M51 - Only Luminance (a W. I. P.)

[Ishan Mair]

Here's only L for M51 I captured two weeks ago. 220 x 60s L exposures with ASI1600mm Pro and 130PDS. Hopefully, will be better with more L and RGB data.

Spent a lot of time processing it. Pretty good for my skills but the background still isn't "right". It appears blotchy and smoother than what it should have been.  What do you reckon? 
Your tips/comments/criticism are most welcome.

[astro mick]

I look forward to the colour.I do notice very slight elongation in the stars.This is a pain most of us have until we find the cause.

Nice job.

Mick.

[Skyline]

That's sometimes because of the focuser being tightened too much. It causes some tilt.

Or theres some drift.

 

Edited May 15, 2020 by Skyline

[Ishan Mair]

2 hours ago, astro mick said:

I look forward to the colour.I do notice very slight elongation in the stars.This is a pain most of us have until we find the cause.

Nice job.

Mick.

Thanks Mick. The stars are elongated as the tracking was poor. The RA and Dec RMS for guiding were each above 1 arc-second. So I wasn't too surprised by it. I hope now that the moon is less obstructive, RGB should come soon.

[Ishan Mair]

2 minutes ago, Skyline said:

That's sometimes because of the focuser being tightened too much. It causes some tilt.

Or theres some drift.

 

I think it might be tracking problems but I'll be careful the next time for tilt due to focuser as well. Thanks for the tip.