the new light pollution filter but I am not complaining. Compare the image of the Western Veil that I acquired last year, the green colors are more prominent but with suppressed red response.  The overall green cast is due to post processing, common with most astro photos.

 

The Western Veil

The Western Veil (Caldwell 34) - Stock Nikon D610, no filter. Summer of 2015

M27 on Nikon D5300a

June 3, 2016

Messier 27 Dumbbell Nebula

  Nikon D5300A, Skywatcher ED80  + IDAS LPS-D1 filter  + 0.85x Focal Reducer/Corrector Skywatcher EQ-3 Synscan, guided, ISO 400 150secs x 47

Summer is here once again, and the summer triangle asterism ( Deneb, Vega & Altair) is slowly rising high every night. Located in the middle of it is the constellation Velpecula which the Dumbbell Nebula or simply known as M27 is located. It is a  planetary nebula, a supernova remnant, one of  my first targets when i started astrophotography last year. But last years' results are a  bit different using a stock dslr. 
With the modified D5300, it is easier to reveal the red colors (H-Alpha emission). I was also able to resolve finer details by using a lower ISO and less aggressive post processing. The green colors from Oxygen III emission is also easily visible.  Thanks to the magical performance of the IDAS LPS-D1 filter.

Messier 27 Dumbbell Nebula taken  last year using stock Nikon D610,  45 minutes total exposure @ ISO640

Notice the suppressed red colors on this photo. Stock dslr is not suited to record H-Alpha emission on short exposures. The Nikon D610 used for this shot has impressive dynamic range but due to its aggressive IR filter, it  is not sensitive enough for H-Alpha.

IDAS LPS-D1 Filter by Hutech.

This was also the first test using my new light pollution filter. It has no color cast, unlike my Baader UHC-S filter which gives off a strong blue color cast on all my raw files. The IDAS filter in my opinion is a perfect match for an astro modified dslr.