Butterfly Nebula (Mosaic Ha) Ic1318

[SlipperySquid]

Hi all,

Well I've been banging on with this now over the last couple of weeks and I've done what I think is enough to warrant a decent image for the kit I have.

I've just started using a Televue TRF 2008 reducer/flattener which has added halo's to brighter stars and the seeing has been poor which has made problems worse!

So Ic1318 with the bright star in the image being Sadr in the constellation of Cygnus.

It's a 6 panel mosaic with between 3 and 4 hours of subs taken per panel (Allowing me to be really picky to which subs I used for the final stacking) and no I won't be adding colour to it so all in all I'd say the image has taken about 22 hours of exposures in 15 minute subs and to be honest I've really enjoyed it and can easily see how it could become addictive!

So kit wise,

Scope Megrez 72 with TV2008 (f:4,8)

CCD: Atik 16hr

Mount: Belt driven HEQ5 (Guiding RMS within MaximDL is between 0.09 and 0.07 which I'm a happy bunny about!) using EQMOD

Stacked and callibrated and mosaic stitched together in MaximDL

Processed within Photoshop CS4 and Pixinsight.

As to the processing side, a bit of sharpening via layer masks and a run of the "Starhalo reduction" script within pixinsight that was it.

I will try and get a full size image uploaded some where as it's nice to have a little zoom about as there's loads of interesting cloud formations and dust lanes,I love it!

Hope you likey!

Clear skies,

Matt.

[SlipperySquid]

I actually love the way that the light from Sadr intensely illuminates the cloud of Ha.....Amazing!

Matt.

[nightvision]

Wow really space-walkish!

[Gina]

Very nice - great detail

[JamesF]

Indeed. There's an awful lot going on there.

James

[SlipperySquid]

Thanks ladies and gents,

Looks like I got this done just in time as weather reports for my area of the UK are not looking promising at the moment! But at least I can have a rest

Clear skies

Matt.

[Gina]

I've been resting so long I'm half asleep

[ollypenrice]

Cor, that really does have something to say. Splendid.

Olly

[ianaiken]

Now that is a great image worth the effort you've put in, great detail, and pretty much straight out of the camera too.