1'st Luminance Subs of M51 - Registered & Stacked with DSS

[Scorpius]

Downloaded DSS then re-registered and re-stacked a dozen 200 sec. luminance subs from the other night using about the same number of darks, flats and bias frames. Files were converted from Fit’s to Tiff’s before loading into DSS. Tweaked the resulting file in Photoshop and came up with the image below. This one shows more detail in the spiral arms than my first attempt using the Orion software - but not as much “stuff” in the areas between. Subs were captured using an ES 80mm APO refractor and Orion G3 Starshoot CCD. This was my first attempt at M51, and clearly the cores are over exposed, but I’m fairly satisfied with the results. Hopefully next time I’ll be able to get some RGB subs so I can add some color to this intriguing DSO.

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome...

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very nice result!

[glowingturnip]

nidely done, much better than my attempt at it, I must have a nother go