Helix Nebula

[vin_ap]

Couple of clear nights and have been wanting to test the L-enhance filter on this target for a while. I am not happy with the noise that is in the dark part of the sky but this is just 5hrs worth of data and I'm continuing to image this target. It was also during a full moon night x1 , but happy with the details as far as the target is concerned.

Thanks for looking :)

Clear skies !

[Astronut07]

Caleb

Your image looks great
Just wondering what camera are you using?
I processed my data using pixinsight also

As you mentioned on my post about acquiring more data not sure what to say

I’m only new at this also maybe the more experienced members can give you more guidance

Cheers

[PKay]

A great result Caleb, well done.

When the Moon is out, there is always a lot more noise to deal with.
You can try extracting the luminance then use it as a mask.

In this way, you can reduce the background levels separately.

[Fernando]

Very nice. It is not an easy DSO to process. I had a hard time processing it for the first time. As Peter suggested, you may try to play a little with the image, trying to get the background darker. But is a beautiful Helix anyway!

[RyanJones]

Coming along nicely Caleb :)

In my experience with these filters the background can be quite noisy but the solution is quite easy.... more time. I was running out to about 10hrs with my DSLR. My new OSC seemed reasonable at 6hrs but probably not as good as it can be. It’s a matter of keeping going until you find the point you’re happy with. You’re off to a great start though.

Cheers

Ryan

[vin_ap]

Thanks all for the positive comments and suggestions. I'll definitely try them out....

Ben, I use a 183MC Pro.

Ryan, I think you're spot on, I've found the the duo band filters without enough data have more noise in the background.....my plan was to get at least 10hrs of data on this target see how that goes in the coming days.:)

[Astronut07]

Caleb

As others have stated more time needed
I had the l-enhance & found to be great filter but once l-extreme came on market I purchased & have found it to work fantastically
I have since sold l-enhance
Regardless with filter/camera combo, it should give you great results

Ben

[Robert_T]

that is a great amount of detail you have there Caleb, what scope are you using.?