This image is a swath from the center of the Heart Nebula (IC1805) and includes Melotte 15. The colors and framing were intended to convey a sense of a tropical atoll, a blue-green sea of glowing oxygen surrounded by golden, sandy tones of glowing Ha, SII, and dust. My processing approach was attempting to simulate a “bokeh” effect (depth of field) by softening the billowing regions that surround the prominent structures in the field (e.g., Melotte 15, Bok globules, etc.). With this approach I was striving to have the delicate detail of prominent structures appear to rise out of the soupy, glowing gas and dust, like an island jutting up from the sea.

This image is a contribution to the Fine Art Astrophotography collection. It is another in a series I have been developing entitled, Spacescape Collection (please see the earlier posted image in this collection, Corolla, https://www.astrobin.com/apn7gz/B/?nc=user, and Pacman, https://www.astrobin.com/jp2ipr/?nc=user). In this series I strive to compose often-photographed objects in a fresh way. All of the images in this collection are starless and rendered with a 1:2 panoramic aspect ratio. For display, the Spacescape Collection is printed on heavy, watercolor paper. The texture of the paper enhances the complex texture of the image and best shows the translucent colors. Images are printed using archival materials, in sizes ranging from 15”x30” (38cm x 75cm) to 30” x 60” (75cm x 150cm), and mounted on a floater frame. To see my printed images please visit Gallery Sur, Carmel, CA (www.gallerysur.com).