My best M42 yet, from modded 350D

[tornado33]

Hi all
As I get more experienced with IRIS, processing my modded 350D images, I managed to come up with this image of M42.
Its 2x 10 mins ISO 400 masked with 2x1 minute ISO 400 images shot with modded 350D, 10 inch f5.6 scope with UHCS filter and MPCC. Initial processing, dark subtraction etc. up to final result with the 2x10 mins images done with IRIS, with tweaking of the 2x1 min shots and the masking of them together with Photoshop CS.
Scott

[h0ughy]

I am Sorry Scott all I can see is gaseous detail , faint stars and dark dust lanes, whispy gas jets and star forming regions.:eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop:

By the way are you allowed to use Mike's " my best ever" trademark remark:P .

really well done:thumbsup: , would adding say H alpha and maybe an OIII shots enhance it even more, or just distract a perfectly good image?:D

[baltica]

Wow! That's groovy!
Ok, I have to ask a dumb question...
Why do you "2x 10 mins ISO 400 masked with 2x1 minute ISO 400 images"?
Please feel free to point me to an existing article.
Thanks in advance!

[Striker]

Great stuff Scotty,

Baltica....the reason being the trap is well over exposured with such a long exposure image taken so you take a shorter one and mask it into the longer exposure...if scott didn't do this the whole trap would just be a big ball of light with no detail.

[Striker]

For comparison Baltica he is mine without the masking done.

[h0ughy]

yes Scott is fast becoming the master of digital manipulation, nice example Tony.

See Scott, Tony's little 20Da is no match for your mighty 350D mod:D

[tornado33]

Howdy everyone.
Thanks. Actually is is sort of Ha and OIII as the UHCS filter favours Ha and OIII wavelenghts :) I actually tried imaging M42 with my 7 Nm Ha filter and it was disapointing, not as much detail as the colour UHCS image.

Here is an article that I learn the masking technique from
http://www.astropix.com/PFA/SAMPLE4A/SAMPLE4A.HTM
HOWEVER, I dont know whay they say in point 4 to paste the LONG exposure into the mask, I get much better results if I pase the SHORT exposure into the mask. That was the inner detail of the short exposure appears, and the faint outer detail of the long exposure is maintained. :)

[EzyStyles]

That is a hubble image right? its not yours!!! i refuse to believe it is :P j/k one of the best orion pic with heaps of details i have ever seen (besides hubble ahem). Great shot Scott.

btw all, thanks for the tip with masking. i never kneww anything about masking. no wonder why my orion is so bright in the tram. in regards to masking, what is the ratio to the high exposure shot?

[danielsun]

Brilliant Scott!!!! Truly brilliant!!!!!!

[tornado33]

many thanks :)
Basically, EzyStyles, the short exposure is 2x1 min the long 2x10 mins to the ratio would be about 10 to 1, which seems to be enough to allow me to get all the detail from the brightest to the faintest without "clipping" that is burning any out.

There is an EXCELLENT article about this in the latest Aust. Sky & telescope I got just today. Its called Of Colour and Composition, by Tony hallas, starts on page 80. On page 81 he talks about clipping and the loss of detail it causes. I thoroughly recommend the article.
Scott

[seeker372011]

so smooth! congratulations on a very fine image. Do you think it would stand printing at say A3..the acid test?

[sheeny]

Excellent work Scott.:thumbsup:

I'll tell you what frustrates me... I'm struggling on step 2 of the astrophotography business, but it is so easy to learn things like this masking tip... which must be on about step 17 I think...:P I hope I still remember it when I get to the point of being able to apply it!:D

Al.

[tornado33]

Thanks.
I havent tried for a big printout of it as yet, I should see about a nice enlargment to see how it goes.
Scott

[h0ughy]

given the resolution, the original should be able to go to a a2 or even a1

[Vermin]

Any chance of a look at a higher res version Scott?

It's truly a magnificent composite.

[davidpretorius]

with my head in planetary, it is great to take a breather and look at these fantastic images. I loved Houghy's in AS&T, Brad's APOD efforts, Hueys scorpio, ezy rapid rises.

Ok, I would have to say the DSO's are ruling the roost atm apart from Mikes Jupiter in the 12th!!!

Legends!

[baltica]

Thank you for the masking explanation Striker. It all makes sense now!
:thumbsup:

[tornado33]

Hi.
Heres a high res version
http://www.users.on.net/~josiah/mod350d/m42_filterediris%20final2.jpg
I may reprocess it again one day and see if I can coax more detail out :)
Scott

[Vermin]

Lovely, thanks.

[Octane]

Scott,

That is utterly beautiful. Well done, my friend.

I can't wait to get a Hutech-modified camera now.

Regards,
Humayun

[Starcrazzy]

Exellent...very nice...I recently got my hands on a 10d...don't spose you might know a way of subbing darks useing this camera??just a query..
cheers

[2020BC]

very, very nice. :thumbsup:

[Octane]

Have a look under the Custom Functions menu; if it has an entry called Noise Reduction -- that is it.

Regards,
Humayun

[tornado33]

Thanks.
Yes the modified camera is great, it just drinks in the red Ha light of nebulae :)
Scott

[Itchy]

Interesting Scott. I have always pasted the long exposure into the maks and manipulated it to allow the shorter exposure to come through.

I can see that we will have to get together around a computer one day.

Nice shot BTW

cheers

Cheers

[tornado33]

Thanks. :)
Yes I tried using the long exposure but wasnt happy with the result, it seemed to dim the outer detail a bit, unless I wasnt doing it quite right, but using the short exposure in the mask did the trick.
Scott