[sjastro]

Originally Posted by Larryp

Superb image, Steven!

Thanks Larry.

Originally Posted by multiweb

Very cool pic. That's the snoopy nebula if you rotate it 90 degrees clockwise.

You have an active imagination Marc.
I thought it was Darth Vadar hanging upside down.

Originally Posted by seeker372011

That's a simply awesome image

I had a go at this object some years back

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9178472...in/photostream

And your image shows an incredible amount of additional nebulosity and so much sharper

The new gold standard for others to emulate

Narayan

Thanks Narayan. Your fine image shows the extensive nature of the nebula.

Originally Posted by marc4darkskies

Very nice Steve - an interesting , somewhat off the beaten, track object. I'd do some more stretching though - there's definitely more data in there waiting to be noticed.


Ouch! You're hurting my ears Steve!!! ........

Seriously though, notwithstanding aesthetic and personal taste arguments, far from reducing contrast, adding Ha to LRGB should always mean you're adding information and depth to a colour image that would otherwise not be visible.

Marcus,

The trouble with adding RGB colour to a Ha image is that the process itself is inherently contrast reducing. The blending of the R channel into a Ha image to preserve colour balance reduces contrast as the R data lacks the contrast of the Ha data.
No argument about adding information but how many individuals after taking multi hour exposures of say the HH nebula in Ha are a little disappointed once the colour is added.

Clear skies

Steven