IC 434 Horsehead South Coast

[Startrek]

Despite the ongoing cloudy nights into the new year I managed a clear night last week at my NexDome Obs on the South Coast and imaged the Horsehead Nebula ( and nearby reflection nebula’s ) for only the second time.
Conditions were average with a northeaster blowing during the evening ( salty air , Im only 200m from the beach up on a hill )

8” f5 Bintel GSO newt
Skywatcher EQ6-R mount
ZWOASI2600MC set in Ascom to Highest Dynamic Range Gain 0, cooled to -10C
No filters ( only internal UV/ IR cut )
No moon
45 x 3 minute dithered guided subs
40 x Flats
50 x Bias
Goto and tracking EQMOD and Ascom Stellarium
Captured with APT
PHD2 guiding ( 0.70 to 0.80 arc sec )
Stacked in DSS
Processed in Startools V1.7 OSC linear data set

Unfortunately using a Newt on this target has its challenges with the larger stars like Alnitak and HIP 26549A projecting long diffraction spikes
I tried to reduce, colour tame and mask the spikes as best I could, still evident in the image.Still happy with the result for only a 2 hour capture.

Synthetic Luminance versions ( original and crop )
RGB OSC versions ( original and crop )

Comments most welcome

[Anth10]

Martin,
Lovely image, really like the rich colour as with the stars. I quite like the diffraction spikes as well - it adds to the dazzle.
All up very well processed and the horsehead itself shows heaps of shape and detail.
Top effort.
Anthony.

[multiweb]

+1 Really vibrant colors. Very nice details too. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[marc4darkskies]

That's a very nice rendition Martin! :thumbsup: Rich, nuanced and believable colours and great detail. Well done!

Don't worry too much about the spikes in this region, they don't detract and are unavoidable. It looks like you've tamed them reasonably well but if you try too hard they end up looking worse or even fake.

[Startrek]

Thanks Anthony
My 2600MC is an unbelievable camera, surprises me every time I use it, whether in Sydney under Bortle 8 heavy LP or dark skies down south at my Dome where this image was captured.
Cheers
Martin

[Startrek]

Thanks Marc
Appreciate your comment
Conditions weren’t great but managed to expose some detail with only 2 hours of data, the 2600MC is a gem
Martin

[Startrek]

Marcus
Thanks very much for your kind comments
It sort of proves you don’t have to spend thousands and thousands on a telescope to get a half decent image , my Newt only cost me $560 , the 2600MC camera does all the rest.
Cheers
Martin

[Stephane]

Wow Martin! This image is just stunning especially considering just 2h of integration. Vibrant colours and perfect star shapes. Powerful, yet natural contrast between the red hydrogen and the Horsehead. That’s a 10/10 from me.

Regards,
Stéphane

[AdamJL]

Missed this. Nice work Martin! Very vibrant!

[Startrek]

Stephane,
Thanks for your kind comments
Another hour or two would have been nice ,but not to be
Martin

[Startrek]

Thanks Adam

[gregbradley]

Lovely colours and detail Martin. Not sure about the framing though. What made you chose that orientation?

Greg.

[Startrek]

Thanks
Too lazy to spin the camera around , reframe and refocus etc....
Plus I hate Alnitak when using a Newt , humongous diffraction spikes
Startools can rotate the image but you lose centering the main object
Cheers

[gregbradley]

I don't use a rotator either as its just another thing that can fail. Good point about Alnitak it often is an image wrecker for Horseheads.

Greg.

[Andy01]

Nice one Martin :thumbsup: - just one thing - the stars appear very muted, I think you could let them loose to shine a little more for overall impact. :D

[Startrek]

Andy,
I knew you would pick it up , yes I did use the Superstructure module in Startools with the “Isolate” preset at 60% which pushes back any noise and other anomalies in the background and lifts the main features. I forgot to grow the existing Star mask big enough so that the Stars wouldn’t be sampled. Unfortunately it did dim them too much.
I tend to get a bit heavy handed sometimes with processing and forget the little important things that improve an overall image
Thanks
Martin