Rcw68-69

[jase]

Hi All,

A rather interesting object pairing of an emission nebula and a bipolar planetary nebula. Struggled to find amateur references/images on the web to either object which I find a little surprising. The planetary nebula certainly deserves more attention but the emission neb is faint so lesser known. When the blue filtered data came in and I could see a faint shape so thought I'd follow up acquiring OIII data of the area. All references I had were Ha related. Anyway, I think it turned out ok.

Here's my rendition of RCW68-69 (http://cosmicphotos.com/gallery/image.php?fld_image_id=281&fld_album_id=11)

Processed in CCDStack, MaximDL and Photoshop. Wrestled with the image due to acquiring some RGB filtered subs while the moon was up. Image is a little tardy for my tastes with gradient removal having an impact. The OIII data was added with a clipping mask using the planetary itself as the mask. Usual Ha+R blend applied with stars brought back using lighten mode. no sharpening, no noise reduction, all natural with blemishes. Enjoy it for what its worth! :D

Thanks for checking it out!

[strongmanmike]

Hey, I like this one Jase, fairly minimalist field really but a nice contrast in features...how many more RCW's you got on the boil then..?

Mike

[rustigsmed]

really nice work Jase, good to see more of this catalogue and done well!

Russ

[jase]

Cheers Mike. Something different from the hidi-ho mainstream. I've got two more RCW's on the boil but need more data on them as the RGB is sketchy. One is getting rather low in the west so may just cut my losses and wait for next season. May go for something mainstream for a bit of fun soon!



Thanks Russ. The RCW catalog certainly has some obscure stuff. Was created back in the '60s based on survey work at Mount Stromlo. 182 objects so plenty of opportunities to hit them. Pleased you liked the image.

[gregbradley]

Nice work Jase. That planetary Nebula is very pretty. It could make a nice target for a high focal length setup. What NGC is that do you know?

Greg.

[jase]

Pleased you enjoyed it Greg. :) Thanks for the comment. Image RCW69 quick...before Don Goldman beats you to it with his 20" planewave. He's the most prolific southern planetary nebula imager around at the moment. NGC designation? No chance. This is obscure stuff man. Obscure rarely comes with a NGC label. How about Gum45 as it is also known as? Still not good? RA 12:44:30 / DEC -62:34:00 should land it on your chip. You may need to hunt for an OAG guide star but being in a rich part of the sky near the coal sack shouldn't be an issue.

[gregbradley]

Thanks Jase.

Greg.

[RickS]

Very cool field, Jase, yet again :thumbsup:

[Leonardo70]

Wonderful are and image. Congrats.

All the best,
Leo

[SkyViking]

Superb image Jase, always nice to see these little known fields and the processing is excellent as usual. :thumbsup:

[Ross G]

A beautiful looking photo Jason.

I love the detail and tones.

and...thanks again...another new object for me!

Ross.

[multiweb]

Cool stuff Jase. Good to see you back into it. :thumbsup:

[Paul Haese]

That little sucker is an interesting target. Nice shot Jase.

[jase]

Thanks Rick! :) Object pairings always add some dimension to an image, especially when they contrast each other as these do.



Cheers Leo. Pleased you liked it. :)



Thanks Rolf. :thumbsup: I was surprised how much brighter the PN RCW69 is to the uber faint HII of RCW68. This is clearly evident in the raw subs, so I wanted to ensure I maintained this distinction throughout the processing.



Cheers Ross. :) As you can attest, the dark skies of Coona are great for hunting down these targets.



Thanks Marc! :) Yes, its good to be back imaging again. Still have a few more equipment hurdles to overcome but I'm getting close.



Cheers Paul! Certainly one to follow up with at a longer focal length. Thanks for checking it out. :)

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Thanks again all. Appreciated :D

[Stevec35]

Ripper shot Jase! I love the contrast between the emission nebula and planetary.

Cheers

Steve

[jase]

Thanks Steve. :) It sure is an interesting field.