Celestial Fireworks in Carina (a collection)

[strongmanmike]

Well, this is the second last image from the Starfire before I start hammering on with the Orion Optics AG12 Astrograph.

It's been done many times so I have tackled Eta Carina from a new direction and prsent her in a different light.

This is the first Narrowband image I have done with the Proline 16803.

It is an OIII SII Ha blend which I decided on becasue I wanted something different and more dramatic than the usual yellow and green HST pallet versions (which are cool too) that have been done before.

Did a few vesions - here is the collection Ha, RGB, HaRGB and OIIISIIHa (http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/eta_carina_) something for everyone in small and large files :thumbsup: open a thumbnail and then scroll down to the other sizes menu and select original size.

Hope you like the 70's explosion :D

Mike

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Mike,

As in most of your images, one word can be used to describe them......

However, this time the one word is.....

Yuck!

Sorry, it just doesn't do it for me....

Cheers

Chris

[alan meehan]

Hmmmm... differnt what you been smokin man
AL

[Peter Ward]

Sorry Mike. Not a keeper IMHO.

[Paul Haese]

Hmmm this is certainly and interesting look. Detail is great, and even the homonculous is looking quite the norm with its orange hue.

Like the detail and the expanse, not fussed about the colour either way.

[h0ughy]

in the 80's there were thermo tshirts- reminds me very much of one of these. IT certainly is detailed - and not your normal garden variety ;)

[DavidTrap]

Very detailed, but I can't stop thinking "pastel". Is it a particular processing effect that you were trying to achieve? It reminds me of the M42 image that you had to drag your penguin suit out for last year.

DT

[strongmanmike]

He he pretty much the reaction I was expecting :lol: :thumbsup:

I did do the more traditional SIIHaOIII combo but ddin't develop it very far as I prefered this one (go figure) but hey, life's about trying different things and I guess this was one of'em :P...Like that lava lamp or weird shapped stool you might have, others screw up their noses but something you can't exactly put a finger on makes you like it..bah thanks for looking anyway :)

Hmm?..no body commented on the RGB version :shrug:...did anyone actually look at it, or was it just click, look, yuk, comment :rolleyes: :lol:? Nothing special but an interesting comparison :thumbsup:

Mike

[strongmanmike]

Ahhhh does it..? :whistle: ;) :D

[h0ughy]

yeah had a look Mike - still better than anything i can ever produce

[strongmanmike]

Not bad for RGB = 18 14 14min huh? :P I used it to lift the stars in the Psycho version and for blending the keyhole in, I also had a few 30sec shots for the Homo :thumbsup:

Mike

[strongmanmike]

Hey that's nearly a whole sentence Peter :eyepop: :lol:

[Screwdriverone]

Oops, yep ya got me,

Honestly didnt get past the quicky look before posting.

I just took a gander at the RGB, much more to my "white bread" taste - very nice, however, after a scroll around the "Partridge Family" version, I would have to say its chalk and cheese with the smaller one.

MUCH more detail in the big one. After a few minutes, I can see where you are coming from and in awe at the amount of smaller details evident in the palette.

I shall take my time properly next time, as I have been told....

RGB for me, but the other one is certainly growing on me......a bit like a fungus.......;)

Cheers

Chris

[strongmanmike]

Yeees..always a good idea :rolleyes:



It is always advisable to look at an image carefully for a while before passing judgement...strange things can happen after the first 30sec..err?...like actually seeing the whole thing :rolleyes: :lol:

Just posted the HaRGB version if you care to have another lighting peek :)

Mike

[gregbradley]

The RGB and HaRGB versions are wonderful. Eta images well with simply RGB. Again fabulous colour and pinpoint stars.

The narrowband looks like it needs a lot more SII perhaps and didn't work out. Been there, done that myself many times with images, hehe.

Your AG12 has big shoes to fill.

Greg.

[strongmanmike]

Cheers Greg :thumbsup:

Dunno, I must just be seeing things different :confuse3:..?.. I like the narrow band version :scared3:, hey I wouldn't have spent the hours if I didn't nor posted it :help2:..ah well, I'll put it down to all you guys just not being with it, heck the 70's is the new10's...or being on enough drugs :D meeh..you're all :screwy: I'll show ya! :lol:.

Mike

[Hagar]

Nice collection Mike. I can't wait to see what you get with your new beast.
Come on, Take some time off work and put us out of our missery. Maybe yourself too.

[Paul Haese]

Mike I did look at your RGB version but I think your HaLRGB version from last year (or whenever it was) was superb. The RGB version just seemed flat to me. What about a complete version mate; Ha L R G B SOII and OIII combined like we did for tarantula?

