NGC 3576 Statue of Liberty Nebula in SHO

[Startrek]

Only my second attempt of this wonderful emission nebula NGC 3576 in Carina
First time was with my 2600MC OSC back in 2022
Captured over 2 nights under Bortle 8 skies and a full moon , the Antlia 3nm filters were really put to the test . I was very happy with the level of detail using 3 min subs however star cores were still blown out to some degree . 2 min subs may have been a better option. One thing I’m finding with the 2600MM , you don’t need really long subs when using medium sized Newt , even with Narrowband filters , this camera is so sensitive.

Captured over 2 nights ( just over 6 hrs integration)
Bortle 8 Skies
Full Moon
8” f5 Klaus Helmerich Carbon fibre Newtonian
Skywatcher EQ6-R pro mount
ZWO 2600MM cooled to -10C , Gain 100
Antlia 3nm Filters
Ha 45 x 3 min dithered subs
Oiii 42 x 3 min dithered subs
Sii. 42 x 3 min dithered subs
Bias from library
Darks from library
Flats Ha , Oiiii , Sii
EQMOD and Stellarium for tracking and Goto
Captured with APT
PHD2 Multistar Guiding ( 0.50 to O.60 total rms )
Analysed , calibrated, stacked and aligned in ASTAP
Processed in Startools version 1.7 via Compose
SHO color mapping

Astrobin link below for full resolution….

https://www.astrobin.com/3d8pdk/


Thanks for looking
Comments welcome

Martin

[Ryderscope]

That’s a good result for that image Martin. I like the framing and composition of the field which works well :thumbsup:

[Startrek]

Thanks Rodney
Appreciate your comments
Startools has an optional module called Film Dev ( Digital Development Film type Stretch ) which is old school method of stretching but thought I would try it in lieu of their preferred AutoDev stretch. I don’t use it much
Here a couple of versions
Original frame version
Super Crop version
I think it turned out quite well and exposed similar detail to AutoDev without blowing out the image. The outer areas are smooth and noise is well controlled.
Clear Skies
Martin

[Dave882]

That’s a fantastic shot Martin. Excellent processing to control and retain texture and detail in those bright areas. Colour is very nice to my eye. Making the most of those B8 skies ay!!

[Startrek]

Thanks Dave,
Appreciate your comments
Yeh B8 plus a big ol moon staring down my OTA , not an ideal combo but we make the most of clear nights
It’s been a while since I imaged Liberty, about 2 years I think
Thank goodness for 3nm filters , they’re not perfect but they do the job well
Really enjoying the transition to Mono with the 2600MM , definitely improved SNR and fidelity compared to my 2600MC ( which is no slouch either ) but a lot more time and work especially under B8.
Clear tonight and no moon , then rain and cloud for a week or two. Typical east coast.
Enjoy if your out tonight !
Cheers
Martin

[AlexN]

That's an incredible result Martin!

The colour pallete is really quite smooth and star colours, size and core brightness are very nicely controlled.

Beautiful area of the sky!

[alpal]

Hi Martin,
that's an excellent picture - well done.
cheers
Allan

[Davidpmcadam]

Martin,
Yet another fantastic image. I have a long way to go before I will ever get an image anywhere as good.

[Startrek]

Thanks Alex
Still had to deal with a lot of gradients even with 3nm filters , the Oiii suffers the most under a full moon and B8 skies

Cheers
Martin

[Startrek]

Thanks Allan

Martin

[Startrek]

Thanks David,
Appreciate the comment
You have some really dark skies down south , I’m sure you could have a real go at this one , you just need a few clear nights to gather some good data

Martin

[Craig_]

Nice result! Just finished gathering some Sii on this target last night myself.

[bluesilver]

Can't add much more than what has already been said, but looks like you have the new mono setup working very well, Impressive results.

[Startrek]

Thanks Craig,
Looking forward to seeing your image

Martin

[Startrek]

Thanks Peter