A Study of Western M31

[kirkster501]

I grabbed 81 x 180s of OSC with my QHY268C on FSQ85 at native FL.  This image is ongoing and I aim to add another 100-200 subs to it.  Colours are not quite how I want them just yet.

Then with my TEC140 and Atik460 I captured four panels of luminance 16 x 300s (in each panel) and created this (still ongoing too).  I used PixInsight Star Alignment and MergeMosaic:

Then I registered the colour of the OSC to the Luminance and with a bit of processing I get the image below.  Don't often see M31 presented like this so thought I'd have a go.  Even without the addition of the L channel, the top color image from the QHY268C is very high resolution.

 

Whaddayareckon?   No separate Ha channel as yet.  Note the many, extremely distant, faint galaxies behind M31.  I have also identified several of M31's Globular Clusters as well.

The whole project is ongoing but consuming a lot of clear sky time and I'm starting to fancy doing something different.  I may be doing soon anyway when M31 disappears behind my house. 

 

Edited November 13, 2020 by kirkster501

[wimvb]

Very nice, especially the hires with all those distant galaxies. Have you tried to identify them?

I would have expected more blue in the outer regions of the galaxy, seems a bit red as it is now.

[tomato]

Looking really good, I have tried to do something similar with, I’m afraid, mixed results.

[MartinB]

Superb work.   Once you have modified the colour a little it will be truly outstanding