M45 "The Pleiades" - Feb 2022 vs Jan 2023 (Tracker Astrophotography) (OSC Neon Palette)

M45 "The Pleiades" - Feb 2022 vs Jan 2023 (Tracker Astrophotography)

Revision title: M45 "The Pleiades" - Jan 2023 "Reprocessed" (Tracker Astrophotography)

I started astrophotography almost a year ago (approximately February 2022). I captured the Pleiades, also known as M45, for the first time. even though it was the same gear I now use (my Nikon and my Sigma lens). I was not aware of the method for astrophotography processing in Pixinsight at the time.

That's why I took a photo of the same object again and compared the two images. I intend to keep developing and utilizing fresh processing strategies. Having your own DSO images, like the ones we used to see in planetariums or documentaries during our childhood, is a beautiful reward for the discipline and perseverance required for this wonderful hobby.

P.S.: Currently, I don't have a telescope; I only have a Sigma telephoto lens that has coma in the corners; however, the captured details are stunning.

Method 🔭
-DSLR Tracker Astrophotography

My Gear 📷
-Camera: Nikon D5600 (Unmodified DSLR)
-Len: Sigma 70-300mm APO f/4-5.6 DG
-Equatorial mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro

Info 📝
-95x120s RGB (190 min from 4 night of imaging)
-F/8
-300mm
-Palette Color: RGB

Original
B
Final
C

B

Title: M45 "The Pleiades" - Feb 2022 vs Jan 2023 (Tracker Astrophotography)

Uploaded: ...

C

Title: M45 "The Pleiades" - Jan 2023 "Reprocessed" (Tracker Astrophotography)

Description: I've been gathering data from many DSOs since January 2023, but my previous processing did not satisfy me, so I committed myself to researching various astrophotography processing methods. My third version of the processing flow, which incorporates major revisions, is as follows:

-Stacking: I use Pixinsight's WBPP with separate RGB channels and apply CFA Drizzle.
-Preprocessing: I use Pixinsight in conjunction with GrapXpert.
-Post-processing: I use Adobe Photoshop in conjunction with Russel Croman Astrophotography plugins.

I hope that this "Reprocessed" version will be to your liking since it will be my base flow for the following DSOs.

Uploaded: ...

Tracker Astrophotography

	Distinct awarded users	Total awarded images
Image of the day
Top picks
Top pick nominations

	Image of the day	Top pick	Top pick nominations	Total submitted
Deep sky
Solar system
Extremely wide field
Star trails
Northern lights
Noctilucent clouds
Landscape

	Image of the day	Top pick	Top pick nominations	Total submitted
Backyard
Traveller
Own remote observatory
Amateur hosting facility
Public amaeteur data
Professional, scientific grade data
Mix of multiple sources
Other
Unknown

Submitted The date and time when you submitted this image for IOTD/TP consideration.	...
Views by Submitters (available since September 19th, 2023) Every image is assigned to 50% of available Submitters. In the event that at least 80% of them don't view the image before its time in the IOTD/TP process expires, it's assigned to the other 50% of Submitters and the process begins anew.
Promotions by Submitters When 3 distinct Submitters promote the image, it moves on to the next stage of the process: evaluation for Top Pick status. This requirement, in addition to anonymization of images and distribution to only a subset of them, prevents biases and ensures that the best images are selected.
Promotions by Reviewers When 3 distinct Reviewers promote the image, it moves on to the next stage of the process: evaluation for IOTD status.
Early dismissal Staff members have a lot of images to inspect on a daily basis, and they can dismiss images if they believe they don't meet the requirements for IOTD/TP selection. If an image is dismissed 5 times, it's removed from the process. This streamlines the process and ensures that any bias present in promotions could be overruled by other staff members.

Status	Advanced success
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	7407161
PixInsight job	1IM1DQOU3TGDOYTY03M4INU79EW7XJM9
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	TASK_LOG

RA (center)	03h46m25s.71
RA (top/left)	03h49m45s.18
RA (top/right)	03h49m53s.43
RA (bottom/right)	03h43m01s.65
RA (bottom/left)	03h43m01s.48

Dec (center)	+24°04′19″.9
Dec (top/left)	+22°54′07″.3
Dec (top/right)	+25°13′42″.2
Dec (bottom/right)	+25°14′19″.7
Dec (bottom/left)	+22°54′36″.1

Image Index:

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