CLICK ON IMAGE
FOR FULL SIZE VIEW
Scope: C8 f/5.8;
Location: Blair Valley, Anza Borrego Desert, CA; 18 November, 2006; Camera:
Artemis285
Exposure: 6 x 320 sec Luminance exposures with IR Block Filter (bin 1x1);
6 x 120 sec RGB (bin 2x2)
Processing: Images were captured in Artemis Capture (as FITs). Aligned/stacked
in Registax 3 and saved as FITS. Luminance and Color channels were numerically
scaled and color balanced in Astroart. Channels were co-registered
in Astroart. Curves and Levels applied in Photoshop to optimize object
features. Final LRGB combine was done in Photoshop using Luminance
Layering (or LLRGB). G2V color calibration and Atmospheric Extinction
factors were applied to
the color channels for color correction. Selective sharpening with layer
mask was applied to galaxy spiral arms. Due to low signal levels
light background smoothing was applied to the luminance construction and the
final result using PixInsight LE SGBNR and PS surface blur. Color balancing and final
touches were done in Photoshop. Final Image size is approximately
1392x1040.
North is up in this image. NGC 300 is a galaxy located in the
constellation of Sculptor. It is tight spiral galaxy that we view nearly face on.
It is difficult to view from my Northern location and best viewed in the
Southern Hemisphere - it only rises about 18 degrees over my horizon in the Southern
skies. The
distance of NGC 300 to Earth is approximately 7.2 million light years. This
image replaces and earlier image that can be seen in the Archives
here. Horizontal FOV is about 26'
Image Center
approximately - Equatorial 2000: RA: 00h 54m 53s Dec: -37°41'03"
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