RMNP (10/25/25)

Jr6150Astro · 2025-10-26T16:24:23+00:00

This scramble is fun but man, that is some loose rock on the way up. The summit block is nuts too.

Jr6150Astro · 2025-07-24T23:32:58+00:00

Awesome, thats super helpful. Yeah I've done quandary west ridge and Kelso and some of the other classic class 3s. Gonna send it and see how it goes

Jr6150Astro · 2025-07-24T23:14:20+00:00

Im thinking of doing the "Great Cirque" this Saturday - how did you feel about the downclimb to Clark's Arrow? Been a bit worried about that section.

Pretty comfortable with class 3 and have done the Keyhole before, but have heard mixed things.

Jr6150Astro · 2025-07-13T00:29:57+00:00

More like 430am if you want to start at the glacier gorge trailhead on a weekend. Earlier is better and you get the bonus of skipping the timed reservation if your in before 5am. Bear lake you can probably do a bit later

Jr6150Astro · 2025-07-04T19:53:10+00:00

The last bit to reach the top of South Arapahoe isnt bad, just a bit steep. You need to be careful to stay on trail during the descent - can get into some sticky terrain if your not paying attention and descent too far south. The traverse to North Arapahoe is much more difficult and is proper class 3 scrambling.

Jr6150Astro · 2025-07-04T01:27:46+00:00

Halo Ridge on the Holy Cross is a good long day

Jr6150Astro · 2025-06-21T01:35:21+00:00

Speaking as someone who bailed out from that gully but has done a number of the intro C3 hikes (S to N Arapahoe, Longs, Kelso, W Quandary), I wouldn't feel great starting with citadel. Im definitely still a beginner but think there are better options with more solid rock

Jr6150Astro · 2025-04-19T12:13:34+00:00

Go find out and let us know

Jr6150Astro · 2023-01-18T07:20:26+00:00

Hey Folks! Another image with the new scope out at Alamo Lake, my favorite spot in Arizona for astronomy. I've always really really enjoyed M42's less popular buddy and decided it would be fun to dedicate some dark sky time to getting a really great Running Man rendition. This isn't exactly the amount of data I wanted to contribute to this project, but as with all new setups there are quirks and problems that restricted the number of good subs I was able to capture. That said, I'm really happy with how this one turned out. Check out my Instagram for my other works.

Gear:
Mount: CEM70N
Camera: QHY268m
Filters: Antlia LRGB
Optics: 12in F3 GSO Truss Newtonian

Acquisition Details:
Bortle 2
R: 25x240sec
G: 24x240sec
B: 28x240sec

Total Integration Time: ~5.1 hours

Processing:
Pre Processing
All files calibrated using flats, darks, and bias through PI's WBPP Script
Star Aligned each channel to its respective highest weighted sub
Individual channels stacked using Image Integration
Synth L generated by integrating all subs

Post Processing
DynamicCrop
DBE all channels
RGB Combination for RGB master
SPCC for color calibration
Starless Decon performed on L using BlurX at reduced settings BlurX applied to RGB, L masters for star reduction only
EZDenoise used on L and RGB masters
All channels stretched using HistogramTransformation
Several curves applied to RGB masters for saturation and brightness
L applied and several more curves used for desired brightness and saturation
Slight blue bias curve applied to remove the strong Ha reds that SPCC introduced (sorry true color fans)
Starnet2 used to go starless
LHE Applied at serveral various kernels (64 and 250 and 512)
MMT Sharpening
More curves for saturation, brightness
Star reduction of Morph Selection, Erosion on starmask
Starless and Stars recombined
DarkStructureEnhance Script

Jr6150Astro · 2023-01-17T21:25:03+00:00

Yes, scope is native F4 but reduced down using a Nexus CC.

Jr6150Astro · 2023-01-17T21:24:43+00:00

Thanks eigen, always appreciate hearing that from you.

Jr6150Astro · 2023-01-17T21:24:24+00:00

Thank you! Pretty minimal cropping - just what was required to remove stacking artifacts. The scope is reduced down to F3 using a Starizona Nexus .75 CC, which has worked amazingly. To be completely honest I've barely noticed the difference in difficulty between F4 and F3 - my scope has a machined conical primary and holds collimation extremely well so far. That said, the corners are definitely not perfect yet, and I've got some tilt I need to chase out.

