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 This image was disqualified from the Square Crop VII challenge.
Long time ago in a galaxy far far away...there was a spider
Long time ago in a galaxy far far away...there was a spider
Nicht


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Square Crop VII (Standard Editing)
Date: Jan 10, 2026
Date Uploaded: Jan 11, 2026

 Had a clear night on the 10th. I think this was with an Oiii filter. Actually meant to take Ha.
Taken with Svbony SV503 102ED and SV605MC.
Disqualification Details
We review each original file submitted for validation to confirm that it has not been modified and that it was captured within the challenge date window. This verification relies on standard EXIF metadata that our tools can interpret consistently. In this case, the image was captured using a telescope and the available metadata does not allow us to reliably confirm those requirements using our current process. To ensure the same standards are applied uniformly to all entries, we are unfortunately unable to validate this submission and must disqualify it.

Statistics
Views since voting: 289
Views during voting: 60
Comments: 15
Favorites: 0

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AuthorThread
 01/29/2026 04:00:59 PM
Wowowowww! Awesome!
 01/27/2026 12:28:03 PM
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.
01/27/2026 09:28:12 AM
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.
 01/27/2026 01:13:35 AM
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.
 01/26/2026 02:30:55 AM
I will state that I do disagree, as this information is available on the images that I submitted. An example is shown below.

01/25/2026 09:25:56 PM
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
 01/23/2026 05:40:14 PM
Outstanding! A well deserved ribbon - Congrats!
01/22/2026 02:47:50 AM
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.
 01/21/2026 01:22:17 PM
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?
 01/21/2026 08:34:21 AM
Congratulations on your first blue and ribbon. Well deserved creation.
 01/21/2026 03:40:30 AM
Wow, what a great surprise. I'm so glad my image was well received.

This is NGC 2070, the Tarantula nebula in the LMC, so a truly remarkable thing. It's said that if it were as near to us as the Orion nebula, it would cast a shadow.

In my original comment I had only gotten Oiii data, but we had unexpected clear gaps so I added Ha, but didn't edit my comment.

This was taken with an Svbony SV605MC (Sony IMX533 mono), which is a square crop sensor. The telescope is an Svbony SV503 102mm with the 0.8x focal reducer, at 571.2mm. The filters were 7nm H-alpha and 7nm Oiii. The total imaging time was around 5 hours, but I'm not exactly sure how much I used in integration, but it wasn't much less than 5 hours.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
01/20/2026 12:52:06 PM
What was the spiders name? :)
 01/19/2026 11:59:23 AM
My pick for red in this challenge.
 01/16/2026 08:52:13 PM
Fascinating.
 01/14/2026 09:57:54 AM
Impressive
Can't wait so learn how many photos, focal length, etc ...


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