M81 Bode's Nebula (Galaxy) L and LRGB

[x6gas]

I've been working away processing the data that I captured for M81 - Bode's Nebula. I had trouble with the colour for this; the colour was very subtle and so I had to increase the saturation quite a bit which brought out some gradient that I had to kill with GradientXterminator.

Anyway, I am including the L image and a couple of processes of the colour - things that look okay on my laptop look awful on my work monitor so as ever I'd welcome any comments.

Scope: Celestron EdgeHD 11 with Optec Lepus 0.62 focal reducer.

Cameras: Atik 460 ex (L); Atik 490ex (RGB)

Mount: CGEM DX

Guiding: Atik OAG, IMG0H, PHD

Data: L = 60 x 300s (1x1); R = 24 x 100s (binned 3x3); G = 24 x 125s (binned 3x3); B = 24 x 150s (binned 3x3).

Heavier stretch of the luminance

Thanks for looking!

Ian

[Epicycle]

They look pretty sharp on my monitor! Great shoots. I would try a bit more blue on the colour ones to see if the spiral arms pick it up,

E.

[Vince1963]

Very nice images Ian

[WaveSoarer]

Those are superb images.

[DrRobin]

Very nice Ian, much better than my own efforts with a C11Edge and Canon 600d. Just having a go at M81, M82 & NGC3077 with a 8" F4 Quattro as I write this, hope they come out half as good as your pics.

Robin

[johnrt]

You have captured some amazing detail there for sure! I like the golden core but find the image has a little too much green and needs more blue in the spiral arms.

[cfpendock]

Very, very nice images with lots of interesting detail.

Chris

[nytecam]

Great results - love 'em all - have you done colourful M82 nearby - one of my favourites

[x6gas]

Thanks all - quite a lot of love went into this one, but I'm not happy with the colour.

You have captured some amazing detail there for sure! I like the golden core but find the image has a little too much green and needs more blue in the spiral arms.

Yes I'd like to see the blues coming through more strongly in the spiral arms.

I'm really not sure what is going on with the colour for this image. I captured M51 earlier in the month and used the same formula to capture the RGB and the colours just popped straight out. But with this one, while the individual channels look OK, when combined there just isn't much strength in the colour.

Here's the combined RGB subs with no luminance and no increase in saturation:

I also get a whopping great colour gradient with blue in one corner and red in the opposite. In sorting it out I lost a lot of the star colour so I will be going back again to see what I can do.

[x6gas]

By the way, this is the first image that I've used flats but the colour gradient is there whether I use the flats or not...

[Coco]

Killer galaxy combo... superb.. !

[Epicycle]

Hi Ian,

I hope you don't mind me having a quick go at your RGB image. There seems to be loads of great colour there!

From my very limited experienced, M51 is easier and more dramatic in terms on colour than M81,

E.

[Superdavo]

The golden touch gives it a 'sunset' appeal

[Chris]

Wonderfully detailed Bodes, the core especially!

[x6gas]

Thanks Guy, Davo and Chris... much appreciated.

[x6gas]

Hi Ian,

I hope you don't mind me having a quick go at your RGB image. There seems to be loads of great colour there!

From my very limited experienced, M51 is easier and more dramatic in terms on colour than M81,

E.

Nice, and absolutely don't mind at all! You've obviously teased the colour out - so what's the secret? Any pointers?

[Epicycle]

Nice, and absolutely don't mind at all! You've obviously teased the colour out - so what's the secret? Any pointers?

No secrets really. I used the colour module in Star Tools which is quite versatile. The module is designed to mimic the various techniques in PS to bump up color. Besides been able to adjust the R:G:B ratios it has two convenient sliders to adjust top and bottom end saturation. It can also be used with masks, so you can apply color variations locally,

cheers

E.

[x6gas]

No secrets really. I used the colour module in Star Tools which is quite versatile. The module is designed to mimic the various techniques in PS to bump up color. Besides been able to adjust the R:G:B ratios it has two convenient sliders to adjust top and bottom end saturation. It can also be used with masks, so you can apply color variations locally,

cheers

E.

Ah - thanks for that. I have Star Tools, but haven't managed to get on with it very well. Clearly worth trying again!

[steppenwolf]

Cracker of an image - I love it!

[Gina]

Superb images - really lovely with great detail

[RobH]

Cracking work Ian....sharp enough to cut yourself on!

Starting to regret selling my edge 11 now that there are some usable reducers for it.....together with the RC, it would have made a cracking dual rig!

Rob

[Freddie]

Yes, very nice shots there. Lovely detail.

[x6gas]

Thanks so much Steve, Gina, Rob, and Freddie.

Actually, I've been back to Steve's book (always something more to take from it) and re-done the colour. I was a bit stricter with the subs I used - lowering to 22 for the RGB. I also used a different stacking routine. Not sure what's helped, but I seem to have managed to preserve a bit more of the star colour in this version...

[andyo]

Yes that is a superb m81

[Gina]

Wow! That core is absolutely superb And you've still got the detail in the outer spiral arms