I've been waiting all year to have a crack at imaging this stunningly beautiful emission nebula (It's one of my favourites). And Christmas eve/morning I had the opportunity to do so at a spot that's about 20 minutes out of Mansfield in country Victoria.
The location provided very clear skies for this time of year. So here it is after an initial attempt at processing. It needs more work here as it's still a tad too noisy, and I want to try and draw out some more of the nebulosity - but that's a job for another day.
As always your thoughts/suggestions for improving the image would be much appreciated. And I hope that you all have access to clear skies this holiday period - the lack of sleep is well worth it!
Paul
Image Details:
SW BD120ED + x0.83 Focal Reducer/Flattener
Orion ST80 guidescope + autoguider & PHD
Canon 60Da DSLR.
30 x 420 second subs
Dark, bias and flat field frames applied
Stacking and initial processing in Nebulosity 3.0
Basic levels and curves in PS CS5.
