Sh2-9

[Andy01]

Sh2-9, also called Gum 65 by itself is a rarely imaged combination emission and reflection nebula in the Scorpius constellation, surrounding the multiple star system Sigma Scorpii. The nebula is northeast of the globular cluster, Messier 4, included here for context.

Always a tricky challenge to image this under my suburban Bortle 6/7 skies, I'm quite pleased with the outcome as I used a few of Marcus' tips including shooting a few hrs of LUM. The complimentary colours of cool Al-Niyat and warm M4 seem to balance one another nicely and the star definition in M4 itself is remarkable.

At long last, the big Tak has it's spacing perfect now, so I finally have round stars in all four corners. :D
Astrobin Version (https://www.astrobin.com/full/kkec95/C/)

I've ordered a new TOA-35 reducer to give me a wider FOV, so when that arrives, I'll be able to frame some of these larger objects with a bit more "space" to allow more breathing room.

[strongmanmike]

Very nice work from suburbia there Andy, easier than travelling out to a dark sky (..not as much fun though :campfire::stargaze: :drink: ;) ). Composition probably does look a little bit tight :question: so the reducer would'a fixed that here but still, a cool pairing, M4 looks very..?..M4'ish :), well done, an enjoyable image :thumbsup:

Mike

[Andy01]

Thanks Mike, sadly both my last two trips to dark skies were clouded/rained out, so not as much fun as I hoped! (Aside from the :drink::drink:;)
However, until a remote obsy one day presents itself, I remain a long standing member of the suburban LP imaging club! :lol:

[RichardJ]

Beautiful image Andy. :thumbsup:
I also belong to that club.😉

RichardJ

[PKay]

Looking at a wider field GUM 65, it reveals in the shape of a heart.

I guess adding Ha to the red channel helps to increase detail and add depth, as would the Lum?

Noice work Andy :thumbsup:

[Robert_T]

It's a powerful and highly contrasting combination of objects and features Andy. Looking at the Astrobin version is a treat. What FL will the new reducer give you? And also intrigued as to the benefit of and how you used the Lum?

[Ryderscope]

Well done Andy. I can see that a lot of thought has gone into the composition and layout of the field. The Gum and Sharpless catalogues do make for a great shopping list of objects.

[multiweb]

That cluster is very nice. You can see the central bar of stars. Nicely resolved. :thumbsup:

[mswhin63]

Very nice Andy tried to image this combination as well, but a DSLR does not cut it. Still, I may try again. Maybe need to filter mod my camera.

[marc4darkskies]

All hail the natural colour palette!! :cool: :thumbsup:

Lovely image Andy! :thumbsup: The composition is perfect! The Force is with you! :fight:

[Andy01]

Thanks Richard, it's by no means exclusive! :lol: Makes processing interesting though that's for sure! :D



Thanks Peter, Yes indeed - Ha reveals detail and gases present that would be otherwise near invisible, and the Lum helps smooths out the noise and picks up more of the fine dusty stuff.



Cheers Robert, the new reducer will be f5.4 @ 700mmFL. Lum helps me a lot when shooting under LP - seems to smooth out the noise, boost the overall signal and pick up feint dust. I shoot lots of short subs and then deal with the gradients in post. :thumbsup:



Thanks Rodney - as you know, I'm always on the lookout for something new or overlooked. I recall seeing a post of this field a while back, guess it lodged in my memory bank. :)



Thanks Marc, I was mindful of focusing very carefully, and dumped out any imperfect subs - that said, I'm a tad surprised and delighted with the resolution shown here, nice to finally have the Tak sorted. :thumbsup:



Cheers Malcolm, There are many Ha rich regions in this area of space, and a camera mod will certainly help you show them off. :thumbsup:



Many thanks Sensei Marcus! :D I was thinking of you and some of the tips you gave me previously when processing this one. :D

[strongmanmike]

That'd be this one (https://www.astrobin.com/k1x6vm/?image_list_page=2&nc=&nce=) by Big Kev. I wanted to have a shot myself but I felt the SXVH694/AG12 field was juuust a bit too small for a good composition...

Mike

[Andy01]

Yep, that's the one - cheers Kev for the inspiration! :thumbsup:

[The_bluester]

Lovely looking field Andy. And great work to snare a natural palette image from lightpollutionsville. A great pity the sky just would not behave here at Kilmore last time around.

[Andy01]

Well As the great Captain Peter Janson said, “sometimes you’re the rooster & other times the feather duster”, such as it is with the weather for trips under dark skies. But as always, we try, try again because it’s just so nice to get that view without LP! :)

[matlud]

Great image Andy especially from Bortle 6/7 . Interesting that the Ha emission is a more intense rim on the upper left 🤔

[Andy01]

Cheers Matthew, appreciate the kind words. :)

As an astrophotographer, (but not an astrophysicist) - I could suggest that perhaps Mike Berthon-Jones (Placidus) or Colin (Atmos) could add some scientific context to the Ha content present. :question:

Cheers

Andy