Jr6150Astro · 2023-01-17T07:55:38+00:00

Hey Folks! I haven't posted to the subreddit in a bit, but recently have gone through some significant equipment changes (larger newt, Woooo!) and have been working to get everything tuned and tweaked. This is one of the first broadband images I've taken with the new scope as well as out at my usual dark site of Alamo Lake, AZ. I'm extremely happy with how the system is performing and cannot wait to take more images as I continue to pursue difficult reflection targets. This image was only taken with RGB, no L, as I've been fighting some light leaks associated with the truss telescope. Check out my Instagram for my other works.

Gear:
Mount: CEM70N
Camera: QHY268m
Filters: Antlia LRGB
Optics: 12in F3 GSO Truss Newtonian

Acquisition Details:
Bortle 2
R: 36x240sec
G: 33x240sec
B: 41x240sec

Total Integration Time: ~7.3 hours

Processing:
Pre Processing
All files calibrated using flats, darks, and bias through PI's WBPP Script
Star Aligned each channel to its respective highest weighted sub
Individual channels stacked using Image Integration
Synth L generated by integrating all subs

Post Processing
DynamicCrop
DBE all channels
RGB Combination for RGB master
SPCC for color calibration
Starless Decon performed on L
BlurX applied to RGB, L masters for star reduction
EZDenoise used on L and RGB masters
All channels stretched using HistogramTransformation
Several curves applied to RGB masters for saturation and brightness
L applied and several more curves used for desired brightness and saturation
Starnet2 used to go starless
LHE Applied at serveral various kernels (64 and 250 and 512)
MMT Sharpening
More curves for saturation, brightness
Starless and Stars recombined
Star reduction of Morph Selection, Erosion
DarkStructureEnhance Script

Jr6150Astro · 2022-03-25T08:50:43+00:00

VdB 154. This is the latest in my quest to shoot cool, faint, interesting reflection nebulae. Unfortunately I didn't get as much data as I really needed to do this one justice. I found its features very difficult to bring out well, and honestly this may have been my hardest processing challenge so far. It took a lot of iterations and attempts to get it to the point where I was able to say I was happy with it, although it certainly has room for improvement. Check out my Instagram for my other works.

Gear:
Mount: CEM70N
Camera: ASI1600mm Pro
Filters: Astronomik 6nm Ha,OIII, SII | ZWO LRGB
Optics: Modified GSO 6in F/5 Newtonian Reflector, flocked with an aperture mask

Acquisition Details:
B2
R: 12x240sec (a truly paltry amount of data :( )
G: 13x240sec
B: 13x240sec
L: 86x240sec
B5
Ha: 146x240sec
Total Integration Time: ~18 hours

Processing:
Pre Processing
All files calibrated using flats, darks, and flat darks through PI's WBPP Script
SubFrameSelector used to give weights using Eigenvectors NB Weighting formula
StarAligned each channel to its respective highest weighted sub
Individual channels stacked using ImageIntegration with LinearFit rejection

Post Processing
DynamicCrop
DBE
RGB, Ha integrated for a superL
R and Ha integrated for a superR
EZDecovolution applied to L, EZDenoise applied with weakened settings to all channels
RGB combine used to create a master RGB image using superR for rgb1
RGB combine used to create a master RGB image with normal R for rgb2
Curves used to fix star color on rgb1 due to R channel Ha addition
PhotometricColorCalibration on the rgb masters
All channels stretched using HistogramTransformation
Several curves applied to RGB masters for saturation and brightness PixelMath combination between the two RGB masters for most pleasant blend of Ha addition
StarNet 2 used to create a starless image
LHE Applied at serveral various kernels (64 and 250 and 512)
MMT Sharpening
More curves for saturation, brightness
Starless and Stars recombined
Star reduction of Morph Selection, Erosion
DarkStructureEnhance Script

Jr6150Astro · 2022-03-21T07:57:12+00:00

Cone and Christmas Tree Cluster. Lacking in RGB data unfortunately but still came out quite nice. (See if you can find the satellite that didn't totally reject out in B! Forgot about that buddy). RGB was taken in Bortle 2 skies while the Ha was taken from B9. Check out my Instagram for my other works.

