[middy]

Originally Posted by Leo.G

That's a stunning image Andrew, I'm sure you're extremely happy with it.

Thanks Leo. It's the first image I've ever thought worthy of printing. I went to Kmart and printed it 12" x 8". It's currently in a frame waiting to go up on the wall

Originally Posted by JimmyAstro

Wow Middy

Great image, we obviously have a long way to go in comparison.

What setup did you use to capture?

Any advice on what software you use?

Thanks Helen and James. I used the ZWO ASI2600MC Pro camera on a Skywatcher Quattro 10" F4 Newt mounted on a Skywatcher AZ-EQ6 mount.

The software I used to process is PixInsight. I started using PixInsight about 12 months ago. It is not cheap and the processing effort is next level, but now that I am getting used to it, it has been money well spent. Before that I used Nebulosity for many years.

Originally Posted by Peter Ward

Very nice.
The star colour variation could use a little work plus some Ha and OIII data would take it to the next level.
That said, the muted contrast and accurate colour looks great. Well done

Thanks Peter. Yes, I only tweaked the saturation of the background and didn't think to adjust the saturation of the star mask as well. For my next target, NGC253, which I am just about to post, I gave the star mask a double dose of saturation before combining them with the background. Maybe I'll go back and do the same for this image.

As for Ha and OIII, that's a whole other level of effort I don't feel the need for at the moment. Maybe one day. I was always happy with my just DSLR and said I'd never buy a dedicated astro cam, but I eventually relented and bought one.

However, if someone reading this wants to donate their Ha and OIII data then I'll have a go at combining them and see how it looks.

Cheers,
Andrew