Galaxy and imaging season finale - M51

[Adam1234]

Cracking image

[wimvb]

20 hours ago, Rodd said:

The first one is very nice for me.  The “more Ha version” can be called the “ much, much more Ha version”.  A good Ha study, but the delicate balance achieved in the first has been tipped.  I think the MN 190 has impressed me more than any other scope.  

 

19 hours ago, Dan_Paris said:

I really like the soft yet very detailed processing in the first version, beautiful image. I also find that the Ha stands out a bit too much in the new version.

Thank you both for the feedback. I highly appreciate it.

I find that the addition of nb (Ha) is too often overlooked in galaxy images. Especially interacting galaxies, but also single galaxies, have regions where Hydrogen clouds collaps and form new stars. When I did the research for this image, I saw that any image of this galaxy pair isn't complete without the inclusion of Ha. While possibly overdone, this image makes a statement, and shows the physical processes that are going on here. I also wanted to highlight the fact that the interaction between the galaxies causes the Hydrogen clouds to be more concentrated where that interaction is strongest. So, some "overcooking" was intentional. But, like @Rodd, I'm constantly aware that how the final image looks, depends very much on the device that is used for viewing. To me this image looks very different on my tablet than what it does on my computer screen. At the moment, I'm reprocessing this image with the intent to print it. Which is an entirely new challenge.

[tomato]

You have captured and processed a beautiful and intriguing image of M51. 

At the risk of resurrecting an old debate, I think your image ably demonstrates there is no right answer to the question "have a I got the colours right with this galaxy image?" In most M51 images I have seen the spiral arms are predominantly blue  but by capturing more Ha you have made these regions much more significant in the final image, and both renditions are equally valid IMHO.

+1 for the MN190, it provides the same FOV as an Esprit 150 and clearly can produce images of equal quality, FLO current prices £4729 vs £1249 for the MN190...

[wimvb]

54 minutes ago, tomato said:

+1 for the MN190, it provides the same FOV as an Esprit 150 and clearly can produce images of equal quality, FLO current prices £4729 vs £1249 for the MN190...

Thanks. Being almost a quarter the price of an Esprit, the Mesu can handle four MN190s. 😁 That would be a beast.

 

[MarsG76]

Beautiful M51 with which to end the galaxy season.