Orion and Running Man nebulae

[PaulSthcoast (Paul)]

Hi everyone,

I took advantage of the break in the weather Saturday
night and tried my hand at Orion.

After experimenting with different filters and exposures,
I decided to stay with this for the moment.

I now know the benefits of taking shorter exposures for the
Trap area of the Great nebulae to stack for detail, rather than
creating a `hot` core.

Something I hope to achieve next time.

I'm happy with the results.

Hopefully we will enjoy more clear nights again soon.

Image details as follows:

Sky watcher 80x400mm refractor
Canon 1100D DSLR modded
Optolong clip in CLS filter
Skywatcher StarAdventurer
27 x 45 second subs
ISO 3200

Stacked and processed in Deep Sky Stacker.

Comments welcomed.

Thanks for looking.

Paul.

[PKay (Peter)]

Hi Paul

Wasn't it a cracker of a night, still, warm and clear as clear!

You have captured some great hues, the DSLR is good at that.

Are you using a field flattener?

If not it will give a better shape to stars at the edge of frame.

[Startrek (Martin)]

Paul
Fine effort there exposing some nice detail in the flare
With DSLR’s you can never get enough data to get the signal up and the noise down, another 20 or 30 good subs would expose a bit more too
Maybe take some darks next time or have to set your camera for noise reduction ? I found with my 600D that separate dark calibration frames was better than the cameras internal noise reduction plus you save time as you can shoot your darks after you go to bed
Well done !!
Martin

[PaulSthcoast (Paul)]

Peter,

thanks for the suggestion re the flattener, I have one
but it was an oversight to use it.

Its now on my checklist !

Yes the DSLR captured some lovely hues, I was very
impressed with the images as they arrived on screen.

It was a great night, and a thank you to all those who I was
communicating with along the way during those hours.

Once again I must thank Martin (Startrek).

Martin suggested I try Startools as a `no brainer` solution
for processing the stacked image.

I downloaded the program and just followed the support tabs.

The result was quick and very impressive.

Though the trial version does not allow the final image to be saved,
it certainly proved it`s worth as a valuble tool.

I tried to emulate the result of the Startools image with my own
programs, but nothing came close.

Thanks again for looking.


Paul.

[Robert_T]

Hi Paul, you're getting some good data now. DSS is great for stacking but is extremly limited for image process beyond that. As Martin recommends a good simple program like Startools should take your images ot the next level. I think only ~$65AU for a once off cost; it's an absolute bargain.

[Startrek (Martin)]

Originally Posted by Robert_T

Hi Paul, you're getting some good data now. DSS is great for stacking but is extremly limited for image process beyond that. As Martin recommends a good simple program like Startools should take your images ot the next level. I think only ~$65AU for a once off cost; it's an absolute bargain.

Version 1.7 utilised GPU rather than CPU during processing so you no longer need a beastly machine with huge RAM
I’m upgrading to 1.7 soon

[RyanJones]

Hi Paul,

A Nice wide field effort. The core is blown out but in reality that’s how much brighter it is than the rest of the neb. To be fair I’d be surprised if that scope will properly resolve the trap anyway so the way you’ve done it at least represents a realistic range of illumination.

Yes a field flattener however the elongation is much more prominent to the bottom and to the right. Knowing the scope, it has a bit of a weak focuser. You may be getting tilt across the field also.

Cheers

Ryan

[PaulSthcoast (Paul)]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to view and comment.

I am flattered by the compliments and for you to take time
to add suggestions on how I can advance.

Robert, yes agreed, I now know the joy and the pain of processing !

Like the old saying goes....A Tradie is only as good as their tools...

Ryan, yep you know the scope !

After some pondering, I had to revisit the stack and see what else I
could achieve.

My main goal was to revel more of the core, but in doing so managed
a few more details.

A completely different result, but I`m still happy !!

Imaged slightly cropped.

Thanks again for looking.


Paul

[Robert_T]

I think I like the reprocess now more... probably more the colour palette I am used to for M42, but the first is still and interesting take.