My version of the M8 region from Oz

[Tom Davis]

I've been wanting to shoot this region for a number of years. So, now that I tried I decided to go for some exposure time. Again, my goal was to see if I could tease out any "new" nebulous objects that are not usually seen. The main one that jumped to my eye was the light blue halo surrounding and overlying M8 itself. I normally don't see this as I suspect it gets processed out. M8 looks bright in my image but that is on purpose, so to see this nebulous structure. Also, I left the HII regions hydrogen pink rather than darkening them so to see them better. I hope this is not too offensive to your eye.

http://www.tvdavisastropics.com/astroimages-1_00004f.htm

Comments welcome.

Tom

[multiweb]

That is quite a treat Tom. An absolutely stunning view of the area. Never quite seen it like this before. Amazing. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[DavidU]

That's an absolute corker !A wealth of detail.

[sjastro]

Magnificent image Tom.

Steven

[renormalised]

Fantastic image, Tom. Great work:D:thumbsup:

The faint reflection neb around M8 is quite noticeable:D

[Peter Ward]

Sweet. That combo simply works.

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[peeb61]

Just perfect Tom...something to look at for hours!

Paul

[strongmanmike]

Another grand image Tom, quite spectacular.

I would like to see a version (I love different versions of the same image :P) with the lipstick pink toned down just a tad, as you suggest for such a magnificent image it does just detract slightly. This is not a critisism just a suggestion, you clearly pointed this out so I know you can see it too and did it on purpose but a variation would be good to check out if you get the time.

Mike

[marc4darkskies]

Absolutely spectactular image Tom - major wow factor there!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Cheers, Marcus

[Alchemy]

cant get over the pinpoint stars.... so tight .... and detail:eyepop:

yep its pretty good..... but i guess you knew that ;)


clive

[HolyWars]

****ing brilliant!:eyepop:

[Tamtarn]

Spectacular image Tom and beautifully framed :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Agree with Mike regarding toning down the lipstick pink just a touch in another rendition of the image. We would also love to see the result if you get a chance :)

D&B

[TheDecepticon]

Maaaaaate!! That is a very nice image! Send it into APOD.:eyepop:

[lesbehrens]

amazing

[Octane]

Tom,

You've done it again.

I've just sat and stared at that image for the past 5 minutes.

Incredible.

Regards,
Humayun

[CoolhandJo]

Talk about put everything in context! So thats what that region looks like! Unbelievable and very well presented.

[dugnsuz]

I especially like your rendering of the Triffid nebula in this image.
Can't remember seeing it so detailed and full of contrast at this focal length before.
In fact you've brought out all the dark dust lanes around the region beautifully.
Bravo!
Doug

[Tom Davis]

OK, I made the change. Although there is no side-by-side comparison I did tone down the hydrogen pink. Better? Thanks for the comment.

Tom

[Omaroo]

Rip-roaring and spectacular vista of that part of the sky Tom - brilliant. :thumbsup:

[Tamtarn]

Superb Tom :thumbsup:

[gregbradley]

Magnificent Tom. Such great details and interesting bits of nebula. Also the extent of the blue reflection nebula around the Trifid is nicely caught.

Very bright image. You can image this at home too though right?

Great choice of gear in your setup.

Greg.

[scarper]

Nice...well done

[dpastern]

Wow, what an amazing shot. Plenty to see here, lots of detail, that's just superb. Hope you're going to enter this in a bunch of astro imaging contests, it would do well I reckon. Thanks for sharing.

Dave

[pgc hunter]

That is an incredible image Tom. Just astounding really. Best pic of that part of the sky I've ever seen.

[Tom Davis]

Thanks everyone for the kind comments.

Tom

[citivolus]

That is a very nice overview image of the region. Sitting and staring at it I see lots of little things that I didn't know were there, and that I want to go have a look at :)

I was convinced that this was a mosaic until I looked up the specs for your CCD, ran them through my calculator, and threw the 2.5x2.5 degree field into Cartes Du Ciel. That is a very impressive frame size!

Regards,
Eric

[Martin Pugh]

Superb image Tom.

Can I ask...what filter wheel and filters do you use with your FLI Proline?

thanks
Martin

[Tom Davis]

Thanks Martin. I use an FLI CFW-5-7 wheel and 2nd Gen A-dons. Of note, I have used Baader filters with this camera/wheel and they are just as good.

Tom

[gregbradley]

Hi Tom,

Do the next Gen Astrodons end up closer to 1:1:1 colour combine?

Have you had any trouble with reflections? (it doesn't look like it but flatteners and 16803 cameras and filter reflections have been an issue).

Greg.

[bloodhound31]

Another desktop favorite! WOWEE.:thumbsup:

Baz.

[Tom Davis]

Hi Greg,

The G2V R:G:B ratios for my A-dons are 1.1:1:1.2 while the Baader are closer to 1.2:1:2.

No significant reflections. I do get some small halos on the brightest stars from the coverslip but these are easily removed.

Tom

[mexhunter]

Hello Tom:
Doubtlessly a very beautiful image.
Many greetings
Cesar