The Sagittarius Trio

[strongmanmike]

Been wanting to hit these three beauties for ever... and I finally got the chance last week :party:

A classic grouping of bright nebulae in Sagittarius made up of the famous Lagoon Nebula (M8), the Trifid Nebula (M20) and the slightly fainter but no less beautiful, NGC 6559/IC1274 group, along with some threads of faint emission nebula spread around here and there. The golden star fields of the Milky Way complete the scene.

This is a LHaOIIIRGB broadband+narrowband hybrid image, processed as a true colour image and the near 7hrs of data was all collected in one night, of beautifully transparent skies.

I used no deconvolution and only a small amount of sharpening in the bright areas of the main nebulae and no noise reduction or gradient removal was used, pretty easy imaging. The bad news was, that I forgot my wallet, so no usual beers were purchased on the drive out to the observatory, nor any Macca's on the way home in the morning :sad: DOH!

Sagittarius Trio (https://www.flickr.com/photos/strongman/50150688263/in/dateposted/) (click on image and use your cursor to pan around)

Full frame full resolution version is HERE (https://pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/170902758/original)

Hope you like it :)

Mike

[Camissa]

Wow. A lot of depth and the field of view ... Beautiful image.

Ecki

[Ryderscope]

Again we are tempted to look at an FSQ106 following another stunning wide field image from Mike :D

[Andy01]

Beautiful Mike - these's been a few images of this recently and this one deserves to be on the podium too, probably on the top step! :D
(Sigh) I dream of dark skies - picnics, getting out anywhere really ...:sadeyes:
Well done! :thumbsup:

[graham.hobart]

gorgeous colours and depth

[marc4darkskies]

Very nice Mike! :thumbsup: It's hard to walk past the splendors of a good wide field shot! :thumbsup:

The colours look great but you seem to have posterized some blues - especially within 6559.

BTW, you need to find a nice block of land under dark skies and build a house so you can just walk to your observatory!

[cometcatcher]

I can almost taste them.

[strongmanmike]

Thanks a lot Ecki



It really is a fabulous scope and camera combo, I feel very lucky and fortunate Rod



Thanks Andy...I looked buuuut, nup try as I might, I couldn't warm to it turned upside down ala Van Gough ;)



Thanks Graham :thumbsup:



Indeed I do...we still haven't pulled the switch...procrastination is rampant...:rolleyes:

Yes, I saw the slight posterisation of the teal/blues in a couple of places late last night (actually early this morning :rolleyes:) and went Doh! :scared:...oh man, sheesh...and given I was so far down the processing track, weighed it up and thought that must have happened in the OIII blend stage :question: and I didn't play close enough attention :doh:...but it's pretty minor really (annoying to a perfectionist I guess :question:)...I'll fix it later :lol: if you look at the image at 67% in your browser I recon you would be hard pressed to notice it ;)

Mike

[strongmanmike]

What?..the missed brews or the missed Macca's :lol:

Mike

[marc4darkskies]

Haha, you should see some of the doozies I make!! :lol: Fortunately, not too many slip through to publishing because I spend days processing and going over each iteration with a fine tooth comb! As a complete processing nerd I get a lot of enjoyment & satisfaction out of the processing journey! Lately though it's been harder because I've had to re-learn some of the processing tricks I'd forgotten during my hiatus.

[Atmos]

Very nice Mike! This duo has been on my imaging list for a few months but alas, being in lockdown, unable to achieve! I’ve attempted it under Bortle 7 skies but it’s bleh.

It’s a field that definitely benefits with the Ha and OIII addition for that added depth.

[gregbradley]

Stunning resolution showing again how powerful the FSQ and Proline16803 are.

Great colour overall but the golden stars look to my eye at least, like they have a tad too much green in them?

I did notice that one little bit of blue on the foot of the Lagoon but as you say its pretty minor.

7 hours in one night, wow that was productive. Do you stay up all night or go to bed in your observatory?

Greg.

