The Lagoon and Hourglass Nebula

[PhotonCollector]

Hello everyone,

here's an image I did recently of the Lagoon Nebula. I fiddled with this image a few times so I'm not to sure I have the colours "right".

The image is a stack of 7 x 2-minute exposures (14-minutes total) with the modified Canon 300D at the 2-inch prime focus of my 12-inch f/5 scope. Hand guiding done with 4.5" f/18 guidescope. Used the 2" Baader Coma Corrector and 2" Baader UV/IR Cut Filter.

There's a higher resolution image here
http://www.skylab.com.au/pmsa/Lagoon%20Nebula%20-%20page%204.html

regards
Paul M

[h0ughy]

Nice Paul,
not really a blue lagoon is it? Nice sharpness and nebula definition

[Doug]

G'day Paul, Colour looks pretty good to me. The whole image is remarkably good. You can compare your image with an LRGB one done with a 32"RCOS and STL11000 at http://home.vicnet.net.au/~tishuios/m8.htm

I was pre occupied with getting the best of some fairly substantial unappealing creamy green star haloes and messed the overall colour up in the process. But when you compare the two you will see that your image leaves nothing to be desired.
best,
Doug

[tornado33]

Hi Paul, great detail there, even in the bright parts. Probably one of the best DSLR images of it ever taken! Did you do the masking method as in M42 to preserve the bright detail without burning it out?
Scott

[xelasnave]

Paul where do you go from here? That is in my view as good as you can get, really good work. One thing is for sure you cause me to look at my 12 inch with more respect each time I see what you can get them to do. Who needs a 32 inch ..congratulations
alex

[strongmanmike]

Hi Paul

That is a lovely image!

I think the colour in your image is quite fine. As you can see, the colour compares closely with Jim Misti's 32" RC version huh? For another comparison, here is my version done with the little 80mm scope:

http://upload.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/55931045/large

Then we have Scotts recent version (also done with a DSLR) which is more orange with a main bright lagoon region that is whitter than the rest of the nebula. Soooo, don't worry, I think M8 is an example of an object that can tolerate a rather diverse range of colour processing before it looks "wrong".

If I could give some constructive critisim...? I would say the nebula and background perhaps looks just a little monochromatically red...? with somewhat "all white" stars? The bright area around the lagoon stripe needs to blend in with the surroundings just a little more, at the moment this area looks too bold to me. There is some OIII emission in this bright area too so I recon some vague green should be present in there as well (as it is in Scott's image). There is also some subtle blue reflection nebulosity permeating the foreground of M8 in patches that isn't showcased in your image either, nor many other images of M8, for that matter!

But these rather minor points aside, it is still fine as is and is a very pleasing image allround, very well done and thanks for sharing!

Hope you don't mind the constructive opinions (and that's all they are)? Your image is still excellent and of course there is no absolute "right" way an image should look.
BTW, who hand guides these days your a bloody trooper Mate! :eyepop:

Mike Sid on IO

[Lester]

Paul,

excellent shot of the Lagoon. Your work is of a high standard always. :eyepop:

And what a bonus to have Mike Sidonio on board in IIS who is a perfectionist in the nicest way. :welcome:

[PhotonCollector]

Thanks everyone for your comments. To be honest it wasn't a planned shot. I was infact imaging another object and when I had finished I looked up to see the Lagoon nebula "waving" at me in the sky. So I did half-dozen quick images before calling it quits. I'll be looking forward to a proper imaging session with the Lagoon so that I may increase the signal and not burn-out the stars so much.

Anyhow, thanks again. Let's hope the new moon brings dark clear skies.

Paul Mayo

[PhotonCollector]

Hello Doug,
Glad you liked the image. I looked at the 32" RCOS/STL-11000 image after which I proceeded to add this post http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=9965

Thanks for your comments Doug. It's pretty rewarding to have an image that is comparable to that done with a 32" RCOS/STL-11000.

Paul M

[PhotonCollector]

Hi Mike,

nice to make your virtual acquaintence:hi:

Your right about the reddish background stars, I fiddled for some time to try and remove that look but couldnt. But in the back of mind I know this was only a quick session with the Lagoon Nebula and that more signal is required than just the 14-minutes worth that I did to get this image. With more signal (more exposure time) I think that I won't need to push the image so much and that should save the stars from buring out and becoming white.
With a little more green in the image I created a new post today of this image which is comparable to that image done with the 32" RCOS 'scope (see http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=9965).

Who Hand Guides these days?

Poor people like me! :D
Believe it or not I enjoy hand-guiding I couldn't imagine it any other way (of course I've never done it any other way so how would I know?:lol: ). Though it does give me the fuzzy feeling that the image depended soley on me, without me the image would have been a squiggle!

thanks again for your comments.
Best regards
Paul Mayo

[PhotonCollector]

Thanks Alex,

Where from here? 1 down, 130,000 to go.... :D

Yep, I gotta say in my 30+ years as an amateur that the GSO 12" really is a lot bang for buck. The optics are great too!, especially if you do what I did and install light baffles in the scope.

Regarding the 32" image, check this out http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=9965

thanks again Alex
regards
Paul Mayo

[xelasnave]

Have not done any baffles yet but it is on the list, I am a total believer in same and in fact use a baffled extention on a 6 inch refractor with noticable contrast improvement. Will do the baffle when I shorten the tube after I have the mount and been occupied in building an English Equatorial Mount to carry it actually.
alex

[PhotonCollector]

Geeday Alex,

The light baffles idea I had installed in my prior OTA and after getting the 12" scope I did the same. I attached a picture for you.

The rubber strips that make the baffles come from Clark Rubber (there is a name for this rubber but the name eludes me at the moment), I purchased a small slab of this foam and then used a stanley knife to cut it into strips of the required height and length. Clark rubber also sell suitable glue which sets over night but sticks immediately. I marked out where they should go with a pencil on the inside of the OTA before I stuck them in place.

When you look at the attached image you can see the inside of OTA gets darker, the further down you go (bear in mind when this image was taken with the scope is looking out the observatory door to the bright daylight sky).

The first night out with the new baffles installed for a visual tour thrilled me as the improvement was so noticeable.

regards
Paul M

[xelasnave]

Thanks for that Paul. I believe folk underestimate the amount of reflection one gets from even a black painted surface. At home with no lights on anywhere (within 8 klms) looking down a blackened cardboard tube with only a candle off to one side.. it shows, and thats just the human eye.. not as sharp as one of those electric ones. If you look at the Hubble Space Telescope they have an extended baffle system and I recon they must have an idea. So I recon we are on the right track.
Thanks again
alex

[Itchy]

Great work as usual Paul