NGC 7000: North American Nebula

IC 5067: Pelican Nebula

Date: 12/08/07    Time: 0100hrs   Location: Sunningwell   Temperature: 16ºC

Camera: Nikon D80 piggyback mounted on LX90   Lens: Nikkor 70-300mm F5 at 3000mm  ISO: 1600   Exposures: 180 seconds x10  F-stop: 5.6   Guidance: Autoguided

Post-processing: Averaged stack of 10 images using Photoshop, airglow subtracted, black and white point setting in each RGB channel using levels command, midtone enhancement in each RGB channel using curves command, 1 pass with Noise Ninja.

Comments: located in the constellation Cygnus, the brightest star (red) in the lower left of the picture is Xi (ξ) Cygni.  Severe chromatic aberration visible because of the zoom telephoto at 300mm.  Observe how all the spectral class A and B stars have had their blue colouration disembowelled and then spilt towards the centre of the photograph - like stellar photography roadkill after a high impact collision with refraction.  This lens was just not meant for astrophotography.  I need to get an apochromatic refractor.

HOME    PICTURES: Solar system    PICTURES: Wide field