Where Eagles Dare...

[Andy01]

My take on the M16 - Eagle Nebula in Serpens.

As this is such a popular target, I had to bring something different to it, so it's been not so subtly Andyfied, proudly lit up like a gaudy neon sign in Vegas!

12 hrs Tricolour narrowband image.
20min subs, about 4 hrs of each with RGB stars.

Needs a bit more data in the O3 & S2 but the clouds rolled in at 2.00am and I havn't published an image for ages, so here it is anyway!

Taken from my suburban Melbourne, Australia Backyard.

Thanks for looking, feedback, discussion & tips always welcome.

High res here -
http://www.astrobin.com/186483/ Dean Martin "Smooth" version
http://www.astrobin.com/186483/B/ AC/DC "Noisy" version

(Please feel free to "like" my Facebook page as well https://www.facebook.com/AndysAstropix)

[multiweb]

Love the palette. I like greens. :thumbsup: You might want to back down just a tad on the noise reduction. I think a lot more data will come through this way.

[Andy01]

Yeah thanks for that Marc - I've just posted the version without the NR as well. Cheers Andy

[DJScotty]

This is what I like about this "hobby" (obsession)...
It is a very technical yet also artistic pursuit.

There are right and wrong ways to collect the data, and then comes the fun bit - the aesthetic processing.

There is no right or wrong way to colour an image. Some ways look better than others, but it all comes down to personal taste.

Nice shot Andy!

[traveller]

Very nicely "Andyfied"!

[jenchris]

It's images like this that make me feel like throwing in the towel.
I'm so far behind the eight ball that I'm no longer on the pool table or even in the hall.

[gregbradley]

Awesome image there Andy. Very 3D.

Greg.

[Slawomir]

Awesome detail and really nice colours, well done Andy :thumbsup:

Personally I would not apply star reduction, at least not as much- I prefer not having dark rings around stars, but that is just me :)

[niharika]

:D Green never looked this good mate

[Andy01]

Yep, Scotty you nailed it! It's all very subjective - and it's an obsession you're quite right! Thanks for the thumbs up mate :)



Onya Bo - cheers :thumbsup:



Not quite sure how to respond Jen - but it was only two years ago that I felt exactly the same - hang in there, ask lot of questions here and the very nice folks on IIS are a wonderful helpful bunch that selflessly want to help one another get better images. Let's not forget how bloody hard this stuff is to do - but it's very rewarding when it all comes together :)




Cheers Greg, appreciate the sentiment :)



Yeah fair call Slawomir - I was probably a bit lazy with the star processing - I'll have another crack soon. Mind you, given it's from the LP backyard ...



Ha, Cheers Raki - yes no Palmolive here, :lol:

[strongmanmike]

I like the overall look and colour Andy, quite striking in fact :thumbsup:...hmmm?..but the processing is pretty rough when it is enlarged :scared:...so just don't enlarge it Mike?....:question: :lol:

Mike

[rustigsmed]

nice work Andy, love the field and also the colour.

Rusty

[RickS]

Unusual and interesting colouring, Andy.

[Andy01]

Thanks Mike, you're right of course, no amount of processing for funky colours will compensate for lack of data - but I had to give it a red hot go anyway!
Stay tuned for the new improved version with added S2O3 for image health :)



Cheers Rusty- appreciate the feedback :)


Thanks Rick - seems that green is the new pink right now...

[Placidus]

Hi, Andy,

I really like the faint outer reaches that you've captured, most especially say the top right quarter of the photo - an Eagle's wing, I suspect.

And congratulations on the honest Hubble Palette colouring. We'll keep the green flag flying here!

Looking forward to the next installment.

Best,
Mike

[SpaceNoob]

Good field Andy, more data will help a lot but don't get too caught up on excessive amounts, just keep the good stuff. I've found that OIII really gets smashed around by the current fog and smokey conditions present this time of year and it can be a bit of a nightmare regardless of filter bandwidth.

Also, I like the colours and use of RGB stars. RGB stars is something I need to figure out next lol....

[Andy01]

Ha! Thanks Mike, I think this one lent itself to those tones. I'll see what happens with my wip of M17 when the skies here eventually clear again.



Thanks mate, appreciate the feedback :)

Fwiw, my technique for RGB stars is to remove the NB stars using Straton.http://www.zipproth.com/Straton/
I usually capture 5x60 sec ea. R/G/B for the stars with no LP filter in place.
Then stack and stretch these to make an RGB layer in PS which sits on top of the starless NB layers in screen mode, giving you total control over the stars. Others may do it differently, but this seems to work ok for me.

[Rex]

Nice going Andy, AC/DC looks good to me. I don't mind the colours actually, very vibrant and a nice change to an often imaged object.