VDB69 et al

[markas]

This remarkably coloured star forming region lies in Monoceros about 2700 ly distant.

The bluish reflection nebula just above the orange patch is VDB69. Other designated objects in the assembly are VDB67 (NGC2170), VDB68, VDB72 (NGC2182), LBN999 (the ionised Hydrogen patch)

The surrounds are obviously very dusty.

Field of view here is about 90' X 70'; The image is RGB, 6 hours total exposure time. A synthetic L channel was constructed from all subs in lieu of separate L due to time restrictions.

ASA10N at f/3.6; Moravian G3-16200; DDM85A unguided.

Mark

[PKay]

Unreal Mate!

Great colour and Great effort!

[strongmanmike]

Yeah that's great Mark lovely colours.. and unguided too, nice..and a relative quicky too! :eyepop:...big fast scope's are pretty useful huh? ;)

Mike

[joelshort]

Excellent color and processing. What was your total exposure time?

[gregbradley]

That looks fantastic. I like the diffraction spikes on the sprinkling of bright stars.

A great result.

Greg.

[Paul Haese]

It is a beautiful region of the sky. Lovely colours and detail Mark. Well done.

[markas]

Thanks Peter, Mike and Joel.

Mike, with the weather we've been getting here there's a real need for speed!

Joel, total is 6 hours. Because of the short time available I went for RGB data only, and used it all for a synthetic L channel.

Mark

[markas]

Thanks Paul and Greg.

It is a great field, but it doesn't really get enough attention! Individual sub-frames show virtually no nebulosity at all, so maybe that's why?

Mark

[RickS]

One of my favourite objects. Well done, Mark!

[Atmos]

I don't believe that it is one that I've seen or heard of before but it has some quite interesting nebulosity.
Was this taken from light polluted Melbourne?

[joelshort]

Don't you just love the G3-16200? I've had mind for around 2 years and love it.

I would be thrilled with that image. I do think it would benefit from a little more exposure time to help with the noise. From my skies, I figure I need at least 10 hours with my scope and the G3-16200.

[markas]

Rick and Colin,

Thanks for the comments.

Colin, the image was shot from the north side of Mt Macedon near Hanging Rock. On a good night sky conditions are pretty close to the Heathcote dark site.

The nebulosity is pretty faint - I'm not sure how it would come through from Melbourne!

Mark

[markas]

Joel,

Yes, the G3-16200 is a very nice camera!

Regarding noise - it is of course a complex issue, but when comparing signal/noise ratios of different image trains, a good first order guide is that, assuming subframes are sky noise limited, and quantum efficiencies are similar, S/N varies as (pixel size)/f-ratio. There are other factors in the exact equation, but the dominant factor is this ratio.

That would indicate that for your f/8 set-up you would require 8/3.6 times the total exposure that my f/3.6 set-up requires for the same overall S/N in identical shooting conditions.

So my 6 hours would translate to ~13 hours on yours.

As I said, it's just a rough rule of thumb. And remember doubling the exposure time on a given system only improves S/N by 1.4 times.

Mark

[Ross G]

What a beautiful object Mark and your photo shows it so well.

Sharp and detailed with great colours.

Nice composition as well.

Love it!

Ross.

[markas]

Thanks, Ross - it is a very nice target!

Mark

[topheart]

OUTstanding Mark!
Cheers,
Tim

[markas]

Thanks, Tim

Mark

[Jeff]

Lots happening in that part of the sky!
Also, I admire the processing work - good job.

[markas]

Thanks Jeff - it is a busy bit of sky, but not all that bright!

Mark

[multiweb]

Beautifuly done. That's the Rho of Orion. That stuff is very colorful yet quite faint. Cool shot. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[markas]

Thanks Marc.

This formation is actually in Monoceros, very close to the border with Orion but quite far from Rho Orionis. In any case you're right about the faintness!

Mark

[atalas]

One of my favorites Mark:thumbsup:well done.

[markas]

Thanks Louie

Mark