Imaging telescopes or lenses: Takahashi FSQ-106 ED
Imaging cameras: Starlight Xpress SX-814 Trius Monochrome CCD
Mounts: Sky-Watcher EZ-EQ6 GT
Guiding cameras: Starlight-XPress Lodestar Autoguider
Software: Sequence Generator Pro · Photoshop CS6 · PIXINSIGHT 1.8
Filters: Ha 3nm · Red · Green · Blue
Accessory: Lakeside Astro Motor Focus System · Starlight Xpress SX 'Maxi wheel' · Starlight Instruments FTF3545B-A Focuser
Dates:Oct. 1, 2017
Frames:
Blue: 30x60" bin 1x1
Green: 23x60" bin 1x1
Ha 3nm: 17x600" bin 2x2
Red: 30x60" bin 1x1
Integration: 4.2 hours
Avg. Moon age: 10.46 days
Avg. Moon phase: 80.45%
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 8.00
Mean SQM: 18.50
Astrometry.net job: 1769086
RA center: 21h 32' 17"
DEC center: +48° 21' 32"
Pixel scale: 1.435 arcsec/pixel
Orientation: 359.945 degrees
Field radius: 0.854 degrees
Resolution: 3266x2770
Locations: The Hills Observatory, Manchester, United Kingdom
Data source: Backyard
The first image is how you would normally see the cluster in RGB
The second is with an extra 17 x 600s bin2x2 exposures added.
As far as I know this could be the first time M39 has been shown against a backdrop of Ha nebulosity. The Ha is pretty faint and has to be pushed a bit to get it out of the noise.
The image started out as a quick image in RGB taken in less than 90 mins, very quick for me and I wanted to demonstrate that you don't have to take long exposures to get some great looking images.
When I was processing the image I could see that there are areas of dust and I took it further to try and show this better. I tried a Ha filter which seemed to work, so took some more.
Description: With Ha added
Uploaded: ...
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