The Triangulum Galaxy
M33, known as The Triangulum Galaxy, is about 3 million light-years away from Earth.
December 11, 2023
Revised image of the Triangulum with the new processing technique. I think you can better see some of the large regions of nebulosity (some of the magentas in the arms) as a result of the improved star control, saturation, and color balance from the new technique.
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: SVBony UV/IR Cut 2"
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF
Software: Siril, Photoshop, NoiseXterminator, Starnet
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: Nov. 6, 2023 · Nov. 7, 2023 · Nov. 16, 2023
Frames (gain: 101.00) f/4.9 -10°C: 20x180” (1h), 35×120″(1h 10′), 50×60″(50′), 40×90″(1h)
Integration Time: 4h
Darks/Flats/Flat Darks: 30/30/30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00
November 17, 2023
As promised, I added a bit more integration time to this stack with some 3 minute exposures last night. It really helped to bring out the details around the fringes of the galaxy. I also adjusted my processing technique slightly to see if I could better preserve the core of the galaxy while bringing up the faint details in the arms of the galaxy. Compared to my last image, you can better see the nebulosity that is present in the arms of the galaxy (the blue and red bits). I was already pretty happy with my last image, but this one is even better! It just goes to show you how much every little bit of integration time helps (and improved processing skill… but you still need good data to get good results!)
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: SVBony UV/IR Cut 2"
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF
Software: DSS, Siril, Photoshop, AstroFlat Pro, NoiseXterminator, StarShrink, Astronomy Tools Actions Set
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: Nov. 6, 2023 · Nov. 7, 2023 · Nov. 16, 2023
Frames (gain: 101.00) f/4.9 -10°C: 20x180” (1h), 35×120″(1h 10′), 50×60″(50′), 40×90″(1h)
Integration Time: 4h
Darks/Flats/Flat Darks: 30/30/30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00
November 8, 2023
Decided to make the jump to a cooled, dedicated OSC astronomy camera. It does a much better job of capturing detail with less noise than the mirrorless camera. The color balance straight out of the camera is also much better and easier to work with in post-processing. I’ve decided to leave the stars, but reduce their size somewhat in this image rather than eliminating them through masking. I think I prefer the natural look with more stars. Overall, I’m thrilled with the improvement over my last image. I may revisit this target in the future to add some more integration time to the stack.
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: SVBony UV/IR Cut 2"
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF
Software: DSS, Siril, Photoshop, AstroFlat Pro, NoiseXterminator, StarXterminator, Astronomy Tools Actions Set
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: Nov. 6, 2023 · Nov. 7, 2023
Frames (gain: 101.00) f/4.9 -10°C: 35×120″(1h 10′), 50×60″(50′), 40×90″(1h)
Integration Time: 3h
Darks/Flats/Flat Darks: 30/30/30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00
November 4, 2023
After simply being excited to be capturing decent data, I decided to revisit the Triangulum Galaxy for more integration time. I added a little over 1.75 hours of integration time to my original data from October 16th. I was pleased with the additional detail in the core of the galaxy, as you can see a bit more of the dust lanes. That said, color balancing was a challenge and things came out a bit blue. I used Starnet to process the stars separately from the galaxy. Still need to keep practicing my processing techniques.
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: Canon EOS R
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: None
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF
Software: Photoshop, StarNet, Astronomy Tools Actions Set, ZWO ASIAIR+
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: Nov. 4, 2023 · Oct. 16, 2023
Frames (ISO 1600) f/4.9: 53×120″(1h46′), 30×120″(1h)
Integration Time: 2h46'm
Darks: 40
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00
October 16, 2023
This is my first image of the Triangulum Galaxy. I was pretty excited to get something from about an hours worth of data. I know that more integration time is necessary, but nonetheless, there’s something to see! I used Starnet to process the stars separately and I reduced the amount of stars. Still lots to learn about processing the data.
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: Canon EOS R
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: None
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF
Software: Photoshop, StarNet, Astronomy Tools Actions Set, ZWO ASIAIR+
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: Oct. 16, 2023
Frames (ISO 1600) f/4.9: 30×120″(1h)
Integration Time: 1h
Darks: 15
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00