NGC 281 - Budget version

[AKB]

Inspired by this fabulous recently-posted image...

... I set out to do the same.

Alas, cloud only afforded me 17 x 2 minute frames, with an  ASI 294MC OSC and an Altair Quadband filter, on an Esprit 120ED.

Oh, so THAT's why you need a mono camera, narrowband filters, 10 hours, and a good sky!

Tony.

[Ceph]

Tony, Yes the monochrome camera makes a very big differens especially when you can use narrowband filters.
The narrowband filters helps me to get rid of the light pollution and they help so much that you can actually take nice shots from a city and you can even take photos when the moon is up
My sky here always suffer from a little moist, very rare that it is not here and I suffers from a below medium light pollution, always.
When I decided to buy the monochrome camera my shared part of lightpollution made me do it as I also was considering a color camera from the start.
Then in your case 17x2 minutes is not very much to bring forth, what you seek as your data is more or less very hard to stretch, meaning many details is hard to get amongst all.
Try to increase your session to 30-50x300sec instead or 100x120 sec (this you must test with your gear what is needed, maybe 60x240sec is needed), collect over a few nights if needed.

If I on the other hand uses the LRGB filters as I have, I am in another category, because my light and moist polluted sky, the filters do not help here. But you will for sure need more than 17x2 in either case

[AKB]

A surprise opportunity last night to extend this image from 17x2m to 23x5m, so nearly two hours, in all.  However, this was with a 95% moon in the sky.

Incremental improvements clearly visible:

 

...still a LONG way to go, though, to achieve the nirvana of the original inspiration.

Tony

[AKB]

My final attempt, for the time being: 17x2m + 47x5m (total of about 4.5 hours  - my longest ever – over three nights) again with an essentially full moon (and high cloud from time to time).

Certainly, another improvement in SNR, but, on the whole, a bit disappoiting...

Tony