This area is reserved for a file I am writing on my "Lessons Learned" while both taking images in the field, and then processing them back inside.

One of the best learning experiences I have had with this was at the 1997 Texas Star Party. The weather only allowed a minimum amount of time to see the sky and take images. So, the JSCAS CCD SIG set up a "processing party" at the star party and we traded hints and techniques. The highlight of the activity was the participation of Richard Berry in the activities. Richard sat with us and shared many things about the "why's" and the "hows" of image processing. It was invaluable and I for one learned more about image processing those few nights than I had in a year of doing it on my own or sporatically with other fellow (and much more knowledgeable than myself) CCD enthusiasts. THANKS RICHARD!!

Now, I am in up to my neck in color CCD imaging and it is a VERY exciting activity! Thge challenges are all that were associated with monochrome images, and the additional challenges of getting colored images to then composite.

A recent breakthru by Okano & Kelly and others was using a monochrome (unfiltered) image for the luminance (brightness and details) and then the color images combined to provide the chrominance (colors). The technique reminds you of the Ted Turner "colorizing" of old black and white images.

Recently Ed Grafton and I have been talking about using Cyan/Magenta/Yellow filters instead of the RGB filters. The filter sets for RGB that we use (Dichroic additive RGB) are very inexpensive and have a very high (>90%) transmissivity. Their problem is a gap in the coverage between blue and green that omits the OIII emission line as well as a strong H-beta line. Unfortunately, many of the deep sky objects visible from suburban skies are emission objects that are brightest in these spectra. The CMY filter set (also from Edmund Scientific, and also high transmission dichroic filters) do not have this gap in coverage. They also have the added benefit of passing two colors at a time, which, in theory should allow shorter imaging times.... Ed and Al Kelly and I are working with Richard Berry to help him develop the capability to process CMY filter sets of images. We can't wait to see how this comes out!!!

The links that are planned for this page are in work!!!! Thanks for your patience!