NGC6888 - WIP

[PhotoGav]

Hello All,

I thought that I would share my current reason for staring at the screen for hours wondering if it is a complete dog's dinner or actually not too bad....

Details are:

Celestron EdgeHD 8" with 0.7x Reducer

QSI 683

14 x 1200s Ha

15 x 1200s OIII

I intend to add an RGB star layer, but the weather is intending otherwise...

I'm very new to this whole mono narrowband mullarkey and with every hour in front of the laptop I appreciate how fantastic some of the images posted on here really are. They look so easy... Reality is sooooo different!

I'm not sure where to go next with this, so please let me know what you think of it so far and all suggestions are greatly welcomed.

Thanks.

[Daniel-K]

Looking very nice gav

[x6gas]

Excellent work; not easy to catch that OIII region around the crescent - it's very weak compared to the Ha signal.

As you say, would be nice with RGB stars but great as is.

[robbie c]

If that's a dogs dinner it would be a steak! Its a cracking image 

[PNJ]

nice image, nothing wrong with it, I'm actually working on same target, waiting for clear skies lol

paul j

[Zakalwe]

Lovely image, that!

A touch of High Pass filtering might help to lift the OIII a touch?

[PhotoGav]

Thank you for the comments folks. Clear skies seem to have deserted us for now @PNJ, hopefully they'll be back after the full moon. Good call @Zakalwe, I will revisit the OIII data and be a little more aggressive with it. Here's hoping for some good nights again before too long to finish this one off.

[swag72]

You've got the outer shell showing Gav - Which is excellent. I personally feel that the Crescent is just a little on the soft side though.

[PhotoGav]

I agree Sara, it has that SCT softness about it. I High Passed as much as I was brave enough too. Perhaps I just need to be a bit braver. However I think we are back to the fact that this is not a refractor and it shows... Begs several questions; why is an SCT a bit soft? What would be better at 1.5 to 2 m FL? Was my focussing just a bit off anyway?!

[NOMH]

Very nice image and it is tricky getting the eruption areas along the arc to pop in Ha while getting the outer shell to show in OIII. You did well.

JB

[PhotoGav]

Thanks JB. I like your website, great images you have on there. And a fellow QSI user!

Clear skies.

[swag72]

I found that processing with the SCT data was totally different than usual - It certainly needed much more sharpening than usual. There's little by way of alternatives, RC's really are the only viable affordable option for most folks.

[PhotoGav]

I've seen this on IKI - could be good, though I would definitely go for a reducer too and would probably have to upgrade my HEQ5...

http://www.iankingimaging.com/show_product.php?id=1165

:-)

[MartinB]

So many processing permutations.  This looks a very good version to me.  

Stick with the scope you've got!!!!

[Barry-Wilson]

It's a very good image Gav.

I too find it difficult to know when to stop processing, to resist the urge to make one final tweak.  Looking at examples on the web can as often be a hindrance as a help, don't you find  .

Barry

[PhotoGav]

Thank you Martin & Barry.

Stick with the scope you've got!!!!

Yes, I will not be spending any more money for a while!

I too find it difficult to know when to stop processing, to resist the urge to make one final tweak.  Looking at examples on the web can as often be a hindrance as a help, don't you find  .

Absolutely, it can be very distracting and disappointing when you go back to look at your version! Though also a great help when wondering if what you are pulling out in processing is 'meant to be like that'! As for never ending processing... It's more a case of running out of time than getting to a final version...

[Twisted Lip]

Looks great Gav, I think you're being very hard on yourself!

Cheers

Will

[Spoon]

I think it's awesome!

[sharkmelley]

That's a great result.  Lovely scale and the OIII has come out really well.

Mark

[PhotoGav]

Thank you Will, Spoon & Mark. It's growing on me as time elapses after the processing! I look forward to this ridiculously bright moon going away and being able to finish the project off.

[Twisted Lip]

Haha, well I'm just waiting for the clocks to go back so I can some kind of imaging in before bedtime!

[sharkmelley]

I look forward to this ridiculously bright moon going away and being able to finish the project off.

Supermoon

[PhotoGav]

It was meant to be clear tonight, but the forecast has steadily deteriorated throughout the day and indeed, it's cloudy... So, I ended up fiddling with data again. I've been a bit more aggressive with the OIII layer, which has certainly brought out that envelope. It has compromised the Ha slightly, but I think it's an overall improvement.

[asmmargod]

Wow! That looks impressive

[Earl]

Gav if you have PS CC with the shake reduction filter, up the artifact supression to arround 70% reduce the softening to around 20% and it does a good job of sharpening things up. Then a quick star mask and MT in PI just to tighten the stars up a little.

Had a quick play hope you dont mind.

There is probably a better way to do what i have done