NGC7331 L-Ha/R-G-B

[MikeD]

Hi all.

Bagged some colour and Ha for this over the last two nights, to add to the luminance I already processed.

L = 54@ 300 secs

R = 8 @ 300 sec's

G = 6 @ 390 secs

B = 8 @ 420 sec's

Ha 12 @ 600 sec's

The Ha and Red was mixed 50/50 before processing.

the Ha regions are just starting to show through but I need more (this was processed while shooting more Ha).

Shot with the usual set up, 10" newt and HX916 CCD.

Thanks for looking.

Mike.

[ashworthacca]

Mike, the detail in the spiral arms is wonderful and the background and accompanying galaxies make this a visual treat.

Thanks for sharing

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=53.544931,-1.487031

[lukebl]

Cracking image. It's really nice to see some of your images being posted again! I love the cloud of galaxies in this area.

[NickK]

Thumbs up here.. now I really want a set of filters lol.

[steppenwolf]

This is a lovely image, Mike, so much going on as well as the 'main event'. I particularly like the subtle colours.

[MikeD]

Thanks guys.

Mike.

[Catanonia]

Excellent resolution and colour. Really good detail in the galaxy

[MartinB]

Marvellous. Hard to believe it's 50 million light years away!

[MikeD]

Thanks again.

A little tweak to the colour and brightness, a little more natural looking I hope?

Mike.

[davy999]

W-O-W !!!

[mark7331]

Simply beautiful.

[Rob_Jn]

Very nicely done Mike, I always find 7331 surprisingly difficult to get much detail but you have done a great job!

Rob.

[SlipperySquid]

The 10" really does pull the detail out of these galaxies! Well done mate, truly fabulous image!

Matt.

[peter shah]

even better in colour

[JohnC64]

spectacular image - Think you might need to change the title to "NGC7331 + a half dozen or so other galaxies " :-) POW contender for me

[Beyond_Vision]

I love the way you see a myriad of galaxies behind a carpet of bright foreground stars in the foreground from the Milkyway. Keep up the good work Mike

Regards

Kevin

[fatwoul]

Cracking image. It's really nice to see some of your images being posted again!

x2!

I really like the framing of this one, too. It's unconventional, what with being a portrait image of a horizontally oriented galaxy, but it really works well, particularly because of all the little babies above it.

[MikeD]

Once again thanks all for the very kind comments.

It's unconventional, what with being a portrait image of a horizontally oriented galaxy, but it really works well, particularly because of all the little babies above it.

Thanks, all my images are always shot north up but as I felt this galaxy displays better in it's Horizontal plane I rotated the image 90 degrees clockwise.

I have now had a chance to add the extra Ha data I shot for this target to the Ha I already had.

I have added this new (18 @ 600 sec's) Ha stack to the Red channel of the L-Ha/r-G-b as a lighten layer.

The result is better dust lane colour in the core I think and a touch more of the Ha regions coming through.

Mike.

[ollypenrice]

The detail you've captured is simply staggering from a focal length of just over a metre. I wouldn't have thought it possible but you've done it. I dare say you found the core a bit of a devil? I did it in two stretches because it's so bright relative to the rest.

Did the Ha contribute much to the detail? If so I think I'd better go and get some!!

Olly

[MikeD]

Thanks Olly.

The core is always an issue for me, I did do it in two processes and I could have preserved the detail right to the core with that separate processed layer but in my opinion it loses the reality of a bright glowing core relative to the rest of the galaxy, so I still let it burn a little.

The Ha is a must for me as I use the Ha data as a LP filter for the red data. By the time I balance the background to kill the Lp in a straight RGB image it has lost nearly all it's faint red data. Mixing the raw red and raw Ha 50/50 kills the Lp and at the same time enhances the Ha regions.

I tend not to use the Ha with the luminance, maybe I should give it a go.

I think Ha is always a good idea When imaging galaxies it seems to help the final result pop, not sure if that would apply to imaging from your dark skies though.

Mike.