Ngc 2359

[codemonkey]

'tis the season, apparently! Out of my comfort zone again with yet another nebula. I started it when the moon phase was too disagreeable for LRGB imaging so I didn't waste good dark skies on a nebula, but then I ended up using some dark nights anyway...

I got just over 31hrs of data on this one, making it my longest integration to date. I mostly used the "good" data (about 22hrs) but selectively mixed some of the small scale data from the total integration to help with noise.

Some of the OIII data was really sharp, but I also got some horrible data as well. Some shot under favourable moon phases, some not. Some shot through thin cloud, some not. All up a mixed bag.

I had planned on getting RGB stars for it, but I'm not actually that offended by the NB stars so I don't think I'll bother.

Small version with capture details here (https://www.astrobin.com/d7oal9)
Large version here (https://www.astrobin.com/full/d7oal9/)
Full version here (https://www.astrobin.com/full/d7oal9)

[cometcatcher]

That's remarkable Lee! Bicolour? How is the 183mm Pro working out for you?

[codemonkey]

Thanks Kevin! :-)

Yep, 'tis a bicolour; I don't have SII at the moment and to be honest I'm not in a real hurry to get it.

I'm liking the 183 Pro, very happy with the purchase. The bigger sensor size give me some more options and the banding isn't as bad on the 178 at high gain which makes it a better choice for narrowband imaging.

[strongmanmike]

Very nice shot that Lee, maybe just a tad too much noise reduction in the dark areas but overall, eeeexcellent! the finer details in places is amazing and a rather 3D feel in places too :thumbsup:

Mike

[Andy01]

Looks great Lee! :)
Just the pedant in me really wants to see those RGB stars though!
Nice job :thumbsup:

[multiweb]

Very smooth. :thumbsup:

[gregbradley]

That's a lovely image.

Greg.

[Nikolas]

Love it

[codemonkey]

Thanks Mike! You're right, as usual ;-) I've reprocessed it now with less noise reduction. I think I need you to do QA on my images before general release :p



Thanks Andy :-) I may yet get some RGB stars, I'm not sure... certainly won't be for a while, given the weather lately.



Thanks Marc :-)



Thanks Greg!



Thanks Nikolas :-)

[strongmanmike]

That's a really excellent Helmet Lee!... but I recon if you were to grab some RGB stars and use them to get rid of those red stars that are currently overwhelming the image a little, this would be one of the finest amateur Helmets out there...(trust me) ;) :thumbsup:

Mike

[codemonkey]

Thanks again Mike :-)

I've reduced the halo on the biggest offender (see Astrobin) which I think is an improvement. No-can-do on the RGB stars for the foreseeable future... we're getting drenched over here.

[strongmanmike]

Indeed that looks better :thumbsup: The red looks good in the nebula but just not in the stars so much, if you can get some more colour variation into those, it will look even better still, anyway, love it :thumbsup:

Mike

[Geoff45]

The red-green contrast of the horns and the helmet really make the picture pop. Great one Lee

[Paul Haese]

That is a cracking image even at full resolution Lee. Adding some RGB will only enhance an already impressive image.

[codemonkey]

Cheers mate... I'll see if I can be bothered with RGB stars when we finally get some clear skies here again.



Thanks Geoff :-) Probably not a great colour combo for people with certain types of colour blindness I guess.



Thanks very much Paul :-)

[Peter Ward]

Super smooth yet the fine details are still there

Superb handing of the highlights and shadows

Eye pleasing palette.

What's not to like? I really like this one. Well done :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[codemonkey]

Thanks Peter :-)

I reprocessed this one again, hopefully for the last time (see Astrobin (https://www.astrobin.com/full/d7oal9/D/)). This time I used the same H/O data but blended it differently to create "synthetic RGB" stars. I had intended to just blend the colour from the "synthetic RGB stars" with the previous image, but couldn't get it to blend in a way I was happy with, so I reprocessed it. I'm not intending to get real RGB stars now.

[peter_4059]

Top stuff Lee. Thanks for the view.

[PRejto]

Congratulations on a great image. I really like your "final" version! One of the best of this subject I've seen.

Peter

[codemonkey]

Thanks very much Peter and Peter, I appreciate the kind words :-)

[Placidus]

Best Thor ever. It's not over-deconvolved. It's not over-sharpened. It's just bursting with actual fine detail. And very deep too.

[topheart]

Wow!
I agree with M+T.
Cheers,
Tim

[codemonkey]

I don't know about that guys, I think you're being too kind, but I do appreciate it :-) I'm reasonably happy with it, but it's a popular target and there's a lot of good versions out there.

[strongmanmike]

Oh no, it's definitely up there mate :thumbsup:

Mike

[codemonkey]

Thanks Mike :-)