NGC7023 Iris Nebula

[old_eyes]

Data from Pier 1 @Roboscopes in Spain - AD250 Dall-Kirkham with ASI 1600MM camera binned 2x2 on a GM1000 mount guided with OAG.

Two versions processed using the same tools in different orders and with different parameters. Please let me know which you prefer and any suggestions for a better process.

Version 1

Version 2

[Zummerzet_Leveller]

It's a blend for me @old_eyes.  Prefer the inner and mid of the 2nd image but the outer dust of the first image.  Lovely details in the centre though a well controlled white point, would a bit of highlight reduction draw out more detail?

[old_eyes]

2 hours ago, Zummerzet_Leveller said:

It's a blend for me @old_eyes.  Prefer the inner and mid of the 2nd image but the outer dust of the first image.  Lovely details in the centre though a well controlled white point, would a bit of highlight reduction draw out more detail?

Thanks for the comment.

I have lost some of the surrounding nebulosity on the left-hand side of the image, but it is hard to pull out and pretty noisy. Getting that without overdoing the main nebula is beyond me at the moment. The second image is less overwhelmingly blue, but on the other hand the blue is quite striking. The outer dust looks very similar in both images but the star colours are richer in the second image. A function I guess of how and when I used ArcsinhStretch.

I still have some ideas to try, but also many other datasets to work on and an ageing and slow computer!

[ollypenrice]

You can't please 'em all! I prefer the denser colour of the dust in version 2. In both cases I'd be wanting to play with the colour balance in the green-magenta axis, and the saturation, for the Iris itself. As  Jody suggests, a highlight reduction would probably be good and would also intensify the colour round the Iris. I'd then bring up the higher greens, slightly, to pull the blues away from magenta. However, there are some subtle pinks in the Iris which are worth looking for and nurturing.

Whatever, it's a fine Iris.

Olly