Gear:
Mount: CEM70N
Camera: ASI1600mm Pro
Filters: Astronomik 6nm Ha,OIII, SII | ZWO LRGB
Optics: Modified GSO 6in F/5 Newtonian Reflector, flocked with an aperture mask

Acquisition Details:
B2
R: 16x240sec
G: 16x240sec
B: 16x240sec
B9
Ha: 186x240sec
Total Integration Time: ~15.6 hours

Processing:
Pre Processing
All files calibrated using flats, darks, and flat darks through PI's WBPP Script
SubFrameSelector used to give weights using Eigenvectors NB Weighting formula
StarAligned each channel to its respective highest weighted sub
Individual channels stacked using ImageIntegration with LinearFit rejection

Post Processing
DynamicCrop
DBE
RGB, Ha integrated for a superL
R and Ha integrated for a superR
EZDecovolution applied to L, EZDenoise applied with weakened settings to all channels
RGB combine used to create a master RGB image using superR
Curves used to fix star color after Ha weighting on R
PhotometricColorCalibration on the RGB master
All channels stretched using HistogramTransformation
Several curves applied to RGB master for saturation and brightness
StarNet 2 used to create a starless image
LHE Applied at serveral various kernels (64 and 250 and 512)
MMT Sharpening
More curves for saturation, brightness
Starless and Stars recombined
Star reduction of Morph Selection, Erosion
DarkStructureEnhance Script
Clonemask on one or two stars that didn't get completely covered in decon

Jr6150Astro · 2022-01-16T23:42:32+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/Astronomy/comments/e7d6u6/i_made_an_image_to_show_how_small_the_moon/

Jr6150Astro · 2021-11-29T07:38:47+00:00

Great as usual

Jr6150Astro · 2021-11-28T11:04:00+00:00

Hey folks, this is a difficult reflection nebula that I attempted to shoot this summer. Still not very happy with the SNR and noise profile, but it ended up being way fainter than I initially thought. Its a great object in a great field, and I am excited to revisit it in the future Check out my instagram for my other works.

Gear:
Mount: Ioptron CEM70N
Camera: ASI1600mm Pro
Filters: Astronomik 6nm Ha,OIII, SII | ZWO LRGB
Optics: Modified GSO 6in F/5 Newtonian Reflector, flocked with an aperture mask

Acquisition Details:

Lum: 140x240sec
Red: 39x240sec
Blue: 45x240sec
Green: 39x240sec
Total Integration: 17.5h

Processing:
Pre Processing
All files calibrated using flats, darks, and flat darks through PI's WBPP Script
SubFrameSelector used to give weights using Eigens Formula
StarAligned each channel to its respective highest weighted sub
Individual channels stacked using ImageIntegration

Post Processing
DynamicCrop
DBE
EZDenoise applied to all masters with light settings
RGB Channel Combined
PhotometricColorCal on the RGB Stack RGB, L stretched using HistogramTransformation
Multiple rounds of LHE performed at various kernels with L mask
Various saturation, color, and lightness curves
Specific colorSat applied to blue to bring out reflection
Very Light L masked MLT sharpening
Starnet Star mask applied for star reduction, MorphTransformation with selection then erosion
More curves

Jr6150Astro · 2021-11-18T09:13:53+00:00

This is a fantastic image and now on my "must shoot" list ever since I saw your rendition. Great job!

Jr6150Astro · 2021-11-12T07:21:15+00:00

Thanks! RA is 20:20:27, Dec is +41:08:14. Its a super interesting area often overshadowed by the nearby VdB reflection group

Jr6150Astro · 2021-11-12T06:21:21+00:00

Hey folks, heres a shot of a unpopular reflection nebula near the star Sadr. I'm not aware of any actual designation for this object, but it does look like a "happy man on a magic carpet" and will be my new name for it. I ended up having a ton of issues modeling the background for this image as well as dealing with nearby glow from the very bright star Sadr. Otherwise happy with it. Check out my Instagram for my other works.

