M42 and the Running Man - my best so far

[iceman (Mike)]

Ok I know everyone gets bored of M42 images, but it's a challenging target that demands that you think about how you capture and how you process. The vast dynamic range and the sheer size and complexity of the nebulosity draws you back in, and it's a great object to make your own personal yardstick - to compare against previous sessions to see how much you've improved.

This is my best DSO image since I started imaging DSO's exactly 2 months ago.

This image of M42 and NGC1977 was captured on Tuesday night at our semi-dark sky site at Mangrove Mountain Pony Club, on the Central Coast of NSW.

Equipment: Saxon ED80 on EQ6
Camera: Canon 350D (unmodded) with WO 0.8x type II reducer/flattener.
Guiding: Guided wiith a DMK21AF04 through a 80mm f/5 refractor, using PHD.

The image consists of 10x 30s, 10x 60s and 6x 300s exposures, all at ISO800.
No darks were taken on the night, but darks were subtracted using darks from a previous session. No flats.
Processing in ImagesPlus and Photoshop.

I wanted to take more @ 300s, but it was 2am and time to go home

I'm very happy with how it has turned out, but there's still a lot of room for improvement, especially when I inspect the full-size version @ 100% resolution.
- I need better darks
- I need to start taking flats
- The registration isn't great in the corners
- and my deep-space processing skill still need to advance.

But this is my new yardstick - i'll come back and image it again in a few months when I've improved my techniques in capture and processing.

Thanks for looking.

[davewaldo]

Thats an AWESOME image Mike! Your progressing with DSO imaging at lightspeed

Well done!

[davewaldo]

I might also add that this is one of the most natural M42s I've seen. Often to display the vast dynamic range the image ends up with very gray highlight areas and quite a low contrast look... not in your image!

You should be very please with this shot.

any chance of a higher res image?

[laika (Brenton)]

Mike,
WOW, I am just starting to get bits together to try this DSO stuff and if I can achieve results remotly close to this after 2 months I will be one happy chappy.
Great result and lovely photo to look at, the longer you look the more fine detail stands out.
Regards.
Brenton.

[Tamtarn]

Really great image Mike. Can see why you're happy with this one. The multiple long exposures have really brought out the detail

[mbaddah (Mo)]

This is a freakin amazing shot, well done!

Out of curiosity why the variant exposure shots? Was it to save time?

[bluescope]

The brownish dust clouds at the extremeties of the nebulae are great Mike. Great image !

[beren]

Congrats Mike, great looking image, making it look easy

[DougAdams]

That is a stunner.

[davidpretorius]

this is really nice.

nude up young man and strut around the block!

[Outbackmanyep]

Bloody Fantastic!

I have a LOOOOOOONG way to go!

[mill (Martin)]

Originally Posted by mbaddah

This is a freakin amazing shot, well done!

Out of curiosity why the variant exposure shots? Was it to save time?

Different exposures bring out different detail.
Longer exposure more nebula.
The shorter exposures the trap, that will be burned out with a long exposure.

[Geoff45 (Geoff)]

Great shot Mike. It's a lot more satisfying than webcam planetary shots isn't it.
Geoff

[mill (Martin)]

Ps: that is an stunner image Mike.

[Deeno]

Can't help but be really impressed.
Fascinating to see the equipment in action

[h0ughy (David)]

On your way Mike (cough cough as if he really needs encouragement but I must not tell him the image is a corker). You need to improve your imaging sessions with flats and the like Mr Salway 7.5/10

[davidpretorius]

go get him houghy!!!
woo hoo!
be the meanie judge just like in idol!

[h0ughy (David)]

Originally Posted by davidpretorius

go get him houghy!!!
woo hoo!
be the meanie judge just like in idol!

It is a bloody fantastic image but if we told him that he would get big head swells and we would never hear the end of it - Oh look and the nice planet imager take on the deep sky boys and flog them!!.......na cant do that we cant let him get too far ahead (well he left me behind ages ago)

[Ric]

A fantastic image Mike, well done.

Cheers

[wysiwyg (Mark)]

Nice one Mike,

I think I am really underestimating the potential of my ED80.
Love the colours, very well resolved and it does not have the plasticy look to it.