The Heart Nebula (IC 1805) is a collection of glowing hydrogen gas clouds, 200-light years across and 7500 light-years from Earth.
Askar 130PHQ: December 2022
This attempt at The Heart Nebula was taken with a new telescope (Askar 130PHQ), and interestingly, a new set of filters: Askar Colour Magic D1 and D2. Click here for my review of these.
The Askar 130PHQ has a focal length of 1000mm, compared to my old Askar FRA400‘s 400mm. This allowed me to get a closer view of the central region, nicknamed the Heart of the Heart. In the middle of this is Melotte 15, a collection of young hot stars whose radiation is sculpting the surrounding area. Melotte 15 is only 1.5 million years old; babies, in star terms!
Using the new set of filters allowed me to not only capture Hydrogen-alpha and Oxygen III data, (as I usually do with narrowband imaging using filters like the Optolong L-eXtreme and, more recently the Optolong L-Ultimate) — but also Sulphur II data. This helped to create the colourful end result.
Imaging details
* December 2022
* Bristol, UK (Bortle 8)
* Telescope: Askar 130PHQ Flatfield Astrograph
* Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC-PRO
* Filter: Askar Colour Magic D1 and D2
* Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R PRO
* Guide: William Optics 50mm Guidescope with 1.25″ RotoLock; ZWO ASI 120MM Mini
* Control: ASIAIR Plus
* Software: PixInsight, Lightroom
* D1: 360 x 120 seconds (12 hours) | D2: 360 x 120 seconds (12 hours)
Total exposure time: 24 hours
By Lee Pullen
Example source data
Askar FRA400: Version 2, reprocessed December 2022
From the Reprocessing Bonanza 2022. This version uses exactly the same data as version 1, but with better processing tools and skills.
I always quite liked the fiery orange version, but now I’m able to add more colour into dualband images. The new version has a much higher image quality, as shown by this cropped comparison:
Askar FRA400: Version 1, December 2020
This was my very first target using my new kit. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. To be honest, when I had my first glimpse of an single sub-frame (See example source data below) I was slightly deflated. But when I integrated up to 8.5 hours and began processing, it was obvious that there was a lot of detail that could be coaxed out.
* December 2020
* Bristol, UK (Bortle 8)
* Telescope: Askar FRA400 f/5.6 Quintuplet APO Astrograph
* Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC-PRO
* Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme
* Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G
* Guide: William Optics 32mm; ZWO ASI 120MM Mini
* Control: ASIAIR PRO
* Software: PixInsight and Lightroom
* 102 x 300 seconds
Total integration time: 8.5 hours
By Lee Pullen
Example source data
Spare a penny, guv’nor?
I have a question for you, I have been considering getting on the narrowband “band-wagon” and have been doing some researching.
This is my current setup (I have 2 sites Class 6 and Class 4 Bortle):
Celestron Edge 11HD + 0.7 Reducer/flatner on CGX mount + off-axis guder
ZWO ASI2600MC PRO (I only have the IDAS LPS-D2-48 light polution filter)
I have been thinking about getting either the “Optolong L-eXtreme 7nm” or the “Optolong L-Ultimate 3nm” and wieghing the pros vs cost.
Another thing that I was thinking of is a filter wheel with SHO set (cost would be higher for filters of course and I was thinking of getting a filter wheel anyways)
I am just wondering if the extra cost of the SHO set vs “Optolong L-Ultimate 3nm” would net me better images?
What’s your option … Thanks
Hi Michael, thanks for your message. I’ve written an article on OSC vs Mono that you might find interesting. It’s geared towards astroimagers from a city, but is still relevant for you even with your darker skies.
To directly answer your question though, mono plus SHO filters will give you higher image quality than OSC and a dualband filter, but by how much and how noticeable it will be is harder to answer. My personal opinion is that an image’s total integration time and an astroimager’s processing skills are more important factors. Also note that with a mono camera you’d likely want a set of LRGB filters as well, for imaging broadband targets.
You mentioned the L-eXtreme and L-Ultimate. I compare these in this review. The L-Ultimate is the best, so I recommend it over the L-eXtreme. (Previously I used an L-eXtreme but have now upgraded to an L-Ultimate).
Another option to throw into the mix is the Askar D2 filter (review here). That collects SII & OIII, and during processing you can combine that with Optolong L-Ultimate data (Ha & OIII) to create SHO images. See my Heart Nebula and Soul Nebula photos for examples of end products using this method. Would the final images have been better if I’d used a mono camera and SHO filters? Possibly yes, but I’m certainly happy with the images I produced, and the data acquisition was more straightforward than with mono.
So, I think you have three options: mono and filters; OSC and Optolong L-Ultimate; or OSC and Optolong L-Ultimate plus Askar D2. (The latter option is what I’m currently using). There’s no straightforward answer, and they all have different costs associated with them.
Instead of thinking about what would net you the best images, think about what you’d find most fun to use. If you want to go really deep into the hobby, and you’ve got the time and budget to accommodate a complex set-up, then mono is likely the answer. If you want a straightforward rig that’s still capable of producing good images (and is also much cheaper than mono), then it’s OSC plus Optolong L-Ultimate. Add an Askar D2 filter and then you’ve got a middle-ground between those two options.
Good luck with whatever you choose, and feel free to ask more questions if you think I can help further.
Thanks Lee …. all great info