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Flame & Horsehead Nebulae 2/14/2022

Discussion in 'Astrophotography and Imaging' started by Ed D, Feb 15, 2022.

Flame & Horsehead Nebulae 2/14/2022

Started by Ed D on Feb 15, 2022 at 5:54 AM

2 Replies 617 Views 1 Likes

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  1. Ed D

    Ed D Well-Known Member

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    Ed D, Feb 15, 2022
    #1
    Last night I imaged the Flame & Horsehead nebulae from my back yard, and I'm really excited with the success I had. Keep in mind I'm imaging from my backyard in a horrible Bortle 9 White zone, plus the moon was one day away from full. Thankfully, the Hydrogen Alpha (Ha) filter blocks all that out, passing only the light at 656nm with a narrow bandwidth. Anyway, here it is:

    2022 02-14 Flame and Horsehead Nebulae.jpg
    Flame & Horsehead Nebulae in Ha - February 2022

    I used a new to me technique of taking some light frames, followed by a few dark frames, and repeating this process several times. From previous images, higher ISO values do not seem to affect noise anywhere near as bad when imaging in Ha. I used faster exposures and captured plenty of them. I actually wanted 100 or more light frames, but a few clouds showed up. Here is my imaging info:

    2022 02-14 Flame & Horsehead Nebulae

    Scope: AT60ED with ATR8 Field Flattener/0.8x Reducer
    Filters: Lumicon Ha 2"
    Camera: Canon T3i DSLR
    Settings: ISO 3200
    RAW
    Picture Style = Neutral 0,0,0,0
    White Balance = Daylight (5200k)
    Exposures:
    Light = 20 x 25sec
    Dark = 5 x 25sec
    Light = 20 x 25sec
    Dark = 5 x 25sec
    Light = 20 x 25sec
    Dark = 5 x 25sec
    Light = 18 x 25sec
    Dark = 5 x 25sec
    Bias = 20 x 1/4000sec
    Deep Sky Stacker: Stacked 64 out of 78 Lights
    Added 20ea Darks and Bias
    Adjusted RED Channel in DSS Histogram
    Saved adjusted 16bit TIFF
    GIMP: Adjusted CURVES slightly
    Photo Studio: Crop and size
    Notes: Left image in Ha RED (Desaturated image lost quality)

    Exposure times were short, allowing me to take many frames without spending all night imaging. The short exposure times minimized star trailing effects, and the multitude of images brought out the detail when stacked. What did take long was processing all that data in DSS, but it gave me a chance to do other things, like eat dinner.

    Now that I think I figured out how to image DSOs in severe light pollution, I'm going to try the Rosette again.

    Ed D
     
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  2. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Orion25, Feb 15, 2022
    #2
    Spectacular, Ed. Your method of mixing images with different exposure times is working well :)
     
  3. Ed D

    Ed D Well-Known Member

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    Ed D, Feb 16, 2022
    #3
    Thank you, Reggie. I didn't think DSO imaging of the Horsehead was even possible inside such heavy light pollution. I wish you could see it on a large HD TV - WOW! Since having started experimenting with images using different values, I have read posts from several imagers that do the same with good success.

    I also figured out that, in extreme light pollution, taking a large/huge number of short exposures and stacking them is the way to get the best images possible. I was heading in the wrong direction by trying longer and longer exposures. I'm also using the technique of taking a set of lights and then a few darks, and continuing this for several sets, meantime making slight tracking corrections. The corrections have the effect of dithering, which is a technique that helps with processing out hot pixels and noise.

    I have been learning a lot lately about DSO imaging. Next, I'm going to try image sets using different filters, and stacking together the data. Not my original idea. The challenge is reinstalling the camera in the correct orientation after taking it out for a filter change. A couple of pieces of masking tape with witness marks helps realignment tremendously. Also not an original idea, although I did this before reading about it.

    If all this seems complicated, it's not. It's a great way of spending a couple of hours under the stars. Can you tell I'm really enjoying retirement?

    Ed
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2022

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