CLICK ON IMAGE FOR FULL SIZE VIEW
Scope: C8 f/10, Location: Dos Picos Park, Ramona, CA, 29 June 2005 Camera: Artemis285
Exposure: 7 x 120 sec Luminance exposures (1x1) with IR block, 5 x 240 sec H-Alpha Exposure (1x1) 6 x 60 sec RGB exposures (2x2).
Processing: Images were captured Artemis Capture (as FITs). Aligned/stacked in Registax 3 and saved as FITS. Luminance, H-Alpha, and Color channels were scaled and rough color balanced in Astroart. Channels were co-registered in Astroart. The H-Alpha exposure was the main exposure for the luminance construction - the IR block exposure was combined with the H-Alpha for star depth with the fainter stars and for fuller body to the nebula. The combine mode was "screen". Final LRGB combine was done in Photoshop using Luminance Layering (or LLRGB). Color balancing and final touches were done in Photoshop. SGBNR (PixInsight LE) was used to smooth background noise on the final result. Final Image size is approximately 1392x1040.
North is up in this image. The image was guided for all exposures. M27 is a frequently imaged and popular object for observation. This image uses a narrowband HA exposure to add contrast to the red hues. M27 is a Planetary Nebula in the constellation of Vulpecula. Its distance is not precisely known. Estimates range from 490 to 3,500 light years with 1,200 light years being the most accepted. This image replaces an earlier image that can be seen in the Archives here. Horizontal FOV is 15'
Image center is approximately - Equatorial 2000: RA: 19h 59m 36s Dec: +22°43'18"