M8 - The Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius

[gnomus]

Mesier 8 - the Lagoon Nebula - is an interstellar cloud around 4100 light years away in the constellation Sagittarius.

This is HaLRGB data from Deep Sky West in New Mexico. Data were captured between April and June 2017.

• Luminance: 23x600s
• Red: 12x600s
• Green: 21x600s
• Blue: 15x600s
• Ha 5nm: 21x900s

[Allinthehead]

Beautiful 

[celestron8g8]

Very nice capture !

[simmo39]

Wow, v nice!

[gnomus]

Thanks all.

[gnomus]

Looking again at this, I wonder if I maybe started slipping back into bad habits.  I think this may look more 'natural':

 

[ollypenrice]

This could be my screen since I'm only on a laptop at present, but I don't see quite as much blue as I'd expect around the nice NGC object on the right. (I can't remember its number.) However, what a nice image this is, with tight stars which are so important in such dense fields. Will you be visiting the Trifid? You should!

And it must be summer! Woo Hoo.

Olly

[Jedi2014]

I love the Lagoon, unfortunately it is to deep in my location. A dark place like DSW is phantastic for getting amazing images. You did a very good job and I must say I like the first version more.

Jens

[toxic]

stunning 

[Nova2000]

Very nice image 

[gnomus]

Thanks everyone.  

11 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

This could be my screen since I'm only on a laptop at present, but I don't see quite as much blue as I'd expect around the nice NGC object on the right.....

Thanks for commenting Olly.  I've been looking everywhere for that blue - but I am not sure I know where it is supposed to be....

9 hours ago, Jedi2014 said:

..... You did a very good job and I must say I like the first version more.

Jens

Thanks.  It's funny Jens.  This morning I was convinced that the new version was better - in that it seemed less 'forced'.  This evening I'm not so sure.  Maybe the central portion is too bright and the whole thing a bit anaemic.  I still think v1 has a bit too much 'heat' in it, though.  I think I will play around with it for a few days and try to get something between the two. 

[PatrickGilliland]

Nice work Steve - the fine details around the edges, especially the reflection areas are very nicely done.

[Atreta]

5 hours ago, gnomus said:

Thanks for commenting Olly.  I've been looking everywhere for that blue - but I am not sure I know where it is supposed to be....

Very good image.  

I have an old capture i did a while ago,  if you don't mind i can post here for u to see. 

[gnomus]

2 hours ago, Atreta said:

Very good image.  

I have an old capture i did a while ago,  if you don't mind i can post here for u to see. 

Sure.  Go right ahead.

[Atreta]

Here it is, this is just 20 minutes worth of data, not to be compared to your stunning image

it was taken with a 700d unmodded and the 130pds.

[Rodd]

Great shot!  I did not know M8 was so extended to the left (north?).  It really is a widefield target-does the nebulosity to the left have its own designation?

 

Rodd

[Shibby]

Spectacular image. I think you need to finish it off by capturing another panel to the right, though ;-p

An unmodded DSLR will really respond to the blue (as is very clear to see in Franks's image!) but I suspect a CCD's red channel will be overwhelmed by the Ha - plus you're presumably adding the Ha data to the red channel?

[gnomus]

Of those who expressed a preference, the view was unanimously in favour of v1.  I moved back towards that direction but did try to keep the core just a bit brighter without losing detail (as I did on v2).

[gnomus]

17 hours ago, Shibby said:

Spectacular image. I think you need to finish it off by capturing another panel to the right, though ;-p

An unmodded DSLR will really respond to the blue (as is very clear to see in Franks's image!) but I suspect a CCD's red channel will be overwhelmed by the Ha - plus you're presumably adding the Ha data to the red channel?

Yes.  It just doesn't quite fit, does it?   Ha to Red only - I tried adding a bit as Lum, but it did nothing for me.

[gnomus]

19 hours ago, Rodd said:

......-does the nebulosity to the left have its own designation?

 

According to Astrobin: IC 1274, IC 1275, IC 4685, and NGC 6559.

[ollypenrice]

It's 6559 which has a bit of a blue edge to it sometimes. I love that little object.

Olly

[al-alami]

Lovely details.

[gnomus]

On 29/06/2017 at 16:11, ollypenrice said:

It's 6559 which has a bit of a blue edge to it sometimes. I love that little object.

Olly

Ah.  That makes more sense.  I hadn't realised that in your original comment you meant 'stage right'.