Well here is my first attempt at M42, please give me your feedback on what i can improve!
http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...ps31fc1f2c.jpg
EdgeHD 9.25 @ f/10, Canon 5D MKIII, Hutech IDAS LPS-P2 filter,
Orion ST80 w/ QHY5L-II.
Autoguiding with PHD2, rough polar alignment only.
8 x 180sec @ ISO 1000, 3 x 180sec darks, 9 bias frames
Stacked with DSS with default settings, all processing in photoshop CS6.
I know I should probably drop the ISO, increase exposure time, but i havent figured out how to use PHD2 to polar align yet, the graphs are all over the place and no idea what to make of them yet!
pretty stoked nonetheless!
i also have 8 x 120sec but cant figure out why DSS isnt stacking them just yet, will have a play over next few hours.
EDIT: Thanks to Steve for the walkthrough you posted! Here is the composite, and i do actually like it more than the core being blown out!
http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...psf88ac963.jpg