Iris Nebula NGC7023 17-18th July 2013

This is 5hrs (30x600s) over two nights - separate cal frames used for each night 15 Flats & 15 Bias with the SXVR H694C - finding this a real struggle to process with the dark dust clouds-all advice welcome- cheers

Crop

Gareth - that's an excellent image and one I don't recall seeing on these boards in the past.

I really wouldn't have any advice on further processing but I'd say its good to go as it is. The dust clouds look very sharp to me.

Thanks
Dave

Gareth,

Well done! That's as good as the best amateur images I've seen.
I can see now how challenging it is to bring out the delicate details of the nebulosity in relationship to the background stars.
I've never taken an image of this nebula. Is this an emission nebula similar to the planetary types? If it is, it would be a good candidate for narrow band imaging to extract specific elements.

Thanks

Eamonn

Thanks very much to both of you for the great comments-I think you're being overly kind but it's nice to know I'm heading in the right direction!! :laugh:

Eamonn- this is a reflection nebula and does not emit it's own light so would not be a good candidate for narrowband as far as I am aware. The blue light is generated from a nearby star, similar to the way M45 glows blue. Speaking of which - I can't wait for M45 to reappear again along with some proper darkness!!

stang wrote: I think you're being overly kind

I think you're being overly modest...

Its a good image. You'll know you're techniques are good if you can get similar result for M45. That's a tough one to get right and since it so popular, hard to get an image that stands out above the rest. But a great target to perfect your routines.

Cheers
Dave