Horse with a Flip

[PhotoGav]

Here is my double first (not in Astrophysics from Oxford)...

My first attempt at The Horsehead Nebula and my first object that has involved a meridian flip. It has been quite a learning experience to suss out how to process the two sets of files with Nebulosity, but I finally got there.

7 x 900s subs, with darks, flats & bias. Kit as in sig.

I think this definitely needs more data to try and eliminate more of the DSLR noise. (Still dreaming of an Atik). Also, my processing seems to have messed with the brightest stars and they have halo-ed quite a bit. I will pay much more attention to that on the next process when I have added more data.

Opinions and suggestions welcome as ever.

Thanks for looking.

[sologuitarist61]

You are right, more data will help, but it is still a great image as it is, even more so considering you used a DSLR - well done!

[PhotoGav]

Full Moon Fever... I have had a fiddle with this image:

I installed Photoshop on my mission control PC and downloaded the HLVG plug-in to give it a go. Wow, what a great little plug-in that is!

I then couldn't resist a tweak back in PS on the mac....

Only a few more days to go and the moon / weather will hopefully allow us to start snapping again!

[swag72]

Well done Gav!! Meridian flips really aren't that scary are they and when you've done one you wonder what all of the fuss is about!!!

[RobH]

Nice result Gav, and lovely colours.

As Sara says, meridian flips are no problem at all....the idea seems to frighten people but the reality is quite different.

[PhotoGav]

Thank you Sara & Rob. Indeed, another step forward taken and meridianflipaphobia duly now under control!

[Pete Presland]

nice image, lovely widefield of one of the most iconic objects in the sky! does look a little like you have pushed the data a bit much with the "halo's" around the bright stars, i am no expert when it comes to processing though.

[Uranium235]

Im not sure about the HEQ5, but the NEQ6 goes way past the meridian without flipping - have you tried? If you do, just keep an eye on it so there is no mount collision.

A way to control Anitak is to use a layer mask for the two brightest stars only - set up the layer mask as usual, then after you have blurred and done the curves to cut the mask back to the two brightest stars (and a bit of the nebula) - use the eraser to remove anything you dont want masked, which is everything except Alnitak and 48 Ori (the one above the HH). While youre doing it, its handy to have another view of it open so you can see the effect your mask is having on the image.

You will still get a halo, but it will be much reduced and should will reveal the detail that would have otherwise been lost under a bloated star.

But as it goes - the stars are round, the colour is good, and its clean.... very nice.

[PhotoGav]

Thanks for the feedback bunnygod1 & Uranium 235. Yes, the bright stars have not been dealt with properly at all. My intention is to gather more data on this object and then attempt to process the image 'properly'. I will be masking the bloaters!