The Helix is enormous!!!

[strongmanmike]

According to current best estimates the main ring of the Helix nebula has an apparent size of about 12 to 15 arc min in diameter and when you add the main outer loop it comes up to 25 arc min in diamter, this corresponds to a true diameter of about 4 or 5Ltyrs

However I decided to reprocess and enhance my recent deep narrowband Helix data to see just how far this planetary nebula extends into space at these narrow band wavelengths (visible light) to see just how big it really is.

The data is Ha + OIII + SII only ie no RGB or Luminance and totals 26hrs in all.

I pushed the data to the limit, while still trying to maintain a relatively natural appearence, to see the full extent of the faintest extensions....

Well the Helix is BIG :eyepop:. From the faintest extensions visible in the image now, it measures over 45 arc min across, this is the better part of two full moon diameters and pushes the true diameter of the nebula out to about almost 10 Ltyrs. This is huge considering some size references for the nebula refer to the main ring only which is a mere 2.5Ltyrs in diameter.

You can make out several ejection phases that must have occured over the last 10 000 years since the star first rumbbled, including two very faint arcs outside the main outer loop as well as several plumes billowing in various directions.

Full frame 60% size (780K)
http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/115561131/original

Close up (860k)
http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/115563597/original

High resolution deep look into the core of the Helix
http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/118251203/original

A bit of payback for the 6 nights travelling back and forth to my dark sky site :scared: I guess :)

Mike

[h0ughy]

oh my, wow.....

[DavidU]

Oh no ! 26hrs ! Mike,superb stuff.You are in the extreme processing phase.
I enjoy your work a hell of a lot. So thankyou Mike.
Exposure times in days ! Neat
Dave

[cookie8]

Wow....God's fiery eye wide open staring on us....awesome!!!

[MrB]

Awesome stuff!

[Craig_L]

Just fantastic Mike. The detail in the clouds outside the "eye" is amazing.

[dpastern]

That's a wonderful subject to image, pity it takes so long to get that sort of detail. Lots of nice detail, I especially like the faint tendrils of nebulae surrounding the main part.

Dave

[strongmanmike]

Cheers guys glad you got something out of it :)

I've added a high resolution zoom :astron: in on the core of the nebula and the little white (blue?) dwarf in teh centre

http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/118251203/original

That was fun :thumbsup:

[Tom Davis]

Yep, it's big. Nicely done Mike!

Tom

[StarGazing]

Wow Wow Wow Mike. Nice one. Makes me want to get into astrography. Keep up the great work.

Alex:thumbsup:

[AlexN]

:eyepop: Much bigger than I thought...

As we were discussing in PMs a few months back.. You're always rewarded for going the long haul and capturing lots of data.. This image here is no exception.. 26hrs exposure is a monument effort that's paid its dividends by showing you just how far the helix goes... The question is this... How far do you think it would extend with 52 hours exposure and double the sub exposure length??

You know you want to find out mate..

[strongmanmike]

Thanks for the nice comments guys, I'm really gald it was of interest :thumbsup:.

For me, there's little point taking another ho hum version of such a well imaged object, like my now notorious Cen A :scared::scared::scared: I wanted to push the boundaries a little and see what was "really" there :)

I promise not to do (many) more Sidonio's :rofl:

Alex: I would love to add full field Luminance to the image, oh and what the heck, some RGB too just to complete the picture and reveal the back ground galaxies that would be abundant, so yes another 26hrs of these would probably be worth it........but I'm not sure I will be going there any time soon without an observatory... :confuse3::zzz2:Know smeone who has looooooong exposure aspirations and with an observatory? ;)

Mike

[Bassnut]

nice and deep Mike, shows the detail you can get with NB. The colour processing looks unusually like RGB too, well tweaked and natural looking.

[multiweb]

Quite a treat! Love the colours you've got in the processing. The level of details is awesome. :thumbsup:

[marc4darkskies]

I was wondering how long it would take you to sidonio-ise your Helix :D. Very nice mate :thumbsup::thumbsup:. 26 hours is a hell of an effort too - in anyone's language let alone for a mobile rig.

Cheers, Marcus

[Octane]

APOD, dat, yo.

'nuff said.

Regards,
Humayun

[gregbradley]

Some objects are really worth the effort. The Helix is one for sure.

Fabulous image and that seems to be the widest extension of the nebula I have seen before. Very pleasing processing - you've got it down now.

Well done.

Greg.

[Paul Haese]

Yeah dude - Me. If you hop in your car now, you should be here in 16 or so hours.:P You can show me where the hell I am going wrong with this guiding capper.

Ah seriously, this is a great image. Great stars, captured what looks like another PN just below the Helix and heaps of data, but and yes there is a but. My screen must be a little brighter than most, because I can see red noise all over the sky section of the image. It is like what I was seeing on over stretched images coming out of a DSLR. Sorry to rain on your parade mate, not intended; just an observation. I just detracts from what I reckon would be a spectacular image. Like you said you really worked the data to the maximum.

Still a staggering image though. I admire your skills and dedication.

[Coen]

Thanks for the great image of a beautiful object.

