Jewel Box

Post by **rcj** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:01 am

There's not much to take from the south-facing balcony these days. Carina is too high, and Centaurus is obstructed. Triangulum Australis is "empty", likewise for Norma, which is also too low. There's the good 'ol Jewel Box left in Crux for city shooting. Gotten bored of framing it dead center, so had it framed with the bright star...here goes!

haimi · Post by **haimi** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:14 am

Hi rcj, awesome shot! Whats your setup like for this snap?

cataclysm · Post by **cataclysm** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:41 pm

Gotten bored of framing it dead center, so had it framed with the bright star...here goes!

Nice off centre shot! A good test of your optics too.

Post by **perseid** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:41 pm

Very nice composition. I'll try this style of imaging soon. Mine looked dull with the cluster centered.

I like your colour balance too.

Mmm.....did you edit your stars to make them 'spiked'?

starfinder · Post by **starfinder** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:01 pm

Very very nice Remus! You've just bought us some jewels. Have saved the image.

To think that each pinpoint dot is a star just like our Sun. So many stars out there: it's almost beyond comprehension.

kingkong · Post by **kingkong** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:34 pm

wow, this must be the best shot of the jewel box i've ever seen...

zackae · Post by **zackae** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:30 pm

Really looks like a box of Jewels! I think you managed to capture the essence of the star cluster.

Clifford60 · Post by **Clifford60** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:03 am

You always produce such great photo, I don't know what other better words to comment on your photo. [smilie=good-job.gif]

wucheeyiun · Post by **wucheeyiun** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 5:55 pm

looks velvety...very nice...

Post by **rcj** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 9:34 pm

thanks for the comments everyone! It's been a really long time since a cluster was captured....think the last was on film and ages ago...this was just an idle shot as it was the first time i used maximdl properly here, previously plagued with autoguiding issues... the pentax is still one of my personal fav instruments to use, really like it's flatness and short profile (portable!), but the Vixen FL80S still provide the sharpest images i have experienced with a small refractor... will be preparing for a dark site imaging session in late march (snake valley star party), which is something i am really looking forward to, and probably the last opportunity before heading back to SG later this year. Will still hope to capture the Tarantula (again!) in colour, coz the last had focus off. Think goodness for Bahtinov, this aspect of worry has erased off one of the vital coefficients in the equation of astro-imaging in producing a satisfying image. and also, i believe best colour can only be rendered if the original data is taken from a dark site. you can "simulate" this if taken from the city, but has its limitations. the spikes in this image is real, with the use of white threads. The digital ones seemed too clinical for my taste.