Ngc 2997

[Stevec35]

This is my latest effort at what I've always thought a difficult galaxy as it has a fairly low surface brightness. Probably my best NGC2997 yet but it would be much be better under a dark sky.

Cheers

Steve

http://members.pcug.org.au/~stevec/ngc2997_STLXL6303_RC14.htm

[strongmanmike]

Nice one Steve, not quite sure on the colour balance though :question: and the stars look a tad over sharpened/worked but you certainly have some nice extensions :)

Mike

[Stevec35]

Yeah - see what you mean about the colour balance. I just did a quick tweak which hopefully has improved it. I had lots of trouble with the stars because of blooming which may have affected the way they look.

[marc4darkskies]

Agree with Mike - a great image if you tweak the colour balance (a bit more) Steve.

Cheers, Marcus

[RickS]

A very nice looking galaxy, Steve!

[marc4darkskies]

Scratch that! I just looked at it again on my main monitor - it looks great Steve! :thumbsup: (note to self, never critique an image based on my lappy display :))

[allan gould]

Very nice image Steve and the colour really adds to galaxy.
Nicely processed as well
Allan

[strongmanmike]

Hmmm yeah bit better but to me it still looks kind of cyan/grey and red :shrug: again the detail and extension is good just the colour is looking a bit out of whack..? (and I'm not using a Lappie :P)

Also according to LEDA, NGC 2997 is 9.41' X 6.83' in size not 5' X 4' but you're right, it has a rather low surface brightness of 22.5mag/sq arc sec which is only a little brighter than NGC 6744 in Pavo :)

[DavidNg]

Top class Steve!

Regards

[alpal]

Hi Steve,
Nice job & the colour looks perfect.
It looks similar in colour to this one - only yours has a bit more vibrance.

http://www.capella-observatory.com/ImageHTMLs/Galaxies/NGC2997.htm


cheers
Allan

[Stevec35]

Thanks Allan. I'm still trying to improve it but ultimately you run into the limitations of the data which wasn't very good. BTW the Capella link doesn't work for me but I suspect it's my recalcitrant computer.



Thanks David



I'm not happy with it myself Mike but currently can't seem to get it any better.



Thanks Allan



Thanks Marcus. I'm still playing around with it though.



Thanks Rick. It is a nice one. Virtually unknown until David Malin imaged it.

[Larryp]

Very nice result! This galaxy is on the emblem for Sutherland Astronomical Society

[Stevec35]

Thanks Laurie. You picked a nice galaxy for your emblem. The CAS used to have M81 for its emblem. Only problem is that you can't see M81 from here.

[tilbrook@rbe.ne]

Some great detail in this image Steve!:thumbsup:

I read with interest about colour and stars, I'm trying to take note of these comments and look more carefully and try to commit to memory when processing.

Twelve months ago I'd struggle to see these variations, but it's worth following especially when adjustments are made to the image in a thread.

Of course with a DSLR my main concern is RGB balance and star processing.

Great to watch you mare experienced guy's at work.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Cheers,

Justin.

[astronobob]

Grouse image Steve :thumbsup: Good ha regions and the fainter extensions are blending into the background nicely also :thumbsup:

[Stevec35]

Thanks Bob



Thanks Justin. I think you do a pretty good job yourself and have produced some really nice images. In spite of the so called "experience" colour balance is something I've never really mastered.

[marc4darkskies]

Steve, there is nothing wrong with the colour balance of this image! If I was going to be picky I'd say work on the stellar profiles/halos a bit - some are a bit too much for me. In any case, any critiques are probably based on personal preference.

[Shiraz]

Very nice image of difficult object Steve - lots of extended detail. regards Ray

[strongmanmike]

Oh really ?? :lol:

The latest version Steve is looking better with more colour variation now and less harsh stars, nice Sidonioing :P

[Stevec35]

Thanks for the comments guys. Constructive feedback is always appreciated. The reason I was unhappy with the colour balance was that it just didn't look right compared to other images I've seen.

Anyway I completely reprocessed it and I'm now much happier with the final version. It's a difficult galaxy to get right though and my light polluted backyard is not the best place to image it.

Cheers

Steve

http://members.pcug.org.au/~stevec/ngc2997_STLXL6303_RC14_LRGB.jpg

[gregbradley]

Nicer colour now Steve. The image has a nice solidity to it. You got some good signal to noise ratio there.

Greg.

[Stevec35]

Thanks Greg. Colour can be a matter of personal preference as some have noted but I think this is a more accurate rendition now.

[marc4darkskies]

Really like this version Steve :thumbsup::thumbsup: Stellar halos controlled, colour looks quite "natural". Lovely!

[Stevec35]

Thanks Marcus. A long journey but I think I eventually got there.