Gecko Nebula LBN437

[carastro]

Spent the last few days at an Astro camp in East Sussex with a few members of the local society and some are SGL members too.

This is one of two images I got, (still struggling with the other one).

As you probably know I live in Bortle 8, and so it is only opportunities like this that I can do Broadband.

Samyang lens 135mm @ F2.8

Atik460EX - LumHaRGB - 4 hours 26mins

I don't have all the fancy star removal tools that some use and the Samyang lens coupled with a lum filter yields zillions.  Some moderate star reduction done with Straton. 

 

PLEASE NOTE THIS HAS BEEN REVISED - more than once (SEE FURTHER DOWN) 

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by carastro

[tooth_dr]

Hi Carole

This is such an interesting target, and you've got all the details that make it so special.  What was the breakdown of the data?  You done very well to get Lum Ha and RGB filters in just 4.5 hours total!

[carastro]

Hi Adam.  It was approx:

Lum 1h 40m 

Ha 1h 40m

RGB combined 1h 40m  (binned) 

Edited September 20, 2023 by carastro

[AstroMuni]

12 hours ago, carastro said:

I don't have all the fancy star removal tools that some use and the Samyang lens coupled with a lum filter yields zillions.  Some moderate star reduction done with Straton. 

Lovely image. As you say, with the right star tools you could probably enhance it more. I would love to see the version without the star reduction - I know the recent trend seems to be all about star reduction but I somehow feel the beauty lies in the veritable treasure trove of starfields.

[carastro]

4 minutes ago, AstroMuni said:

Lovely image. As you say, with the right star tools you could probably enhance it more. I would love to see the version without the star reduction - I know the recent trend seems to be all about star reduction but I somehow feel the beauty lies in the veritable treasure trove of starfields.

I'll see if I can post it up when I get onto my Desktop.

Think it also needs some Gradient Exterminator having looked with fresh eyes.   I did this target from home a few years ago, was hoping to combine the data, but the FOV looked different when I found an old sub.

[carastro]

OK, this is the new version with Gradient Exterminator and I did a little bit of sharpening to the Gecko itself and attempted to remove some of the background noise.

Edited September 20, 2023 by carastro

[carastro]

4 hours ago, AstroMuni said:

I would love to see the version without the star reduction

For your benefit the version with the zillions of stars:

[carastro]

Here is one 50/50 between the Zillions of stars and the star reduced version - I am thinking I prefer this.

Edited September 20, 2023 by carastro

[alacant]

Love the starry version. They give it life and context. 
Cheers

[AstroMuni]

18 hours ago, carastro said:

For your benefit the version with the zillions of stars:

Wow, I love this version. I would have preferred if stars did not have halos around them but that doesnt lessen its beauty. Thanks for sharing @carastro

Edited September 21, 2023 by AstroMuni

[carastro]

I am surprised the number of you (plus pms) who like the all star version.  To me there are so many stars it casts a bit of a haze over the image.   But l also don’t like starless images (or those with the stars so suppressed they might as well be starless) Which is why l went for the all star version but with the small stars dimmed a bit.  

Edited September 21, 2023 by carastro

[alacant]

On 21/09/2023 at 11:21, carastro said:

l also don’t like starless images

Hi

Not only starless but also those images where the most of stars have been processed to death. Thank you for giving us the choice.

I think the trend toward over processing started with Topaz, (edit: for reference, around the same time as beginning sentences with 'So' became fashionable). AI is now seemingly compulsory on all images. I've seen many excellent shots ruined by AI reprocessing. It's the stars which seem to get falsified the most.

Thanks for keeping the stars alive!
Cheers 

Edited September 22, 2023 by alacant

[WolfieGlos]

On 20/09/2023 at 14:57, carastro said:

For your benefit the version with the zillions of stars:

 

Definitely prefer this version! I tend to agree with @alacant , and star reduction is definitely in the eye of the beholder. From my limited time in this hobby so far, I personally like to show all of the stars, but I try and reduce their size and brightness a little but not too much (on a star layer, using value propagate, with blend mode of multiply at between 25%-50% opacity in gimp I find works great for this). Each to their own !

1 hour ago, alacant said:

Hi

Not only starless but also those images where the most of stars have been processed to death. Thank you for giving us the choice.

I think the trend toward over processing started with Topaz. AI is now seemingly compulsory on all images. I've seen many excellent shots ruined by AI reprocessing. It's the stars which seem to get falsified the most.

Thanks for keeping the stars alive!
Cheers 

I've recently picked up Topaz and I find that it ruins stars. So now I'm using starnet in Siril after cropping and BE, processing the starless and then running noise reduction on it, before overlaying the stars in GIMP with a Screen blending mode (stretched in Siril beforhand). Seems to be working well.

[carastro]

I don't own Starnet, it won't work on my antiquated computer and laptop.  So only star reduction I can do is via Photoshop using Martin's method he posted up some years ago using layers, select highlights and Filter minimum.  Doesn't remove the stars just makes them smaller and less overpowering.   Or occasionally Straton or Actions, but generally I don't like the results of either, leaving artifacts or spoiling the Nebulosity so rarely use them.  

Carole 

Edited September 23, 2023 by carastro