Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

Here is another version of the ring nebula I posted a couple of days ago. In this one I added just over 11 hours of Ha exposure (68 subs at 10 min each.) In this version I masked off the halo and used pixel math to add the halo to the red channel. I found it necessary to mask off the halo and the remove the halo from the center of the ring nebula otherwise everything would be over exposed and red. Both the inner and out halo can be seen in the image with some detail visible in double download. The first image is the final image. The second image is the masked off HA halo that I added to the red channel.
See https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-743442-1.html for the original none-halo image the ring.
All questions comments and suggestions are welcome.

The ring with its very dim halo visible in Hydrogen Alpha.

(Download)


(Download)

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

The Ha really adds to the image. Well done!

When one considers this planetary nebula has expanded to a radius of 1.3 light-years, compared to the 0.016 light-year diameter of our solar system (to the outer edge of the Kuiper Belt), it is quite amazing to consider the power of this relatively minor stellar event! I wonder if any intelligent creature was near this star when it went BOOM!?

bwa

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

Hi bwa
Thanks for checking out the halo around the ring nebula and for the comment. It is still growing at around ~1 arcsecond per centry from our point of view. This is a good example of what our star may look like in around 5 billion years. If there were any intelligent creatures around that star they should have had time to leave since they had a 5 billion year head start on us assuming evolution around any worlds there took a similar path as our earth.

stepping beyond Loc: usa eastcoast

That's the way to process "awesome work" , I've got the inner Ring and some outer ring data but, nowhere near enough for processing until I get out and catch some duo band. Hopefully I can get out sometime soon . As of now , I just got the final filter to fill my 8 pos. efw today , I'm plagued with clouds. I also had an oil leak from my camera that showed up in my Sunflower data which is a real bummer. I thought it might be a twig or a hair but, further inspection after taking the camera apart , proved what I didn't want to do and that was clean the glass over the sensor. It's done, So now to crack open the efw and load the 2 filters I just received. Ballard , you ever used a a dark frame filter? I thought what the hey , it'll save me from having to go outside and I got a light leak somewhere that I need to get rid of.

tony85629 Loc: Sahuarita, Az

Excellent effort! Great image.

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

Hi stepping beyond
Thanks for viewing the halo around the ring nebula and for the comment. I've never used a dark frame filter. I will sometimes just put the front cover on the scope at night for darks and I have also just brought the camera inside and put it into the large black dew shield I have for the 16" inch scope, cover the top and take darks using my desktop. Having a camera that can get to the temperature after the fact makes it convenient to take the darks during the daytime (but only if it is well covered up from light). I did hit an issue using the ASI supplied program for making darks, flats and bias frames when using 2x2 binning, the frame size was a few pixels smaller than the light frames taken using Sequence Generator Pro and pixinsight complained about the geometry, so I had to use SG pro for the calibration frames also. This issue didn't occur when using 1x1 binning.

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

Hi tony85629
Thanks for checking out the Halo around M57 and for the comment.

Marc G Loc: East Grinstead, West Sussex, England

Love it mate, very nicely processed

Ballard Loc: Grass Valley, California

Hi Marc
Thanks for viewing the Halo around the ring nebula and for the comment. I may do some more processing to brighten up the background and maybe the halo just a bit but leave the ring itself alone.