Which one is better?

[matt_baker]

The new one I think is a lot more natural looking (the top one)

What could I do to make it look even better?

[TheDadure]

i agree with your opinion 

the first one looks way more natural,but i like the second one more as it seems less noisy and it makes andromeda pop out more from stars 

thats just my opinion,someobody else might not agree

both are still really great images

[AbsolutelyN]

I'd aim for somewhere in-between the two. If possible try to be gentle with the darks/blacks so as not to clip them.

[MartinB]

The second with the saturation reduced a little and what AbsolutelyN said about avoiding black clipping.

[matt_baker]

Okay, I've had another go and I think this one is alright, what does everyone else think?

The gradient across the top to bottom I can't seem to get rid of either

 

Or there's this version:

 

Edited November 1, 2019 by matt_baker

[tooth_dr]

I think the first one in the second set is better, but I also think it could be better as the data looks good!

[matt_baker]

2 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

I think the first one in the second set is better, but I also think it could be better as the data looks good!

That's what I was thinking. When I get back I'll have a look at it properly since there's different things that you trade off when you edit it. 

Like: brightness, but you lose overall contrast, especially in the dust lanes and the opposite

It is also an old set of data from last year so I could add to it and make the signal even better

Edited November 1, 2019 by matt_baker