M45 IMX571 Mono and OSC

[tooth_dr]

Here is my image of M45, data taken over two sessions - the evenings of the 12th (79% moon) and 19th December (21% moon)

 

Scopes: 2 x APM LZOS 105/650

Cameras: 268M / 2600MC

Mount: Mesu e200

Guiding: OAG / 290MM

Acquisition: SG Pro / PHD2

Misc: Pegasus Power Box Advance / Atik EFW3 / ZWO Filter Drawer

 

I used a total of 15120s of luminance and 11400s of OSC data, taken with 268M and 2600MC respectively.  Total integration time of 7 hours and 22 minutes.

Stacked in APP, processed using Pixinsight, ImagesPlus and Photoshop 2023.

I think it holds up ok at 100%, which is always my aim when processing, so I tend not to push it all too hard.  I had a look through the background and these is some amount of small galaxies littered around even with a little bit of detail/colour in some edge on and face on spirals.

C+C welcome as it still feels a bit more trial and error in the later stages, wanting to improve as always.

 

Happy Xmas!

Adam.

 

 

 

[newbie alert]

Very nice Adam... Well done 

[tooth_dr]

1 hour ago, newbie alert said:

Very nice Adam... Well done 

Thank you, appreciate it. 

[Stuart1971]

Lovely image Adam….👏🏻

Did you use BlurX at all now you are using PI…?

 

[tomato]

That’s a wonderful M45, great detail and colour. 
l’m awaiting delivery of a 268m to couple with a 268c so seeing your image has helped to reassure me that this arrangement can deliver.👍

[Stuart1971]

1 hour ago, tomato said:

That’s a wonderful M45, great detail and colour. 
l’m awaiting delivery of a 268m to couple with a 268c so seeing your image has helped to reassure me that this arrangement can deliver.👍

I too have just got an QHY268m to go with my QHY268c, But alas will have to use them separately…

[tooth_dr]

10 hours ago, Stuart1971 said:

Lovely image Adam….👏🏻

Did you use BlurX at all now you are using PI…?

 

Thanks for the comment! I did indeed Stuart, I stacked it all in APP and then opened the linear data in PI and ran BXT on the standard settings.  I then opened that fits in APP again and did a stretch and saved as a TIFF. 

[tooth_dr]

10 hours ago, tomato said:

That’s a wonderful M45, great detail and colour. 
l’m awaiting delivery of a 268m to couple with a 268c so seeing your image has helped to reassure me that this arrangement can deliver.👍

Thanks! Definitely works well, it’s a good arrangement for sure. The colour data on its own is great but the luminance is very nice and much sharper. 

[Mr Spock]

Quite spectacular. Nicely done 👍

[simmo39]

V nice!

[Laurin Dave]

Excellent...  Great work Adam

Dave

[geeklee]

On 25/12/2022 at 19:15, tooth_dr said:

C+C welcome as it still feels a bit more trial and error in the later stages, wanting to improve as always.

That's lovely Adam.  The extended nebulosity easily visible and clean to edge of the frame despite how much fainter its getting.

It looks slightly magenta (with some pinkish star edges) to me, but accept this could just be my screen.  Removing magenta seems to clean up the stars and background with:

[symmetal]

Excellent image Adam. You're right, at 100% it still looks good. Glad to see you left some noise, to stop it having a too 'processed' look. 😉

Alan

[tooth_dr]

30 minutes ago, geeklee said:

That's lovely Adam.  The extended nebulosity easily visible and clean to edge of the frame despite how much fainter its getting.

It looks slightly magenta (with some pinkish star edges) to me, but accept this could just be my screen.  Removing magenta seems to clean up the stars and background with:

Cheers Lee, 100% can see that now, definitely looks better.  I am finding HLVG removes too much green (if that's a thing) and leaves it a bit on the magenta side.  How did you remove the magenta?

[tooth_dr]

13 minutes ago, symmetal said:

Excellent image Adam. You're right, at 100% it still looks good. Glad to see you left some noise, to stop it having a too 'processed' look. 😉

Alan

I still prefer to keep it on the grainy side rather than the waxy side, but it's a fine line

[tooth_dr]

10 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

Quite spectacular. Nicely done 👍

Thank you Michael for your great comment.

9 hours ago, simmo39 said:

V nice!

Cheers Simon, appreciated!

9 hours ago, Laurin Dave said:

Excellent...  Great work Adam

Dave

Thanks Dave, didnt turn out too bad

[geeklee]

16 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

I am finding HLVG removes too much green (if that's a thing) and leaves it a bit on the magenta side.  How did you remove the magenta?

I sometimes find the same with SCNR in PI - more so now with the updated colour calibration process (SPCC).

Within PixInsight - I was just checking how it looked so used the easy route of (1) Invert the image - Invert process (2) Use SCNR process at defaults - maybe slightly less Amount would be OK too (3) Invert the image back again - Invert process.

 

Edited December 26, 2022 by geeklee

[tooth_dr]

@geeklee thanks for that reply with all the information graphics.  So I did just that - I inverted the image, and gave it a 'weak' run of HLVG in PS.  Inverted it back and it looks better.  I did try to tweak the colour balance in the one I posted above, but didnt do it enough I guess!

 

[ONIKKINEN]

3 minutes ago, geeklee said:

I sometimes find the same with SCNR in PI - more so now with the updated colour calibration process (SPCC).

Within PixInsight - I was just checking how it looked so used the easy route of (1) Invert the image - Invert process (2) Use SCNR process at defaults - maybe slightly less Amount would be OK too (3) Invert the image back again - Invert process.

 

Also could try to lower the Amount, 0.9 is the most i have needed.

The problem with the invert-SCNR-invert workflow is that it removes actual magenta from the image which exists in galaxies (hydrogen regions). For this target not an issue, but worth keeping in mind that some images dont benefit from that.

[geeklee]

5 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

Inverted it back and it looks better. 

Nice one Adam.  As you alluded to on the noise front, it's a fine line with most things - the colour balance included.  

4 minutes ago, ONIKKINEN said:

The problem with the invert-SCNR-invert workflow is that it removes actual magenta from the image which exists in galaxies (hydrogen regions). For this target not an issue, but worth keeping in mind that some images dont benefit from that.

That's a good shout @ONIKKINEN I should have added the same caveat 👍  I was just checking if there might be some magenta/pink there so did a quick run of the Invert-SCNR-Invert.  As well as the "Amount" you could also use certain masks to help keep it where you want it - if there is a troublesome amount in the wrong place.

Edited December 26, 2022 by geeklee

[Rodd]

Wow.  AMAZING.  How is your sky?  I have over 30 hours and cant hold a candle to this.

[Sunshine]

A wonderful image!

[tooth_dr]

7 hours ago, Rodd said:

Wow.  AMAZING.  How is your sky?  I have over 30 hours and cant hold a candle to this.

Thanks Rodd. I’m in a rural area, but I do image directly over my house which isn’t ideal. I’ve a dark enough sky but again my southern horizon is over a number of distant towns.

[Rodd]

1 hour ago, tooth_dr said:

Thanks Rodd. I’m in a rural area, but I do image directly over my house which isn’t ideal. I’ve a dark enough sky but again my southern horizon is over a number of distant towns.

Nice image of Orion! How did you take that?

[tooth_dr]

1 hour ago, Rodd said:

Nice image of Orion! How did you take that?

Just had the camera/lens resting on a ledge and took a few seconds of exposure.