ic2177 - Seagull Nebula

[EddieT]

Hi to all,
Feels like a very long time since I've taken an image, but I've been messing lately with a new FSQ106ED. It's a very nice little scope and works well with the reducer at f3.7, or just under 400mm.

This image is 8 hours worth taken over 5 nigths, dodging clouds in March/April, while it was still high enough to get an hour or two on each night.

Taken with a QHY8.

http://astroshed.com/fsq106ed/ic2177.html

There are links under the image for larger sizes and image info if you scroll down.

Comments welcome!

All the best
Eddie Trimarchi
http://astroshed.com

[iceman]

Beautiful image, Eddie. Nice to see some new stuff from you.

[Paul Haese]

Very nice image Eddie. I like the way the whole nebula is contained within the image. I found that I could not get it all in with the TSA102.

[lacad01]

Nicely done, easy to see the seagull :thumbsup:

[Robh]

Eddie,

Great image! :thumbsup:
I've not seen or heard of the Seagull Nebula before.
Very aptly named.

Regards, Rob

[Alchemy]

beautiful image. one worth having a look at

cheers clve

[White Rabbit]

Very nice indeed.

[h0ughy]

I still say it looks more like a galah than a seagull - Your Galah looks unreal Eddie

[gregbradley]

Very nice Eddie and good to see you imaging again.

Greg.

[seeker372011]

great to see a new image from you

[EddieT]

Thanks Mike! It have to say, it feels really good to have something to show and it's great to show them here.

All the best

Eddie

[EddieT]

Thanks Paul. The TSA102 is f5? I'm really after maximum field with the FSQ which is why I've only used it at f3.7. This object certainly benefits from the wider field.

All the best

Eddie

[EddieT]

Thanks Adam, but according to Houghy, it's a galah! Let's settle for a bird :)

[EddieT]

Thanks Rob!....Perhaps you've heard it referred-to as The Galah Nebula ?

All the best !

Eddie

[EddieT]

Thanks Houghy. But on closer inspection, it looks a bit like an unladen swallow...!

[EddieT]

Thanks to you guys. Clive, Space Cadet, Greg and Narayan. Nice to hear from you again.

[Hachi]

Wow, nice image!

[h0ughy]

african or european? Seriously Eddie it is a fantastic image, and i do not mean to trivialise it by referring to it as a galah;) it is more subtle than some other images I have seen and it has a fair amount of detail. Did you process it so that the neb stood out by shrinking the star size or is that the power of the FSQ?

[KISA]

Very nice. Thanks for sharing it.

Markus

[EddieT]

Thanks Hachi, Kisa and Houghy!



No problem mate! Some of these popular nebula names deserve questioning :) And now that you've turned it around and given me a reference, I can see that you weren't joking anyway! Totally...

Yes, after years of blending Ha with RGB and other narrowband forays, I'm making an effort to try for true colour and a more natural appearance of things. And finding it very difficult due mainly to the Gold Coast conditions. The light dome here extends up to about 80 degrees so there is always skyglow and gradients to contend with except for that 40 degree sweet spot overhead...

As for the stars, I think the opposite is true. The FSQ is so sharp and produces such small stars that they are always mega-bright and they really subdue the already dim bits that are down around the skyglow level in 10 minutes....So yes, I did some dimming of the stars, using Photoshop CS4's Highlight compression when converting from 32-bit HDR to a 16-bit image.

Going to Duckadang this year ?

[h0ughy]

thanks for the Description Eddie, yes I will be attending this year:thumbsup:. Now what is a highlight compression?:help: - maybe for another thread;) probably for us novices and intelligence challenged Imagers (i place myself here) there could be a discussion on how you processed this;)

[EddieT]

No worries mate. Well, a description yes maybe in another thread.

But basically Photoshop CS4 supports 32-bit images, though it lacks a lot of standard functions when processing a 32-bit image. If you try to convert a 32-bit image to 16-bit, Photoshop by default wants to know the conversion method. It gives you 4 to choose from and one of those is "Highlight Compression", which compresses the brightest parts of the image down. When the brightest parts are stars, it works well.

[h0ughy]

thanks Eddie

[Octane]

Eddie,

That is sublime. I've really enjoyed the different colouring in this one, compared to other images of the same object. I know my one looked like a lady of the night (bright red lipstick).

Excellent work.

Just one thing, the 1800x1200 link on your page is the same as 1200x800. :)

Regards,
Humayun

[EddieT]

Thanks Humayun!
I find good colour very easy to obtain with the QHY8 for some reason. It's my first OSC camera, maybe thats why.

Thanks for mentioning the page, I'll fix that tonight.

[atalas]

Nice work Eddie!

[Tamtarn]

Superb image for your return Eddie. Colour balance and processing just perfect. Can't wait to see more :thumbsup:

[EddieT]

Thanks again Louie. Good to see you around the traps...!

[EddieT]

And thanks to you again also David.