[strongmanmike]

Thanks Col, straight RGB or LRGB can look good though, all variations on the same theme in the end, there are some variations out there on this field, that's for sure :thumbsup:



Yes, long winter nights are great and had the Moon not risen I would likely have collected more. I think my record, including a manual meridian flip and reaquisition and manual plate solve, no imaging script and manual electronic focusing by eye, for a single night, is over 8hrs on the same field :question:

Re the hard edges in the blue in a couple of tiny places, I've gone back in an attempt to repair the two areas but I can't work out how to do it without seeing the repair :eyepop: :bashcomp: :lol:.... funny how we have got to a point where in such a vast field full of so much, we even notice this kind of, what?..less than maybe 0.01% of the image area? :shrug: like the mother in law who wipes her finger on the only dusty surface in the house when she arrives and looks at yer wife :lol:

I saw the very slight green you mention and I know it sounds strange but looking at it on my two different monitors last night and again this morning, when I reduce it I don't like the overall look of the star field...go figure..|I probably need :help: :lol:

Mike

[gregbradley]

Yeah I wouldn't worry about the blue. The golden stars look great by the way. Sometimes processing is a fickle thing. But FSQs do have a very slight green bias and it comes from the internal paint in the tube.

Greg.

[Retrograde]

So beautiful. :eyepop:

[strongmanmike]

Indeed Pete, hence why so many people hit these bits this time of year :)

Mike

[strongmanmike]

Hmm? dunno bout the internal paint thing :question: really? you recon? I haven't noticed that, just a processing decision I think (and my weird eyes :P)..? :shrug:

Mike

[cazza132]

Amazing image! Loads of detail. You have one with the pastel pink hydrogen! I remember a discussion about that a few years ago. So, hydrogen fluorescence involves about 75% Ha +25% Hb - (planetary nebulae have less Hb from what I can gather). So, yes - the pink. What about the blue skirt! OIII would be the culprit there. Good to see the new refractor setup working well.
Damn, forgetting drinks! - I cannot do astro without drinks! It would have been a long night mate!

[cazza132]

I do agree. Stars a tad green heavy. It is a golden region of the Milky Way though. Nothing wrong with detail - esp with so little post work. the one of the best images I have seen of this region - all the foot and the triffid.:eyepop::thumbsup:

[strongmanmike]

Thanks Troy :thumbsup:

Ah yes, the Pink/magenta/red controversy :lol:...meah, all interchangeable :)

Having a slight green/cyan trace in the Milky Way star fields...like leaving a touch of magenta in narrow band stars :question: something about the look but not for everyone.

Cheers

Mike

[Placidus]

A stunningly beautiful photo.


Mike you're giving us a whole new way of looking at nebulae in natural colour, where you use the general milky way star fields as a beautiful golden sandy background, making it both look pretty (not just more raw liver and lavender) and adding astrophysical meaning by showing those hyper-abundant quiet stable long-lived stars. That approach makes adding in the NB data natural and easy and pleasing to the eye. Brilliant.


We both made many "wow" and "yum" noises.

[strongmanmike]

Very philosophical thanks very much Ladies and Bruces (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtgKkifJ0Pw) :) :drink:

[RobF]

Wow, well that's moderately amazing Mike.
Oh OK, amazingly amazing! :) :thumbsup:

[Paul Haese]

Nice image Mike. Composition, detail and colours are great. I concur with the golden stars, maybe a tad over really, but that is infinitely better than not showing them at all.

[strongmanmike]

Cheers Rob and Paul :thumbsup:

In response to the processing feedback, I've had a play with the image but didn't come up with anything more satisfactory, so, I have left it for now :)

Mike

[gregbradley]

I don't know if you use Photoshop but:

Selective colours/yellow/reduce cyan to nothing makes the colour more golden.

Further improved by: Saturation/yellow/move tint slider towards the blue a bit.

It seemed to only change those golden stars and nothing else.

Greg.

