Elephant's Trunk Nebula in IC1396

[Pompey Monkey]

Well, I actually missed by a bit because I used the first set of coordinates that I found on the web

49 * 360 s lights

60 * bias

60 * flats

7 * darks

Unmodded 600D with CLS LP filter

Mag 4 skies

Processed in PI, but what else could I do to improve it? Full image on astrobin: http://astrob.in/209967/0/ Edit: maybe not quite "full-size"

[ollypenrice]

The problem is that this is an Ha object and your camera's unmodded. One trick to lift out Ha signal in Photoshop is very simple. Image-Adjustments-Selective Colour. By default this will open with the reds. Move the top slider to the left to lower the cyans in red. This makes anything from the deep reds, like Ha, pop out well. Don't expect miracles, though. I've been working on this today with a guest and much of the signal is in Ha.

Olly

[Pompey Monkey]

The problem is that this is an Ha object and your camera's unmodded. One trick to lift out Ha signal in Photoshop is very simple. Image-Adjustments-Selective Colour. By default this will open with the reds. Move the top slider to the left to lower the cyans in red. This makes anything from the deep reds, like Ha, pop out well. Don't expect miracles, though. I've been working on this today with a guest and much of the signal is in Ha.

Olly

Alas, most of the noise is in the red channel too!

I am sure that you will demonstrate the virtues of NB imaging to me when I'm your guest in a couple of months time too.

[wxsatuser]

Thats not to bad even without the colour, some nice detail showing.

[Pompey Monkey]

The problem is that this is an Ha object and your camera's unmodded. One trick to lift out Ha signal in Photoshop is very simple. Image-Adjustments-Selective Colour. By default this will open with the reds. Move the top slider to the left to lower the cyans in red. This makes anything from the deep reds, like Ha, pop out well. Don't expect miracles, though. I've been working on this today with a guest and much of the signal is in Ha.

Olly

Thanks Olly,

The technique certainly highlighted the reds:

I might go and have another look at my self-modded 550D that I don't use because the USB connection is unreliable...

Paul

[ollypenrice]

That's worked. If you email me a full sized JPEG of this image I could send you a linear Ha layer registered to fit yours so that you could experiment with Ha added to red. (I suggest Blend Mode Lighten.)

Olly

[Pompey Monkey]

Thanks Olly!

I combined the images (another new technique learned) and it was interesting to see the effect of varying the opacity of the Ha on the final result. At the moment, I have gone for something quite subtle, but tastes can, and do, change over time

Now I really really want a decent CCD and set of filters. lol.