IC405 The Flaming Star nebula (HaRGB)

[Tim]

I have enjoyed doing this one, although the processing has taken longer than gathering the subs in the first place!

The nebula itself is a Ha rich cloud which shows up very brightly when photographed. What makes it a little different is the large blue star which causes some of the surrounding cloud to shine brightly as a reflection. Photo's taken with a standard camera reveal the reflection as a rich blue colour, against the contrast of the pinky red Ha.

Interestingly, the parts which shine so brightly by reflection, are those which are the darkest through a Ha filter, which makes for interesting processing to say the least.

In total I gathered 12.75 hours of Ha data, mainly 20 minute subs, and around 3 hours each for Red, Green and Blue filters. Using the magic of Registar I combined the Red and Ha data, and then added the green and blue.

Equipment used: Skywatcher MN190, SXV H9 mono camera, Baader 1.25" filters. Stacked in DSS, processed in Pixinsight & Photoshop, combined in Registar.

For reference I have also included the Ha data and straight RGB data, although these have just had a simple stretch, along with a full size version of the HaRGB by clicking the picture.

Thanks for looking.

Tim

[Beyond_Vision]

Fantastic detail in the HA image Tim , on the colour one the stars look more bloated and some of the sharpness has been lost.

Regards

Kevin

[Dangerous-Dave]

Amazing stuff! This is quite a tough target in my experience.

[Tom OD]

Excellent shot, don't think I've seen it that close up before.

[steppenwolf]

Fabulous detail on a fascinating object - love it, Tim!

[moocher]

Only ever done this in ha. Possibly your best image....

Alan

[dc509]

Excellent image - great detail.

d

[barkis]

A very dynamic image TJ. Colour and detail in depth, it's a fine piece of work my friend .

Ron.

[hograt]

Lots of hard work went into that; very good work and the result is amazing.

I like the colours and the depth in the image, looks very three-dimensional.

Martin

[JCJC]

Truly great image Tim, you've blended the Ha and colour superbly!

Jordan

[MikeD]

stunning result, top job.

Mike.

[ollypenrice]

Gordon Bennett, I nearly recoiled into the wall when it leapt out to burn my nose! We rarely get as close as this. It is a great way to see the reflection component.

Olly

[Whippy]

C'est magnifique mate! I was thinking when you posted the WIP that it was a bit purpley and you'd need some proper exposure time, you've sorted both out properly . The ridges where the emission and reflection nebulae mix are stunning!

Tony..

[Coco]

Outstanding! bursting with interest..

Sony 1.5 mega pixel CCD strikes again

[Tim]

Thanks for all the comments I meant to say, if anybody would like the data set used for this picture, to practice on, just let me know, I will upload the stacked files for RGB and Ha somewhere.

Cheers

Tim

[Boren]

Tim, this image was worth every minute it took you to capture it, and process the stacks. Lovely result, wonderful detail, very nice stars and star color - and an overall compelling experience. A keeper!

Cheers, Harel