Final Helix (For now)

[Martin Pugh]

Hi folks
The last image I posted was 31 hours Ha and 20 hours OIII. I got a further 6.5 hours of OIII and now my weather has closed in.

I have processed this to reveal the striking features evident in the OIII frame i.e those odd spikes. I accept its a tad noisy in the vicinity of those outer structures, but only another 50 hours would fix that!

http://www.martinpughastrophotography.id.a u/images/Helix_BiColour_Final.jpg

Some might be interested in the inverted version, which shows the extent of the faint Ha quite well.

http://www.martinpughastrophotography.id.a u/images/Helix-Inverted.jpg

cheers
Martin

[alpal]

That's great Martin,
I like the way you have captured the fine spokes of the O3 in such detail.
Well done.

cheers
Allan

[Ross G]

An amazing photo Martin.

The best I have seen of this object.

The colour and sharpness is excellent and the detail gives it a "3D" look.

Inspiring imaging.

Thank you.

Ross.

[SkyViking]

That's simply superb Martin. Likely the best Helix image I have ever seen.
The OIII streaks are really adding depth to it, it just looks fantastic.
And I don't mind the noise at all, it just shows that you've brought out all there is to see. :thumbsup:
Great work, which really shows what a lot of hours can bring out.

[DavidTrap]

Now that's just a bit trippy! Very 3D.

DT

[alistairsam]

That's breathtaking Martin, you've brought out the beauty of this PN so well.
Are you able to post a closer crop?
stunning.

[Larryp]

I think that's the best Helix I have ever seen!

[jjjnettie]

That is Magical!! So delicate yet fluid. Like a Spanish Dancer (the marine kind) You almost expect it to start undulating. :)

[tilbrook@rbe.ne]

Holy crap batman!!

It's Big Brother watching us!

Absolutely awesome Martin.

Cheers,

Justin.

[Leobartz]

Really awesome.

[PattyP]

Wonderful image Martin, congratulations.

[Octane]

Unfreakinbelievable.

H

[strongmanmike]

Certainly the deepest Helix I have seen in visible wavelengths :thumbsup:

The difficulty in the processing though is showing both the HII and OIII features in that main ring t'is hard to do....although the HII features are more detailed, going with the less intricate star burst like OIII features is a nice alternative.

Nice work...for a few days of exposure :lol:

Mike

[E_ri_k]

Wow! Amazing! Best photo of this I have ever seen! Beats Hubble's shot by far! What equipment are you using?

Erik

[Jen]

:eyepop::eyepop: wow awsome pic Martin :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thum bsup:
Well i didnt expect anything less from you thats fantastic :D

[alocky]

You really get a sense of the x-rays blasting out from the central star and eroding the shedded material. That will come up real nice with a bit of processing (only joking!). Educational art.
Thanks.
Andrew.

[dvj]

Wonderful work Martin! Can we persuade you to post the OIII image? The H-a is spectacular.

[iceman]

Stunning! Warp hole!

[John Hothersall]

Those spokes of O3 are class.

John.

[Stevec35]

Amazing stuff Martin.

Cheers

Steve

[petershah]

:thumbsup:just beautiful

[multiweb]

Great blend. Extensive Ha but I also like how you've accentuated the Oiii channel in the core. Very dynamic. :thumbsup:

[Martin Pugh]

Wow...you like it! Many thanks for the comments and clear skies

Martin

[bokglob]

Who needs hubble! Cancel Webb project :question: Maybe we can set Martin up on the ISS:lol: This is truly deep and meaningfull. (the image I mean) Congratulations:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[RickS]

Awesome, Martin!

[Osirisra]

OMG! that is stupendously awesome! 50hrs dam! some serious image right there.

[Jeffkop]

Absolutely beautiful .. Wont be bothering to post my LRGB 3.5hrs worth thats for sure .. Legendary is the word that comes to mind.

[Peter Ward]

To quote B. Simpson: "Ay Carrumba"

Superlatives are at a loss.

You are churning out the best (amateur...and I'm wondering if that phrase is relevant) deep sky imagery on the planet at present IMHO :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[cometcatcher]

Where I live I think it would take years to get 55.5 hours of clear sky.

The BiColour long exposure image really works. I wouldn't be surprised if publishers come knocking at your door looking for more of your images to hit the books.

[Martin Pugh]

Thanks again

I chose to bring the striking OIII result to the foreground in this image while leaving the Ha to occupy the background. The 3nm OIII filter really does reveal incredible detail.

cheers
Martin

[Bassnut]

Nah, far to WFW for me, nice try though :thumbsup:

[David Fitz-Henr]

Very impressive image Martin - those radial spikes are stunning! Did you say what equipment you used to capture this?

[Martin Pugh]

The equipment used was an FSQ106N and SBIG STL11K with Astrodon 3nm Ha and 3nm OIII filters.

cheers!
Martin

[h0ughy]

WOW - now thats no TLA!! fantastic - absolutely fantastic - eat hubble for breakfast

[RobF]

You sure are in an imaging sweet spot at the moment Martin. Just stunning.

[Leonardo70]

What can I say about !!!
I hope this smile help me:
:eyepop:

Congratulations Martin ... :)

All the best,
Leo

[Osirisra]

Congrats on the APOD!

[alexch]

Just saw it on APOD today and found this thread. Congrats, Martin!

Alex

[Martin Pugh]

Thanks Ken/Alex - much appreciated.

cheers
Martin

[andyc]

Fair to say I think that's the best planetary nebula image I have ever seen. I think that might include Hubble's Cat's Eye or Hourglass, and I just put them side-by-side to verify. Visually gorgeous, like a big blue eye looking back out the screen, but so much more as well. Superb!

[AG Hybrid]

Very special.

[ourkind]

APOD had to be there was no other way to describe it! Congratulations :thumbsup:

[Geoff45]

Terrific pic Martin. Something to aspire to.
Geoff

[Martin Pugh]

Thanks very much!

[alpal]

I just saw the APOD:
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121004.html

Congratulations Martin - well deserved.

[dvj]

:thumbsup:Nice APOD Martin! Just saw it myself. I'm still working on mine. Up to 25 hours in Ha so far. Egad that's alot of time. Can't wait to add some OIII.

[strongmanmike]

Right! that's it, I'm going 100hr, or bust, with the AG12....


:lol:

[Martin Pugh]

Thanks very much!!

[dvj]

Sorry Mike, but we have used up all the photons from the Helix. :lol:

[strongmanmike]

Oh Yeh..??? Well, I'll get out the Photonic Flux Hoover if I have to :mad2:

:thumbsup:

[marco]

Congratulation for another well deserved APOD Martin, an amazing rendition of the Helix Nebula!

Clear Skies
Marco