So I finally had the time to continue my space adventure. I got really better in mastering both the software and the hardware! And yet, so much to learn...
Here is the picture from my 1st post, reworked with better settings. The X-Trans sensor is kind of new for stacking softwares, and without the proper settings, it introduces some kind of ugly canvas in the picture. I was able to correct it though, by tweaking some options in Deep Sky Stacker.
Looks cleaner, but still a bit blurry/foggy!
A few days later, I had another attempt. The conditions were much better:
- no Moon (it was just after the eclipse!)
- Andromeda was higher in the sky: the higher, the better, because light has to travel through less atmosphere. And the atmosphere is full of light pollution, particules, clouds, humidity...
- The polar alignment was much more precise than the first time, so managed to do longer poses (1 min vs 30 seconds)
Here is one RAW image, SOOC:
After stacking in DSS and correcting in Lightroom, I managed to get this:
I didn't like the colors, so I converted everything to B&W. Then, I made a color version, just for fun! I got inspired by some Apple wallpaper that I used on my computer, a few years ago.
Things I need to improve:
- Reduce the noise
- Shoot from a less light-polluted area (but I only have a bike, so I'm limited!)
- Improve the tracking to make longer exposures (aiming at 2 min)
- Improve the post-production
