Ngc 3576

[Benjamin]

It's been quite a while between gaps in the clouds in Brisbane (at least for me). Of the 2 clears nights I could only image on one so got a measly 2 hours on NGC 3576 (Ha and OIII). Not sure when the skies will clear again so thought I'd have a go at the data with aim of processing only in PixInsight. Had a lot of fun playing with colour masks and curves to tweak the various hues using a simple HOO colour palette as a base. Comments on improvements, better strategies etc. always welcome.

https://www.astrobin.com/full/2j69vo/0/

8" F4 CF Newtonian
ASI1600MM-Pro (gain 200 -10deg)
EQ6-R
20x180s in both Ha 5nm and OIII 3nm

[codemonkey]

As I said on Facebook, you've done a great job on this one with limited data, Ben. The range of colours given just HOO is very impressive. The rough process I had at mine looks decidedly monochromatic in comparison... gonna have to up my game!

[Andy01]

As mentioned on AB- That’s a bold and brassy colour palette Ben, and it looks great! Very good start on this one, well done 😊

[Benjamin]

Thanks Lee and Andy (here and elsewhere). I’m really not used to colour manipulation in PI so was a bit of an experiment. Found if I colour balanced the mostly red HOO image (after some background neutralizing) I got some green/blue coming through and then with colour masks applied I could get my reds brassy and move the blues away from the green. Oh and I’m now convinced it’s the Princess Leia Nebula!

[Atmos]

For a limited 2 hours it’s come out brilliantly! Definitely one for the cool wall :thumbsup:

[gregbradley]

A stunning image Ben. I am a bit gobsmacked. 2 hours and such detail. Fabulous!

Greg.

[strongmanmike]

Really nice and different result Ben...and yes indeed, I see princess Leia in there, with her hand up :fight: :thumbsup:

Mike

[Benjamin]

Thanks Collin, Greg and Mike. I’m assuming this particular object is really quite bright? I always have intentions of pursuing hours of data but summer has been so terrible. A good chance on this though to see if I can up the time, although it rides just above my Southern roof line. Managed to get an extra couple of hours on SH2-308 but it has now moved into a zone where the max I can get is 2 hours a night :-( A multi year project I guess.

[Geoff45]

Lovely result Ben. I really like the colour choice. Everything seems to have worked in this pic. Framing, focusing and nice tight stars

[gregbradley]

Reasonably bright but the loops aren't that bright.

To get a better idea of how good your image is, check this version out. 28 hours with a 12 inch astrograph and a full frame sensor and its not as bright or sharp as yours:

https://www.astrobin.com/full/6fh7p0/C/

What's your secret? Telescope voodoo dolls???

Greg

[Benjamin]

Ha, I think Astro Anarchy sell them (or at least could order them in)....

I’m thinking maybe it was a good still night? A Feb 29th, once in 4 years special :-)

Also thanks Geoff for the nice comment on colour framing etc. More than a few nods to some amazing Astrobin examples.

[multiweb]

Up to your usual very high standard Ben. Superb. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Benjamin]

Thanks Marc :-) Another learning curve for me with processing colour although I have the mantra “more data, less processing” ringing in my ears.

[Placidus]

That's an astounding result, especially given the aperture and time.

Nicely processed too.

[RyanJones]

What an awesome image Ben !

You’ve inspired me to give it a crack. I’ve been contemplating which setup to use though. I have an 8” f/4 also but I’m using an a APSc sensor as opposed to your 4/3. Sky Safari doesn’t give me a representation of the object to judge image scale but the boxes it does show suggest that I could fit in with my C9.25 with 0.63 reducer. I guess the simple question I guess is is this image cropped at all ?

Congrats on a great image!

[brisen]

This website is really useful for comparing systems on a target. Just select imaging mode and select scope and camera from the list and put the target name in - select it from the drop down that opens with the target name.

https://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/

Also works for visual as well.

Brian

[Benjamin]

Thanks Mike n Trish and Ryan. Yes the image is a little cropped around the edges (more at the sides than top and bottom). Initially cropped to remove stacking artifacts then to get rid of some distorted stars (collimation was a little off perhaps or the the chip was a little close to the sensor - need to add a shim I think). Not a whole lot was trimmed though. Maybe 10-15%?

[RyanJones]

Thank you for the tips guys.

I ended up running it though astronomy.net. Looks like if I just want the statue then I could use the C9.25 but to get a decent frame like yours ( although a bit larger ) the f/4 is the way to go. Just hope I can achieve something like yours :)

Cheers

[Paul Haese]

That's pin sharp Ben. Colour is interesting but generally pleasing. I think the palette suits this object well, not sure if that would work with other objects but it does with this one.


Nicely done!

[FlashDrive]

:eyepop: ...WOW ....Beautiful !!

[Benjamin]

Thanks for comments Col and Paul. Yeah, I think an extended link to Eta Carina with this colour palette might prove a bit icky....

[topheart]

I love it!!

:)


Cheers,
Tim

[Retrograde]

Very nice image Ben! :thumbsup:

[Benjamin]

Cheers Pete and Tim. Looks like this next weekend might see this image develop a little more...

[alan meehan]

Ben that is so nice well done

[Benjamin]

Thanks Alan. Finally clear skies in Brisbane for a few nights so might be able to add some significant data.

[codemonkey]

Awesome, Ben, looking forward to the final product!

I probably should have invested a lot more time in mine too, but I've decided to try and go deep on a rarely imaged galaxy instead.

[Benjamin]

Up to 13 hours now. 6.5 hours of Ha and (tonight) 6.5 hours of OIII. Not all great as some issues related to collimation/tilt/coma at the edges but should have something useful in the centre. Hopefully another clear night tomorrow to add SII and then some RGB stars

[Nikolas]

Looks great Ben love the glowing cores

[Benjamin]

Thanks Nik. Have now significantly updated the original. See here: https://www.astrobin.com/full/xigo5z/D/
The initial updated version had stars that were the result of the luminance layer being applied to a starless image, whereas the latest version has RGB stars blended with them. It makes the image a bit busier... Still a proper SHO version to do although I’m now pretty happy the image as it is, although comments and ideas welcome as always.