Interesting to compare your image with that on APOD sometime back: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0708/helixdeep_hambsch.jpg (note very large)

[RB]

Mike that is magnificent.
I don't think I've ever seen it so wide.

Top marks mate.

:thumbsup:

[avandonk]

Not bad Mike.

I bet if you tried hard enough Mike you could do better!

No further words needed the image says it all

Bert

[AlexN]

I know someone with looooooong exposure aspirations who's just put in am offer on 23 acres 300 odd km out of town! ;) hopefully an observatory by mid next year... Do ya a deal.. I'll get 50hrs data, you process it up (a few times!)

What do you say?

[TheDecepticon]

Awesome! Simply awesome!:thumbsup:

[avandonk]

Paul if I cannot see noise in an image then the image is not showing the full dynamic range.

We used to have a saying at CSIRO 'one man's noise is another man's signal'.

I think that Mike has gone much closer to the inherent noise to reveal the very faint signal than anyone before. He is quite correct with more time he will get closer.

Bert

[DavidU]

We should start a " get Mike an observatory fund".
Knowing Mike if he had an Obs we would be talking exposure times of weeks!

[RB]

After reading your post Paul, I dragged Mike's image into PS to have a look.
To me the 'noise' is not uniform across the entire image especially in the top right. Once stretched you can see darker areas and lighter red sections.
To me it actually looks like it's faint nebulosity.

:shrug:

[toryglen-boy]

whatever it is, the image is a triumph

well done Mike, thats dedication


:)

[Hagar]

A Very nice Sidonio Mike. As you say stretched to the limit but very respectable at that. Your gear certainly grabs every photon out there to grab and your processing skills have eliminated much of the rubbish associated with a hard stretch like this.
Beautifully done. A big sucker it surely is.

[slippo74]

Amazing .... simply amazing.... /bow

[Jen]

:eyepop::eyepop: wow Mike that pic is awsome :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thum bsup:
Your work is amazing you make me drool over my keyboard everytime i look at your pics keep em coming :D

[spearo]

Well done
The red is completely captured as you've pushed it, it is starting to come out in the rest of the full frame background darkness.
I'd say you got the totality without a doubt
amazing stuff
frank

[strongmanmike]

Gee thanks for the overwellming response guys :eyepop: so glad everyone liked it. I was excited while I processed it, watching all the faintest details emerge with each processing step :thumbsup:

Paul: No worries mate I don't mind your comments at all in fact I agree with you. It is not a "peeeerfect" image and like Bert points out, I squeeked so much out of the data that I pushed the envelope of highlighting the red noise too. I did several (100 :lol:) variations and blends as I wanted to ensure that I got every bit of extension of the actual nebula as possible while minimising the non nebula noise.


But..... :computer: It's fixed now though :2thumbs:

Alex yes we could do a colaboration if you like :)

Thanks again everyone

Mike

[kustard]

Beautiful :D

[wasyoungonce]

Mere words cannot describe that picture.

It is a mixture of Art/Physics/Skill & lots of dedication!

Well done indeed!

[Miaplacidus]

That is a watershed photo, Mike, no question. When you have grandkids they'll be talking about that image all their lives. Pure gold in the next Astrophotography Olympics. And all without an observatory? Unbelievable!

You do realize, though, don't you, that you've got some serious problems..?

Still, I don't mind if you don't mind...

[tornado33]

very nice. 26 hours over 6 nights. Love all the outer faint stuff rarely seen in such detail. Good job on maintaining nice even star colours with the narrowband imaging too.
Scott

[Octane]

I can't stop looking at this.

[strongmanmike]

Here try this old favourite to distract you Humi :P

http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/60449061/large

[strongmanmike]

Thanks again guys :thumbsup: I appreciate your comments especially the funny ones :)

[DavidU]

A few nice clusters there Mike.Thanks for sharing:P:thumbsup:

[danielsun]

Mike, That is a truly incredible image! and nice work with the Helix too!:lol:

Seriously though that Helix is incredible!!!:eyepop:

[AlexN]

Ahh.. Ye olde "Clusterous Europeano Femalis" One of my favorite targets! I'm always trying to get a shot at this target, but just havn't pulled it off thus far :D Just another of your breathtaking pics big man!

[strongmanmike]

He he always a good one that image ;)

After the dust has settled around this image and as spectacular as the wide deep shots are, I have decided that it is the zoomed in versions that I like best :question:

Having cut my teeth in film photography a quarter of a century ago..to be able to get these from a 6" scope still makes me shake my head

http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/118318593/original

and this

http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/118318783/original

I can only imagine what it would have been like under good seeing conditions.

Thanks again guys, it is a real pleasure when you get pleasure from my images :)

Mike

[renormalised]

If only all clusters were like that one:P:D

How did you process that pic, Mike:P:P:D:D

[renormalised]

Well, we can only but try, hey Alex:P:D

One day:D

[AlexN]

Indeed Carl, Indeed...

I'll be trying to nail that target tomorrow night actually... Tonight im busy astro imaging! :D hhahaha

[CoolhandJo]

Never seen so much detail in this nebula! Great work.

[strongmanmike]

Cheers again guys...yes, that European cluster is aaaaalways a favourite :P