NGC 6188 and NGC 6164

[Paulyman]

Game of Thrones returns for its final season and winter really is coming... Apparently...

So it is only fitting that I take a look at NGC 6188, which is sometimes described as the Fighting Dragons of Ara. At middle bottom is NGC 6164, a small planetary nebula, which some like to think is a dragon egg. An absolutely beautiful part of the sky.



20 x 600s ISO 1600 (modded 1200D with 12nm Ha filter)
24 darks
32 flats
superbias of 100 frames
WO Star 71 and HEQ5 Pro



The mount guided at less than 1 arc second RMS all night and I pushed dithering to moderate every frame.



Processed in PI
Mild TGVDenoise while linear
Even milder TGVDenoise once nonlinear
HDRTransform
Local Histogram Equalization
Mild Curves

[casstony]

Very nice detail Paul. Where did you get the camera modded, or did you buy it modded?

[Paulyman]

Bought it from someone on here already modded.

[Startrek]

Beautifully image , so much fine detail
Great work !

[Paulyman]

Thanks Martin. I was blown away when the first image appeared on BYEOS and absolutely gobsmacked when I saw the drizzled image appear in PI. It is quite something at full resolution. I can’t believe how well the 12nm Ha filter does on a DSLR under a full moon. I think this is one I want to triple or quadruple the total imaging time to really get something special in those finer filamentary bits.

[Saturnine]

I'm impressed with the detail captured, who said you need an mono camera. Any thought to adding other data, O111 etc.
Gives me inspiration to try the same as I have an 12mn Ha filter and an modded 450d.

[Paulyman]

I am thinking seriously about one of the duo or triple narrowband filters. Maybe that can wait until Christmas. I was hoping to get to SPSP this year and that would have been the perfect place to nab some good quality RGB data for this but can’t make it. Hoping to get a chance to head out to Wiruna sometime this year so might wait until then. A night under truly dark skies is worth waiting for for to do it justice.

[xelasnave]

Wow Paul.
You must be very happy with that ... double the exposure time ..it always surprises me how more time ups an already good image.
If I could find it I would capture me them thar dragons as well☺
Alex

[Paulyman]

Thanks Alex. It isn’t something I would have found without seeing some images of it and looking it up.