M42 - making progress

[imakebeer]

While my Pacman nebula needs more work I'm happy to report I've made much better progress with my M42

First pic below - just for comparison - was an early AP attempt last December while I was taking my first steps (reprocessed slightly when I discovered layer masks recently)

Second & third pics are from 5th Feb 2023 - SW150PDS + HEQ5, Nikon D5500, 120 x 60s lights at ISO 400 + 20 each flats, darks & biases. Processed in Siril & GIMP.

I made 3 images in Siril with different histogram stretches, then used layers and masks in GIMP to blend them together. I'm super chuffed with the textures in the clouds, looks very ethereal. I want to have another go though - I think I've lost a bit of detail in the dark looking area just below and left of the triangulum, this could be a bit brighter, I just need more practice with the layer tools in GIMP.

I think the second pic looks more natural, but in the third one I think I've gone a bit mad with the hue-chroma - what do you folks think?

Edited February 17, 2023 by imakebeer
link

[ShinyTwelve]

Stunning!

[WolfieGlos]

Agreed, prefer the second version. Great result, especially the core 🙂