Back to forums

[RCC] How to take my images to the next level ?

Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED Sky-Watcher HEQ5 PRO Backyard Astrophotography Request for feedback
6 replies•492 views
Emmanuel Valin avatar
Emmanuel Valin avatar
Dear all,

I would love to know how you think I could improve my astrophotos, judging from my latest images:

https://www.astrobin.com/62uzfe/


https://www.astrobin.com/c6h52p/


 A year and a half into the hobby, I mostly image from my light-polluted backyard.

My set up is an HEQ5 mount, an Esprit 100ED refractor and an ASI183MM Pro camera, with ZWO EAF, OAG and EFW.

I do my acquisitions with APT and my processing with Pixinsight and Photoshop.
My integration times have gone up to 11 hours, never more until now.

Thanks for your time and honest feedback, clear skies!
Well Written Respectful
SemiPro avatar
SemiPro avatar
On the gear side:
  • I am not sure how bad your light pollution is but you might benefit from tighter band passes.
  • The 183MM is kind of long in the tooth. You might have better luck with the 533MM if you prefer the square sensor. A much higher QE and lower read noise will further help you increase your SNR. Not to mention the larger pixel size.

On the technical side:
  • Looks like you got a bit of tilt or something going on given the different star shapes in the corners.
  • With the small pixels of the 183MM you might have to try for 10 hours per channel to get a better SNR.

On the processing side:
  • There is still a fair bit of noise in there. It's hard to strike a balance on the denoise routine but I think you could get away with just a tad more.
  • The stars seem pretty muted. Again, its hard to strike a balance but you ideally want them to still have structure. I would say they need to be brighter but be careful not to blow them out. There is also some weird haloing going on the stars in the Veil you posted; so maybe you need to be more careful with de-ringing or masking when editing the other stuff. Alternatively StarNet2 is an option.


Hopefully that helps a bit! I don't want to give the impression that you need a new camera to take it to the next level, it's just a thought. More integration time will do you lots of good with the current set up.
Helpful Engaging Supportive
Emmanuel Valin avatar
Emmanuel Valin avatar
Many thanks @SemiPro for taking the time to give this detailed feedback. This is great advice and will no doubt help me step up my game!
Well Written Respectful
SemiPro avatar
SemiPro avatar
Glad I could help! Looking forward to seeing your next image!
Well Written Respectful Supportive
rhedden avatar
rhedden avatar
There are various ways to up your game, depending on whether you want to spend a lot of money, a little money, or no money doing it.   As an Esprit 100ED owner, I can confidently recommend the QHY268M camera as a good match to this telescope - but you will need new filters of at least 36 mm size, which gets expensive.  With the gear you presently have, you could get a focal reducer to potentially get better results with the same integration time.  At the very least, it will give you a wider field of view without requiring you to buy a new camera, filter wheel, and filters.    Without asking you to spend more money, I could suggest that you try doubling your integration time on a narrowband target and see if the results make you happier.   No matter how good you are at processing, inadequate data won't allow you to take your images to the next level.
Well Written Helpful Insightful Concise
Emmanuel Valin avatar
Emmanuel Valin avatar
Many thanks @rhedden for your valuable advice! Not sure what my next investments will be, as both the Esprit and the 183mm are actually lent to me by my astro club. But for sure I will be increasing my integration time!
Well Written Respectful Supportive
Daniel Arenas avatar
Daniel Arenas avatar
Many thanks @rhedden for your valuable advice! Not sure what my next investments will be, as both the Esprit and the 183mm are actually lent to me by my astro club. But for sure I will be increasing my integration time!


Wow, I'm a newbie with just half a year of experience and no astronomical club working on my surroundings. It's great that yours let you the equipment, that's fantastic to test it and to know what you need and feel comfortable with.

I still don't have enough knowledge to find flaws in your images, which, on the other hand, I find spectacular!
Related discussions
[RCC] I need help to improve my technique and keep learning
Hi everyone! My latest image is M101: https://www.astrobin.com/na7n09/ I am quite satisfied with the final result, but this is why I need to know what else is needed to create an even better image. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you could help m...
May 21, 2024
Both posts are requests for feedback from the astronomy community on how to improve their astrophotography techniques and results.