Orion and the running man nebula

This is a tricky target to bring out all of the detail whilst avoiding saturating the core of Orion I'm pleased with my results on this. I plan to revisit this with a view of using slightly long subs to bring out the fainter details further.

M42 NGC1977 FLT110 ST8300 by Ivor Lawrence

Capture date: 

2013-01-21T00:00:00

Location: 

  • Southborough, Kent

Imaging Camera: 

  • SBIG ST8300M

Guiding camera: 

  • Starlight Express Lodestar

Guiding Software: 

  • PHDguiding

Capture Software: 

  • AstroArt V5

Processing Software: 

  • AstroArt V5
  • FITS Liberator
  • Photoshop CS4

Supporting software: 

  • Cartes du Ciel
  • EQASCOM

Filters: 

  • Blue
  • Green
  • Hydrogen Alpha
  • Red

Light frames: 

20 x HRGB x 60s

Mount: 

  • Skywatcher EQ6 pro

Techniques used: 

is an image of: 

Ambient Temperature(C): 

2

Dark frames: 

20 x 60

Imaging telescope: 

  • William Optics FLT 110 with WO AFR-IV @F5.6

Guiding telescope: 

  • Bresser 70

Astronmical objects in image: 

  • Cluster with Nebulosity

Workflow: 

Merge align and colour balance in AA5
Scale and stretch RGB in FITS LIBERATOR
combine RGB in PS
Scale and stretch HA in FITS LIBERATOR
Add HA as an overlay layer in PS
take copy of HA
flatten HA

(Copy HA layer as new layer use pin light 75% fill
Flatten image)
RGB

copy layer - blending mode normal
smart sharpen 4/5 pixels
adjust opacity to taste and improve blending
flatten image

duplicate layer
high pass filter 15 pixels (small features)
Hide all mask
gaussien blur mask 30px
adjust opacity to taste and improve blending
flatten image

duplicate layer x 2
top layer hide all mask + screen (highlight light parts central)
brush 10 px flow + opacity 15% = work on flame detail
gaussien blur mask 30px

middlelayer hide all mask + soft light (highlight dark parts)
brush 10 px flow + opacity 15% = work on flame detail
gaussien blur mask 30px
Save checkpoint 1

Change to lab mode
copy HA into lightness
Levels in a and b equally 30
Levels in a and b equally 15