[telemarker]

Well, what can I say.... the narrowband data really shows the billowing nature of the whole nebula and is superbly detailed. Colour, well that can be a personal thing in narrowband but that said the colour choice you used delineates the emissions from the dark dust and gives it a stark, contrasty and cold feel. I like it. :thumbsup:

I can see that a starless version would win Fred over too. :poke:

[renormalised]

Well....I like it:):)

Good work, Mike:):)

But I do understand where others are coming from...the red in the centre of the neb looks like someone hacked away at a large piece of raw meat with a blunt carving knife!!!:):P:P

But I like the blue:):)

[strongmanmike]

Truth be known I procerssed the Celestial Fireworks for the non astroimaging/astronomically savey crowd :D

Just to test my sanity, I sent some comparitive versions around here at work (about 20 people)and asked for feedback knowing they are all non imagers and non astronomers, several professionals ie engineers and scientists though plus some admin staff (mostly women)..and as I suspected the consensus is different to IIS ;) :)...so interesting.

Anyway

Paul - here is the new HaRGB (http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/133163150/original)- which psst!.. is in reality, actually OIIISIIHaRGB as you suggested ;) :thumbsup: but I just refered to as HaRGB as that is what it looks like in the end (little fib there :whistle:) but the combined OIIISIIHa desaturated was used as the Lum, a bit more convoluted than that but essentially that is what it is..I was looking for a reasonably natural look on this one.

Keith - Thankyou :lol: you have the right vibe man - your description is what I see and exactly what I was striving for, so maybe I'm not completely mad after all :thumbsup:

Carl - I like the raw meat analogy :lol:..and I can see that, it was this area I was least satisfied with actually, I might have another look at that bit ...with a cleaver :)

Dougie...I am waiting on soem cables to arrive from FLI and I need to update the FLI software and test all the elctronic hardware out on the dinning table yet...time is the only issue, I'm doing ma best mate, I am hanging to see (with slight trepidation) if I am to be a sucker again or delighted...:)

[richardo]

Hey Mike,
well certainly some interesting replies:).
And while on my first look at your, 'tripin' on LSD' version :D, I thought, ok, I can live with the colours, but what struck me was that your alignment of channels is definitely off.
I say this as I find at times mine is too, and I usually take time to get it right. I would say it gets harder with larger chip cameras though.

While the rgb version is ok.... and I'm leaving the narrow band image well alone:lol:
MY PICK..... is..... the Ha version.
This is sublime and no one's commented on it!

Seriously this is as good as it gets..

Ah yes, the days when life was simple, just B&W ;)

All the best
Rich

[strongmanmike]

Oh well, at least it's fostered something more than just "nice image" :rolleyes: :lol:

Yes you are right aligning individual frames from a large chip is indeed a little more testy. I was aware of the slight channel missalignment in the Celestial Fireworks version but could only really notice it in the top right quadrant and only on some stars so I didn't worry about it, I didn't think it detracted from the overall vister at all and is only noticable on close inspection...unlike the meat hacked centre it would seem :lol:

Yeh I like the Ha only version too... buuut I'm split, I like'em all for their own reasons :P :)...maybe leaning toward the HaRGB (really OIISIIHaRGB) and all look best in the larger versions too :thumbsup:.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone can't like every image one produces all the time and it's cool to spark a bit of variation to the norm :)

Mike

[mill]

Every single picture has it pro's and cons but they all show detail in a different way, with the pastel super-duper psychedelic picture winning for detail and depth.
If people don't try or do something different once in a while we just cant get more out of a picture.
With experimenting we can get something out of pictures that we at first didn't see before:thumbsup:.
With LRGB and HALRGB , a lot of people are getting more at the technical side of the processing (hey what more can you get out of a picture without getting a better mount and camera etc).
Also the human eye only sees a very narrow band of color so we are used to the traditional type of picture eg:RGB.
I like them all in their own way :thumbsup:

[strongmanmike]

Cheers for that Martin, true words.

I was pretty happy with the RGB and OIIISIIHaRGB shots in the end, it's just that I had done this look before, all be they still differing in appearence none the less.

The Celestial Fireworks pastel look was intentional, not everyones cup of tea sure buuut meah, the other more traditional shots are there for the conservatives ...it's just that they are well...just Eta :shrug: :)

Mike

[multiweb]

Love the RGB. The NB version is a bit harsh but hey I'm all for funky colors. Even green. Especially green. :thumbsup:

[dugnsuz]

The HaRGB version is lovely Mike

[strongmanmike]

Thanks Doug and Marc

I agree, from a standard perspective the HaRGB is far more traditional and what we might expect Eta to look like and I too was very happy with how it came out but like Parmesian cheese or anchovies, the Celestial Fireworks version seems to be one that people either like, love or plain screw their noses up at :lol:

Mike