Long time ago in a galaxy far far away...there was a spider
by Nicht

Comment by Art Roflmao:
Wowowowww! Awesome!

Long time ago in a galaxy far far away...there was a spider
by Nicht

Comment by lovemelvin:
I got more clarification in the forum

Originally posted by lovemelvin: Unfortunate that that this was disqualified... I congratulated the current blue winner and also sad that he has limited front page exposure. Without discounting others, your image stands out. I am still confused why this was disqualified.. I looked up on the filetype .fits and it says: "a .fits (Flexible Image Transport System) file is a type of raw data file, often considered a "Super RAW" in astrophotography, as it stores the direct, unprocessed data from a camera sensor. Unlike standard image files, FITS files contain high bit-depth (8 to 64-bit) data and detailed metadata (camera temperature, exposure, etc.), requiring specialized, non-standard imaging software to open and process. Could someone please clarify what the disqualification was based on..was it because the file was .FITS (not an accepted RAW format for this competition), or specifically because of concerns about editability/processing? Thank you for clarifying.

Long time ago in a galaxy far far away...there was a spider
by Nicht

Comment by lovemelvin:
Unfortunate that that this was disqualified... I congratulated the current blue winner and also sad that he has limited front page exposure. Without discounting others, your image stands out.

I am still confused why this was disqualified.. I looked up on the filetype .fits and it says: "a .fits (Flexible Image Transport System) file is a type of raw data file, often considered a "Super RAW" in astrophotography, as it stores the direct, unprocessed data from a camera sensor. Unlike standard image files, FITS files contain high bit-depth (8 to 64-bit) data and detailed metadata (camera temperature, exposure, etc.), requiring specialized, non-standard imaging software to open and process.

Could someone please clarify what the disqualification was based on..was it because the file was .FITS (not an accepted RAW format for this competition), or specifically because of concerns about editability/processing?

Thank you for clarifying.

Long time ago in a galaxy far far away...there was a spider
by Nicht

Comment by Nicht:
I will search for which raw formats are allowed, as those captured with my digital camera are clearly not. But the meta data is available. I also want the record to show who would not have won blue had this technicality not been an issue.



Forum post about it

Message edited by author 2026-01-27 01:17:34.

Long time ago in a galaxy far far away...there was a spider
by Nicht

Comment by Nicht:
I will state that I do disagree, as this information is available on the images that I submitted. An example is shown below.

Long time ago in a galaxy far far away...there was a spider
by Nicht

Comment by kanaj:
I understand and support the SC's decision. But I wanted to add a personal note of congratulations for a stellar image. Pun intended. This is first-rate astrophotography, and as one who is more often than not bored by such images (I know, I know...), I hope that registers as a huge compliment. :-D

Long time ago in a galaxy far far away...there was a spider
by Nicht

Comment by primabarbara:
Outstanding! A well deserved ribbon - Congrats!

Long time ago in a galaxy far far away...there was a spider
by Nicht

Comment by Nicht:
Thank you!

For the colour I did more or less half the time with each filter, but in sequences of 3-minute exposures. Oiii is a teal colour and H-alpha is quite a deep red. The images are stacked to reduce noise and increase signal, and the final image can then be stretched with the histogram to bring out the detail.

To combine the two stacks, I use the following equations:
Red = Ha
Green = ((Oiii*Ha)^~(Oiii*Ha))*Ha + ~((Oiii*Ha)^~(Oiii*Ha))*Oiii
Blue = Oiii

Using filters helps to cut through the light pollution. I prefer a mono camera as well - for colour cameras there are filters which combine the different wavelengths, but you only get a portion of each pixel per colour. With mono you have the entire pixel to capture photons for a particular filter.

Long time ago in a galaxy far far away...there was a spider
by Nicht

Comment by LevT:
Stellar image Marc (in both senses)! Congrats on your blue ribbon! I am how you created the color image with your monochrome camera: did you make a 2.5 hours exposure with one filter and then 2.5 hours with another?

Long time ago in a galaxy far far away...there was a spider
by Nicht

Comment by Neat:
Congratulations on your first blue and ribbon. Well deserved creation.