M37

[Canon Pete]

First Cluster shot. Not sure about the colour in this one though to be honest.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/3234850691_276416ffd6_o.jpg

Thanks for looking.

[Jeff]

Looks just very slightly blue to me but a very nice shot.

[Canon Pete]

sheesh posted wrong one , should have been this one ,soz.

colour is still iffy tho' also anyone know whats at 2 o clock from the cluster , is just a big star ?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/3236538836_862262f171.jpg

[Jeff]

I like the sizing of the 1st one and the color of the 2nd (it looks unnaturally dense). The star at 2 o'Clock is a numbered double star number according to "The Sky"

[Canon Pete]

thanks Jeff , can that double be split with say an 80mm ap scope ? you're rite re size of second , needs resizing in flickr.

[Nighthound]

Very nice shot Pete. Color balance is real close. You are clipping the black point however. This isn't quite as critical for cluster shots but in nebula and galaxies will eat up faint detail.

Try to get your color balance as close to R:25 G:25 B:25 as you can.

To avoid clipping your black point check your histogram(using PS at all?). Don't let the low end(darks) end up all the way left or slam up against the left side. Doing so might give you darker backgrounds but going too dark eliminates those precious photons you're working so hard to capture. Space is not pure black. It's tempting to go darker to hide noise and make things pop but it comes at a price. I keep my eye on the CMYK color breakdown and keep the "K" or black at about 80-82 max.

[Canon Pete]

Cheers Steve . I am using PS Cs3. I had horrendous LP that night( sodium ) so ended up sacrificing the dark point. Since then I have gottem myself a LP filter , just waiting on some dark , cloudless skies to arrive and not be working at night.

Thanks very much for the tips mate , appreciated as always.

[Nighthound]

The filter will help a lot, I use my Hutech IDAS LP filter even when shooting at dark sites. It seems to help with color accuracy and balance and makes processing a bit easier.

[Celestron]

Fine shot Pete ! Is that first one M11 ??

[Canon Pete]

Ron , both are M37 not Wild Duck ( M11), smaller (second pic ) one looks more compressed due to smaller size, that might be throwing you. I had been imaging M42 the night I took it . Scope slewed to where my sky map said M37 'ought' to be , it could have maybe went M35, M36 or M38 if tracking was out ?

I was outside of Auriga , so hopefully discounts M36 and M38 and not as close to Gemini so hopefully discounts M35.

Also it will be Summer before I can actually attampt to get M11 as it would , by then , be above my horizon , at the moment it is well below me.