M31 Andromeda Galaxy

This is yet another attempt at M31 and I think it may be one of the better processing results.  Taking a lesson learned from M45, I chose to go with a shorter exposure time but many more exposures.  This was to prevent the 'bloom/halo' on some of the brighter objects adjacent to M31 and to preserve some detail from the very core.  As I've 'evolved' in my post processing, I'm trying to use a lighter touch and not push the images so hard.  Pushing the boundaries can reveal detail, but just as often in brings additional noise and creates artifacts within the image that can be very difficult to mitigate, if they can at all.

I use PixInsight almost exclusively for post processing, sometimes with additional processing of the jpeg images in Photoshop.  This image is as I finished it Pixinsight.

I did use Starnet to separate the stars and the starless image to allow some additional processing to enhance the dimmer fringe of Andromeda without affecting the stars.   I hope you enjoy!!!

ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Galaxy

The Andromeda Galaxy (IPA: /ænˈdrɒmɪdə/), also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224 and originally the Andromeda Nebula (see below), is a barred spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years (770 kiloparsecs) from Earth and the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. The galaxy's name stems from the area of Earth's sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda, which itself is named after the Ethiopian (or Phoenician) princess who was the wife of Perseus in Greek mythology.

The virial mass of the Andromeda Galaxy is of the same order of magnitude as that of the Milky Way, at 1 trillion solar masses (2.0×1042 kilograms). The mass of either galaxy is difficult to estimate with any accuracy, but it was long thought that the Andromeda Galaxy is more massive than the Milky Way by a margin of some 25% to 50%. This has been called into question by a 2018 study that cited a lower estimate on the mass of the Andromeda Galaxy, combined with preliminary reports on a 2019 study estimating a higher mass of the Milky Way.  The Andromeda Galaxy has a diameter of about 220,000 ly (67 kpc), making it the largest member of the Local Group in terms of extension, if not mass.[citation needed]

The number of stars contained in the Andromeda Galaxy is estimated at one trillion (1×1012), or roughly twice the number estimated for the Milky Way.

The Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies are expected to collide in around 4.5 billion years, merging to form a giant elliptical galaxy or a large lenticular galaxy. With an apparent magnitude of 3.4, the Andromeda Galaxy is among the brightest of the Messier objects, making it visible to the naked eye from Earth on moonless nights, even when viewed from areas with moderate light pollution.