Horsehead M17
The Omega Nebula		 Horsehead

(Click on image for Full Resolution)

(Click here for my Vixen 102mm/ST-237A attempt on 09-12-2001)



Date: July 19, 2004
Exposure: HaR.Ha.R.RGB : 9 x 1200s Ha, 12 x 300s R, 12 x 240 R, 12 x 240s G, 12 x 420s B
Processing: CCDSoftV5 for image acquisition. MaxIm for image calibration,(15 flats each HaRGB, dark subtracted and median combined, 25 bias frames median combined, 15-1200s darks median combined). Dead/hot pixel removal, alignment, normalization, color combining, mild DDP on Ha only, unsharp on Ha and 300s R only using CCDSharp 2 & 1 iterations. Photoshop CS for final color balance and jpg conversion.
Conditions: Fair skies, but light haze, Mag 4 Skies
Scope: AP180EDT @ f/7.4 on a Paramount ME
Camera: SBIG ST-10XME/CFW-8A, -15°, AP 0.67 Focal Reducer
Comments: This object is low on my horizon and is blocked in the East until about 2 hours before the meridian. I only have 3 hours after before it gets too low. This was taken over three night with varying conditions. I also changed nosepieces after I shot the Ha and matching the scale in Photoshop was a real challenge, but it did work. This is actually a Ha+R,Ha,R,RGB and I used the second Ha processed differently from the first to add some faint detail that I didn't get the first time around.