M51 - HaLRGB

[ShineOn]

This is my M51 compiled over several nights, totalling 9 hours of data split as:

RGB - 1 hour 25 per channel, bin x2 (mostly 10 minute subs)

Lum - 2hrs 50 min, bin x1, 17 x 10 minute subs

Ha - 2hrs, binx1, 6 x 20 minute subs

Bias and flats (but no darks)

Each channel was stacked in Nebulosity and then aligned in Registar, combined and processed in CS5. Noel's actions helped with star colour and noise reduction, oh and Hasta La Vista Green was useful too!

As ever, more data would have been nice, but it's time to move onto something new now!

Any comments welcomed,

Simon

[Mark72]

Nicely done Simon,

Great detail and colour; may be the core is a bit burned.

Mark

[Shibby]

A superb M51!

[MikeD]

Excellent result, with very nice star colours too.

The background colour looked a little off on my screen, hope you don't mind I had a quick play with levels, HLVG, GradentX and A touch of sharpening.

Mike.

[ultranova]

Nicely done Simon,

A very natural looking M51

well worth the time and effort

Paul

[Epicycle]

The 9 hours really paid off: you got quite a bit of the vary faint outer halo extending in the diagonal direction to the top right.

Wonderful (Mike's background correction is indeed an improvement!)

E.

[andyo]

Very nice capture good detail and the rework by Mike improves the background

[ShineOn]

Thanks for the nice comments all

[Gina]

Excellent image

[MartinB]

A lot of hard work has paid off well. Great M51

[sologuitarist61]

That is a lovely image and with loads of detail!