Horsehead IC5146
Cocoon Nebula		 Horsehead

(Click on image for Full Resolution)

(Click here for my previous best with my AP155EDF - 11/10/2003)


(Click here for 70% of full size)




Date: October, 2008
Exposure: LRGB - 480m : 480m : 480M : 720m
12 x 600s + 72 x 300s L, 32 x 900s R, 32 x 900s G, 48 x 900 B
Processing: CCDAutoPilot4 used to collect data over multiple nights. CCDSoft for image acquisition, CCDStack on a x64 Vista machine for Image calibration, Astrodon LRGB filters (35 flats each L,R,G,B, Bias subtracted and Sigma Clip combined, 65 bias frames Sigma Clip combined, 40 x 900s darks, 40 x 600s darks, and 85 x 300s darks Sigma Clip combined), alignment, normalization, FITS master files creation, and RGB raw TIFF creation. Photoshop CS2 for final LRGB processing, final layers adjustment and jpg conversion for the website.
Conditions: Good to Excellent, Mag 6-7 Skies
Scope: RCOS 10" Astrograph
Camera: SBIG ST-10XME, -15°
Comments: I took about twice this much data and just picked the best images of the bunch to process. I also have 18 hours of Ha data processed that I still want to work into this image at a later data.