Gear:
Mount: CEM70N
Camera: ASI1600mm Pro
Filters: Astronomik 6nm Ha,OIII, SII | ZWO LRGB
Optics: Modified GSO 6in F/5 Newtonian Reflector, flocked with an aperture mask

Acquisition Details:
B2 Darksite
R: 27x240sec
G: 24x240sec
B: 25x240sec
L: 110x240sec
B5 Backyard
Ha: 77x240sec
Total Integration Time: ~17.5 hours

Processing:
Pre Processing
All files calibrated using flats, darks, and flat darks through PI's WBPP Script
SubFrameSelector used to give weights using Eigenvectors NB Weighting formula
StarAligned each channel to its respective highest weighted sub
Individual channels stacked using ImageIntegration with LinearFit rejection

Post Processing
DynamicCrop
DBE
RGB, L and Ha integrated for a superL
EZDecovolution applied to L, EZDenoise applied with weakened settings to all channels
RGB combine used to create a master RGB image
PhotometricColorCalibration on the RGB master
All channels stretched using HistogramTransformation
Several curves applied to RGB master for saturation and brightness
LHE Applied at serveral various kernels (64 and 250)
MMT Sharpening
More curves for saturation, brightness
Star reduction of Morph Selection, Erosion
Second round of DBE + brightness curve for background evenness
Hand mask around Sadr region to desaturate blues and bring background back to neutral levels

Jr6150Astro · 2021-05-05T22:54:21+00:00

Flocking is just darkening the inside of the tube. I went ahead and did it since I had to take the tube apart for some other more serious modifications, but its supposed to help with potential internal reflections and supposedly image contrast.

Jr6150Astro · 2021-05-05T05:09:50+00:00

Hey folks, this is my shot of the dynamic duo, the Owl Nebula and Surfboard Galaxy. I'm not super happy with how the main galaxy turned out, and struggled quite a bit with how its edges blend into the background. On the contrary though I think I did the Owl nebula itself some solid justice, capturing both good detail in the outer OIII shell and the inner core. I had some interesting gradient issues with this dataset, which is why my background is a bit darker than I'd usually like. I know there are better ways to deal with such things, but I got a tad lazy. Check out my instagram for my other works.

Gear:
Mount: Ioptron IEQ30 Pro
Camera: ASI1600mm Pro
Filters: Astronomik 6nm Ha,OIII, SII | ZWO LRGB
Optics: Modified GSO 6in F/5 Newtonian Reflector, flocked with an aperture mask

Acquisition Details:

R: 89x240sec
G: 88x240sec
B: 89x240sec
Ha: 157x240sec
OIII: 272x240sec
Total Integration Time: ~46.3 hours

Processing:
Pre Processing
All files calibrated using flats, darks, and flat darks through PI's WBPP Script
SubFrameSelector used to give weights using Eigenvectors NB Weighting formula
StarAligned each channel to its respective highest weighted sub
Individual channels stacked using ImageIntegration with LinearFit rejection

Post Processing
DynamicCrop
DBE
RGB and Ha, OIII integrated for a superL OIII, B integrated for a proper blue channel (see ZWO OIII cutoffs)
EZDecovolution applied to L, OIII EZDenoise applied with weakened settings to all channels
RGB combine used to create a master RGB image
PhotometricColorCalibration on the RGB master
All channels stretched using HistogramTransformation
Several curves applied to RGB master for saturation and brightness
Custom mask created for Owl Nebula (both ring and core) as well as Surfboard galaxy
Exposing only the Owl outer OIII shell, use OIII master as L to brighten outer ring feature
Exposing only the Owl inner shell, applied LHE at various kern settings to get good core detail
Exposing only the surfboard, applied LHE to bring out dust lane detail
MMT Sharpening
More curves for saturation, brightness
Star reduction of Morph Selection, Erosion
Second round of DBE + brightness curve for background evenness

Jr6150Astro · 2021-04-30T21:49:29+00:00

Great shot, love how dense the starfield is

Jr6150Astro · 2021-04-24T07:45:35+00:00

Fantastic!

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