NGC2359 - Thor's Helmet

[Doogs38]

HNY folks. It's been a few months since I visited the forums due a weather and work induced break - thank goodness for Xmas holidays. Over the past few weeks I've managed to find enough cracks in SEQLD's crap weather to get some hours on Thor's Helmet (NGC2359). It's been two years since I attempted this target (... was my first target for the then newly acquired EdgeHD 8" SCT).

The attached image is ~18 hours of SHO data. Details are:

Edge HD 8", ASI294MM (Bin 2), OAG with ASI174, AZ-EQ6 mount, NINA
Sii - 5h 56m
Ha - 5h 48m
Oiii - 5h 56m
RGB stars

My PI skills are quite rusty after a nearly 4 month absence and I eventually settled on a 50/50 blended HOO/SHO combination. Sharing for fun; hi-res version here (https://pbase.com/doogs38/image/175166509/original). Thanks for looking. Alex

[Plossl68]

Nice Alex. 18 hours is a decent integration for a return-to-Astro project (and more than I’ve ever managed). It’s a great result although I suspect the low-res here doesn’t even close to do it justice. Would be great to see the full-res version.
Cheers,
Paul

[Doogs38]

Hi Paul and thanks for looking. Hi-res version is here (https://pbase.com/doogs38/image/175166509/original). Over the past few years I've found 3-5 nights of imaging a target nets me 15h-20h of integration which, IMHO, can produce a pleasing, less-noisy image. I've used a very basic PI post-proc workflow and didn't dive into tweaking specific parts of the image. I'm sure a more experienced (and dedicated) PI use could extract far more subtle detail from the data than I have :-) Alex

[Anth10]

That’s a cracking Thors Helmet Alex! Chrystal clear image very good processing and I’d say made easier with such a large body of exposure time for this capture.
Plenty to like and I believe the blend has given it a lot of dimension.
Nice return to imaging!
Cheers
Anthony

[dugnsuz]

Excellent image Alex - central part not blown out, heaps of good detail on the periphery and beautiful RGB star colours. You've handled all the elements in the image extremely well.
High res version is great.
Doug

[Plossl68]

Love the hi-res version Alex. It’s a stellar image (excuse the pun). Judging by the clarity and star shapes your AZ-EQ6 does a rock solid job with the Edge 8 too. I sold my AZ-EQ6 a year ago and regret it badly. It was just a super reliable and predictable platform. Thanks again for sharing the image.

[Doogs38]

Thanks Anthony. I have about the same amount of data of the Skull Nebula (NGC246) that I’ll start processing … see how that one turns out. Alex

[Doogs38]

Thanks Doug, appreciate the encouragement. I must say, for all its fiddling and additional complexity, I do like shooting mono because of its flexibility. Alex

[Doogs38]

Yep, the AZ-EQ6 is a solid, beastly mount that can deliver terrific performance which is necessary with long focal lengths. Mine has developed a small quirk in the RA axis that I might do something about one day (either under warranty or DIY). In the interim I’ve learnt how to work around it quite well. Alex

[ChrisV]

Hi Alex.
Really lovely image! I can agree with PI - haven't used it much over the past year so I'm very rusty and have noticed a pile of really good processes I've never used!

A question. I was about to start on it now in narrowband. I notice you have SHO. How much Sii did you find in it, as most people just do it HOO.

[Dave882]

Hi res version shows some incredible detail. Super deep and lovely colour.
Great stuff!!

[Doogs38]

Hey Dave :) Many thanks of the feedback ... I *really* liked your Feb 24 image too, inspired me to have another go at Thor's helmet. Alex

[Doogs38]

Thanks Chris. I reckon I use about 15% of PI's capabilities - it's a monster. While the new tools from Seti Astro etc definitely make life easier, it's easy for my aging brain to forget the more complex aspects of workflows unless I perform them regularly.

Regarding Sii, the signal was quite weak and with hindsight I wouldn't have bothered - lesson learnt. The attached raw images give a sense of the difference in (L-R) Oiii, Ha and Sii signal strength. I included the Sii as I didn't want to waste the effort and extra integration :) Alex

[pilardo]

Lovely image mate!! Well done.