Some more processing on M42 (Page 2): Those you pulled some awesome faint outer nebulosity , I've looked into creating color in my stars using Ps and have a video that I'm going to...

stepping beyond Loc: usa eastcoast

Those you pulled some awesome faint outer nebulosity , I've looked into creating color in my stars using Ps and have a video that I'm going to attempt. I use a star tools plugin for most of my astrophotography for Ps , I'm still trying to get my mojo going and I'm still trying to get my Hasta La Vista Green plugin installed but, like everything I do I struggling with it. I also take data and every year add to the existing and attempt to align all of it what doesn't align stays in offset folder for later use .

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

Hi stepping beyond
This was my best shot so far of M42 in Orion. I'm still learning how to best process deep sky images and it is a continuous learning (and experimenting) process. I find pixinsight works well but has a large learning curve (I still have only scratched the surface of how to use all the processes it has). I have never really done anything with Photoshop, but understand it has nice capabilities.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Ballard wrote:

I did a bit more de-ringing of the stars in my pre... (show quote)

Really great image data!

I downloaded and played with your data in PixInsight. I really liked an Ha,Ha,0.9xOiii,Oiii (LRGB) result. I'd post the result but a lot of people don't appreciate their images being 'edited'...

bwa

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

bwana wrote:

Really great image data!

I downloaded and played with your data in PixInsight. I really liked an Ha,Ha,0.9xOiii,Oiii (LRGB) result. I'd post the result but a lot of people don't appreciate their images being 'edited'...

bwa

Bwana
Feel free to play and or post the results. I consider it a complement if someone wants to use the photos.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Ballard wrote:

Bwana
Feel free to play and or post the results. I consider it a complement if someone wants to use the photos.

Here's my rendition of your Ha, Oiii and Sii image data. Realize it is from JPG images.

Enjoy!

bwa

(Download)

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

bwana wrote:

Here's my rendition of your Ha, Oiii and Sii image data. Realize it is from JPG images.

Enjoy!

bwa

Great work, you pulled out even more of the nebula. I assume you assigned Ha to red, Oiii to blue and Sii Green?

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Ballard wrote:

Great work, you pulled out even more of the nebula. I assume you assigned Ha to red, Oiii to blue and Sii Green?

Actually I didn't use the Sii in the image. It is solely Ha,Ha,0.9xOiii,Oiii (LRGB). I just couldn't find a good place to add the Sii.

bwa

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

bwana wrote:

Actually I didn't use the Sii in the image. It is solely Ha,Ha,0.9xOiii,Oiii (LRGB). I just couldn't find a good place to add the Sii.

bwa

Hi bwa
That makes sense. Both Ha and S2 would be red. I used the Hubble pallet with Sii -> red, Ha-> green and Oiii -<blue. For Barnard's loop I used HA for Luminance and Red and Green and Blue as their respect colors.
(See https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-727757-1.html)

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Ballard wrote:

Hi bwa
That makes sense. Both Ha and S2 would be red. I used the Hubble pallet with Sii -> red, Ha-> green and Oiii -<blue. For Barnard's loop I used HA for Luminance and Red and Green and Blue as their respect colors.
(See https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-727757-1.html)

Your combo of Ha,RGB has also given me some of my best results on Barnard's loop and M42. In both cases it is the extra reach of the Ha 'channel' that does the job.

I often also combine the Ha & R for the R channel and use an integration of all Ha,R,G&B as the Luminance. An integration of the Ha,Oiii&Sii might work well for Luminance on your image?

bwa

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

bwana wrote:

Your combo of Ha,RGB has also given me some of my best results on Barnard's loop and M42. In both cases it is the extra reach of the Ha 'channel' that does the job.

I often also combine the Ha & R for the R channel and use an integration of all Ha,R,G&B as the Luminance. An integration of the Ha,Oiii&Sii might work well for Luminance on your image?

bwa

Hi bwa
Lots more experimenting to do to get a really image. Currently I'm playing with some data on M82 I took last week and using HA+Red for Red, then LGB for the others. I'm trying to bring out the red tendrils coming out of the center of M82.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Ballard wrote:

Hi bwa
Lots more experimenting to do to get a really image. Currently I'm playing with some data on M82 I took last week and using HA+Red for Red, then LGB for the others. I'm trying to bring out the red tendrils coming out of the center of M82.

I've shot M82 several times. The latest was Aug. 2021, per attached.

It's one of those bright 'fun' targets.

bwa

Cigar Galaxy(M82)(4x30x30sec,2x2binned)_PI_0.5Lum,Ha,Sii,Oiii (LRGB)_MStretch_ABE_PS(AP)_LR

(Download)

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

bwana wrote:

I've shot M82 several times. The latest was Aug. 2021, per attached.

It's one of those bright 'fun' targets.

bwa

Hi bwa
That is an outstanding image of M82. What was the scope you used for that.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Ballard wrote:

Hi bwa
That is an outstanding image of M82. What was the scope you used for that.

I used a Sky-Watcher 190 Mak-Newt (1000mm, f/5.3), mono QHY163M camera, a QHY filterwheel with Optolong 36mm L,R,G,B,Ha,Oiii,Sii filters on a pier mounted Celestron CGEM DX.

I use PoleMaster to polar align the mount every couple of months and StarSense to do the initial star alignment. I don't use a guide system. I also don't shoot darks, flats or bias subs. My KISS approach to astrophotography.

bwa