M78 at a bend in the River Styx

[Rodd]

My next project, which I am sorry to say will take months to finish.  Fortunately, Orion is just beginning to rise around 12:00 am, so I have some time.  I am looking to compose an HaLRGB image.  I may need to restrict the Ha addition, not sure how this will come out.  I set the rig imaging at 12:00, but somehow the mount got out of alignment and I had to repark and adjust and start again.  I didn't get imaging until about 1:00.  I let it run until about 5:30 as I slept.  The temperature compensation of the focuser works quite well at maintaining focus over long periods of time.  When working, it saves time as refocusing, where it be by manual or automated means, takes time.  I collected 50 5min Ha subs with the FSQ 106 and .6x reducer through the ASI 1600 with 3um Astrodon Ha filter.  I ended up using only 40 subs though, throwing out 9 that had elevated FWHM values.  Any advice on teh best was to add Ha to diffuse nebulae is welcome.  I did it for the Horsehead, but probably not in teh best way.

[Allinthehead]

Others may have had more luck on this in Ha, but i didn't find it added anything to the image. This is very strong in just Lrgb. 

[Rodd]

54 minutes ago, Allinthehead said:

Others may have had more luck on this in Ha, but i didn't find it added anything to the image. This is very strong in just Lrgb. 

You mean the Ha signal above shows up in the R channel?  It must add something--there's allot of Ha there.  I know it does not add much to M78--But the Loop HAS to come out differently in Ha as opposed to LRGB, no?  Anyway--All I could shoot was Ha--I had to shoot something.

Rodd

[Allinthehead]

As i said Rodd others may differ but i didn't bother using it in a final image. I felt it added nothing. Zero with M78 and the loop was strong enough in red without it. I think you have great clean signal there in the loop which should suffice in your final image. I wouldn't bother adding more to it in ha.

Plenty of other targets out there that add much more.

[Rodd]

9 minutes ago, Allinthehead said:

As i said Rodd others may differ but i didn't bother using it in a final image. I felt it added nothing. Zero with M78 and the loop was strong enough in red without it. I think you have great clean signal there in the loop which should suffice in your final image. I wouldn't bother adding more to it in ha.

Plenty of other targets out there that add much more.

Hmm.  That is strangely disconcerting.  I have sort of run out at present--I did collect 5-6 subs of IC-410 and the Spider/fly in Ha--but the framing is off--the sensor is not big enough to get IC-405, IC-410,, and the spider/fly--so I have to choose--I do plan on getting that target though.   Everything else I have done, or is not really suited for a FL of 318mm.  I guess the Rosette will be great even though I have done it twice.  Not interested in a narrowband cone... I really am trying to do more broadband but the Moon keeps getting in the way.  I suppose I could collect a boatload of Ha for M31 because I really do want to do that one again with MUCH more data.  M42 kind of scares me--to do it right you need to use HDR comp and that gets a bit involved and tricky.

Rodd

[Allinthehead]

Mmm. I don't mean to discourage as i said it's just my experience. What about another panel to include the bogeyman?

[Rodd]

47 minutes ago, Allinthehead said:

Mmm. I don't mean to discourage as i said it's just my experience. What about another panel to include the bogeyman?

That would require 3 additional panels to get right--it is sort of in a bad spot relative to M78.   I am looking forward to LRGB though--but, unlike your wonderful Perseus Molecular Cloud,  many of my broadband images of dusty regions (NGC 1333, Iris, Ghost etc--even NGC 6823 to some extent with its n3ear 30 hours) came out speckly and .....well, I am not sure what, have yet to understand what it is exactly.  Suffice to say they are not satisfying to me.  I would call them compromised.

Rodd

[Shibby]

Looking great, will be interesting to see how/if you combine it.

[Rodd]

6 minutes ago, Shibby said:

Looking great, will be interesting to see how/if you combine it.

Thanks Lewis--hopefully we won't have to wait too long!

Rodd