NGC 281 LRGB - with more data!

[discardedastro]

So as a bit of a follow on from this...

I took some more data over a couple more nights and sat down and processed it all properly.

Setup was as above - an ASI183MM-PRO imaging, ASI174 Mini guiding via an OAG, Paracorr coma corrector, ZWO mini EFW with Baader LRGB filters. Scope is 200PDS with EQ6-R Pro mount. Focuser is a Baader Steeltrak driven by a Primaluce Sesto Senso. Software again KStars/Ekos/INDI.

Skies were pretty good for me Fri/Sat this weekend and I had some leave booked, so pushed on through the nights to get plenty of data in. There were a few cloudy spells but all in all it was a pretty good run and I only discarded about 20 images total.

Total acquisition time was about 9 hours - about 110 L, and around 55 of RGB, all 120 second exposures.

Processing workflow - I tried to keep this very simple. I did the usual subframe selection and weighting routine, blink to ditch a few images with Starlink in, and cosmetic correction. Integration used the GSD method with local normalisation. Did MureDenoise on all frames with 32 cycles and then DBE before combining, Photometric colour calibration, SCNR, stretching, LRGBCombination with chrominance noise reduction, and final TGVDenoise. I also rotated this version to be mostly "upright" without significant cropping.

All in all quite happy - the colours I found really hard to balance here and I might revisit the data to see if I can reduce the mottling in the darker regions of the image and improve the contrast in the brighter regions.

[Sunshine]

It's wonderful!

[tooth_dr]

Lovely!  A nice close up view with lots of structure and detail, sympathetically processed.

[megrez]

I like that!