M42 and Running Man 27.9 hours

[Paul Haese]

In November I started this project with a view to doing an image of this target that showed way more dust than I had ever shown before in previous images of this target. Added to that I wanted it to be outstanding from the norm (debatable really but a good goal) and it has to be noise free.

I have actually gathered over 50 hours of data on this image but have rejected a lot of data due to a rotation problem and due to FWHM rejection (about 10% of the data rejected).

Overall I am pretty pleased with the outcome and the goals I set, but am sure there is more that can be done. For now though here is 27.9 hours of M42 and the Running man

Click here (http://paulhaese.net/M42andrunningmandeep.html)for larger resolution image.

[Rod771]

Geez! Its a bit dusty Paul ;)

I would say the goal has been achieved, lots of faint detail revealed .

Very well done :thumbsup:

[Stevec35]

Yep - I agree. Nice work Paul! Certainly proves the point about long exposures.

Cheers

Steve

[leinad]

That is quite impressive!

The deconvolution halos are slightly distracting from the whole piece looking at the details.. other than that.. real nice. :)

Some shdw/highlight depth in the neb wisps would make this look amazing.

[MrB]

Wow.
I love the smoke-like wisps in front of M42, I don't recall ever noticing these before.
Same can be said for the folds and swirls in the upper right of M42 and between it and running man.
Awesome.

[astronobob]

Beeuuwty, Near a Dead silent image Paul :P
Very Inspiring to many for sure :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Shiraz]

:thumbsup: that is excellent Paul - top quality . regards Ray

[h0ughy]

well there is no noise, its smooth, detailed, and bl00dy unreal

[batema]

Beautiful image.

[allan gould]

You have achieved your aims superbly Paul and then some. Dust like curdled chocolate and faint wispy veils galore - a really excellent image.
Allan

[gaa_ian]

I was just having another peek at M42 tonight Paul & Sharing with my Partner, This is a great image to contrast with what we saw ! Certainly the best image I have ever seen of M42

[alpal]

Hi Paul,
That's a superb image - so deep with beautiful brown detailed dust.
What improvements could be made?
Maybe make the 4 trapezium stars could be made more easily visible?
It's hard to know when to stop processing.

well done

cheers
Allan

[leinad]

Have also just spent more time viewing on the iPad Retina,... Visually stunning looking around!

I've been swapping back and forwards with Rob Gendlers high res mosaic.
This though to the eye looks amazing, one of the best renditions I think I've ever seen. Smooth, detailed, colors, really good.
Def' APOD material.

[wellchem]

This is the reason I take astrophotos, to see the detail not visible in the eyepiece. Just stunning!!!!! Thanks for posting.

John

[multiweb]

That's a really nice M42. Very well done. :thumbsup:

[Rigel003]

Can't say enough good things about this. Nice composition in the frame, it's big, smooth, lots of fine detail and rich in colour and texture. A great achievement.

[dvj]

Exceptional image. Why? Not oversaturated in color, low noise, high dynamic range from high contrast to low contrast regions without looking forced. Doesn't get much better than this.

j

[alistairsam]

Simply stunning Paul. Theres so much to take in, beautifully processed.
The details in the structure between m42 and the RM and the top right of m42 are so crisp and clear. Amazing.

Cheers
Alistair

[Marios]

Click here (http://paulhaese.net/M42andrunningmandeep.html)for larger resolution image.[/QUOTE]
:bowdown:

[Phil Hart]

That is a very fine image Paul. Lovely smooth background, great textures and beautiful colours. I would be *very* happy with that.

Phil

[Geoff45]

Great image Paul. Lots of delicate detail. I like the colour--vibrant but not overdone. The days of the 1hour (or even 5 hour) M42 are well and truly over.
Geoff

[niko]

Ah..yeah...hello...frickin' incredible Paul

WOW...just...WOW

[graham.hobart]

showing me stuff I have never seen before-I like the velvety chocolate comment-my thoughts too. Looks like you could step out onto the dust clouds !
Totally magnificent
Great one Paul!
Graz

[Peter Ward]

Ok. Wins the Oscar for best M42 of the year. :)

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Octane]

Yep, I like this one. :)

H

[DJT]

Beautiful image Paul, quite stunning

[bluescope]

I like it .... I got my 200 newt for the first time in years last night to do some visual observing with a visiting friend from Texas and we had a look at the old Orion Nebula amongst other objects .... he was suitably impressed and would be amazed by your detailed image :thumbsup:

[tilbrook@rbe.ne]

That dust!!:eyepop:

What a beautiful image Paul!:thumbsup:
So much detail.

Cheers,

Justin.

[gregbradley]

A beautiful image Paul. Congratulations. A nice result from all the hard work you put it in.

Greg.

[atalas]

Very nice Paul.

[Phoenix]

Amazing detail Paul - well done.

