A Rainy Day M31

[tomato]

With no hope of acquiring new data while the grey skies persist, I have returned to my favourite galaxy processing exercise, M31. This is around 15 hrs of old data from the RASA8/IMX571, some dual band data with the NBZ filter and a 6 panel mosaic using the Esprit 150/IMX571.

Processed predominately in PI, it still doesn't look right, (overall too cold and 'thin' looking?), but I've come to the conclusion that M31 is a difficult target to get right.

 

 

[daemon]

It looks really great to me. But I wonder if it might benefit by taming the core a little more?

I'm sure you used a mask in stretching the image, but maybe if the core was dragged down a little, the eyes of the viewer would be more drawn to the dust lanes.

Hope you don't mind the comment. 😉 

[tomato]

Not at all, I'll take a look.

[ONIKKINEN]

Looks a bit too magenta on my monitor, SCNR green went too far?

2 hours ago, tomato said:

but I've come to the conclusion that M31 is a difficult target to get right.

Very true. Its a weird mix of neutral coloured nebulosity, specks of emission nebulae and resolved stars (in a large scope) with weak colours that sometime just wont come out the way they were intended to. Not to mention the incredibly bright core, tricky target i say.

[maw lod qan]

Regardless of everything, that's a great image. 

[Albir phil]

4 hours ago, tomato said:

With no hope of acquiring new data while the grey skies persist, I have returned to my favourite galaxy processing exercise, M31. This is around 15 hrs of old data from the RASA8/IMX571, some dual band data with the NBZ filter and a 6 panel mosaic using the Esprit 150/IMX571.

Processed predominately in PI, it still doesn't look right, (overall too cold and 'thin' looking?), but I've come to the conclusion that M31 is a difficult target to get right.

 

 

I agree m31 is not easy you only need to look a all the various images to see it comes in all shades,but to me keeping the foreground stars true colours is the best way to get the best from your data.

[tomato]

10 hours ago, ONIKKINEN said:

Looks a bit too magenta on my monitor, SCNR green went too far?

Very true. It’s a weird mix of neutral coloured nebulosity, specks of emission nebulae and resolved stars (in a large scope) with weak colours that sometime just wont come out the way they were intended to. Not to mention the incredibly bright core, tricky target i say.

Yes, it is too magenta, I corrected the green with curves rather than SCNR, but I am going to have another go with SPCC now that I have managed to image solve it in PI.

[Fegato]

Yes, looks like you have good data, it's just sorting the colour balance and contrast out I guess. I've been looking at my last attempt wondering about having another go... but you've reminded me how tricky it is, so I'm not sure now!!

[tomato]

So here is V2, using SPCC for the colour calibration. Definitely less magenta now, but the galaxy still seems a bit too muted somehow, at least for my tastes.

 

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by tomato
original 86 MB jpeg uploaded

[tomato]

One further and final version, the sun is streaming through my window so no more rainy day processing.

[tooth_dr]

Looks good apart from neck ache looking at it 👀

[tomato]

1 hour ago, tooth_dr said:

Looks good apart from neck ache looking at it 👀

Thanks, but I thought there is no up in space?

Folks rarely present the Horsehead Nebula “the right way up”.

[tooth_dr]

15 minutes ago, tomato said:

Thanks, but I thought there is no up in space?

Folks rarely present the Horsehead Nebula “the right way up”.

IMO it looks asethetically better the other way round. Just like the horsehead looks better presented the way it does.  M31 'looks' upside down that way.

[tomato]

There you go, the easiest bit of post processing I’ve ever done.

[tooth_dr]

16 minutes ago, tomato said:

There you go, the easiest bit of post processing I’ve ever done.

Thank you! Whatever way you look at it though, that’s a hell of an image of m31