Omega Nebula in Sagittarius ( Messier 17, NGC 6618 )

[MikeODay 1,563]

Omega Nebula in Sagittarius ( Messier 17, NGC 6618 ).

Visible to the naked eye the Omega Nebula, also known as the Swan, Horseshoe or Lobster Nebula, M17 is in the Milkyway and is aound 4200 light years distance from Earth

Links:

500px.com/MikeODay

photo.net/photos/MikeODay

Details:

RA 18h 22m, Dec -16deg 10'.

Skywatcher Quattro 10" f4 Newtonian.

Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT Mount

Orion Short Tube 80mm guide scope and auto guider - PHD2.

Baader MPCC Mark 3 Coma Corrector, UHC-S 'nebula' filter.

Nikon D5300 (unmodified).

Field of view (deg) ~ 1.35 x 0.90.

37 x 100 sec ISO800.

Pixinsight & Photoshop

14 August 2015 - processed 3 Oct 2015

[Gino Arcari 70]

hi mate, all i can is WOW! amazing picture. I have a D5100 and could only dream of taking a photo like this! whats the UHC-S filter like? I use a LP filter but may get the one you have if you recommend it.

[laudropb 7,077]

Very nice images. Thanks for posting.

[MikeODay 1,563]

Thanks Gino, you are very kind.

I purchased the Baader UHC-S 'nebula' filter about a year ago when I was just staring out - I live in moderately light polluted skies and my main targets are nebulae so it seemed a good idea. Beyond that I really know very little about the relative performance of the different types of filters. I have been very happy with the images I have made with it but it does have a couple of downsides - quite strong colour shift ( that I try to correct in Pixinsight before I stretch the image) and it is highly reflective ( which seems to contribute to a bright disk around the very bright stars (eg. around Alnitak in http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/251987-flame-and-horsehead-nebulae-near-alnitak-in-orion-re-processed/)).

I'm sure others who are more experienced than me would be able to provide more detailed feedback.

Cheers, Mike

[MikeODay 1,563]

Very nice images. Thanks for posting.

Thanks, much appreciated.

Cheers

Mike

[Gino Arcari 70]

Thanks very much for the info Mike, I'll definitely look into it, clear skies!  

[MikeODay 1,563]

Reprocessed - I've tried to improve the colour balance - slightly toned down the red and tweaked the green. I think it is an improvement, what do you think?

Cheers

Mike

[swag72 6,560]

I like that Mike, it really pops........ great processing for sure

[MikeODay 1,563]

I like that Mike, it really pops........ great processing for sure

Thanks Sara, much appreciated.

Your photos on Flickr are wonderful ...

Edited October 4, 2015 by mike005