Cheers
Steve

[TechnoBill]

Only 27.9 hours of Clear skies here in total for all of last year hehe.
Man you live in paradise. :eyepop:

Seriously nice Image Paul. I have only recently discovered those magnificent dust clouds in M42 and yours is the best I have seen.
Congrats

TechnoBill

[nandopg]

Paul,
I am not going to comment about the image, because everything has already been said. I am going just thanking you very much for sharing this beauty, a true master piece from the skies.

Best Regards,

Fernando

[prokyon]

I thought I am tired of all these M42 pics. But this one is a cracker! Details in the dust are fabulous! :thumbsup:

[PRejto]

Amazing, Paul. Bravo!

PS What gear did you use for this?

Peter

[Phil]

beautiful image Paul!

[John Hothersall]

The dust below RM is in 3D as it is so strong.

John.

[Irish stargazer]

Amazing :thumbsup:

[rcheshire]

27.9 hours. The hidden treasures are often those revealed only by patience and persistence - delightful.

[Paul Haese]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I am glad you all liked the image and thought it was really good. I really appreciate you taking the time to comment.



Peter I am using a Takahashi TSA102, PME, Rotator, Robofocus and QSI683 with astrodon filters.

[ehgore1978]

Excellent image this is really making up my mind on wether to go monochrome or colour ccd

[Mighty_oz]

Great shot Paul, the bar just keeps getting higher and higher. Let's us know what we can all possibly do.

Thanks Marcus

[Shano592]

Stunning image Paul.

Imagine if it had the the full 50 hours of data...

[Paul Haese]

Actually your raise an interesting point Marcus. This just shows what you can do with a little persistence and patience. I like everyone want to produce as many images as I can, but have found that just being patient I can get lots of good data to work on which makes for interesting processing and hours of fun putting together an image. Everyone can do this sort of imaging. Peter.M is using an EQ5 and imaging all night with remote imaging and producing great results. You don't need high end gear to produce really nice results. It helps having high end gear but it is not absolutely necessary. So I do hope that you do know what you can possibly do.

[johnnyt123]

I hope you dont mind me asking this irritating question but...
Can you break down the amount of L R G B Ha etc you gatehred into this spectacular image???
I need a gold standard to follow...

Thanks

John

[Paul Haese]

Hi John, you can find out that information which is under the hi res image on my website.

[Paul Haese]

I thought I might bump this thread so people can go find the full resolution image. This is the image that won the David Malin award.

[Rod771]

Congratulations Paul! Well done:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[gregbradley]

It definitely is an outstanding M42 image and well deserved. A good case for all the automation work you set up.

It must have you wondering if you should leave that scope on instead of replacing it with the FSQ now.

Its a question of Petsval quad versus a nice triplet. They give slightly different looks to the same object.

Greg.

[graham.hobart]

Congratulations Paul, thoroughly deserved!

[DJScotty]

Paul,

Inspiring image. It makes you feel as if you are there.

DJ Scotty:eyepop:

[Retrograde]

Congratulations Paul. A beautiful image and a well deserved win!

[rustigsmed]

Congratulations Paul fantastic rendition :thumbsup:

[Paul Haese]

Thank you people for the comments.



I am quite looking forward to seeing the difference Greg. The TSA is a nice scope and I am hoping the FSQ just gives me that little edge more for imaging. Time will tell and I can always go back to the mighty TSA if need be. :)

[Leonardo70]

Congrats Paul !

All the best,
Leo

[xelasnave]

Paul I have been following your work for some time and it all has been wonderful
I limit myself to comment because one would be complimenting folk all day such is the great work published in this forum
However I must say you really have done magnificent work here
To my eye I think this is the best there may be others better but if I were judging yours would get first pride
Your image has a quality I like which I can't put my finger on
I would love to do a full on print out and hang it on the wall...except I don't have a printer ..my point is I have no photos even my own that I would hang
You really did it for me
I spent years on this region 30000 individual captures so clearly the region fascinated me
Well done

[Star Catcher]

Hi Paul
Stunning is an appropriate description. Tremendous effort and dedication to the final result.
Ted

[Paul Haese]

Thanks guys. :)

[cometcatcher]

Congratulations Paul! Very well deserved.

[iceman]

Beautiful image Paul, well done on the win.
This is now IOTW (http://www.iceinspace.com.au).

[multiweb]

Proof is the pudding. Too good! Go mega-data :cool:
I reckon winning the malins with a DSO as popular and common as M42 is like winning the Tour de France with one arm tied in the back. Tall order. :thumbsup:

[astronobob]

Stunning Dust Paul !

[Phoenix]

Wonderful image Paul. Congratulations on the award - well deserved.

[g__day]

World class Paul!

[Paul Haese]

Thanks all for the comments.



Thank you Mike for this honour. :thumbsup:



Yep a tough ask for an object that David considers his favourite. I spent several days umming and ahhing to make sure I had the image the way he would like it. I collected lots of data and I ditched lots of data that I considered inferior.