[strongmanmike]

Thanks for the suggestions but sounds pretty much like what I tried....:shrug: slight adjustments like that are really just going to change how the image looks on some monitors/tablet/phone screens and not others, some for the better some for the worse, we all think our monitor is the best :lol: and as I said, I have weird eyes :nerd:

Mike

[topheart]

Well done Mike!
I have enjoyed the interesting colour discussions.
A beautiful composition.
Cheers,
Tim

[tornado33]

I love how its so deep it makes the Lagoon look like a giant foot, with the Lagoon as the heel. Great colours too

[rustigsmed]

great shot of a classic combo mike

[strongmanmike]

Thanks Timmbo, Like the Rho region in Scorpius, it was a must do for sure :)



Thanks Scotty :thumbsup:



Indeed, Russ, the last time I captured the scene was back in about 1986 with a Pentax 6X7 and 300mm F4 lens on B&W film. Unfortunately I don't have the result to make a comparison but suffice to say, there is a biiiiiiiiiiiig difference :lol:...for starters, in comparison, the stars in the film shot looked more like over exposed planets ie they were more like white discs, not points :lol:

Mike

[strongmanmike]

A cold wet Sunday :cold::cloudy:... so...I've removed the posturisation of the blues that was evident in a couple of small areas, reduced the slight green cast in the star fields, reduced the noise (using lighten mode blending of the RGB, not noise filter/reduction) in the dark lanes and improved the general colour variation across the scene :thumbsup:

Same links as in the original post :thumbsup:

Mike

[gregbradley]

Very nicely done. Turned an excellent image to a superb image.

Its such a rich tapestry of colour and detail.

Greg.

[strongmanmike]

Thanks a lot Greg :thumbsup:....there are so many other classic fields in the vicinity that suit the 4degX4deg square field too, not enough time :rolleyes::sadeyes:

Sigh..the problems we have to endure :lol:

Mike

[John K]

Well done Mike,

Looks like you are getting some amazing imaged with your TAK refractor!

John K.

[TrevorW]

Holy crap Strongman, kapow :)

[strongmanmike]

Thanks a lot John and Trevor :thumbsup: Yes, the FSQ106EDX4 is a masterpiece of imaging glass, eats up the tiny 37mm X 37mm, 16803 chip with ease :)

Mike

[multiweb]

Wasn't too keen on the original rendition but I like the repro better. :thumbsup: Something funky still going on in M20 blue reflection neb though. Looks like the red channel has been adducted by aliens. :ship2:

[codemonkey]

Nice one Mike; me likes.

[strongmanmike]

Hey, I'm ok with funky :face: Its funny, I wrote an article for Sky and Space magazine, a few years ago, in conjunction with David Malin, about the colours of the Trifid Nebula.... and my understanding is that the nebulosity around the magenta/pink central Trifid, is indeed a slight teal colour....and given my inclusion of some OIII, I may have showcased this a little more than other Trifid shots but..oh well :P..Overall I was very happy with the out come, I can now put this classic field in the, done that basket :thumbsup::thumbsup::)..The decision now is, what to do next while the Milky Way is passing over head through the night :question:



Cool, I'm glad to hear it Lee :)

Mike

[Bart]

This is very nice. I like wide field shots of this area, a wonderful mix of colours and shapes!

[strongmanmike]

Cheers, yeah, its a real Mr Squiggle starting point :P

Mike

[alpal]

Hi Mike,
that is an award winning photo.
I only wish the whole sky was imaged like that.


cheers
Allan

[strongmanmike]

Thanks Al :thumbsup:...it would take a while...John Gleason is having a crack at it from Coona but just in Ha ;)

Mike

[alpal]

Hi Mike,
I don't think it will ever happen as it's too much work
even on a small section such as yours -
at least not with all those filters combined.

The nearest I have is WorldWide Telescope on my computer
http://worldwidetelescope.org/download/
and the result is not even 1% of your picture.

cheers
Allan

[Benjamin]

I’ll just add to the chorus of “Wows!”. Of course a chorus isn’t a very Covid friendly turn of phrase these days so may an impossibly giant “Zoom meeting” of wows :-)

[strongmanmike]

Cheers Al, must check that site out :confuse3:



Thanks Ben, yes singing can be a big spreader of SARS-CoV-2 :eyepop:..bad idea to be near me after a couple of IPA's..as Opera is probably the worst for this! :lol:

Mike