My last image of 2023. I've presented a false colour image, which I think better shows off the contrasts in this Californian desert basin, and some of the fine Ha and OIII blowing away from the edges. NGC 1499 is a favourite target, but requires a reasonably wide field (the nebula is 2.5 degrees long), and this camera lens combination frames it nicely. Captured in Stellarmate EKOS using my trusty RPi4, calibrated, stacked and drizzled x 2, and post processed in Siril, using a Hubble palette derived from Ha and OIII extracted channels recombined using Pixel Math (R=Ha, G= 0.4*Ha+0.6*OIII, B=OIII).

Revision A is data combined from my Pentax SLR lens at 150mm (captured earlier in the month and presented here) with data from my Samyang 135mm lens at f2 giving a total just shy of 9 hours integration. Revision B shows 46m data through my L-Pro filter (another Christmas gift), a surprising amount of detail for a broadband filter, which picks out the red spectrum very well. Revision C is a composite of data taken through the L-Pro and L-eNhance filters (~3.5 hours), revealing much more of the nebula, and presented in familiar HOO palette.

You can't help to notice the distorted field in the lower half of these images (top of the inverted frame) due to a whopping 65% tilt, which is painfully obvious in Revision D (produced with Han Klein's excellent ASTAP image inspector)...ouch! As in the description I expect this is due to sag in the image train, given this relatively heavy lens is only supported on a T2 thread!

Located in Perseus, 1000 LY from earth, it feels strange to be looking into this 'desert storm', as we consider the strife on our own planet, our 'lifeboat', our 'only home' (to quote Sagan). The gold yellow and bluish hues also remind me of Ukraine, which we must not allow to fade from our minds in this coming year - their survival depends on our generosity and support. Wishing you all a happy, healthy and hopeful New Year, and peace wherever you are.