I saw a lecture from him in Adelaide a year or so ago and he was talking about M42 and the way he would like to see it imaged and processed. I took note of those ideas and mentioned it at the time to a mate whom I was sitting with. Initially I had considered putting it in as a black and white image. He said in the lecture he had a strong affinity with black and white shots of this object. In the end with guidance I decided upon the colour choice. In short I did plan on doing this image to suit David's taste but as always it may or may not suit what he likes. This time I was lucky. Good data helped for sure.

[dylan_odonnell]

Absolutely jaw dropping. :O

[Paul Haese]

Thank you. That is what I was aiming for in this image. :)

[Bassnut]

Well yes, despite the yawn factor with friggen M42, this is a most excellent rendition and a pleasure to view. A new classic reference.

[Paul Haese]

LOL, yawn factor on the gas. Dust factor 10 :). Yep probably the most imaged part of the sky.

[Neil]

I don't think I have ever seen a better amateur image! Simply astounding, well done.

[Paul Haese]

Thank you very much Neil. Though I reckon you could find one or more images that are better. Rogelio has some very lovely images of this object. Perhaps a little wider field.

Thank you, though for your compliment

[ChrisM]

Congratulations Paul. A great effort!
Chris

[jjjnettie]

That's just gorgeous Paul. :)
So silky smooth. It's like chocolate. It's that good. :)

[Paul Haese]

Thanks for the comments. JJJ that gas does look a bit like chocolate. That is an interesting thought.

[aljo2345]

:eyepop:amazing!

[Paul Haese]

Thank you.

[PeterEde]

Amazing image
Congrats on the very worthy win

[kkara4]

This is one of the most insanely good images I have every seen Paul, and is the very reason that many of us are driven further to work towards getting images as good as this.

Thanks for the inspiration!

It will take me many years to get 50+ hours of data on anything, yet alone on one object!

[Elio]

A new classic reference as others say... very well done, it's a plasure for the eyes ;-)

[Ross G]

Hello Paul,

A beautiful photo!

This will be a benchmark for many upcoming M42 photos.

Congratulations on your David Malin Award...well deserved!

Ross.

[PeterEde]

Exactly. I've been on and off buying a scope for a long time. Then I saw Paul's image. I want to do that or at least attempt it.

[Paul Haese]

Thanks you Peter, Elio and Ross for the comments.




You're more than welcome. I can tell you this that others inspired me and continue to inspire me. We all have our inspirations. I hope to see this level of imaging from many others here over the coming years.

[Arkasha]

What a good effort, Paul. Well done.:thumbsup:

[John K]

G'day Paul,

Had not offered my congrats on the David M. award for this image - totally awesome stuff and totally deserved after the time you have spent perfecting your craft.

Congrats again and no doubt this will be setting the benchmark for this object for time to come.

John K.

[Paul Haese]

Thanks John and Arthur.

[loc46south]

Truely a magnificent image - an inspiration.

Cheers
Geof Wingham

[Carl]

Damn that a fine shot Paul. Brilliant as usual

Carl

[Paul Haese]

Thanks gents, that's nice of you to say.

[Amaranthus]

Paul, how did you colour calibrate? Via a standard (objective) method like G2V, or was it more of an artistic (subjective) choice?

[Paul Haese]

I did a calibration via CCDautopilot about a year ago, but ultimately this all boils down to artistic choices. I plan on doing another calibration now that I have changed over to the FSQ. Not that will change things much really.

[Amaranthus]

Thanks. One method I've found useful - at least to get close, it to calibrate against an image of the object that you admire or think looks 'right' - and then flavour to taste. I'm planning on using your image as a reference when I redo Orion at some point this summer!

[Paul Haese]

Great stuff, thanks.:)

[cometcatcher]

I'm doing Orion too at the moment but it won't be anything like this. One question though, that rusty brown nebula in the background, what sort of wavelength of light does it produce? Does it have much Ha or is it a more broadband thing? I'm trying to tease it out of my image but it needs some help, probably 100 hours of help lol.

[Paul Haese]

Kevin the dust and gas between the two main nebulae is captured mainly with a Ha filter. My subs were 30 minutes for Ha. I did the luminance at 20 minutes. Once I got enough Ha and Lum data I blended them together. During the processing I used the Ha to add extra depth to the image. From memory I did about three Layers over the data to blend in some parts after I had lightened the Ha data each time.

The dust can be imaged with lum but it is not as detailed.

[cometcatcher]

Thanks Paul, that helps. I may have to add Ha with my other full spectrum camera as the K-5 is fairly insensitive to it.

[Amaranthus]

Paul, so did you restrict your Ha data to the Lum channel, or did you also blend it with the Red for some colour influence?

[Paul Haese]

Yes Ha blending on to Lum. The colour was reasonably faint but I just enhanced that a little to get the colour of the dust like that.